Before you start

Codice fiscale
Passport or ID, plus permesso di soggiorno for non-EU nationals
An unlocked or eSIM-capable handset
An address, and some knowledge of the building for a fixed line

Step-by-step

1
Buy the SIM in a shop with your documents
Operators must record an identity document and codice fiscale against every SIM. Bring the passport and the tax code — a photograph of either is often refused. The line works the same day.
In personWho: YouWeek 1
2
Use a low-cost operator
Iliad and the incumbents' second brands — Ho. Mobile, Kena, Very Mobile — run on the same networks for a fraction of the price with no minimum term.
In personWho: You
3
Prefer prepaid to a bundled handset contract
Postpaid plans commonly bundle a phone over 24 or 30 months and are awkward and expensive to exit. Ricaricabile prepaid with automatic top-up carries no lock-in.
Mobile appWho: You
4
Check FTTH by exact civic number
Coverage tools resolve to a specific address. In the old quarters one building can be served while its neighbour on the same lane is not. Run the check against the address you are about to sign for, before you sign for it.
OnlineWho: You
5
Establish who holds the fixed-line contract
In subdivided and shared flats the internet contract is often in a previous tenant's or the landlord's name, sometimes split informally across units. If you work from home, find out at the viewing rather than after the move.
OnlineWho: You
6
Keep your number when you switch
Portability is a legal right and takes a few days using the SIM serial and your codice fiscale. Never cancel the old plan first — you lose the number with it.
OnlineWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Codice fiscale
Passport or ID card
Permesso di soggiorno or receipt
Proof of address, for fixed lines

Things most newcomers don’t know

There is no anonymous SIM in Italy, so the tax code gates your phone number.

Every SIM, prepaid included, is registered against an identity document and an Italian codice fiscale under anti-terrorism rules. A newly arrived visitor cannot simply buy a working Italian number on landing. The tax code is free and same-day, which is one more reason it should be the first errand of the move rather than the fourth.

Source: AGCOM; Ministry of the Interior

'Fibra' in a shop window covers fibre to your door and fibre to a cabinet down the road.

The regulated labels distinguish FTTH from FTTC, but advertising shorthand does not, and FTTC over a long copper run in a dense old quarter delivers a fraction of the headline speed. Ask which of the two serves the address, in those words, and get the answer in writing if your income depends on the connection.

Source: AGCOM

A fixed line in someone else's name is a real risk in a subdivided flat.

Palermo's historic housing has been subdivided repeatedly over centuries, and internet contracts frequently sit with a landlord or a departed tenant and are shared informally between units. That means the line can be cancelled without notice to you, the bandwidth may be split with neighbours you never meet, and you have no standing with the operator at all. Establishing whose name is on it belongs in the viewing.

Source: community-reported

Mobile data is a credible primary connection here, which is not true everywhere.

Coverage across the four networks is strong across the built-up city, unlimited or very large 5G bundles are cheap, and the fixed-line picture in the old quarters is the least predictable part of the setup. For a remote worker paying Palermo rents, budgeting for a generous mobile plan as a genuine backup — or, in the wrong building, as the primary — is straightforwardly good value.

Source: community-reported

Common mistakes to avoid

Turning up at a phone shop without the codice fiscale.
Checking coverage by street rather than by exact civic number.
Moving into a subdivided flat without establishing whose name the internet is in.
Signing a 24- or 30-month handset contract for a small monthly saving.
Cancelling the old plan before requesting the port.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.