What to bring to Italy, and what can you do without? For experienced tourists, there is a motto - “Minimum luggage - maximum comfort”, and this, perhaps, needs to be followed. You should not take too many things with you: firstly, in your suitcases there should be a place for purchases that you make during the trip, and secondly, lifting weights is not a pleasant experience. Nevertheless, there are things that cannot be dispensed with during the trip, and they will be discussed.
Clothes and shoes
When choosing a wardrobe for your vacation, you should take into account weather conditions, as well as the purpose of your trip. In the summer, you should take care of light clothing and shoes, as well as hats that can protect against bright sunlight. Sunscreen will not hurt, especially if you have long excursions or trips to the beach. Speaking of the beach - making a list "What to take to Italy", do not forget about bathing suits (one or two is enough), beach shoes, which are comfortable to walk on the sand and pebbles, as well as beach towels.
When choosing a wardrobe for a vacation, you should take into account both weather conditions and the purpose of the trip
Pay attention to shoes for everyday wear - it should be as comfortable as possible, able to withstand long walks, long excursions, and shopping trips. In the centers of many Italian cities, entire neighborhoods are often lined with paving stones, which is also an argument in favor, first of all, of comfortable shoes. If evening outings are coming, the ladies will have to bring an elegant dress and matching shoes or sandals, and for men - a suit and closed shoes.
When traveling to Italy in winter or autumn, take care of warm clothing that matches the temperature of the part of the country you are heading to - often the weather in the northern and southern regions is strikingly different. Do not forget about rain protection, which is not so rare in Italy in the fall - an umbrella and raincoat will not take up much space in your luggage. However, these attributes can also be purchased locally. Fortunately, they are very cheap.
To go to the theater or restaurant, you will need an evening outfit
It should be noted that Italy is a country in which Catholic traditions are strong. If you plan to visit temples or other holy places, do not forget about clothing that is appropriate for an occasion - with shoulders and long sleeves closed. Women are also not bad to have a scarf or stole, which you can cover your head and drape the neckline.
Personal hygiene items
Italian hotels are distinguished by a high level of comfort: if you booked a room in a hotel marked with three or more stars, there is no need to bring soap or shampoo with you - as a rule, guests are provided with these necessary trifles. Of course, if you use only a certain brand of shampoo, you will have to allocate a place for it in the suitcase, since it may not be in the nearest stores. Guests are not provided with toothpaste at all hotels, but this does not mean that they will have to be taken out of the house, if necessary, they can be purchased on the spot - at the nearest store or supermarket. Perhaps, one should not even mention handkerchiefs and wet wipes - one cannot do without them during the trip.
It is not necessary to bring soap and shampoo with you - Italian hotels will provide them.
The most complete catalog of Italian hotels, photos of rooms and maps of their location, as well as millions of tourist reviews can be found here.
Equipment
In hotels above 3 stars, guests are provided with a hairdryer free of charge, but for the use of an iron, a fee is most often charged. If you have a travel option for this useful household appliance - do not be lazy, take it with you, and spend the money saved on something more pleasant.
No self-respecting tourist will go to Italy without a camera or camcorder
No self-respecting tourist can go on a trip without a camera. Check the camera’s performance in advance, take a spare flash card with you, as well as an extra set of batteries and a charger. Do not forget take with you to Italy Chargers for the phone, as well as other gadgets that you take with you - a tablet, laptop, e-book. There is no need for an adapter, since the sockets in Italy are the same as in Russia or Ukraine.
First aid kit
If you are going on a trip, especially with your children, be sure to bring along a set of medicines necessary for first aid - antiseptic agents, iodine or green paint, bandages, a band-aid. In addition, during the trip you may need antipyretic, painkillers, antihistamines, anti-motion sickness drugs, as well as medicines that can cope with intestinal upset. A first-aid kit, which takes up very little space in your luggage, will save you from having to talk to pharmacists in a foreign country, as well as save significantly - medicines in Italy are quite expensive.
Be sure to bring along a set of medicines - medicines in Italy are quite expensive
Those who use contact lenses should take care of the supply of the solution for their storage, since in Italian pharmacies it can be purchased only with a prescription from an ophthalmologist. The volume of the bottle with the solution should be no more than 100 ml, a larger container will not miss customs control at the airport.
In order not to have problems when passing through customs, you should first familiarize yourself with the list of drugs banned from importing into Italy - this is especially true for drugs that normalize the work of the heart, as well as drugs taken for chronic diseases.
Documents
The main document that you need take with you to Italy, - international passport. If you plan to rent a car, do not forget the driver’s license, as well as - very desirable - an international driving license. By the way, it is better to book a car in advance, because at the height of the season the number of people who want to use the rental services increases several times, and you risk being left without a vehicle.
The most popular car rental online booking service is Rentalcars. The system is very easy to use, Russified and resembles the popular hotel portal Booking.com (with which it has common roots). The essence of the offer is simple - the system conveniently compares the conditions of car rentals in a particular area, selects the best offers and allows you to instantly book online.
The main document that you definitely need to take with you to Italy is your passport
Photocopies of passports and other documents are recommended; they can be useful in case of theft or loss. Well and, of course, do not forget travel insurance - it may well be asked at the border.
Tickets for transport and museums
At any time of the year (and especially in season), millions of tourists visit Italy: it is not for nothing that the country is among the five most attractive tourist countries in the world. In 2011 alone, for example, more than 46 million people visited Italy. As a result, the queues for popular tourist attractions “roll over” at any time of the year. In order not to lose precious hours of travel in lines, it makes sense to book tickets in advance - online.
You can make an order and pay in advance using the popular travel service SelectItaly. Here you can buy tickets for all the most significant sights of the Apennine peninsula: to the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican Museums, to the Uffizi Gallery and the Borghese, to the Doge's Palace in Venice and to viewing the frescoes of the Last Supper of Leonardo da Vinci in Milan. It is worth noting that it’s almost impossible to buy tickets on the spot at some of the sights due to restrictions on viewing on the one hand and great demand on the other (for example, the Last Supper). So the ability to book tickets online may not be just the way, but absolutely necessary. See the full list of online attractions available to book online here.
It makes sense to purchase tickets for trains and museums in advance - online
The situation with railway tickets is similar, since the railway is the main intercity transport in Italy. Despite the huge number of trains and their high speed (and maybe just because of this), the queues at stations in Italy are not inferior to the sights. Therefore, it is also recommended that you buy train tickets in advance so that you don’t jostle at the train station in an attempt to find a common language with local servants who do not always speak English. You can purchase tickets online for high-speed trains between the main Italian cities on the Omio website of the former GoEuro - the procedure is intuitive and requires only a few minutes of time.
More details about trains in Italy and buying tickets for them BlogoItaliano wrote here.
Money
You can take money on a trip both in cash and on a credit card - there are more than enough ATMs in Italy. The amount is determined individually - it depends on the purpose of the trip, as well as the personal preferences of the traveler. For example, the cost of food depends on where you prefer to eat - in fashionable restaurants or inexpensive network cafes. If you plan to go on excursions or visit museums, it is worth including the cost of tickets in the trip budget. Another expense item is transport: public, taxi or rented car.
BlogoItaliano already tried to answer the question: How much money to bring with you to Italy. We published a detailed article on this topic here.
Photos by: Emiliano, hotellabitta.it, photos by ys, Luke Montague, Elliott Brown, seligr, zuiderdammm, Marco.
