Do I need a converter for my curling iron? I'm sure the hotels will have hair dryers, right?
Thanks!

If it's not dual voltage you will need one.

I am assuming you are talking a curling iron for use in the USA. As said before, you may not need a converter if the curling iron is dual voltage; however, most likely you WILL need an adapter plug to be able to use the Italian electrical outlets. Italy's wall sockets are typically two or three round-prong socket. The adapter will allow the use of the American flat-pronged plug into the Italian wall socket.

If your appliance is NOT dual-voltage, leave it at home and buy one when you get to Italy. Converters are heavy, expensive, and may not work.

I hope I'm not intruding. We're having the same issues. I bought a 'converter' set with adapter plugs, but on reading reviews, it was said that converters are not good to use for other equipment. So I returned it. We're taking an I Touch with us, and without a laptop, I don't know how we're going to charge it.
Any ideas? I did purchase a dual hairdryer tonight. I like the Touch because we can pick up wi-fi for checking in and for resources.

Look closely at the charger for your iTouch. On it you will see numbers like "110-240v" and "50-60hz". This means the voltage and cycles respectively the device can use. The lower numbers are North American, the higher voltage and cycles are used in Europe and elsewhere.

Almost all modern tech toys (phones,laptops,MP3 players) can use a wide range of voltages.

As others have poined out above, you WILL need plug adapters to allow the prongs to work in the European sockets.

Rob

More info on European plugs and voltage:
http://www.kropla.com/electric.htm

Not to nit-pick (everyone knows I <I>never</i> do that), but Europe uses ~220V at 50Hz.

Robes... my bad. It was late. I think the person who posed the question gets the idea though! ;^)

Thanks for your answers. I'm aware that Europe uses 220; my concern was about using a converter or a transformer. I read elsewhere that you could use a converter with a hair dryer,etc, but not necessarily with electronics such as MP3's, computers, etc. I'd hate to fry a new Touch.

I actually just went online (Ebay) and bought a charger for my iPhone that will fit into the plugs in Italy. It was around $5 plus shipping, and much smaller/less bulky than a converter.

True personal experience. I bought a converter in order to take my hairdryer to Ireland. I used the hairdryer and converter just once because it started smoking and sparks were flying out of the back end. I was never told when I bought the thing that there are different converters for different voltage appliances.

If you go with the converter, talk to someone that knows what they are talking about to ensure you get the right one. I however agree with other posts to buy items there to ensure they work safely!