Adapters for Italy: 2 prong or 3 prong?

Where would I find a grounded adapter?

OK, that makes sense. All of the electronics that we are going to take with us are not grounded. Therefore, the two-prong adapters will be sufficient, and will fit in a three-prong outlet?

Andrea, I've seen the grounded adapters all over- from Radio Shack, Amazon, etc. Just google "Italy Adapter" or more specifically "Grounded Italy Adapter."

Cori,

If you are staying in a very small, or very old hotel they may not have the three prong outlet. Be sure and have two prong adaptors in addition to the three prong, if you get a three prong.

Thanks Cori. I will check that out. I will be taking a netbook with me this time. I've never needed a grounded adapter before.

Sorry to disagree Steve

I always take both because so many times one or the other didn't fit. The three pin adapter is a euro two pin to Italian three pin that I picked up in an Auchun hypermarket outside Florence for about €1.50.

The two pins one sometimes fits a three pin socket if the pins are pulled a little apart but its often not a good fit.

The three pins are slightly smaller diameter, equally spaced in a straight line, with the outside pins slightly further apart than the two slightly larger pins of the euro plug.

There are also combo sockets which accept both.

The good news is a quick trip to a hyper mart can sort you out.

Well, I suppose my question has still not been answered yet! I appreciate all of the input...

Maybe if I rephrase my question: If you visit Rick Steves' Travel Store (link at the top of this webpage) you can purchase adapters. So, I suppose my final question is this: Will the Continental Europe adapter (two-prongs) be sufficient for my travels in Italy?

Cori,

The first thing you need to do is check the Input Voltage rating of EACH of the devices you plan on traveling with. If these all state "Input 100-240 VAC, 50/60 Hz", they're designed to operate with the European electrical system.

Are all of your Chargers equipped with only two pins, or do some have three pins (ie: a ground pin as well)? If a manufacturer designs a product with a ground pin, there's obviously a reason for that so I always pack along at least one grounded Plug Adapter.

I'd suggest taking along both a non-grounded and ground Plug Adapters (it's always a good idea to have more than one). The models for Italy have either two or three pins "inline", and the centre pin is for grounding. Have a look at This Page for more details.

Given your location, you could take a trip to Edmonds and have a look in the ETBD store and speak with the staff there. As I recall, there's also a luggage store in Northgate Mall that sells Plug Adapters so you could try there also. You could also place a "rush order" with Magellans and get overnight delivery with FedEx or whatever.

One other point that comes to mind, is that you'll need to ensure that your Cell Phones are equipped with the necessary frequencies to operate in Europe. Are you roaming with AT&T or planning to use other SIM cards?

Happy travels!

Thank you, everyone. You were all very helpful and I have all the information I need now :)