This is probably a dumb question, but I know if I don't ask it, I'll get to Italy next week and not be able to make my phone function.

I assume when I get to Italy I can just go to Operator Settings on my cell phone, hit Automatic, and it will search and find me a local service, right? I THINK that's what I did in France in March, but not absolutely sure.

If there are several to choose from, which should I pick? I'll be in Umbria and on the coast north of Rome if that makes a difference.

Thanks in advance..

Your phone company may have different rates, depending on which italian network you use. You have to ask them for more information, they set the price. The italian networks aren't involved in that respect! If a certain network is cheaper, using "automatic" would be a mistake.

Thanks, logos, but I don't have a "phone company," per se. This is a quad-band phone with an international SIM card in it (I also have an Italian SIM card I can use). I assumed I'd be purchasing the Italian equivalent of a French télécarte and using up minutes.

If it's an international SIM, they don't make any difference which italian network you use.
"Télécartes" won't help. You will need local recharge cards and international calls will be very expensive. (>2€/min)
You can reach local access numbers but no 800 numbers, if you use common phone cards, ("Télécartes&quot but in this case you'll pay twice, to reach the local number and you'll have to use the minutes from your phone card for the call "local" -> international. Anyway, this will cost less than to dial direct.
Cheaper would be a callback service like www.callbackworld.com

I have a callback service. Thanks. Guess I'll just use that.