Getting an italian tax number - "codice fiscale"

One of the things we will need in Italy is a codice fiscale, an italian tax number. To be able to do simple things like purchase a cell phone, we will need this codice fiscale. The concept of the number is pretty simple: it is based on your name, date of birth and location of birth. The actual number is issued by the Italian government but there are web-sites where you can calculate what the number would be.

I have been trying to contact the Los Angeles consulate to find out what exactly I need to submit to obtain my codice fiscale. As usual, this is an adventure in itself. The interesting part is that several of the other consulate web-sites have forms you can fill out and mail or fax into that consulate to request your codice fiscale. Not the one in Los Angeles, of course

I call and ask what I need to do to get my number: "sure just come to our office with your passport". Well that is a problem as I live in New Mexico so I need to call back in the afternoon when the proper person is available. I call at 4:00PM PST; they are closed. I call at 2:00PM PST; not back from lunch yet. I call at 3:00PM PST on a Friday and no one answers. I call in the morning and no operator available. I prevail on my next attempt this afternoon and actually get a live person, (a REAL live person!) who is very friendly in advising me the information I need to mail to the consulate and assures me this will only take a few days to mail back to me.

I am mailing in a copy of my passport with my name, date of birth and location of birth to the Los Angeles consulate with a little prayer that my codice fiscale will be mailed back to me before we leave New Mexico in March. Off to the ufficio postale in Corrales.