Italian Steps - Streets and addresses - Cultural notes

Fact File

• Italian addresses are laid out following a standard convention - street name, followed by the number, followed by the postal district. So the British Embassy in Rome is:
  Via XX settembre 80A,
  00187 Rome
  Abbreviations used in addresses include V. for Via, P. for Piazza, and C. for Corso.
  


• When travelling through Italian cities, you'll notice that many streets are named after important dates in Italian history. Among the most common is Via XX settembre, 20th September, the date on which Rome finally became part of Italy after the unification of 1870. You'll also find Via XXIV maggio, 24th May, the date on which Italy entered the First World War, and Via XXV aprile, 25th April, the date of Italy's liberation in the Second World War.



• Events also feature heavily in names of squares, like Piazza dell'Unità Italiana, Square of Italian Unity, Piazza Indipendenza, Independence Square, or Piazza della Vittoria, Victory Square. Most Italians know which victory this refers to - that of the 4th November when Italy celebrates victory in the First World War. You'll also see countless via Garibaldi, via Verdi or via Puccini, all named in honour of Italy's great and good.



• The city of Venice is well known for its confusing street layout, with each of its sestieri, districts, having its own distinct numbering system. There are also many different types of streets criss-crossing the city, from un calle, a typical pedestrian street, un sottoportico, a covered passageway running beneath a private house, to un ramo, an alleyway linking streets. Often streets are named using old Venetian dialect.



• Rome can also be a tricky place to find your way around, as its modern neighbourhoods have spread around the old town without much regard to town planning. North of Rome near the Vatican are the commercial Aurelio, Prati and Mazzini districts, as well as the elegant areas of Parioli and Nomentano, home to many foreign embassies. Further south are the university areas Prenestino, S.Lorenzo and Tiburtino. Eur is one of the more modern business districts, but if you're looking for a fashionable address you should head for Trastevere and Testaccio, Rome's more bohemian districts.



• Florence's system of house numbering also has it peculiarities. Shops and restaurants have red house numbers (the address includes a red 'R'), while private residences and hotels have black ones. Red and black numbers follow their own independent order!