Thanks, Peter.
Here (near Toronto) we did our "Spring forward" 2 weeks ago on March 11. We were in Florida on that day & flying back to Toronto and almost forgot to "spring forward"! We lost an hour of vacation!!

OB1

These things are odd, aren't they?

My wife 'switches' almost without noticing, and is up and about by the revised clock today - although she would have objected most strongly at having to do so precisely 24 hours previously..

Whereas I'm rather numbly preparing to change countless clocks, watches, digital cameras, mobile phones and the answerphone, the VCR, central heating timer - whilst trying to work out what time the coverage of the motor race in Malaysia will start here!

Peter

For an idea of local sunrise and sunset times after the change, these may be useful:

Naples: http://www.gaisma.com/en/location/naples.html

Rome: http://www.gaisma.com/en/location/rome.html

Peter

Only a few weeks to go before the end of 'summertime' here, so remember that in Italy:

Sunday, 28 October 2012 - at 03:00 the clocks go back to 02:00

That's more or less in line with the UK and the rest of Europe but, I gather, a week before it happens in the USA - and Canada?

Around the same date, there'll also be a change in the times of last ticket sales and closing at many of the open archaeological sites - Pompei, Herculaneum, Ostia Antica etc...

http://www.pompeiisites.org/Sezione.jsp?idSezione=55

http://www.pompeiisites.org/Sezione.jsp?idSezione=93

http://www.beniculturali.it/mibac/opencms/MiBAC/sito-MiBAC/Luogo/MibacUnif/Luoghi-della-Cultura/visualizza_asset.html?id=24035&pagename=57

Peter

November 4 is the date here in Canada.

All of Europe goes back at the same time.
It used to be that the UK changed a month later but nowadays we're all on the same time change. Personally I'd be happy if it stayed on one time or the other, preferably GMT+2.

I always found it confusing in the US where some states have daylight saving, and some don't, and Arizona where the Navajo nation is different to the rest of the state.

I think the whole idea is ridiculous.

Whilst yes, most of Europe (*) does it simultaneously, the clocks in each place are showing local time when that happens.

So, in Italy: "Sunday, 28 October 2012 - at 03:00 the clocks go back to 02:00" whereas, in the UK, 02:00 becomes 01:00, etc etc!

Seems the official definition may go:

"The period extends from 01:00 UTC on the last Sunday in March until 01:00 UTC on the last Sunday in October each year"

... but that's likely to be even clear to anyone here, or either arriving or leaving, over one of those weekends.

Ridiculous perhaps, but not as ridiculous as missing a plane, train etc for not knowing... I'd say?

Peter

(*) The few exceptions, mostly peripheral countries or regions, are noted in:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Summer_Time