It's been years since I've sent a postcard back to the States whle traveling. I know it's not important info but I have a friend who will celebrate a birthday while I am away so I thought I'ld ask. I will be in Venice most of the time and was wondering how far in advance I should put it in the mail. Cost? Sometimes little things like this can be so important to the traveller.

When I sent postcards from Italy to the US in 2007 some took about a week, some as short as 3-4d.

I want to say something like 80 Euro cents. I haven't had great luck with the "regular" Italian post office, and usually mail things out of the Vatican Post Office, sorry. (But my guess would be a week or two, and that if you're sending something out of large city like Venice you're likely to have a shorter wait than if you're mailing out of a smaller town.) This is also why I try to "post out" within a day or two of my arrival.

Buon Viaggio,
BC

The postcards I sent from a small town in Tuscany to the US in November arrived in January. No kidding.

The postage was less than a Euro.

I don't think there's any rhyme or reason as to how long. I sent some postcards from Venice 3 years ago, some took 3 - 4 days and some took 2 weeks, I had put them in the same mail box and one was sent to my parents and the other to my sister who lives across the street! It makes me laugh to think where the one that took 2 weeks was the whole time while the other card got the direct route.

So, send the postcard and hope for the best.

Have fun in Venice, I can't wait to go back this September!!

I received, not a postcard, but an Easter card (in an envelope) from Northern Italy to me here in Northern California four days after the postmark. Usually I have noted postcards seem to take about seven days. Postage is 80 or 85 cents Euro. I would probably mail it ten days in advance Bridget or two weeks in advance if you want to be real safe. And if you don't find a postcard that you like there are beautiful birthday cards in Italy. That would be around 1.50 Euro for the postage.

The more money you spend, the more you attempt to send it some sort of special way, the more likely it is to disappear into the either. Just ask your hotel for a stamp or where you can get one -- and put it in a mailbox.

I always laugh when I hear someone complain about the USPS, we have it made! Thanks everyone, guess I'll mail it the firt day.

I sent a postcard from Rome in 1980 and it still hasn't arrived. Is it time to give up yet? :-s

On that trip our guide recommended mailing postcards from the Vatican. He said the Vatican uses Swiss mail which was more efficient than Italian mail. At the time I didn't think it would make very much difference so I mailed it from Rome. But after 29 years of waiting for that postcard I can almost say I'm a believer in Swiss mail now. Swiss mail can't be too much slower than 29 years.

Stamps can be purchased at the tobacco stores as can postcards. Much easier then going to the PO..some but not all hotels have stamps for sale. Truly, I have been amazed how quickly mail has been received from Italy no matter where it is mailed from, truly amazed!

LoveItaly, I wish I had known you in 1980, you could have told me which stamps to buy. Obviously I bought the Pony Express stamp, and the pony is still somewhere between Italy and Texas.

I am an avid postcard writer and always write to my kids from wherever in the world I am.
I wrote from Sicily, mailed it at the regular post office, which was very easy to find.
But in Italy the post office does more than just handle mail chores. They accept utility bills and some other stuff like that. Thus, the lines were always long, exp. during the late morning, closer to lunch time.
Thus, my advice, mail on your first day and try your best to be there early morning, so you can find a friendly person at the counter. In my experience in Sicily, they spoke English and were very helpful.
Most postcards take a good 5-7 days.
Good luck.

I sent postcards from Positano to the US back in September and they still haven't arrived. The card I sent a few days later from Rome got to the recipient before we got back in the country. I think from now on, I'm going to start sending postcards to my home address just to see how long it takes them to arrive.

LOL P_M, and I thought mail taking three weeks or more from Italy to CA was bad! Guess the pony is still looking for a plane or ship to board..you think?

LoveItaly, I think the poor pony is swimming.

I'm leaving for 6 weeks in Italy on May 8 and am planning to do Recession Postcards. I've pulled out my stack of postcards that I bought and didn't send on previous trips to Italy, and I'm sending them from NY the day I leave. They are not necessarily from the places we're going this time, but they are pretty, and it's the thought that counts, no? (I'm going to explain on the card that I WANT to send the recipient a card from Italy but this makes oh-so-much-more sense.)

I figure they'll get to the recipients about a week after I leave the U.S. All bases covered.

Now, I just have to stop myself from buying more postcards while in Italy.

april, I understand your whimsy, but isn't the whole point of getting a postcard FROM a foreign location?

Why not send the postcards FROM Italy aprillilacs. You could send them the second or third day you are in Italy and unless you have the luck of P_M everyone should receive them within a week or so after you mail them. Otherwise I guess you could just comment on the postcards you are thinking of them as you leave to go to Italy. A bit unusual but if I received a postcard from someone right before they left on a trip that would be nice.

Great News to report: I purchased a beautiful card with a Venice motif. Mailed it the second day, a Monday and it arrived JUST 3 days later on Thursday...I was shocked, rec'd an email asking what it said. Even his IPhone couldn't translate...too funny. P_M and LoveItaly, my pony was the Michael Phelps of the 'herd', he could swim!

I allow 10 days. And figure ~$1 for the postcard and ~$1 for the postage. Sometimes postcards take longer than a card or letter in an envelope, for some reason.