Data-only is fine, until it is not
Getting an Italian number
Every travel eSIM on this site is data only. Italy runs on WhatsApp, so that is usually fine. Here is exactly when it is not, and what to do about it.
Do you actually need an Italian number? usually not
| Situation | Do you need a +39? | What to do instead |
|---|---|---|
| Booking restaurants and hotels | No | Italy runs on WhatsApp. Almost every hotel and half the restaurants will message you |
| Calling a taxi | No | FreeNow and ItTaxi work over data; hotels call for you |
| Trenitalia and Italo tickets | No | Email confirmation and an in-app QR code. No SMS involved |
| Museum and Colosseum timed entry | No | QR code by email. Screenshot it |
| Renting a car | Sometimes | Most desks accept a foreign number. Some will only call, not message |
| An agriturismo in the countryside | Sometimes | Rural hosts phone rather than message. Give them your home number and keep it reachable |
| An Italian bank or SIM-linked service | Yes | SMS codes to Italian numbers only. A local SIM is the only route |
| A ZTL permit line or a comune office | Sometimes | Some will not call international numbers at all |
The honest summary: on a two-week holiday of cities, trains and museums, you will not miss having an Italian number once. On a driving trip through the countryside with rural bookings, you might.
The three routes to a +39 and what each costs
€7.99 to €14.99 for 150 to 200GB and a genuine Italian number, from Iliad, TIM, Vodafone or WindTre. Costs a passport scan and ten minutes in a shop. This is the only route that reliably passes SMS verification. The full guide.
Drimsim issues a number with some plans, but it is not an Italian one, so it does not solve the SMS-verification problem. Entry cost is around €35 and data runs roughly €10 a gigabyte, which is expensive for Italy specifically.
Skype, Google Voice and similar services give you a number for calls, not for Italian SMS verification, which is exactly the case you needed one for. Fine for outbound calls, useless for a bank code.
The clean plan for a trip where a number might matter: install a travel eSIM before you fly so you land connected, keep your home line active for calls, and buy a local SIM on day one only if the specific need turns out to be real. Modern handsets hold several profiles, so none of these choices excludes the others, and the eSIM costs about eleven dollars.
A local SIM is the only reliable +39 what it takes
Italian law has required identity registration on every prepaid SIM since Decree 144/2005. That is what makes the number real, and it is also what makes it a shop errand.
| Operator | Price | Data | Calls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iliad | €7.99 (≈$8.80) + €9.99 SIM | 150GB | Unlimited in Italy |
| TIM | €14.99 (≈$16.50) + €10 SIM | 200GB | Unlimited in Italy |
| Vodafone Italia | €14.95 (≈$16.45), no fee | 200GB | 200 min + 200 SMS |
| WindTre | €14.99–€24.99 (≈$16.50–$27.50) | 70–200GB | Unlimited + 100 int’l min |
Bring the physical passport, not a photo of it. Expect five to ten minutes at the counter plus whatever the queue costs you, and check that the line works before you leave the shop. Iliad's unstaffed Simbox kiosks handle the identity capture themselves and are the fastest route if you find one.
One thing worth knowing: the number is registered to you, so it is a real Italian line for as long as you keep it topped up, and it will pass verification anywhere a +39 is required. That is the entire reason to bother. Everything else about buying one is here.
Drimsim is the only travel eSIM here that issues a number and it is not an Italian one
Where Drimsim makes sense is a genuinely different use case: a long multi-country trip where you want one line that follows you across dozens of borders and bills by the megabyte, and where the number is a convenience rather than a verification tool. For a two-week Italian holiday it is the wrong product at several times the price.
If what you want is a number, buy a local SIM. If what you want is data across Italy and its neighbours, buy a regional Europe plan. Drimsim sits between the two and is worse than both at each job.
Why a virtual number will not save you the verification problem
People reach for Skype, Google Voice or one of the online SMS services because they are cheap and instant. They solve the wrong half of the problem.
A virtual number is fine for making calls, and if all you need is to phone an agriturismo, an ordinary WhatsApp or a call over your home line works just as well. What a virtual number cannot do is receive an Italian verification SMS, because Italian banks, ticketing platforms and operator services increasingly reject non-Italian and virtual ranges outright, which is precisely the case where you needed one.
So the decision tree is short. Do you need to receive an Italian SMS code? Then you need a local SIM, and nothing else will do. Do you just need to make a call? Then you need nothing at all: your home line, WhatsApp or the hotel front desk covers it.
The practical setup for most people: a travel eSIM for data so you land connected, your home number kept active for calls, and a local SIM only if a +39 turns out to be genuinely required.
See Yesim Italy plans Read the local SIM guideItalian phone number questions answered straight
Does an Italy eSIM come with a phone number?
Not any of the travel eSIMs on this site. Yesim, GigSky, Airalo, Saily and Holafly are all data only for Italy. Drimsim issues a number on some plans, but not an Italian one, so it does not help with Italian SMS verification.
How do I get an Italian phone number as a tourist?
Buy a prepaid SIM from Iliad, TIM, Vodafone or WindTre in a shop with your physical passport. It costs €7.99 to €14.99 for the plan plus sometimes a €10 SIM fee, takes five to ten minutes, and is the only route that reliably passes Italian SMS verification.
Can I make calls with a data-only Italy eSIM?
Over the internet, yes: WhatsApp, FaceTime, Signal and Skype all work normally on any of these plans, and Italy conducts most of its business over WhatsApp anyway. What you cannot do is receive a call to an Italian number, because you do not have one.
Do I need an Italian number to rent a car?
Usually not. Most rental desks accept an international number. The exception is a small local operator that will phone rather than message, and some ZTL and permit lines that will not dial international numbers at all. If your trip depends on it, buy a local SIM on day one.
Will a Skype or Google Voice number work for Italian verification?
No. Italian banks and ticketing platforms increasingly reject virtual and non-Italian ranges for SMS codes, which is exactly the situation where you wanted a number. Virtual numbers are fine for outbound calls and useless for verification.
Can I keep my own number and still use an eSIM in Italy?
Yes, and this is the standard setup. Leave your home line active for calls and texts with data roaming switched off, and run data on the eSIM. You keep your number, your bank codes still arrive, and you avoid the roaming charge entirely. The setup page walks through it.
Data before you fly, a number only if you need one
Yesim's Italy plan is $11.15 for 5GB and installs in four minutes on home wifi, so you land connected with your own number still working for calls. If a +39 turns out to be genuinely required, a local SIM on day two costs €7.99.
See Yesim Italy plansSources & freshness: Travel eSIM plan structures from each brand's Italy pages, September 5, 2026; none of the five offers an Italian number. Local operator prices in euros converted at roughly $1.10. Drimsim pricing and its unclaimed Trustpilot profile (3.2 from 12 reviews) checked on the same date. SIM registration requirement: Italian Decree 144/2005. Compare all six providers: best eSIM for Italy.