10 things to take when driving to Italy

[lupo]

Torchiarolan,
Don't get me wrong, I love my long handled irish spade enough to have taken it over as a priority, otherwise i wouldn't have mentioned it! The trouble is, at the moment it has to compete with a bobcat excavator for the kind of duties I'd anticipated for it! You need to choose Italian spades carefully and make sure that the blade is adequately tempered. Yes, a poor quality one will bend.
P.S. anything particular about the design of an Irish Mattock, or are you just commenting on robustness?

[Torchiarolan]

Originally Posted by lupo

Torchiarolan,
Don't get me wrong, I love my long handled irish spade enough to have taken it over as a priority, otherwise i wouldn't have mentioned it! The trouble is, at the moment it has to compete with a bobcat excavator for the kind of duties I'd anticipated for it! You need to choose Italian spades carefully and make sure that the blade is adequately tempered. Yes, a poor quality one will bend.
P.S. anything particular about the design of an Irish Mattock, or are you just commenting on robustness?

Hi Lupo, Yes basically its robustness, It has a pick-axe handle, the steel collar is shaped to fit snugly, not even water can get between once its had some use as it is self tightening (via the laws of physics) and the steel blade is very thick with a reinforcing ridge down the centre.
They are actually getting hard to get even over here, as you say, mechanical diggers are taking over and the smallest diggers basically replace a man one for one.
I suppose Irish tools are so good because there was so much poverty and emigration here in the past that digging the motorways in England and the railroads in America were often the only available work, so they had to have famously good tools whilst working as human excavators.
I keep saying that there HAS to be good hand tools in Italy, but I must keep going to the wrong shops.

[Rafey]

Here are mine

1. HP Sauce
2. Bisto (if you have kids that don't like real gravy!)
3. Collins Pictionary - great for all those things you don't find in a dictonary
4. Shoes - very expensive over there compared to UK 9even the italian shoes)
5. GSM laptop - so if your phone is not sorted you can still contact the forum for help!
6. Temporary wardrobe until you find the furiture you want
7. Medical Insurance documents & Travel insurance
8. Cook books (such as Twelve, Made in Italy...)
9. Your favorite headache tablets for when you overdo the vino!
10. Brightluminous orange or yellow pants (Italians can wear these without being sniggered at), or tea bags!

[alma]

Cafetieres are not easy to find in some areas, for the times when a teaspoon of expresso is just not enough.

[giovanni]

Clearly taken for granted,yet how often people traveling abroad forget to take the driving licience car documents/insurance ect.
Brakdown covers also good at around 50 or 60 notes for a month.......

[F Bower]

books books books including as big a dictionary Italian-English as you can afford. We only drive once a year (Summer hols) and do Ryanair the rest of the time so our list includes books (including cookery books, Italy mags to chop up and catagorize and reading material for the kids). Other than that, we stock up on paracetamol and anti/after bug stuff because we go through so much and going to the farmacia each time is a pain and we can't take it in hand luggage. Also I need a huge factor suncream (red hair, Scottish descent) and I cant get that easily in my local shops. Oh and I'm taking down some of those nets you can put over food (from Kleeneze catalogue) because I couldn't find any in Italy

[Noble]

This has been a fascinating thread and illustrates that it really does depend on where you are in Italy as to what you think you "must bring" to Italy. Here in Umbria, near Perugia the foreigners have now so influenced retailers, that you can get almost everything mentioned, (at a price). Beautifully made shoes can be bought at bargain outlets. Marmite and those traditional English foods, including cheddar cheese can be bought in Perugia at The WEE shop, how Italians translate that I know not! Cafetieres from Emmelunga etc etc. So I conclude that all you really need to bring is loads of money!

[Penny]

As you are coming to Marche, I have never found the following here:

Marmite
Yorkshire teabags
Bisto
Oxo cubes
High factor suntan lotion

Paracetamol or Ibuprofen are very expensive so I recommend you bring your own large stock!

I have also been told that a Calpol equivalent doesn't exist here (can't vouch for that - don't have kids).

As someone else mentioned, there are good reasons for not using UK domestic electrical items (toasters, kettles irons etc) - not enough power if you only have 3kw like most people.

You can get good linens from IKEA if you don't buy their cheapest range but I don't find towels very good here, unless they are the linen or waffle sort. Or else The White Company, seller of luxury bed linen, bedding and quality home accessories deliver here for a very small extra charge. Fabulous linens!

As for books - thank God for Amazon who deliver very quickly but I do miss English magazines.

Please DON'T buy shoes!!!! Marche is the shoe capital of Italy, which must be the shoe capital of the world so not only are they cheap here, they are beautifully made.

If any of your family is larger than average, they will find clothes in larger sizes difficult to find. Otherwise clothes, IMHO, tend to fit into two categories: cheap and cheerful market stuff or gorgeous expensive designer stuff (but much cheaper than the UK for the equivalent).

I would say, just relax and you will find an equivalent for everything eventually. There is even a company called English Essentials based in Montefortino if you are really desparate for something from the UK.

[Rafey]

Originally Posted by Penny

Please DON'T buy shoes!!!! Marche is the shoe capital of Italy, which must be the shoe capital of the world so not only are they cheap here, they are beautifully made.
.

Blimey, in Lucca the shoes shops were trying to flog trainers (very nice ones though) for €200+. That's why I suggested them!

Not sure if they were aimed at the tourist, but I really hope Lucca does not loose it's charm and end up as a tourist crammed supermarket for gimmicks and street sellers like Florence!

[Glenda Hill]

orange squash or any type of squash, Waspeeze, TCP.