You’ll never know when you are in need of medical attention, so better be informed on how you can access medical care. Should you get ill in Italy, worry not, for their hotlines are very much available 24 hours in a day.

The following are the numbers you may want to take note of:

Although Italians are known to be one of the healthiest people in the world, a healthcare system is still necessary to provide both residents and visitors with health services. Italians have free-access to their public healthcare system provided by Servizio Sanitario Nazionale (SSN). If you are staying in the country as a foreigner for a lengthy period of time and you’d like to have access to public healthcare, you should register with the SSN at the Azienda Sanitaria Locale (ASL), or the health unit in the locality you’ll be staying in. However, it is best that you secure medical insurance in advance to get access to private healthcare.

If you already have medical insurance in your home country, ask them if your policy is able to extend in Italy. If your existing medical insurance fails to cover your travel to Italy, you may reach out to institutions that offer expats health insurance policies that extend overseas such as Allianz Care or Foyer Group Global Health.

Also, it's generally a good advice and often a much cheaper option to check what insurance packages are available in your own country and what coverage they offer in Italy.