Last Updated on May 7, 2022 by Tia
In this Italy packing list, you will find the key items to pack to Italy to ensure you are prepared, comfortable, AND look great!
Because make no mistake, Italy is undoubtedly the fashion capital of the world. As a result, both men and women are dressed to perfection!
Italy is furthermore a country of such incredible architecture, cuisine, landscapes, and culture, you will want to explore its every inch and corner, and take pictures too!
So use this Italy Packing List no help you not overpack, but also not leave anything behind!
Table of Contents
Italy Packing List – The Essentials
Portable charger
Nowadays, we rely so heavily on our phones – especially when we are abroad!
A portable charger ( power bank) will make sure you have enough battery to take photos and videos, transfer money online, research sights and restaurants and follow google maps – all day long!
Travel Adaptor
The power plugs and sockets are of types F and L. A good travel adaptor makes sure you can charge anything, anytime!
Water bottle – Plastic free
I am forever trying to advocate for responsible tourism and reduce my plastic use. After all, we only have one Earth!
Walking around in the heat will make you super thirsty, so I suggest a leak-proof, stainless steel bottle instead of buying plastic!
This particular one is suitable for hot and cold, is vacuum sealed, and has a lifetime guarantee. Winner!
Italy Packing List – Other Packing essentials
Umbrella
Pretty essential for those sudden bouts of rain and summer thunderstorms!
Packing Cubes
Glorious packing cubes, how I love thee! They are the key to traveling with a carry on luggage only.
packing cubes come in a set of different sizes so you can easily separate your clothes, shoes, toiletries, and electrical appliances. They help to keep you organized, pack more, and keep clothes wrinkle-free. Winner!
Accessory Essentials
Cover Up Pashmina
I say this all the time, and I’ll say it again. The item I ALWAYS pack and always use is a pashmina. The reason you need one is that you will be denied entry to numerous religious sites without it.
Entering such sites, without a cover-up is extremely rude to the culture and Italian Catholic religion. This pashmina is easy to pack, lightweight, and Upgrades any outfit instantly!
A hat or two
A hat in Italy serves two purposes! For starters, it will protect you from the scorching sun – and trust me, the sun in Italy does not mess about!
Secondly, you can choose a hat to serve as a fashion statement, and instantly transform any outfit so you can pack less! The choices are endless, but my favorite hats are fedora and berets.
This summer is all about cute bucket hats too!
Tia’s Tip: Choose a color that makes a stark contrast, either with your hair or your surroundings. Your pictures will pop!
Italy Packing List – Clothes and Shoes
Daytime Clothes
- Summer Dresses
- A cute power suit. It looks fantastic with flats and heels and can easily take you from day to night!
- Lightweight Capri trousers
- Mid-length shorts or leggings
- Maxi Skirts
- Flared Jeans
Tia's Tip: I love customising my outfits with different jewerly and accessories! Hairbands, earrings and necklaces are instant outfit transformers!
Evening Wear
I’m going to be honest here. I never end up wearing most of my evening wear!
Holidays never go according to plan, do they! More often than not, I am too busy having fun to care about going back to my hotel and getting dressed up for dinner.
So I slightly upgrade my daily wear outfits to take me from day to night without an issue! (and I carry a pashmina to instantly make my outfits look fancier too).
Nowadays, I take one beautiful piece of evening wear alone, and in Italy, you can go all out! You can choose anything, from a bodysuit to a skirt and a top or a pretty dress!
When it comes to heels, avoid stiletto heels. The cobbled streets are very difficult to walk on, and you’ll end up breaking your foot!
Chunky heels or wedges are far more appropriate, but not necessary either.
Shoes
The most important item in your Italy packing list should be what shoes to take! Because one thing is for sure; you’ll be doing a lot of walking!
In Rome and Venice, I walked for miles every day, to the point that my feet became swollen!
In Florence, the central part of the city is closed off to cars, so that too resulted in tons of walking.
So when it comes to shoes, go for comfort, and something you can combine with many outfits! My top choice of comfort shoes are:
- Cities: My trusted trainers that I can walk for miles in! Personally, I don’t go for ”fancy sneakers”. Puma and Adidas make the best running shoes for my feet, so you will never see me travel without a pair.
- Islands: Definitely, my Havaianas flip flops never hurt the arches of my feet or cause my feet to blister. You can find lots of colors here linked above!
- Winter: Winter-wise, I bought the most comfortable boots from Sketchers this winter, that I wore to France and Amsterdam, and WOW. The warmest, loveliest, most comfortable winter shoes I ever bought!
Backpack or Sling bag
it goes without saying that your Italy Packing List needs a bag for your belongings! Usually, I love a good backpack, as I like to carry a lot on me.
Recently though, in Disneyland Paris, I wanted something small, light, and minimal, like this crossbody bag.
What impressed me the most with this one, is the fact it’s small but roomy, and even has space for credit cards and lots of zips!
Health Essentials – Medication travel bag
A small medication travel bag is definitely essential for your Italy Packing List.
A small amount of essential medication will put your mind at ease, and keep you prepared should the worst occur! Medical essentials are:
- Painkillers
- Allergy antihistamine tablets
- Fever medication
- Antiseptic for cuts and scrapes
- Mosquito repellant and bracelets
Mosquito bracelet
Ooohhh…Mosquitoes. The literal pain of my existence, and a complete nuisance to Italy’s incredible summers.
These bloodsuckers can be found by the thousands in places like Florence, Rome, and Milan, and the closer you get to the islands, the worse it gets!
Mosquito wristbands are rather effective and last a long time without you needing to reapply lotion all the time!
Activated Charcoal for Indigestion
You will most certainly be eating non-stop in Italy 🙂 The most delicious foods in Italy will make your tastebuds explode with joy…and your stomach too.
I suffer from lactose intolerance and IBS, and I follow a relatively strict Low Fodmap diet
But I love to indulge in my holidays, I can’t resist!
That is where activated charcoal comes to my rescue! This ingenious product draws out all the nasties and toxins from your body and provides instant relief! My personal travel favorite for years!
Summer packing for the Italian Islands – Italy packing List
This guide is filled with all the essentials to summer islands and its absolutely perfect for Italy too 🙂
Thank you for going through my ultimate Italy packing list!
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Tia x
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- The perfect packing list for Italy – or any European Summer Vacation
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20 comments
Thanks for sharing your must have clothes for Italy! I think we can use your list for any country in Europe for summer 🙂
exactly! I use this list for all my European city holidays!
Best travel agent ✈️✈️❤️❤️
you are so sweet, thank you so much!
I hope we can travel again soon.. ❤️
This article is very useful!
trust me… so do I! I already had to cancel 2 trips so far…
I hope to visit Italy soon and follow your advices ❤️
Honestly, apart from Greece, it is THE most beautiful country in Europe!
You made me miss my home.. I wanna go back 😭🇮🇹
I can’t wait to go back too! I’ve already been 6 times! I want to move back to Florence!
Hey girl your article is very informative and well written! I wanna visit Italy so it was really useful ❤️
Thank you so much, I’m super happy you found it useful! I always used to search for packing lists before I became a blogger, so I make sure I write them now 🙂
I think it’s necessary for someone to read it✨🖤
Style life fashion 🖤 Prefect!!!
I like it♥️♥️very useful article 🔝
thank you so much 🙂
Great article Tia❤️❤️
Thank you darling, appreciate it! <3
Hello Tia I loved your article it was very helpful for me 🖤 An other thing that I don’t ever forget are my vitamins 🖤
So true! vitamins are key for overall health, especially in traveling situations where the time and climate changes!
Good list. Your comments about the high heels reminded me of my first business trip to Rome ! I wanted to look fancy in my stilettos and almost broke my ankle hundred times!