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WHAT TO BRING
If you have never lived in another country, then you'll want to
consider what to bring with you to Italy to make your stay more enjoyable and to
avoid out-of-pocket costs. You may not have adequate storage space in your
house, so minimizing what you bring will also help you live more comfortably.
You'll also find some great items that are usually less expensive than in the
US, so leave room for those.
The table below lists some items you may want to consider bringing (or not
bringing). Remember that you may be living at the Support Site, which has
many American-style appliances and accommodations (e.g., 120V electricity
outlets). This may affect your decisions on what to ship with
you.
You'll also have to decide what items to send with your Unaccompanied Baggage
(or Express Shipment as it is also called). Ours arrived in about three
weeks! That's not typical, but was a pleasant surprise. We didn't
include the "obvious" items in the table below (e.g., pots and pans,
toys, videotapes, professional books, personal care items, etc.) Our main
shipment took much longer and was compounded by the month of August, which is
vacation month. Many business, including the moving companies, close for a
few weeks during that month. Don't expect to get much done in August
(except for maybe touring Italy).
The Housing Office will provide you with the following items, so you won't
need to bring any of these: two or three wardrobes (one for each family
member plus an additional one for military members' uniforms), a kitchen hutch,
two transformers, a stove, a refrigerator, a deep freezer, two floor fans, and a
washer and gas dryer (American or Italian style).
| Rugs (all types) |
Almost all Italian homes, including the housing at the
Support Site, have marble floors. These can be quite cold in the
winter! You can purchase rugs here at the Country Store in Agnano or
on the economy. There are several vendors just outside the gates of
the military bases who sell very nice rugs at reasonable prices. If
you have nice rugs, go ahead and ship them. |
| Bathroom Sets |
Some bathroom sets have matching toilet seat/tank covers,
rugs, etc. Italian bathroom fixtures are shaped differently that US
fixtures, so these sets will not work in Italian housing. Click
here for picture. |
| Water Softeners and Laundry Detergent |
The water in Naples is extremely "hard", meaning
that the mineral content is very high. Soap does not lather well in
hard water and therefore, clothes will not get as clean unless you use
some type of water softener. Calgon brand softener is sold at the
Navy Exchange (NEX), but it sells quickly. If you can get it in the
US and ship it, then you will have it on-hand when you need it.
Otherwise, you may have to wait for it to be restocked at the NEX. |
| Catalogues |
There are no Sears, J.C. Penny, or Wal Marts here, so if you
want items from those stores, you'll have to order through catalogues or
on the Internet. There are, however, some large stores like
Carrefour and Ipercoop that resemble Wal Marts.
Catalogues have many more items not listed on the
websites. You can still order them via the Internet though.
Some other catalogue types include: car parts, home brewing
supplies, vitamin/nutrition supplements, sewing/craft supplies,
electronics, magician's supplies, etc. Until you get familiar with
what types of stores Naples has, you may have to rely on catalogues for
ordering your items. |
| Phone Book/Calling Cards |
You may have unfinished business back at your last duty
station, so a phone book will prove very helpful. Remember that
phone calls in Italy, especially back to the US, are very expensive.
Rates can be as high as $1/minute or higher on calls to the US. Make
sure you bring an international calling card with you. You may want
to provide some to friends and family also. The rates may or may not
be cheaper, but the cards will impose a limit on your spending. The
charges will creep up on you if you're not careful. Consider using a
callback service like CallbackWorld (http://www.callbackworld.com).
There are many to choose from, so shop around. This is just the one we
use. |
| Propane Grill Tank |
You won't need the tank to your propane grill. You can't
buy propane here (the fittings are different for the filling
equipment). Besides, I don't think the military ships these anymore,
even if they're purged. Bring your grill though, because you can use
a bombola with it. You'll have to buy new fittings, but those are
inexpensive--just a couple of connectors and hoses. Ralph Russo in
Lago Patria sells bombole (plural for bombola), heaters, and will set up
your grill for you. |
| Storage Totes |
Plastic storage totes come in handy for storing seasonal
items like clothes, Christmas decorations, etc. Italian homes don't
have as much "extra space" as American homes. You can
stack totes neatly in a corner or in your garage. Wal Mart and
Target seem to be the best places to find these. They have a good
selection and they're relatively inexpensive. |
| Carbon Monoxide (CO) and Smoke Detectors |
The Housing Office will issue you two CO detectors, but you
may want to bring a few more, especially if you wind up in a large
house. Bombola heaters can be dangerous, so you should have CO and
Smoke detectors in the rooms where they are operated. These
detectors are inexpensive and can save your life. |
| Television |
One of the most common questions is, "Will my TV work over
there?" The answer is "yes", at least in part. Your TV will work
with a transformer, so you can watch your videotapes and DVDs. You
cannot pick up the Italian TV stations unless you have a PAL or multi-system
TV set. We'll add a section with more details about NTSC and PAL TV
standards later. For now, just realize that your TV will work for
pre-recorded material.
To get the AFN local signal on your TV, the tuner must be able to go to
Channel 81 from the antenna or off-the-air setting (not the
cable setting). Newer TVs won't, so you may be forced to buy a
multi-system TV to get AFN. |
| VCR/DVD Player |
Your VCR, just like your TV, can be used here to view
previously recorded material. You won't be able to tape Italian TV
with it though. The NEX sells multi-system VCRs that play and record
various formats. You can get
one for under $200, but you must use a multi-system TV with it. There are some that convert the signal to work with American
TVs, but those models are usually expensive (more than $400). Unless
you plan on converting your Italian TV shows/videos to NTSC format, you
won't need one of these. Also check that the system will work on both
220 and 110V power if you want to take it back to the US with you. You can
buy multi-system DVD players that play both NTSC (American) and PAL
(European) videos. Some even allow you to change the region coding.
You can find these on eBay. We got one from the seller scrilldonia
who also has a website at
http://shopthreebrothers.com |
| Satellite Dish (DirecTV or Dish Network) |
Your American satellite dishes will
not work here at all. There are no satellites broadcasting these
services in Italy. There are satellite systems in Europe, but they operate on
entirely different standards. |
| Computer |
Your computer, especially if it's a newer model, will work
here. Nearly all new computers now have selectable power settings so
you can use them anywhere. Caution: Make sure you select the
right setting BEFORE plugging it in or else you will destroy your
system! You can purchase the Italian power plugs either on the
economy or on the bases. These are better than simply using an
adapter because they have a grounding plug. Most adapters have only
the two prongs and can cause dangerous conditions if used with equipment
that requires the third ground prong. Laptop computers usually come
with a power supply that automatically adapts to the power. On the
back, if it says something like "100-220V, 50-60 Hz" then it's
OK to use in Italy. |
| Other Electronics |
You can probably use just about any electronic item with a
transformer. The transformer simply converts the voltage from 220 to
110V. It does not however, convert the frequency (cycles per
second). Italy, like most European countries, operates on 50
Hz. The US uses 60 Hz. Most electronic equipment is tolerant
of frequency changes, but some will not work well. Motors, for
example, do not respond well to changes in frequency. Items that
will be operated only for short durations (e.g., drills) may be OK, but I
would not recommend bringing a refrigerator and running it on a
transformer. It may be OK, but why take the chance? |
| Microwave Oven |
A microwave is dependent on the frequency of the electricity
and will not work, even with a transformer. I have not verified this
information. It may not be accurate. I have seen people do it,
but I don't know how much longer their microwave will work. At one time, televisions
were also dependent on the frequency and would not work. Now, the
power supplies in them convert the incoming frequency to a usable level,
so the frequency is no longer an issue. |
| Lamps |
Incandescent lamps will work fine here, but you'll have to
get new bulbs (220V) and an adapter for the plug. Halogen and fluorescent
lamps have their own transformers and may not work well since you have to
connect them to another transformer. Connecting two transformers
together is probably not something you'd want to do, although it may work
perfectly. |
| Tools and Accessories |
Bring all of your tools, especially hammers and screwdrivers
and anything you'll need to reassemble your household goods when they
arrive. Cordless drills/screwdrivers are invaluable. Make sure
you get some masonry drill bits, too. Many homes have tile walls,
especially in the kitchens, so you'll have to use masonry bits to avoid
destroying the walls. |
| Telephones and Answering Machines |
Your American phones will work with the Italian phone
system, but you'll need a special adapter to plug them in. You won't
find it in the States, but that won't be a problem since you can find it
in the NEX. When you get your phone line installed, they will tell
you not to use American devices (i.e., phones, MODEMs, etc) because the
phone company will not pay for repairs caused by your devices.
Housing will give you an Italian phone so that if there is a problem, the
phone company will fix it for free. In real life though, plug your
phone, answering machine, or computer into the socket and use them as you
normally would. They work fine and don't affect the lines. If
you do develop a line problem, disconnect your devices until the phone
company fixes it. More than likely, the problem is something like
water in the lines, not your equipment. Our lines wouldn't work and
we discovered (when the repairman came out) that we had mud in our
junction box. |
| Lawn Mower and Yard Tools |
Here's the question of the day and I unfortunately cannot
give you a clear answer on this one. The reason is that you won't
know what type of house you'll be living in until you get here and find
one. In the US, you can expect to find that most apartments do not
have yards and that most houses do. Here in Italy, you will find
many different situations: apartments where the tenants all share
responsibility for maintaining the yard, houses where the landlord takes
care of it, etc. You can bring your tools and hope to find a house
with a yard for you to maintain or you can leave them in storage and find
a house with no yard (or one you don't maintain). If you really
can't decide, post a message on the boards with your rank or GS
level. This will allow us to look up your "cap" (housing
allowance) and give you an idea of the type of house you can expect to
get. We, your sponsor, or someone from the message board can send
you pictures or information from the housing office on the specific houses
available. There are literally hundreds, so expect to get only a
sample. |
| "The Club" |
Bring a security device for your vehicle. I'm not
promoting any particular brand, but I use "The Club" which locks
onto my steering wheel easily. You can find similar devices here, but they
are big, bulky, ugly monstrosities that you probably won't want to mess
with. Just buy one in the US to be safe. Also note that the
key to some of the newers "Clubs" is an Italian style key. You'll be
able to get copies here. The brochure that comes with the device says
that you cannot get copies and that's true in the US because of the type of
key. |
| Curtains |
Italian-style windows are quite different from US
windows. Most have "persiane" (plural for persiana, which
is a type of blind) and don't really require curtains. The problem
is not so much the curtains themselves, but the rods. The persiane
mechanism is poised over the windows and doors and hanging a rod may be
difficult. If you're thinking about bringing your favorite curtains,
post a message with the measurements so someone can give you some
assistance. |
| Wedge Door Stops/Draft Snakes |
Italian doors are typically heavier than American doors
(they're solid wood, sometimes with glass in them). Since you will
probably be cooling your house in the summer by opening windows, doors
slam frequently and very hard. A summer breeze blowing through your
house can slam a door with enough force to break the glass in it
(remember, you as the tenant are responsible for broken glass, regardless
of how it breaks). If it doesn't have glass, then it's more of an
annoyance. Door stops sell out quickly at the Country Store, so if
you can find them in the US, bring them along.
Draft snakes (which may have other names) are stuffed fabric
"tubes" you place in front of your doors to stop drafts.
Italian homes are not really built to withstand cold weather. These
items will make a big difference. In our house, one of our bathrooms
is directly over an outdoor staircase. This causes it to be
extremely cold. This bathroom is unfortunately our master bedroom
bathroom. The cold air just pours into our bedroom during the
winter. And, yes, Naples can get very cold in the winter (down to
32F for a few weeks in December/January). |
| Food |
If you like particular brands of non-perishable food items,
you can stock up on them and have them shipped with your household
goods. The commissary carries a limited number of brands and you may
not find what you want here. If you think your items may not be
available, post a message and ask. Some items you will definitely
not find here are: Weight Watchers snack bars (2-POINT bars), Froot
Loops snack gummies, Chex cereal bars, or "off-brand" potato
chips like Krunchers or TGIF brand habanero chips. You may not be
able to ship liquids, so check with your moving company. |
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