3 in the UK have just introduced a new mobile broadband service using a dongle type modem a la Vodaphone. The cost is £10 / month for 1 Gb, £15 for 3 Gb and £25 for 7Gb and there is a charge of £49 for the modem if you go for the 1Gb option. Not very exciting.
The interesting part however is I that I checked with their CS people and it seems that if you can use your laptop in Italy on the tre network, the usage just comes out of your UK allowance with no additional charges. Thus, whilst perhaps not as cheap as some of the offers available from Tim and Co as it is a monthly contract, it does have the great advantage for those of us who are linguistically challenged, in that it is all in English.
Details at:
3 Products and Services - Mobile Broadband