What to convey with you when you’re transferring to Italy from the US

As an American with on-again, off-again residency in Italy since 2019, I usually hear from individuals contemplating a transfer right here. People need to know what to convey, particularly when house is restricted.

The excellent news is that you simply don’t must convey many issues. Take attire and equipment, for instance; Italy has among the highest high quality clothes, sneakers and leather-based items on the earth.

READ ALSO: Six belongings you be taught after transferring to Italy from the US

Small home equipment like hairdryers and electrical toothbrushes are extra bother than they’re value in the event that they don’t have the identical present or plugs utilized in Italy – simply purchase new ones when you arrive.

You’re additionally higher off doing a few of your routine appointments in Italy, from beauty companies to physician visits. Haircuts (and shade), nails, and coverings like lasering and facials are often less expensive in Italy than within the US – excluding massages and different spa day remedies, that are surprisingly costly right here.

Doctor visits, such because the dentist, are additionally extremely inexpensive in Italy, even when paid out-of-pocket.

But there are some things you’re higher off bringing with you as a result of they’re troublesome to search out in Italy and might be troublesome or costly to ship from overseas. 

Here are my recommendations on issues to convey from house.

Over-the-counter medicines

You’ll discover that trusty paracetamol (Tylenol) is the Italian reply to just about any ailment. In the US, we’re accustomed to a slew of over-the-counter choices to alleviate chilly and flu signs, for instance, whereas Italians usually depend on paracetamol and sizzling tea to get them by. 

Not solely will you not discover normal headache tablets like paracetamol or ibuprofen in most Italian supermarkets however the value you will pay on the pharmacy is commonly ten instances the price again house. 

Antihistamines are one other must-bring. Benadryl, particularly its fundamental energetic ingredient, is barely out there with a prescription in Italy. Other OTC symptom relievers like Motrin, DayQuil and NyQuil, Emergen-C, Neti Pots, and highly effective cough suppressants are additionally not out there right here, so that you’ll need to convey your personal provide. 

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Multivitamins and dietary supplements are additionally higher purchased from the US. The choice of multivitamins in Italy is way slimmer than within the US, and the costs are astronomically larger, in my expertise. The similar goes for dietary supplements. You would possibly wrestle to search out some normal dietary supplements, like melatonin, whereas others are solely out there in very low dosages.

READ ALSO: How onerous is it to maneuver to Italy from the US in 2025?

As for pharmaceuticals, you’ll doubtless be capable of discover an equal to the identical drug in Italy. However, be sure that to convey a big sufficient provide – together with bodily copies of your prescriptions – to get you thru till you get arrange with a physician in Italy.

Bring alongside a duplicate of your prescription when you’re importing pharmaceuticals, and examine forward to see how a lot you might be allowed to herald. Your American prescriptions is not going to work for getting medicine in Italy, so that you’ll must see an Italian doctor.

Spices and different particular recipe elements

The availability of specialty elements has expanded in recent times, so there are numerous of the identical meals manufacturers in Italy that you simply’re used to seeing in American supermarkets, even when the merchandise aren’t precisely the identical.

Food in Italy, from produce to processed items, is significantly better total – in your well being and your style buds – than within the US, so I rarely discover myself lacking something from the US. 

The exception is Tex-Mex merchandise and the occasional deal with that you simply simply can’t discover right here. And once you do discover them, for instance, on the expat meals shops, the costs are exorbitant and sometimes don’t style fairly proper.  

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As a Tex-Mex lover, I pack my suitcase with spices and sauces. It’s troublesome to search out good spice blends, like taco seasoning, in Italy, and also you received’t discover the chili powder (for when pepperoncino simply received’t do). Sauces like Tabasco and Cholula are a should, as is Tajin. I’ve seen related merchandise on the cabinets of some supermarkets, like Elite, however they’re double the worth. 

READ ALSO: Macelleria: The Italian vocab you’ll want to store at a butcher’s in Italy  

The different class of difficult-to-find meals in Italy is baking elements. Marshmallow cream, canned pumpkin? Forget about it. These staples are notably necessary for making a Thanksgiving meal overseas.

Other extra day-to-day baking gadgets which can be difficult to search out are brown sugar, unconventional oils (coconut or avocado), and genuine maple syrup. 

Home and electronics

Italy has essentially the most primary necessities lined in the case of house items, like furnishings, however in the case of the little issues… There’s no place like house. I at all times convey little comforts that I can’t discover right here, like my favourite candles, these enormous water bottles we Americans love, and a journey mug for espresso on the go.

I additionally suggest at all times buying or upgrading your Apple merchandise within the US  – they’re far more costly in Europe. For instance, the most recent iPhone mannequin (the iPhone 17) runs for about $890 USD (about 766 euros) together with tax, whereas the identical retails for 979 euros in Italy, a markup of greater than 25 %.

There are a number of kitchen gadgets that I haven’t present in Italy that I nonetheless favor to convey from house. For instance, I’ve measuring cups and spoons from the US to save lots of myself the headache of changing my recipes from imperial to metric measurements. 

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A shocking factor I miss? Ziploc baggage. These don’t exist in Italy and are essential in my home for all the pieces from snack and sandwich baggage to freezer baggage.

Last however not least, I at all times find yourself with obese baggage as a result of I favor to convey books from the US.

You can positively discover English-language books in Italy, whether or not in a bigger metropolis’s native English-language bookstore or the English part of Feltrinelli, albeit restricted. However, like I stated, the alternatives are sometimes restricted, particularly when you favor to purchase used books, and the costs are a lot steeper than you’ll discover within the US. I personally like to purchase used books at any time when potential, each for the setting and to save cash, so I choose to do my guide procuring within the US and haul them again to Italy.

Self-care and skincare merchandise

Italians take self-care severely, so that you’ll undoubtedly discover loads of choices for each kind of product you want.

That being stated, you’re unlikely to search out your favorite model from the States. Bring alongside back-ups of any merchandise you’re notably hooked up to, particularly in the beginning of your new life in Italy.

You will finally discover the merchandise you want right here and swap over. However, all these years later, I nonetheless convey again Batiste dry shampoo, hair detangling spray, and a physique scrub from my native natural market within the US. 

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Skincare is an space you’ll need to be extra involved about bringing merchandise from America, particularly in case your pores and skin is problematic like mine. Medical-grade skincare is just not practically as a lot of a factor in Italy as it’s within the US, so the manufacturers for top-tier skincare are far more restricted. 

Even worse is the evolving state of affairs with retinol merchandise. While retinol continues to be allowed in Italy, new European Union restrictions restrict its focus to 0.3 % for face merchandise. Compare this to the US, the place there isn’t a restrict, so concentrations in over-the-counter retinol merchandise might be 1 % or larger.