I would add that in Italy (as in many other countries), the "111" is pretty close to many other 'free to call' number, e.g. * 113 would call the police * 112

I would add that in Italy (as in many other countries), the "111" is pretty close to many other 'free to call' number, e.g. * 113 would call the police * 112 the "carabinieri" (another police) * 115 fire dep. * 118 hospital (it was) * 117 financial police... so I always suspected that '111' I (ab)used had sure something to do with an emergency line.