December 2014 – the Missing Pure Mains Adapter It was a little late, but did arrive, even if I had to go into Milan city centre to pick it up. Actually, I’m happy to say that the order from Germany did get to me. While Italy is part of the EC, it doesn’t follow normal rules which is why the post is, as usual, late.
The online store I ordered the items from mentioned that orders within the European Community area should take between 5-8 days to arrive. Nearly 12 days have now passed and the items still have not turned up here in Milan, Italy. On 15 July, I ordered a couple of items from Germany. Genoa, for those who do not know, is in north Italy. The point is that posting items to Genoa (Genova in Italian) seems to be safe. I suspect he has the things he orders posted to his offices, but I’m not sure – I’ll ask him about this the next time I see him. And if you think I’m being paranoid, then take a look at the comments which this post on the Italian post has attracted since it was first published in May 2009.īy way of an update for 2011, an Italian friend of mine in Genoa who often buys things online and uses the Italian post office to have them delivered has not had any problems, and has not lost anything, nor has he had packages opened. This how-to post, if you’ll excuse the postal pun, may help you avoid losing things to the rather erratic Italian post. I cannot say whether it is Italian postal workers who take a shine to whatever people are sending to one another, or whether it is the postal people in the countries through which the post passes, but I have my suspicions with regard to Italian post workers. Whether or not the letters, packs and parcels reach their destination tends to be down to chance with the Italian post. It’s not just sending things to Italy which can be haphazard, but also sending items out of the country. Other more costly items which I have heard of that have gone astray in the Italian post include a watch, and a Sony PlayStation, plus many other things which simply never arrived at their destinations here. Yes, I know that these items were not life threateningly important, but losing them was annoying, and others have lost much more valuable items. Said socks never made it to my house in Italy.
Two things which stick in my mind are a Christmas card which never arrived, and a few humble pairs of Marks and Spencer’s socks which my mum sent to me a few years back. I know, I have had direct experience of the Italian post. More often than not it is items sent to Italy which tend to disappear into the ether. I’ve lost count of the number of stories I’ve heard from expats in Italy who have lost things in the post here.
You would be wrong though, for this is often when the trouble with the Italian post starts.
You might think that mailing something to Italy would be as simple as popping it in a letter box.