Italians nervous about new currency

Operators at the Italian euro information hotline were twiddling their thumbs in boredom before Christmas, because hardly anyone…

Operators at the Italian euro information hotline were twiddling their thumbs in boredom before Christmas, because hardly anyone called about the new currency.

But in the last few days, telephones have been ringing off the hook.

A mere 400 calls came in over the first five days after the hotline became active on December 19th but operators logged 10,000 desperate calls on December 26th and 27th alone.

  • Join The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date

  • Sign up for push alerts to get the best breaking news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phone

  • Listen to In The News podcast daily for a deep dive on the stories that matter