We have used ours a Bosch very happily for 3 years here, its cold fill only and about I guess 6 years old now. In fact we bought out a fridge freezer, iron, toaster, all have been fine. its best to be aware that too many electrical goods being used at one time may trip your electrics depending on the supply you have.

We did though buy our gas cookers here. I know you were only talking about your washing machine , but you might like to consider buying other goods in the (I assume) UK before you come out, as they can be difficult to source and possibly more expensive. The humble potato masher is a case in point!

A

Yes you can - however there are c couple of things to be aware of:-

1. UK washing machines tend to be quite hungry for electricity - usually close to 3kW.  You need to check what power you have at your Italian place - if its the 'norm' of 3KW it means that you have to be careful what else is switched on at the same times - otherwise your 'main fuse' will cut out.  The one we bought in Italy has a lower power requirement - the only effect really is the the water takes a bit longer to heat up.
2. If your UK machine is one of the older types that has 'hot and cold fill' requirements - you can fit a simple 'T' adaptor to connect both hot and cold fill hoses to the cold water supply - again, the only effect is a slightly longer water heating cycle 

Hope this helps

If you live near a large town in Italy then sourcing 'White Goods' should be no problem and prices are often good, if not cheaper than the UK (large Supermarkets like Le Clerc and Carrefore often sell these at dicounted rates. UK ones do have a higher wattage which will blow your power out frequently if you have anything else on at the same time.

 Why waste valuable space in the vehicle bringing one over when you can fill it with Marmite, Baked Beans and other hard to find luxuries...

For potato mashers visit your local market, most of them have a stall selling kitchen utensils.

Due to the euro/pound "situation" I did a price check using John Lewis/Curry's in the UK and Euronics in Italy to try and work out whether it would be cheaper to ship electrical goods from the UK.

Some of the model numbers seemed to change so a like for like comparison wasn't absolutely spot on - (I also checked the electricity ratings - something I've never done before !)

But generally the prices were nearly or exactly same - so we decided with the additional shipping costs it wouldn't make sense to ship to Italy - also we reckoned that if we got a fault - we could take back or get them fixed by the people we bought them from.

What we ARE going to ship is lights...because they are significantly more expensive here for some reason........... 

However, if yours is a complete move then bringing what you've already got would make sense.

Jinty

Being a market and kitchen utensil store lurker Gromit, I can honesty say that in my part of Italy , I have never seen a potato masher!, cherry stone removers yes, and some things I have no name for but potato masher neinte. But I stand to be corrected, hands up who has ever seen one?

A

 It would also be advisable to look at what your local shop can offer. Sometimes the differences are not very big, but some of these locals carry the goods and install them at no extra cost, plus you have the advantage that you can go back to them if anything does not work properly and they will fix it. We bought most of our white goods, particularly the large ones, at our local shop in Bagni di Lucca. The owner is an electrician and he took care of everything without any extra charges.  And it is always good to do something to support the local small businesses. Without them, there would not be a town providing us with goods and services.

This type of masher; which gives particularly creamy texture, is available all over this part of Tuscany; and is available from any hardware type store or large supermarket about € 8.

Happy hunting..........

Ah just to be picky, its caller a ricer, not a proper potato masher!!!, and I have one of them, the ricer that is. But thanks .

A

IKEA Angie!!!!!

It's all starch anyway. But our neighbours swear it's a potato puree 'er for gnocchi and the like, and I'm not about to argue with a 80 yr old who's been making it all her life............

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKt-KR1TsRg

Sorry can't do the you tube thingy yet.....

We also did the same 4 years ago!  Great service with the fitted oven when broke down and he replaced two resistors.  When the dish washer broke down and he required a part from the manufacturer then the trouble started.  The manufacturer took six weeks to send the new part and he fitted it promptly when it arrived.  During that episode I did some research on the availabilty of extended warranties and home repairs in Italy: all the major brands offer a five year extended warranty, but I was not told that when I fitted the kitchen.  I also bought a cordless phone from him and when it broke down it took 6 months to sort out with the manufacturer.  In the end he gave me a refund on another phone.

In the UK I normally purchase all my electrical goods from John Lewis as they offer a free two year guarantee and guarantees never to be undersold (shop prices only).  Their exports department in Oxford Street has advised me that the 2 year warranty is not available outside the UK and only the international warranty applies.  They have shipped very large items to me (not electrical equipment) in Italy and these purchases were cheaper (including transport cost) than buying them in Italy (even for Italian products now that the Euro is stronger against Sterling!).  They are also very reliable: the goods arrive when they say they would and transport charges are made only after the goods have arrived in Italy and have been delivered to me!  The items always arrive when they say they would. Great service!

When it comes to getting something repaired under international warranty: forget it!  The local authorised agent does not want to know: not that they are intransigient but they deal with so little of it that they do not know what to do.  So when my daughter's Toshiba portable DVD player broke down, after some frustrating local calls, we arranged with Toshiba UK to return the machine to a friend in the UK and they would swap it for a new one by courier.  I got my machine back from the UK after 10 days of sending it.  We now purchase our small electrical and electonic items in Italy directly from the manufacturer's website when such a facilty exists.  Very reliable and any if there is any problem I send it back directly to them, whether I am in Italy or the UK.

Comments most useful and has helped us make up our minds. Will take some of the essentials like TV/DVD/Sky HD Decoder, HiFi but will source white goods locally. Will also make sure we take the potato ricer and plenty of baked beans!!!

Thanks again 

I have very limited space, and needed a compact washing machine, in Italy it is quite easy to get a 40cm wide washing machine top loader at a reasonable price, so if space is an issue consider them too!

If  you have a Lidl nearby don't worry about baked beans- they do some very nice ones

(Sorry about the smiley- just wanted to see if i could do it)

 We started with washing machines and ended up with various other small appliances and gadgets. Regarding the potato masher (ricer) I agree, it makes an excellent puree, but I find it a bit heavy. I always use the small hand-held potato masher, the one that has a flat base with many holes in it, and I get very good results.