Numbers to know

  • 112: the single European emergency number, answered 24 hours a day and routing to the carabinieri, police, fire brigade or medical emergency services. Some operators speak English. This is the number to dial in a serious emergency.
  • 118: the historic medical emergency number, still usable to request an ambulance.
  • 116117: the continuity-of-care number, active 24 hours a day with multilingual assistance, for a non-urgent need for care when surgeries are closed.

Keep an ID document, your insurance card and your accommodation's address on you, to give to the emergency services.

At the emergency room: the pronto soccorso

For a serious problem, an ambulance takes you to the nearest pronto soccorso, or you go there by taxi. At reception a nurse assigns a priority code (from red, life-threatening, to white, non-urgent): the wait can be long for a minor case. For a minor case, some treatment is subject to a co-payment (the "ticket").

Hospitals with a pronto soccorso in Rome include:

  • the Policlinico Umberto I, viale del Policlinico 155, near Termini station (switchboard 06 49971);
  • the Fatebenefratelli hospital, on the Tiber Island, between Trastevere and the historic centre;
  • the Gemelli, San Camillo and Sant'Eugenio hospitals, further from the centre.

The entrance of the Policlinico Umberto I

For a child, ask 112 or your insurer which hospital best suits their age. Check the exact address before setting out.

Insurance: European card and travel insurance

  • Europeans: the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), shown with an ID document, lets you receive medically necessary care during your stay, in public facilities and those contracted with the Italian health service, under the country's rules. A co-payment may remain at your expense for some care; some private services are not covered.
  • Outside the European Union: take out travel insurance with assistance before leaving, covering medical costs and repatriation.
  • In all cases: keep invoices and receipts to claim a refund when you return.

Pharmacies

Pharmacies are marked by a lit green cross. Usual hours are from the morning to midday and from the afternoon to the evening, with a lunch break; most are closed on Sundays.

  • On-duty pharmacies: each pharmacy posts on its door the list of on-duty pharmacies for the day and night, and the Rome Order of Pharmacists publishes the rotas (ordinefarmacistiroma.it).
  • Pharmacies open late or at night: Farmacia Piram, via Nazionale 228, is listed as open 24 hours a day; Farmacia Internazionale, piazza Barberini 49, is listed as open every day from 8 am to 9 pm. Check the hours, which may change.
  • What the pharmacist can do: advise on minor ailments (headaches, blisters, insect bites, digestive troubles). Antibiotics and many medicines require a prescription; bring yours, with the name of the active ingredient (INN), as brand names differ from country to country.

Seeing a doctor while travelling

  • Through your accommodation: ask reception whether it knows a doctor who makes visits.
  • Guardia medica turistica: tourist doctor services, often private, offer consultations at a surgery or at your hotel, at a price agreed in advance, including evenings and weekends; ask the price before the visit. Some have English-speaking doctors.
  • For a non-urgent need outside hours: dial 116117.

Protecting yourself from heat and minor ailments

More visitors suffer from heat or fatigue than from a serious illness. See Rome in summer.