In an emergency in Italy, call 112, the single European emergency number: free, available 24/7 and working even without phone credit. The operator will ask where you are and what happened: answer calmly, in English if you don’t speak Italian.
When to go to A&E (pronto soccorso)
- Chest pain, difficulty breathing, fainting.
- Accidents, injuries, burns, heavy bleeding.
- Signs of stroke: drooping face, weak arm, difficulty speaking.
- Very high fever in newborns, seizures, severe allergic reactions.
How waiting works
On arrival a nurse carries out triage and assigns a priority code: patients are seen by severity, not order of arrival. Many Regions use numbered codes from 1 (emergency, immediate access) to 5 (non-urgent) instead of the old colours. Non-urgent cases may wait several hours and may be charged a fee.
Alternatives
- For minor problems, call your family doctor first.
- At night and on holidays, the out-of-hours doctor (116117 in many Regions).
- For medicines and minor ailments, the pharmacist can advise you for free.
Without documents
Urgent care is guaranteed to everyone, including people without a residence permit. Always carry your health card if you have one, and a list of the medicines you take.
