Taking cell phone to Italy ... how do friends in North America call my cell?

I'd tell my family they can't reach me by phone otherwise you'll get calls in the middle of the night because it's doubtful they'll think about time differences. There is no emergency that you'd be able to deal with from Europe that would require your immediate attention so tell them to text or email. Call home with Skype for pennies per minute or free to a computer.
Otherwise they just dial your number as usual.

I agree with above poster and ask that they text. However if you want a definitive answer I would contact you cell provider and confirm.

Your family will call call your phone like they always do - and you can call to Canada as you normally do. You will need to dial internationally (country code) for calls to any European phone that you may want call while there.

It may depend on your carrier. We have US AT&T and our family members (and others) just call the regular number as usual, for phone or text. They all know we are traveling and how to figure the time difference, and only call or text if urgent.

The advantage of keeping your own number (over buying a local SIM card) is that your number stays the same and you can be reached. This is important for fraud alerts from your bank.

Hi Peter
When we travel in Europe we purchase local SIM cards for both of us as we use data quite a bit when we are travelling. Being able to look up restaurant options, local attractions etc is extremely helpful and we use Google for GPS (affectionately known as Googalina, Our Lady of the Dashboard) although we do use the off-line maps when it's practicable. Having the local SIM card means we don't have to be worried about the amount of data we use and it's very easy to pop into a mobile provider and purchase SIM cards. We have found that it is easiest to do so in a more touristy area where English is more likely to be spoken so you can make sure you understand exactly which plan you are purchasing.

We also buy a 'travel package' with Telus (our carrier in BC) for one of our phone numbers and pop the Canadian SIM card into an older phone. This gives us a functioning Canadian number for calling back to North America if need be and a number for our security system to call. And as another poster mentioned, a phone number for the bank to call. Last year that was very handy as our US credit card (which was locked up back in Vancouver) was compromised and the bank needed to get hold of us. And, it gives the dog sitter and family members an easy way to get hold of us should they need to. Yes, it means carrying an extra phone, but the older phone we use is pretty small and has never been a problem.

If you are using roaming with Bell Canada, your phone remains a "bubble" of Canada wherever you go. So:

1) To call or text Canada, you do it as you would when at home.
2) To call or text other countries, you do it as you would when at home (+, then country code, then local number).
3) For anyone to call you, they do it as they do when you are at home. This means family in Toronto will dial as they always do, but someone in with a phone from outside North America (whether Italy, Greece, Australia, or anywhere else) will indeed need to dial +1-416-878-8999.

If you want to dial the +1 when calling Canada, you can; it won't mess anything up, and it won't change your rates. But it's not necessary in this scenario. You can just dial the 10 digits (area code plus number), and the call or text will go through.

Again, all this applies if you are roaming with Bell Canada. If you do get a local SIM, then you have an Italian phone. From a cell phone, you can always dial the full number with the + and the country code, and it will go through. I like to enter numbers in my phone in this format; then they work from anywhere, regardless of whether I change the SIM or not. And it doesn't change the rates; your phone "knows" whether it's a local or international call and you are charged accordingly.

We have used WhatsApp for years and find the FREE calls and texts perfect for us ! We never get a plan anymore and just rely on wifi for the app. We also tell family to email us. Again, you can access email when you get to your lodging and get wifi.

I would plan something else if I had emergency issues from home which might warrant more reliability than finding wifi at any given location, however.