Phoning

These sound like US phones using expensive roaming, not using local sim cards?

It is best checking that both phones are able to work in Italy otherwise the conversation may not be possible.

Depending on the above will be how you dial. Use the "+" key and the full number including 1 for US and the area code and the phone can be dialed with Siri or android anywhere in the world if the phone is configured correctly.

If those represent Denver phone numbers, and if you are both using your US phones while in Europe, the easiest thing to do is re-program the numbers as +1 303 123 4567 (without the spaces). This way, your calls will go through correctly wherever you are (it will work in the US, Italy, or anywhere else, without further modification).

The "formula" for this is the "plus" sign, then the country code (US is 1, Italy is 39), then the local number including area code (sometimes including a 0, sometimes omitting it, depending on the country; for Italy you include it). So, if you have an Italian phone quoted to you as 02 1234 5678, enter it in your phone as + 39 02 1234 5678 (again, no spaces). This will dial correctly anywhere in the world, just by pressing "Send" on your phone.

There are other ways to do this as well, depending on your phone, your plan, which country you are in, etc. But this "plus system" method always works.

rs,

I hope you both have a good roaming plan, as calling each other could be costly. Texting would be far cheaper. You'll also need to address the issue of data roaming, as that can be really expensive!

To add to Harold's comments, if you're using your home cell numbers, the "+1" method is the best way to set the phones up. Keep in mind that for voice calls, when you call your son you will be paying for a long distance call to the U.S. and your son will also pay for an incoming call. Calls are usually billed to the nearest minute (ie: a 1M:5S call will be billed as two minutes).

You'll also need to verify that both of your phones have the necessary GSM bands for use in Europe. For example, Verizon iPhone 4 models will not work in Europe, but later Verizon models will. You'll also need to check the chargers to ensure they're capable of use on 220 VAC electrical systems. Plug Adaptors will be needed in any case.

I agree with the above posts that say making the phone calls would be costly.

I think buying a SIM card in Italy (perhaps takes 24 hours to activate) would be far less expensive than paying roaming charges on both of your phones. Research on Google indicates that Italy's largest network is TIM with Vodofon being second largest. There is a way to buy the Vodofon SIM card on line and have it activated before you leave, but they say it is a bit more expensive to do this than to buy the cards in Italy and wait the 24 hour activation. There are TIM stores right in the Rome FCO airport. Unless your smart phones are brand new, your US carrier might need to unlock your phone (easy to do online or in their store) for you to use the Italian SIM card.

Also perhaps you know if you go online in a wifi network area you can communicate "free" (because you are on line), by using Viber, Google Hangouts, whatsapp. All of these work over internet and cost nothing, unless you are in a some rare location that requires you to pay a fee to use their wireless service. This is what I have done to call traveling companions while in Italy and to call home to the US from Italy.

Last, I have also purchases pre-paid phone cards at local Tobacchi (Tobacco) shops and and used them at hotels, calling from the phone in my hotel room. I have purchased about 25 euros and never used it up. I found this by far the easiest way to call and I suspect far, FAR less costly than making the calls from your US cell phone.

Many thanks to all of you
Rudy

What phone calls and texts between the two of you will cost depends on the carrier and the plan. For instance, if you have a T-Mobile Simple Choice plan, calls are only $0.20 per minute for each of you. If you have T-Mobile with another plan, calls are $1.50 per minute for each of you. And AT&T and Verizon (don't know about Sprint) have international plans you can add to your service to lower their base rates, which are indeed high. Whether you would do better with staying with your US carrier, or buying Italian SIM cards, depends on multiple factors, including whether or not you have phones with unlocked SIM card slots, whether you will be making only a few calls or a lot, whether you can use text instead of voice calls (much cheaper), etc.

If you tell us your carrier, your plan, and your EXACT phone model, we can advise you better. One warning: the customer service people (for all carriers) are often not familiar with details of using their phones internationally, and often give misinformation. Make sure you get info from the correct part of the carrier's website, or from the international specialist section of customer service.