Daily life
Codice fiscale
KO-dee-cheh fees-KA-leh
Your Italian tax code — free, same-day, and required before a lease, a bank account, a SIM or a doctor.
Permesso di soggiorno
per-MES-so dee sod-JOR-no
The residence permit. Non-EU arrivals file for it within eight working days of entry, on paper, at a post office.
Contratto registrato
kon-TRAT-to reh-jees-TRA-to
A lease registered with the tax authority within 30 days. Without it you cannot register residence, and without residence almost nothing official works.
Emergency
Cenere vulcanica
CHEH-neh-reh vool-KA-nee-ka
Volcanic ash. It falls on Catania several times a year, closes the airport, and you are legally expected to sweep it off your own frontage.
VONA
VO-na
Volcano Observatory Notice for Aviation — INGV's colour-coded bulletin. When it goes red, Fontanarossa stops.
Zona sismica
DZO-na SEEZ-mee-ka
Seismic classification. Eastern Sicily carries one of Italy's highest hazard ratings, which is why the year a building was built matters more here than its address.
Social
'A Muntagna
a moon-TAN-ya
'The Mountain' — what everyone here calls Etna. Nobody local says 'Etna' in conversation, and the definite article is doing a lot of work.
Minchia
MEEN-kya
The single most-used word in eastern Sicily — vulgar in origin and now a general-purpose exclamation of surprise, admiration or exhaustion. Understand it before you use it.
Health
ASP
ah-esse-PEE
Azienda Sanitaria Provinciale — what Sicily calls its local health authority. The mainland says ASL, and every guide written for Milan will send you to the wrong counter.
Culture
Sciara
SHA-ra
A lava flow field, and by extension the black stone the whole city is built from. Catania's baroque is basalt, not travertine.
Food
A schiticchio
a skee-TEEK-kyo
An improvised group meal, usually outdoors and usually involving more food than anyone planned. A genuine social institution here.
Granita e brioscia
gra-NEE-ta eh bree-OH-sha
Granita with a brioche, eaten for breakfast from June to September. Almond, mulberry or coffee; asking for cream on almond is a defensible choice.
Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.