I'm currently in Europe and I was in Italy for two excellent weeks. I sent a few postcards from the Vatican and I haven't heard anything yet from home that they received them yet. I'm wondering if anyone has recently had any experience with sending postcards in Italy and how long they take to get to Canada (or the US). Thanks!
Assume with a post card two to three weeks is about average.
I sent one from the St Paul outside the Wall but it was a Vatican Postal box. Got home about a week after me.
I was in Italy in Oct. 2016 on the 17 Days Best of Italy tour and mailed postcards from almost every city/town. It often took up to 6 weeks for postcards to arrive in Atlanta. Two of my intended recipients never received their cards.
In April, 2017, I was in Rome on the 7 Days Best of Rome tour, and mailed several cards from the Vatican and every card arrived within 10 days! After Rome, I traveled to Naples on my own and mailed several cards and it took 4 - 6 weeks for those cards to arrive.
Moral of this story is to use the Vatican post office, they get the job done! Efficiently and quickly. They don't go airmail, they go "God speed".
"God Speed", Love it! Just remember that the Vatican is one to itself and you will need to purchase stamps within the Vatican to use their mail service. Likewise the Vatican stamps do not work in Italy proper.
I sent a postcard to my wife from the Vatican Museums in late October 2016, arrived at our house in California before I got home ten days later.
I sent one in 1991 and I'm still waiting. (No kidding.)
In 2015 I sent three post cards from Vatican Museum shop and they apparently never made it to the U.S. Each card including the stamp cost about $3. I seldom ever bother with any post cards anymore.
Had no problem with Vatican mail five years ago, but Italian mail took four weeks this June for postcards to arrive. But we did get them.
I sent four to my mom in early July, and she hasn't gotten them yet......... Luckily, I brought one home that I didn't get to mail, so at least she got that one :)
Well, I empathize and have a number of non-Italy stories. Ten (yes 10) postcards sent from Cairo were never delivered, the longest delivery time was about 4 months from Rab Island in Croatia and it has been over 5 weeks since I sent postcards from South Africa and none of them have arrived yet. So, good luck with Italy.