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.
Turnazione idrica
toor-nat-see-OH-neh EE-dree-ka
Water supplied on a rota rather than continuously. Palermo was on one until February 2026; most buildings still have a tank and a pump because of it.
Autoclave / serbatoio
ow-to-KLA-veh / ser-ba-TO-yo
The pressure pump and the rooftop water tank. Ask which the flat has and when the tank was last cleaned — this is a normal viewing question here.
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.
Health
ASP
ah-esse-PEE
Azienda Sanitaria Provinciale — what Sicily calls its local health authority. The rest of Italy says ASL, and search results will mislead you accordingly.
Work
Regione Siciliana
reh-JO-neh see-chee-lee-A-na
Sicily's autonomous government, and the island's largest single employer. Its statute predates the Italian constitution.
Pizzo
PEET-tso
Protection money. Relevant to anyone opening a business here, and to essentially nobody arriving on a salary — but worth understanding rather than whispering about.
Social
Amunì
a-moo-NEE
'Let's go' in Sicilian — which UNESCO classes as a language of its own, not a dialect of Italian. You will hear far more of it than you expect.
Camurria
ka-MOOR-ree-a
A nuisance, a hassle, an interminable piece of admin. Used constantly and almost affectionately about bureaucracy.
Food
Sfincione
sfeen-CHO-neh
The thick Palermitan focaccia-pizza with onion, anchovy and caciocavallo. The street-food canon here is a genuine civic institution, not a tourist product.
Culture
Buon'anima
bwon-A-nee-ma
'God rest their soul' — appended to the name of anyone deceased. Skipping it when a Palermitan mentions a late relative reads as brusque.
Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.