The three main branches are the Carabinieri; black-uniformed, semi-military and machine gun toting 'national' police, La Polizia, the local 'serious' crime force and the Vigili Urbani; effectively traffic-police. All are to be seen carrying out random spot-checks and all can be contacted by dialing 113. The fire-brigade is on 115.

Should you need urgent attention, rather than attempting to locate a doctor, head for your nearest hospital (ospedale) and go directly to pronto soccorso (outpatients) where you will probably need to join a queue. All chemists will have a nighttime and Sunday opening rota displayed on their door. It is standard for Italians to administer their own injections and syringes may be purchased at most supermarkets.

If you do want to visit a doctor and have brought form E111 from another European country, you will have to take this to the U.S.L (Unita Sanitaria Locale) to obtain a book of vouchers which are good for visits to the doctor and for prescriptions. Note that there is a nominal charge for prescription drugs and blood tests.