Considering a Move to Italy?
Moving to Italy
Italy is a regular European destination for Abels – we are moving people to Italy all the time. As Italy is in the EU, moving to Italy is fairly straightforward with few formalities that have to be gone through. There are no official documents required for personal effects and household goods being moved from another EU country.
Moving to Italy will be via a dedicated vehicle and team. We will come to your home and load your furniture and effects into a pantechnicon, transport them to Italy via the Channel Tunnel or ferry, and then unload them at the destination. If required, we will also pack at origin and unpack at the destination.
About Italy
Italy is a European country covering an area of 116,346 square miles. It is located to the south of Europe with borders to France in the northwest, Switzerland and Austria in the north, and Slovenia in the northeast. With a population of around 60.8 million people, making the average population per square mile in Italy, is very similar compared to the UK.
Rome is the capital city with a multi-national community and a population of 3.8 million people in the Rome urban and metropolitan area. Other large cities to be found in Italy include Milan, Naples, Turin, Bari, Genoa, Florence, Venice, Trieste, Bologna and Reggio Calabria where the majority of people move to Italy normally relocate. Italy is subdivided into 20 regions, which are subdivided into 110 provinces and 8,100 municipalities. Additionally, there are also 15 metropolitan cities.
With the main exports from Italy being machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, clothes and wine there are many related industries that support these industries and allow job opportunities for those moving to Italy.
Italy is a major tourist location due to connections with Roman History along with visitors to the Vatican the centre of the Catholic Church. People moving to Italy have the opportunity to visit and see vast amounts of priceless works of art, palaces, museums, parks, churches, gardens, basilicas, temples, villas, piazzas, and theatres. Some of the popular sites to visit include the classical and ancient Roman sites of the Colosseum, the Roman Forum and the Pantheon. Another popular site to visit is St Peters Square and Basilica.
It is little wonder why so many people wish to live in Italy. The country has forty-four Unesco World Heritage Sites, more than any other country on earth and historic cities like Rome, Venice and Florence, known as cities of art. Fashion lovers are drawn to Milan, which is also the country’s financial centre, while others are drawn to Sicily’s volcanoes. Skiing is very popular in the Alps and hiking the Dolomites is a pastime of locals and tourists alike. Many Roman Catholics flock to the country to visit the Vatican and the Pope and Italy is widely recognised as the centre of Catholicism. It is for these reasons that Italy is the fourth highest profiting country from tourism in the world, with forty-three point seven million tourists visiting every year.
Abels Moving Services have been providing professional and discrete packing and European road removal services for discerning families and professionals relocating to Italy for over 50 years.
Planning Your Move
When considering moving overseas it is important to speak with a specialist international removal company (not your local domestic mover!) as there are pitfalls. This is why you should speak directly with Abels Moving Services when moving to Italy.
Before calling, consider whether you want to send all your possessions or just a select few personal effects. To speak to an advisor call our head office on +44 1842 816600 or email shipping@abels.co.uk and you will be contacted shortly to discuss your move.
For full house moves / large volumes it is recommended that a home survey appointment is made. One of our International Customer Service Managers can personally visit your home and discuss your moving requirements. They can then allay any concerns you may have and advise you on the whole moving process, and assess the items to be packed. Also, they will explain how best to protect your items during their transit. The survey will also take account of access to your property to ensure that positioning a larger removal vehicle is possible. A full list of all items to be moved will be made by our colleague at this time. A detailed door to door removal proposal will be sent to you shortly following the visit after all costs are collated (including origin, road transportation, and delivery services).
Smaller volumes can be discussed over the telephone, email or provided via our online service. Your volume, access, packing requirements and shipping method, will be assessed from the information you provide. A detailed door to door removal proposal will then be produced and either posted or emailed to you for consideration.
After you book with Abels you will be introduced to a Customer Liaison Move Coordinator (who will work on behalf of your Customer Service Manager) booking, organising and managing and assisting you when moving to Italy.
Talk to our experts
Let Abels plan and coordinate your move to Italy or anywhere else in the world.
Packing Your Possessions
Abels Moving Services advises that Packing is a recommendation for all your items and possessions when you move to Italy. Furniture will be wrapped and protected by woollen blankets when items are moved to Italy.
Items will be moved from the UK in a large removal vehicle. In situations where access is not suitable for a large removal vehicle for delivering your possessions in Italy, your possessions may need to be shuttled onto a smaller local delivery vehicle due to vehicle size restrictions in some areas of Italy.
There may be occasions when items can require more extensive packing service for more valuable and delicate items. These items will be identified when discussing with your Customer Service Manager. Export wrapping with robust 8 ply paper blankets, potentially adding foam edging, card covering and crating services are available depending on the item to be transported to ensure it will be best protected.
With Abels Moving Services the highest quality packing materials are utilised. ( if you are wishing to pack items yourself for your move we would recommend that you do not use cheap materials, the contents of cartons when moved using a Removal Vehicle could be stacked up to 2 metres high and of course you want the cartons at the bottom to stay in the same shape throughout its journey and offer full protection to its contents. )
Owner packing is accepted, however, please consider some pitfalls that you may / may not have considered. Our removal teams are always happy to make up some cartons for you on the day of the move so that you can pack personal clothing or papers should you prefer. However please be assured that our packing teams are trained and employed for their professionalism.
Fine Art & Specialist Packing Services
Moving Fine Art needs great care and will involve Enhanced Packing when moving to Italy. Items such as Fine Art Paintings and valuable pieces of furniture along with delicate items such as moving a Grand Father Clock packing and shipping Barometers, transporting Chandeliers, and moving Grand Piano’s all need careful handling while being packed in a specific way. The use of made to measure wooden cases is regularly used to give the highest level of protection for delicate and valuable items.
Not only is the Packing of these items important, but also how they are dismantled prior to being moved to Italy. Grand Father Clocks need their main components taken apart ensuring clearly that the weights are removed prior to casing the clock. Moving a barometer also need specialist packing services and careful handling to avoid any problem with the filled mercury, ensuring the tube is bunged to avoid spillage.
Training, training, and training is the key to ensuring all members of Abels packing teams are fully versed in the correct handling and packing techniques. Each year every team member comes back to our training school to practice their skills on our own specialist items of furniture (so they don’t practice on our customers!)
Road Removal Services
Abels has a modern fleet of removal vehicles which are designed to be safe to transport items such as furniture, personal possessions and motor vehicles. Each vehicle is fully alarmed, with flat cleanable internal sides double skinned to avoid furniture damage and restrict temperature changes. The vehicles have Air-Ride soft suspension to ensure items are not jostled in transit while being sympathetic to the environment. Each is fitted with mobile communications and facilities for our drivers’ and porters’ comfort.
Abels maintains a variety of sized vehicles within our removal fleet to suit the purposes of the moves we undertake depending on access challenges, volumes to be moved and distance to travel. Vehicles range from our road trains (which have a rigid truck at the front pulling a similar-sized trailer) and can carry up to a maximum volume capacity of 103 cubic metres / 3600 cubic feet, articulated truck and trailers, a variety of sized rigid pantechnicons, right through to small packing vehicles designed mainly for transporting our removal team and their materials.
Therefore Abels are ideally suited and can provide efficient moving services into all parts of Europe.
Therefore Abels are ideally suited and can provide efficient moving services into all parts of Europe.
Customs Information
Since the UK left the EU we no longer have ‘free movement of goods’ between the UK and Italy. This means the import of your household goods (furniture and personal effects) are subject to import and export rules and procedures.
Your Abels Move Manager will provide you with tailored information to guide you through this part of the relocation process.
For now, here is a little breakdown of what to expect to help you start planning your move abroad.
For your items to clear customs, you will need to provide some specific documentation. Our friendly team will discuss these requirements with you ahead of your move, the documents required at customs will depend on your status and personal situation.
Explore the FIDI Customs Guide for Italy, for further guidance ahead of your move consultation with a trusted member of the Abels team.
Enjoy a stress-free move abroad
Get in touch with our removal experts to see how we can help with your move today.
Destination Services
With items moved by Abels Moving Services to Italy, Abels will take care of all aspects of the destination services with our own removal teams on our vehicles.
For the majority of deliveries we use one of our large removal vehicles. In situations were it is necessary to deliver items in Italy by using a smaller delivery vehicle, Abels will make arrangements to transport the items by road in a normal removal delivery vehicle and then tranship to a smaller appropriate vehicle locally in Italy.
Another consideration for delivery is the number of properties located on higher floors needing careful planning for delivery of your items. This can often be in conjunction with the concierge who will confirm the access possibility to the elevator and times approved for access. Some properties may only permit delivery utilising an external elevator.
Abels are a FIDI-faim quality organisation that highlights the standards that are provided by customers using services from Abels Moving Services. The destination services into Italy continue with Abels performing arrangements for the Customs Clearance (if applicable) and a full Delivery Service.
An Advance Payment Guarantee Scheme operated by the British Association of Removers provides protection for prepayments made by our private customers (consumers) in the unlikely circumstance of Abels ceasing to trade and fulfilling a contract which has been paid for. This used to be provided by IMMI.
Normal service for delivery into Italy includes delivery into rooms of your choosing, unpacking of carton items to a flat surface, set up of normal furniture removal and placement into positions as instructed, disposal of waste packaging materials. Should you prefer, arrangements can be made for a put away service of carton items / maid cleaning / relocation or settling in services – should you have specific requirements, please discuss with your Abels Customer Service Manager or Abels Customer Liaison.
Abels professional experience and local knowledge helps you by handling and advising of all aspects associated with the delivery of your possessions for you when moving to Italy. Abels Moving Services endeavours to ensure your arrival at your new home overseas is smooth and trouble-free, to allow you to settle in as swiftly as possible.
Above all, we want you to think of Abels for your next move and the one after that, we don’t simply wish to buy your current move at the risk of losing your future business, goodwill and recommendations!
Abels Moving Services:
Telephone: 01842 816600
Email: shipping@abels.co.uk