03/07/2026
Traveling to Europe?? Here is some savvy advice to heed.
Look for our upcoming articles on London and Paris.
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I live in italy. these are 8 things i would never pack — and the 3 things every traveler forgets
I watch this happen at every airport in Italy. Someone arrives pulling a 28-inch hardshell suitcase, wearing brand new white sneakers, dressed for a Miami beach day. By the time they reach their hotel — up three flights of stairs in a palazzo built in 1600, wheels broken from the cobblestones — the trip has already started badly.
I've lived here long enough to know exactly what trips people up before they even leave the house. These are the 8 things I would never pack for Italy — and the 3 things almost everyone forgets.
What I Would Never Pack
1. A Large Wheeled Suitcase
Italian cities are built on medieval street plans. Rome, Florence, Siena, Venice — all cobblestones. Most historic center hotels have no elevator, no porter, and three flights of stone stairs. A 28-inch hardshell is not luggage in Italy. It is a punishment. Take the smallest bag you can manage. Your back, your wheels, and your sanity will thank you before you reach the first set of stairs.
2. Shorts as Your Main Sightseeing Bottom
Not because Italians care how you dress on the street. They largely don't. But every church in Italy — and there are thousands worth seeing — requires shoulders and knees to be covered. This is not a guideline. The Vatican turns away hundreds of visitors every single day. People who waited an hour in the security line are sent back out. The Florence Duomo does the same. So does San Marco in Venice. Pack clothing that covers your knees and you will never have this problem.
3. A Visible Money Belt
The logic seems sound. In practice, it is counterproductive. An experienced pickpocket recognizes the outline of a money belt under a shirt from three meters away. You have just labeled exactly where your valuables are. Use a front pocket, a zipped interior pocket, or a bag worn across the body with the clasp facing inward. A money belt worn visibly is not security. It is signage.
4. Full-Size Toiletries
Pack travel sizes, not full bottles. For shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and anything basic — buy it at a supermarket when you arrive. Every city center in Italy has one within a few minutes of walk. The prices are normal, the selection is fine, and you will not waste suitcase space or pay checked-bag fees for liquid weight. What you should bring from home is any medication you take regularly. Do not rely on finding your exact prescription or over-the-counter equivalent here. Bring enough for the full trip plus a few extra days.
5. Heavy Denim for Summer
If you are coming between June and September, leave the heavy jeans at home. Italy in August regularly reaches 35-38°C. Italians wear linen — light, breathable, and practical. The reason Italians always appear to be effortlessly dressed is partly that they are not visibly melting in heavy fabric. One pair of jeans for cooler evenings is fine. Building a summer wardrobe around denim is a mistake you will feel by day three.
6. New Shoes You Have Never Worn
This is the single most consistent reason trips go wrong. Italian cities are walked, not driven. Fifteen to twenty thousand steps per day is normal. The surfaces are uneven cobblestone and stone pavement, not mall flooring. New shoes worn for the first time in that environment will produce blisters by day two that do not go away. Wear whatever shoes you plan to bring to Italy for at least a week before you travel. If they cannot handle eight hours on hard stone, leave them.
7. An Umbrella
Do not pack one. Street vendors appear the moment rain starts in every Italian city — Rome, Florence, Venice, Naples — selling umbrellas on every corner for a few euros. You will never be more than two minutes from one when you need it. It takes up space, adds weight, and solves a problem Italy already solves for you.
8. Formal Evening Wear
The best restaurants in Italy have no dress code. The meal that defines your trip will probably happen at a trattoria with paper tablecloths and handwritten daily specials on a chalkboard. Smart casual — clean clothes, neat appearance — is enough everywhere that matters. The suit jacket or formal dress takes a quarter of your suitcase and will be worn once, if at all. Leave it at home.
3 Things Every Traveler Forgets
1. A Plug Adapter
Italy uses Types C, F, and L electrical outlets. American flat-prong plugs do not fit. This is forgotten so consistently that airport shops across Italy charge €15-20 for adapters that cost €3 online. Most phones and laptops carry a dual voltage charger — check for "100-240V" printed on the brick, which means you need only the adapter, not a voltage converter. Buy two before you leave. Losing one mid-trip while trying to find a replacement in a town with one hardware store is a particular kind of frustration.
2. A Lightweight Scarf
Every Italian woman carries one. It solves the church problem instantly — draped over the shoulders for bare arms, wrapped around the waist over shorts to cover the knees. It weighs nothing, folds to nothing, and fits in any bag. The tourists buying last-minute scarves from vendors outside the Vatican are paying €20 for something that should have been in the bag from the start. One scarf, packed before anything else.
3. Shoes You Have Actually Walked In
Worth saying a second time because it is so consistently forgotten that it deserves its own entry. People buy new shoes specifically for Italy — beautiful leather shoes, new trainers, sandals chosen for how they look. They pack them never having worn them. They wear them for the first time on a day with 18,000 steps on cobblestones. This is how every Italy trip blisters story starts. Test your shoes for a minimum of one week before you travel. If they hurt on a normal day, they will end your trip in Italy.
