Lockers in Europe ?

It will depend on location but, generally, lockers and attended left luggage are available.

The small station may only have lockers. And lockers are only available for 24 hrs.

I checked out the locker situation in Munich (I know, it's not Orvieto). There are a ton of lockers of various sizes. The charge for the first 24 hours when you lock them. If you leave stuff for more than 24 hours, up to 72, you must pay to open the locker. There is also a Gepäckaufbewährung room, where you can check things too big for the lockers or for more than 72 hours.

I would not leave a laptop in any locker .
Way to valuable in my opinion. No guarantees for moisture or stray magnets. WOuld you leave your laptop at a greyhound station locker?

Italy did away with lockers after 9-11. Some stations do have a left-luggage facility, but I think they close in the evening (not sure about the latter, though, since we never left luggage late in the day).

I'd recommend NOT traveling with a laptop if he forsees the need to have to leave it somewhere, esp. overnite. Laptops are convenient for email, looking stuff up, etc. but I would be quite leery of leaving an expensive item like a laptop, pricy digital camera, etc.

Hi, thank all of you for your responses....I know he wants to travel with his laptop so that he can have access to email and mapquest so perhaps I'll just recommend that he travel with it, in his back pack rather than leave it in lockers.

I went to Italy last year for about 2weeks, but didn't really see lockers in the train stations.
However I wouldn't leave anything valueble in a locker, but I would feel safer if I leave it in hostel locker. I left my whole backpack in a common room in Rome and nothing happened.
Now I purchased a mini Laptop aka Netbook just to take it with me when I travel.It's just a bit over 2 pounds. I always travel with a laptop.

My boss bought her daughter a small, 3 lb. laptop for her semester abroad in Rome. She said the students were told not to leave valuables including laptops in the dorm, so she carried this little laptop in her daybag every day. I think 3 lbs. is still a lot of extra weight for a daybag, but it is a way to carry it instead of storing it, and maybe it's easier for a boy to carry around an extra 3 lbs.

Thank you again for all your responses, I had forgotten what a great supportive community this is........my son leaves tonight, I have shared all your responses with him. Thanks again.

Terry