10 things to take when driving to Italy

[Carole B]

Just one or two ideas...

*A electric kettle - you wont find anything like it over here.
*Things like Deep Heat (cream and spray)
*Ibuprofen (as suggested by Angie and Robert) the equivalent (Moments) cost 'about' ten times as much over here. Plus any other analgesics...
*Eastern spices - if you like curries etc. and are not moving near to a large city.
*Your favourite brand of tea.
* OXO cubes... all flavours. (A personal preference).

[deborahandricky]

Baked Beans, there 1.95 a can here

[HelenMW]

And as you are driving down the E14 I would suggest a supply of valium to keep your nerves calm!!!

[alan h]

Contrary to previous posts by others, I would not bring
An electric kettle - it will blow your 3.3kW electric supply if anything else is switched on - use a kettle you plonk onto the stove
An English Toaster - use an Italian one - they take less power for obvious reasons [see above]
An English iron - same reason


I would take the following 10 things

English Crisps
Piccalilli
Marmite [for others - I hate it]
Canad Dry Ginger - for the whiskey [never found it in Italy]
English tea bags
A soggy white loaf
Gravy powder
Sour strip sweets
English chocolate
and
The wife [well someone has to do the cleaning, or so I'm told]

[Noble]

If you like toast then don't compromise, buy a Dualite toaster from Amazon where it's possibly cheapest. In future any spare parts are easy to obtain. Paracetomol Ibuprofen etc are all MUCH cheaper from UK (suggest Wilko's). Vosene shampoo cannot be found here but best advice is linens and towels, remembering Italian bed sizes (see old threads). Anything to do with computers. Oh and bras and knickers.............and books.

[Nardini]

Ibuprofen here is also available in 600g and 400g tablets, for those that need them. Ask for "Brufen", as that is the usual name here for it.
Tea? the stuff you get at Esselunga tastes the same as PG Tips, or Typhoo and is not expensive.
The rest is personal likes/dislikes, really. If you come from NZ or Australia, you would want Tim Tams, no doubt.
Eastern Spices? I get mine at the many street markets during the summer - look for the French owned spice stalls in particular.
Deep Heat? Try "Lasonil". It is the same thing. Otherwise, Voltaren is good.
Electric kettles, etc - well, you will find the same ones in MediaWorld, Euronics, etc. as in the UK. Braun is Braun, Panasonic is still Panasonic and Hotpoint is (now) Italian after all.

[Carole B]

Originally Posted by Nardini

Ibuprofen here is also available in 600g and 400g tablets, for those that need them. Ask for "Brufen", as that is the usual name here for it.
Tea? the stuff you get at Esselunga tastes the same as PG Tips, or Typhoo and is not expensive.
The rest is personal likes/dislikes, really. If you come from NZ or Australia, you would want Tim Tams, no doubt.
Eastern Spices? I get mine at the many street markets during the summer - look for the French owned spice stalls in particular.
Deep Heat? Try "Lasonil". It is the same thing. Otherwise, Voltaren is good.
Electric kettles, etc - well, you will find the same ones in MediaWorld, Euronics, etc. as in the UK. Braun is Braun, Panasonic is still Panasonic and Hotpoint is (now) Italian after all.

Well there you go - all my problems solved by one post - well 'almost'. Thanks Nardini - the ibubrofen is useful to know about... I've only been using it for a couple of years and my pharmacist didn't mention that it was ok to take a 400g or 600g dose (I'm sure you meant 400mg and 600mg didn't you?). I was instructed never to exceed three 200mg doses daily... However, in fairness I was also avised that as the arthritis increases I could be listed for up to 800mg twice a day - so I live in hopes. You didn't mention the cost though as analgesics are not available on prescription in Italy.

The tea - well if I had an Esselunga near me I could (I think) even get Twinings Assam tea. But I don't so I can't.

Same with the spices - yes they are easier to find in certain areas - I did point that out in my post. But where I live, and 'maybe' where others are hoping to live, there's little hope of finding such things. The street markets up here are (alas) now almost totally controlled by the chinese - but they DON'T sell spices - just clothes ant 'tat'!

With regard to the Deep Heat - yes maybe Voltaren and Lasonil are good, but they are non steroid anti-inflammatories and are different from Dep Heat which is useful for muscle strains etc.

The kettle - I guess it is so long since I first looked for one that I never bothered again - so now when my old 'Tefal' gives up the ghost I'll trot off to Euronics for a replacement.

[Stribs]

TCP or is there an Italian equivalent.
For all those bites you get when watering the garden in the evening.
No problem at the moment with all the rain.
Stribs

[Charles Phillips]

I definitely second TCP - I have never found an equivalent in Italy.

And on the garden implement front, although you can buy for very little money an Italian shovel (wonderful for shifting sand and gravel once you get the hang of it, and much less tough on your back) it will not complete many garden tasks as well as an English shovel.

Have we not filled up your car top box yet!!

[Angie and Robert]

Whilst its not TCP I have bought a product called Amuchina "disinfettante " for cuts, 2.30e from local Coal supermarket which should fit the bill.Re kettles much better I think to use one on the hob, And if anyone has a good recipe for home made baked beans please will you share it.
A