RADIO & TELEVISION

Televisions and VCRs, UK tvs will pick up sound or vision, not both without conversion. UK VCRs can be used to play back English or Italian tapes as long as they are relayed through an English tv. The Italian PAL system is different from the UK one. Tapes work fine, but don't mix tv's and VCRs.

There are about a dozen available channels in our area, all obviously in Italian. BBC world service can be received with any reasonable wireless set. And now, with satellite systems, there must be a couple of hundred stations to choose from.

Music tapes and CDs are now international and easily obtained, videos can be hired, but usually in Italian. DVDs are usually dual-language (Italian and English) (Region 2).

In many restaurants and all homes the television is always on. Trying to cope with the babble of Italian, with everyone usually speaking at the same time, and the television roaring away, can be a problem.

The RAI Uno, RAI 1, one of the state tv services still, after some seventeen years, 1980’s to 1999, displayed the "high-tech" image of a spinning IBM golf ball on their news programmes. RAI Tre, RAI 3, had, as announcers, ladies of an uncertain age, in black and white, with red quotation marks around them. Who they are, and from whence they come the Lord above only knows, but someone seems to love them. RAI 1, 2 and 3 all kept the cameras rolling an embarrassing three or four seconds after the announcer has finished, fixed smiles and similar stares almost burn into the tube.

TV Tax

In Italy, every home, office, even car that has a radio or television set has to pay the "Canone RAI" - which basically amounts to a "Television Tax" used to subsidize the public television stations: the RAI stations (RAI 1, RAI2, RAI3, etc..). The cost in 2005 of 99,60 Euro had to be paid by the 31.January. Or you could choose to pay in two installments, on Jan. 31 and July 31. Fortunately, the amount due does not depend on the number of radios and television sets in the home. And it is independent of the fact whether you watch the public TV channels or not. Or whether you watch TV at all, for that matter. It may seem like a lot to watch "free" TV. But it is the lowest television tax in Europe, as you can see from the chart below:

There are many ways to pay for the "Canone RAI". Most banks have the forms (or a special form in their internet sites); you can pay at the local post office, or with a credit card over the phone or on the internet. For more detail, you can go to the site of the Canone RAI.

Keep in mind that when you will go to pay it for the first time, you will be asked your "Codice Fiscale" Number - as well as the address of the home or office where the TV set(s) is(are) located, so have this info handy.

After you've paid it the first time, you will be assigned an ID number which you can use to identify yourself when making future payments.