phones in Venice

Karen, To begin with, have your friends determined that their Phone will work in Italy? Which cell network are they with, and are they using a quad-band GSM phone? Assuming you're using an Italian SIM card in your phone, you'll need to insert a "+" symbol in front of your friend's number and then the 10 digit number as normal. In that situation, you'll pay long distance according to the terms of your Italian cellular plan. The call will be routed to the U.S. and then back to Italy and your friends will pay for an incoming call, according to the terms of their cellular plan. If your friends call you, they'll need to dial your Italian cell number. They may want to have a look at the phone information listed in the Guidebooks concerning the way Italian numbers are structured. Mobile numbers are structured differently than land lines (there about 50 different number prefixes for mobiles in Italy). It often takes me one or two attempts to get the right sequence. In that situation, they'll pay for a local outgoing call according to the terms of their cellular plan and you'll pay for an incoming call according to the terms of your plan. By far the easiest and cheapest method to keep in touch is via text messaging. Happy travels!

If you both have US phones that will work in Italy, using your US networks (not putting in Italian SIM cards), I believe you would dial as normal. However, as Ken said, text will be MUCH cheaper. If you want to be SURE of reaching each other, you can put +1 in front of the 10 digit number (not just +). So, if the number you want to reach is (610) 555-1212, enter it as +16105551212. This way, it will work from anywhere in the world - no further adjustment needed. There will not be any extra charge when you use it in the US this way, either - by using the plus, the phone system automatically routes it correctly. Similarly, for Italian numbers, enter them as +39 and the number. So, a Milan hotel with a number of 02-4444-8888 would be entered in your phone as +390244448888. On most phones, you enter a + by holding down the 0, but on some you press the * key twice, or do something else. The rule for this format: plus and country code and number as it is dialed from abroad, all entered in a string with no spaces or other characters. The number will then work without any further modifications. If you're in the country in question, it's a local call; if not, it goes internationally. If you're roaming (as you plan to be) watch out for charges. My sister taught me this trick, learned when she was living in Europe. She entered all numbers in her phone using the plus format, and never had to change them or think about how to dial again.

Thanks so much for your helpful replies. Texting it will be!!