Italian postage
 

Can anyone tell me what it costs (lire or dollars) to mail postcards or letters from Italy US? Just want to know what I'm facing. I've tried the web site for Poste Italiane, but it's under construction. Thanks.

I don't remember the exact lire, but it was about $.55 per postcard (more or less). I don't know about letters, but figure another 10 cents.

i have some leftover vatican postage stamps and they are 1300 lire to send a postcard. thats about 72 cents. if u mail postcard from italy mail them using the vatican postal service. the vatican postal service is more reliable than the itlaina service. you must mail oyu cards from the vatican or a designated vatican building in the city. they say italian mail is unreliable, i amy a gree since cards i sent aweek and a half ago still have not arrived.

Mailing to/from Italy usually takes around 10 to 14 days. On a few rare occasions, I've actually had my postcards arrive in the States within 7 days. And on the postcard thing, I'll share with you my very anal retentive, but marvelous system for dealing with postcards. My secret? I print labels - that way, you don't have to drag along your address book or a list of names/addresses. And once you've input all the info into your computer and created your postcard label list, then it's easy to print out a batch for any subsequent trips. I often create 2 or 3 labels for immediate family members or close friends that merit more than one postcard. Yes, it is a bit anal, but once you do it, it makes it SO easy to slap on your label & then write out your postcards. <BR>

<BR>Robin, what a great idea. <BR>I imagine it also keeps the address compact, as opposed to handwriting. I've had some postcards go astray or have had the message end abruptly, here and abroad because I let my handwriting go to the bottom of the postcard, a postoffice slapped on some kind of adhesive computer code along the bottom, and the bottom of the addreess or message was <BR>obscured.

Thanks for the info! I already did up some labels, since I promised my students I'd send them postcards from my travels this summer. I just wanted to get an idea of the cost. <BR>I've also read somewhere that postcards mailed in envelopes arrive sooner. As to 10-14 days, I had a friend mail a postcard from Nassau, Bahamas. She was home before it arrived, and it took the thing about 2 weeks.

Theresa, A word to the wise; a few years back we went to the Post Office in Alberobello to mail our cards. We paid for the stamps and the clerk kindly offered to affix the stamps for us. We were in a rush so this seemed fine with us...none of the cards ever arrived!

Welcome to Italy! Just joking, but seriously, my husband is from Tuscany and even when we go to Italy together we laugh at how corrupt some people are. In Naples, you have to pay someone to watch your car. Even my friends from Naples laugh, and they've been burned a few times.

I want to second Richard's advice about mailing postcards from the Vatican. It is much more likely your friends and relatives will receive them that way. I did read an amusing article on this issue. The advice was : If you are planning to mail postcards in Italy, sit down, order an espresso or glass of wine and the urge will leave you.