Adaptors for Italy and Curling Irons

The 3rd prong in the middle is the ground prong. It's the same in the US. Some plugs have only 2 flats (no ground) others have a 3rd one (the ground prong). Before you take your curling iron in Europe you need to check the voltage it takes. Italy (Europe) uses 220 V. If your iron says 115~240 V you are ok. If it says only 115-120 V, don't take it or you may not like your hair after it explodes in your hands. Buy a dual voltage curling iron here or buy one when you get there.

Thanks Roberto, very helpful! Another question, do some hotels in Italy have adaptors in their rooms?

Take the adapter(s) with you. They are small and won't take much room in your suitcase. You can find them at Radioshack, or Target or Bridgestone or wherever they sell travel gadgets, and of course, online. If you have a US appliance it will have a plug with flat prongs. You'll need the adapter to insert it in the Italian socket, which takes the round prongs only. Some hotels may have multiprong-sockets which take both European and American plugs (both flats and round) but they are rare. I've seen them only in some chain hotels that cater to American clients. You shouldn't expect to find them in too many places.

It is extremelly unlikely the hotel will have an adaptor. They might, but much safer to take your own. That said, I would recommend buying a curling iron there. US curling irons often don't play nice with European outlets, even if they are supposedly rated for 220/240 use. Voice of experience here.
It's pretty easy to find one to buy. Look for an appliance store or a department store. They are generally not sold in drug stores (farmacia) like you might expect at home. Once you buy one, you'll have it for all your future trips!

I agree with Angela, I ordered on-line for my trip to Great Britain and it worked great. Previously, the irons I bought from the U.S. didn't get hot enough to work on my hair. I just ordered one for Europe for a trip in March. Check out this website www.sedubeauty.com Hope this helps.

Here's another little tip. If you are going to be using/charging multiple items such as cellphones, iPads, GPS, Kindles, video cameras, etc., bring a 6' extension cord. Not only will you only need one adapter, but you won't be constantly stretching down behind dressers to barely reachable sockets!

Cathie, You've received lots of good information so far on the Plug Adapters. I'd suggest packing a couple as they're easy to misplace. If you're planning to travel to any other countries, note that the grounded Italy Adapter that you mentioned will only work in Italy. Switzerland, France, Germany and other countries use different grounded Adapters. However, the two-pin ungrounded Plug Adapters will work in most countries. As Roberto mentioned, you'll need to check your Curling Iron to determine the Input Voltage. That will be listed on the device somewhere (probably in very small lettering). If this states "100-240 VAC, 50/60 Hz", then the Iron will work in Europe (you may have to change the setting of a switch). However, you'll likely find that it's designed ONLY for 115 VAC. If your Curling Iron isn't designed for 220 VAC electrical systems, you have two options: (1) Buy an inexpensive Curling Iron when you arrive there. A European model will likely have the best performance. (2) Buy a dual-voltage Curling Iron. Check www.magellans.com as they offer that sort of product (they also sell inexpensive Plug Adapters). Happy travels!

Thanks so much for all your responses!! And Paul, I will take an extension cord, that's a great idea! The response I've gotten from my posts have been so helpful, I'm so glad I found this site! First time to travel outside US and NEVER thought I'd get the chance! Can't wait!

Cathie, As this is your first trip to Europe, I'd highly recommend reading Europe Through The Back Door prior to your trip. It provides a lot of good information on "how" to travel well in Europe. The country-specific Guidebooks have more detail on hotels, restaurants, sightseeing, transportation, etc. Cheers!

I agree with Ken about buying one once you are over there. Many years ago I went to Ireland with my flat iron. It said it was dual voltage, but somehow it got fried. (i know I had proper hookups) I ended up buying one in a local store in Dublin and have used it ever since in several (Italy included) European countries (without worrying about frying it)!

I also have to have my blow dryer. I know hotels typically have them, but I have to absolutely have mine. Any input or suggestions?

Regarding the suggestion to take an extension cord from the USA: If you use an extension cord, it MUST be rated for 220 volts. One you go buy at Wal Mart or any other store here is going to be rated for 110 volts. If you plug one of ours into a European 220 plug with an adaptor, it is going to get very hot very fast and probably catch on fire. It is very dangerous.
Buy an extension cord in the country where you are going to use it. It will have the correct voltage rating for that country as well as the correct plug. You can then plug your adaptor into that extension cord.

Just back from my awesome visit to Italy!!! Thanks so much to all who replied to all my crazy questions! The curling iron I purchased at Sally Beauty Supply in the US worked great, I didn't take the extension cord or need it. All my hotels had fine blow dryers. All went well with trip and the people I met in Italy were all very friendly - Italy is wonderful, hope to go again sometime! Did follow Rick's advice to go off the main drag and look for a local restaurant and had great food! Ciao Italia!!

Cathie: Thanks for posting your follow up! Lisa: As you can see from Cathie's follow up, most hotels have hair dryers these days. And your American one won't work in Europe; if you try to plug it in there, you will blow a circuit breaker, destroy your dryer, start a fire, or some combination of these (not a joke). It is exactly to prevent this scenario, by the way, that even budget hotels usually have hair dryers available. They may be at the front desk if they're not visible in the room. So, if you absolutely have to have your own dryer, buy a multi-voltage one here (either in a store, or on line from Amazon or Magellan) or buy one there. Multiple posts here (in this thread and others) indicate that dryers bought in Europe work better; the multi-voltage ones are safe, but don't get as hot or have as high a fan setting. If you're bringing a multi-voltage one from the US, don't forget the appropriate plug adapters.

I used my old american curling iron all over Europe with no problems (even in Southeast Asia). It is 50/60 Hertz 120 volts. There was a really good post on this site describing what is needed in Europe. I used the standard 2 round prong adapters from REI and everything worked fine.
Sorry I can't find the post re voltage. I think is was posted my "Ron in Rome" - may be on his website too. Just found Ron's info here is the link: electrical info here...