Shipping clothing, etc to Italy before a 10 week stay

I haven't used it, but believe that Sendmybag.com offers this service.

My husband and I spend 10 weeks each year in Siena. We each have a 24-inch suitcase and a small carry on. Admittedly this limits our wardrobe and we are pretty tired of the clothes by the time we return home but it works out really well. We bring only one or two pairs of shoes (wearing the bulkiest ones on the plane to save suitcase space), three or four neutral bottoms and 6 or 7 tops along with a lightweight jacket. We, of course, do laundry while we are in Siena. We find that our toiletries take up a lot of space (and add weight) so we buy soap, shampoo, toothpaste, shaving cream, etc. once we are in place. We buy an umbrella as well rather than packing one. The expense is minimal and the convenience is well worth it. We have been using this system for the past several years and it works for us.

If you will be working and need business clothes and/or dressy clothes for events, then your shipping idea might be just what you need.

Depending on what constitutes a living item, buying inexpensive items over there may be less expensive than shipping them. When you leave, give them away. One doesn’t really need that many things to get by for 10 weeks.

On this forum, the Rick Steves mantra is 'pack light, pack right'. He uses a backpack whether it's 3 days, 3 weeks or 3 months.

We abide by that credo but are not cra-cra about it. Our trips are usually of the 14-17 day length, and a 22'x13'x9' carry-on (but we check it through) works fine. Not fun to schlep anything heavier than that around with us. And like another responder said, especially in the cities you can find most anything want at the farmacia or grocery.

One thing--pack less shoes than you think you're going to need!

Enjoy your planning!

Much like charylm, we have traveled for up to 10 weeks with a 24” checked bag and daypacks which are on the large side. Other than clothing, 2 pairs of shoes, meds, and personal items, I take a few things relevant to “living” since we rent self-catering accommodations. Those items include a couple of decent-but-inexpensive knives, many Ziplocs, laundry soap sheets, bag clips for resealing packages, a corkscrew and bottle stopper. Everything else we acquire locally.

As to anything you may choose to ship, ask yourself if you are also going to have to pay to ship it back to yourself.

Italy has import fees you may not be aware of. When we lived in Rome, we had shipped some clothes to the US in care of our son for a planned month-long trip involving a wedding we needed fancy clothes for. We had to cancel the trip last minute and had our son ship the suitcase back. Rather than shipping care of the US Embassy as I requested and would be duty-free, he did us a “favor” and shipped directly to our residence. For used clothes he used a value of $300 and in addition to the shipping fee, we had to pay €90.00 to Italian Customs.

There will be very little schlepping if you fly into Verona's airport and take a taxi to your apartment. I'm pretty sure that it would be less expensive to pay for an extra checked suitcase or two than to ship your things. We've checked an extra suitcase full of wine, ceramics, etc. a few times when returning from trips of a month or more.

Keep it simple, you will need fewer belongings than you imagine, and you want a different life anyway. Amazon.it is in either English or Italian and has about the same delivery times as exurban US with many pick-up locations if home delivery is complicated . Your US Amazon account will work, but not US Prime membership benefits.

I would simply pay the extra bag fee and take it with you.

It's very expensive. We looked into it for a 6 month stay in Barcelona and it was just made no sense financially. We just opted for a larger suitcase.

Honestly, the way most people pack for their 7-day trip, you'd think they were staying for 10 weeks. A normal sized suitcase and a larger size carry-on backpack is a lot of stuff and it's still manageable for your arrival.

hey hey timatspc
agree with Carol now retired, pay for a second bag, pack lighter, many laundermats to wash or a place with washer/dryer. no one cares if wear same clothes, buy things there if needed.
shipping costs will cost you. good luck & enjoy
aloha

Shipping luggage often costs more than the typical $100 extra baggage fee per case charged by the airline. Shipping makes sense only when you move internationally and therefore the amount shipped is large enough to be able to ship as LCL (less than container load) which typically has a billing minimum of 1 cubic meter, a huge amount of goods for just a 10 week stay. I used that:method when I moved to the US but the stuff comes via ship and takes a few weeks since the LCL consolidates several shipments and departs once the container is full. If you send via air it will cost more unless you have at least 1 cubic meter to ship, which would be insane for a 10 week vacation.

So my suggestion is to pay the extra baggage fee ($100 per extra checked suitcase typically) and even better rely on washing your clothes in Verona. I am sure your 10 week accommodations will include places that have washers. Also don’t discount the possibility of buying clothes locally. They have great clothing options in Italy, often of superior quality. The only drawback of buying in Italy is finding clothes of super plus size in case one is of extra extra large size. That is particularly true for pants, but not so much for tshirts. There are places that specialize on plus size items, also in Verona, so one can also go there, if needed. If neither of you have waist problem, buying stuff locally will be easy everywhere, they have great stuff in Italy. Just don’t overdo it with the Pandoro, the famous sweet bread of Verona. Bread is like the Sun, it rises on the yeast and sets on the waist.

,,,, and “living items"

I think other have already covered the 'pack less' or just pay the extra bag fee, vs 'shipping'.

I m puzzled at what 'living items' means.

Tim, sounds like a wonderful trip!
We have done several 10 week plus trips to Italy in the fall and have never taken a bag larger than 22x24x8. I always take a stuffed down coat, rain coat and merino wool cardigan that I can layer as needed. I presume you will be staying in an apartment most of the time. If so, look for one with a washer. Clothes dry in a day or two, even denim. Be sure and look for the panettone displays closer to December.

I'm also puzzled by the term "living items." I am planning to move to the UK next year and plan to maximize my checked luggage. One way of doing this is to find a bag that has a high volume-to-weight ratio and is still easy to manage. Eagle Creek has a line of No Matter What wheeled duffels that fit this bill and have the advantage of folding down into a very small storage bag. https://eaglecreek.com/products/no-matter-what-rolling-duffel-110l
The price is a scandal, but I was able to get one at my local thrift for $35.
I found another, less expensive option at Costco. I am hoping this wheeled tote will survive the flight and be useful for grocery and other shopping, as I won't have a car. https://www.costco.com/p/-/clevermade-foldable-tote-bag-on-wheels/4000324910?langId=-1
I also plan to use vacuum bags. I had bought some specialized bags, but then realized I could vacuum-seal ziplocks with the vacuum sealer I already have. Ziplocks weigh and cost less than the specialized bags.
These types of options will allow me to bring a lot of clothes and shoes and remain within the weight limits for checked bags, which are 50lbs or 70lbs, depending on airline and class of flight.
Of course, you're not moving there, and you will only need to deal with summer and fall temperatures (and warm fall temps, at that). If you're needing professional clothes and want to use a more structured bag, take a look at some of the larger IT Luggage bags and the Osprey Ozone 27" roller. https://www.osprey.com/ozone-4-wheel-85-l-27-ozone85f23-452?size=O%2FS&color=Black
For context, I traveled Europe for 7 months in a 2-wheeled carry on bag and 20L backpack, so I am a light packer in general, but for a long stay in one place, mobility is not the issue. Volume for weight is the common calculation.
Have a great stay in Verona!

The first time we brought items to leave in our home in France, we had at least three or four checked bags/duffels and two carry-on bags. We got a ride to the airport in the US and took a taxi from the airport in France to our apartment. We paid for drivers rather than paying for shippers.
When we made the final move, we did have one extra, full, large suitcase we shipped with Send My Bag. It was held up in customs, but since we were within our first year of full time residency, we didn't have to pay duty on our own old towels, vitamins from Costco, dish towels, clothes, etc.
In your case, it's easier to just check an extra suitcase.
But if you want, check the rules on paying duty when shipping to Italy via Send My Bag. Laurel had to pay but there may be a 1 year grace period.

For what it's worth, we moved permanently to Italy and didn't ship anything. We took 2 checked bags each and that was it. You can get what you may need (which probably won't be much, assuming you're renting a furnished place) here and probably spend less than you would to ship items back and forth.