4 week Italy vacation, packing advice needed

Francesco, You might find it helpful to have a look at the suggested packing lists in Europe Through The Back Door. You could also have a look at This Website for ideas. As with any pre-formatted packing list, you'll have to adjust to fit your personal circumstances. Are you planning to travel with checked luggage or carry-on only? Cheers!

Last summer I stayed 10 weeks in Italy with a 21-inch carrryon and a daypack. Sicily in July is hot! Natural fibers work best. I usually pack enough for one week or ten days and plan on doing laundry along the way.

Pack half the stuff you think you need and twice the money! Seriously. Last year I went on a Med cruise and a week on land and didn't wear half the clothes (especially shoes!) I took. I regretted lugging all that weight around and not having room to bring home souvenirs. This year I'm going for a month, a week on a cruise and the rest on trains. I've decided to take 1 week's worth of clothes and wear everything 4 times, doing laundry along the way.

That advice is excellent. We've found that whether you stay one week or six (which we did once) you need the same amount of clothing. A couple of pairs of shoes, one of which you wear on the plane, two or three pairs of pants (or two and a skirt), and whatever tops will fit in the rest of your carryon. A few scarves to dress things up (not you, but a woman). One sweater or jacket, which you'll need on the plane anyway. We wash things in the sink; our son and daughter-in-law find laundromats; both approaches work fine. We've made at least 15 trips to Europe, and never took more than that except a raincoat for Ireland and England. We have one carryon and a briefcase each. It works fine.

If you are planning on checking luggage, I suggest you mix up the packing, like every 2 people packing half their stuff in each other's suitcases - just in case a bag gets lost or delayed in transit. Once you've arrived, repack as convenient.

Limit everyone to a single 21" rolling bag. Everyone can do it if they use Rick's list. And, make sure every person knows that it's their responsibility to handle their own luggage. If they cannot pull the suitcase a mile, they need to reduce the load. Rental car trunks usually won't carry any more than that, anyway. I could have never traveled with my mother, who was last of the heavyweight travelers.

The simple approach -- wear one and pack two changes of clothes. Pack a couple of extra tops for variation. Plan to washout you under garments daily, and hit a laundry mat every week/ten days for a thorough cleaning. Get by with one pair of shoes or TWO at the most. We avoid all cotton garments because they are heavy, hot, and hard to care for. The synthetic blend fibers are terrific for easy of care and coolness.

Well phrased Frank. I wear only cotton/silk at home. But I wear a lot of Patagonia-style, 21st-century, microfibers when going carry-on-only for three weeks or more. But, since I walk at least 12 miles a day, I do bring two pairs of shoes. Generally it goes: lightweight running shoes all day, dressy walking shoes (cotton undies against my torso) all night.

Dark colors are best, ladies can add variety with scarves - everyone wears them even in summer. On our RS tour, most of the guys wore those pants that convert into shorts. Wear the heaviest clothes on the plane.

The less luggage you take the better your trip will be!
I take only one 21" carry-on, 360 degree wheeled piece of luggage. Two pair of shoes, one tennis and one black sandals for dinners, two pairs of pants and 4 tops. Wash clothes at the midpoint of the trip. We go by train in Italy and the smaller, lighter the luggage the better. My two adult children got all their stuff into one backpack each. Definitely the way to go!

"I could have never traveled with my mother, who was last of the heavyweight travelers." I hope you are referring to her luggage.

My husband and I, fiftysomethings, will be making our sixth trip to Italy in May. We each take a rolling suitcase (carryon) and go with mix and match separates, and two pair of shoes each. I preplan our laundramat stops and use the downtime for a carryout lunch from the local market or to check email (many laundramats there have internet points). For the women, a shawl or pashmina that can dress up a simply outfit and also be used to cover shoulders when going into churches that don't allow uncovered shoulders.

" The simple approach wear one and pack two changes of clothes. Pack a couple of extra tops for variation. Plan to washout you under garments daily, and hit a laundry mat every week/ten days for a thorough cleaning. Get by with one pair of shoes or TWO at the most. We avoid all cotton garments because they are heavy, hot, and hard to care for. The synthetic blend fibers are terrific for easy of care and coolness." This is it! Read it, do it & you will soon believe it! Some of the others in your group won't do this and continually drag around a heavy bag. Have a great trip

I have been reading that, for the most part, Italians do not use/have dryers. Has anyone found this to be the case? Do they have them at laundromats? What fibers would be best for air drying & sink washing?

I would suggest you pack at least one skirt. They are cooler to wear and easier should you experience any unique bathroom situations! The Kohler hole in the floor! I pack two skirts and one pair pants. Every third night, I wash clothes in shower while showering. Some hotels now are asking you to not wash clothes in room or hang clothes up to dry in bathroom. I found capri pants in workout clothing like Reebok made out of microfibers that were dry in a few hours and no wrinkles!

Kate, all laundry mats have dryers. Most have what is called an "extractor" which is a very high speed spinning machine. The microfibers often come out of that thing nearly dry. Anything cotton will still need to go through a dryer. All of our clothing is some type of a synthetic blend that wears well, drys fast, and is reasonably wrinkle free. Many laundry have a service of leave your stuff and pick it up folder later. The service is not cheap but not overly expensive either - 10E for all of our stuff. We get by with one pair of walking shoes -- but they are ECCO with removable innersoles which we change daily so that the interior of the shoe is keep dry. If you cannot do that, then you need two pairs of shoes so that the shoe dries out each day. That is critical for preventing blisters and other foot problems.

Francesco, We travel with a 21" carryon and a day bag. I wear 1 pair of shoes and take another. My rule of thumb is that every top must go with every bottom. I bring black bottoms and tan bottoms and every tops goes with each. I wear the heaviest clothes on the plane, because I get cold. Which means a light jacket. We never take bluejeans, they take too long to dry and too much room in the suitcase. We hand wash in the hotel room after switching hotels, always on the first night so everything has a chance to dry. I don't like the dryers in laundromats, many get too hot and are too hard to control. Purex (I think) makes washing sheets to put into a washer that turns into detergent. I use these in the sink, they don't count in the 3 oz liquid bag that you have to show TSA. We have traveled for 4 weeks at a time like this and it works well for us. Don't forget that many of the things that we use here at home as liquids can be purchased in Italy, even pharmacy items. Make sure you take all Rx meds with about a weeks worth of extra in case return flights are delayed. Have a great trip!
Mimi

Mimi, another trick with those purex sheets that I learned from cruising....you can cut them into strips for "extra small loads" in the sink:)
Thanks, all, for the great advice!

Italians do not use/have dryers. Has anyone found this to be the case? Do they have them at laundromats? What fibers would be best for air drying & sink washing? True, Yes (see above), not denim, not cotton, take synthetics.