Tabacchi denotes a tobacco shop or tobacconist in Italian. A Tabacchi is a very important place for tourists visiting Italy.
Pronunciation of the word Tabacchi: Tabacchi is pronounced ta-BAK-ee
What to buy in a Tabacchi store in Italy
Why do you need a tobacco shop if you don’t smoke? A Tabacchi is where you can go to buy local bus tickets (bigletti). Often you can also buy bus tickets at a news vendor’s kiosk or biglietteria near the departure point of the buses, such as outside a train station.
Many tabacchi stores have phone cards ( scheda telefonica ), which are generally the cheapest way to call outside the country of Italy, and you can recharge (add money) your current Italian phone card. You can also find postage stamps ( francobolli ) on a Tabacchi. A large Tabacchi store often also sells pens, stationery, watches, candy, and jewelry. If you need to send a fax, you can usually do it at a Tabacchi.
Some may have personal care items like combs or toothbrushes, so if you’ve forgotten yours, check out a Tabacchi store. Tabacchi stores also sell lottery tickets ( gioco del lotto ) and you will often see Italians stopping to buy one.
And yes, you can buy cigarettes, lighters, and other tobacco products at a Tabacchi in Italy. Some tabacchi have a vending machine outside so you can buy cigarettes 24 hours a day.
By the way, indoor smoking is banned everywhere in Italy.
How to find a Tabacchi in Italy
Tabacchi in Italy displays the sign you see on the right, with a large white “T” on a dark blue or black background. Notice that the sign says “sali e tabacchi,” which refers to two government-controlled products, salt (s) and tobacco (s). While salt was once a government monopoly, it has recently been removed from government price controls. However, the signs have not changed.
All tabacchi must be licensed. In the past, a town’s sali e tabacchi license was often given to a poor member of the community so that he could run the shop and earn some money. It was a form of social welfare.
In some very small towns, a tabacchi shop can be part of a bar.
Tabacchi can also be known as Tabacchino, or small tobacco shop.
