Devon → Italy
Removals from Devon to Italy.
The longest overland run of the four and the one with the most restrictions at the far end — Alpine tunnels, limited traffic zones, and historic streets that were never going to accommodate a removal lorry. All manageable, none of it improvised.
Italy attracts a particular kind of move. Fewer wholesale retirements than Spain, more renovation projects, more people buying a specific house in a specific village because they fell for it. The consequence is that Italian moves are often part-loads into properties that are not quite finished, on dates that depend on a builder.
We plan them with that in mind rather than assuming a clean handover.
The route
Devon to the M25 and the Channel as usual, then across France on the A26 and A6 towards Lyon. From there the load crosses the Alps — Mont Blanc into the Aosta valley, or Fréjus into Turin. The Italian autostrada network takes it on: the A4 east towards Milan and the lakes, the A1 south through Bologna and Florence for Tuscany and Rome, and further again down the A14 or A1 for the south.
Winter matters here in a way it does not on the Spanish route. Alpine tunnels close, restrict, or queue, and that widens the transit window. Your quote will say so.
Destinations, and what each one demands
Tuscany and Umbria
The classic. Farmhouses outside Siena, Lucca, Cortona and the Val d'Orcia, usually up an unmade white road with a gate at the end. Small-vehicle shuttle territory, and worth photographing before we quote.
The lakes and the north
Como, Garda, Maggiore. Lakeside property with steep access and, frequently, steps down from the road to the house. Milan nearby for city moves — apartments, ZTL restrictions, and lifts too small for a sofa.
Rome and the centre
Apartment moves in a city built long before vans. Permits for the historic centre, courtyards, and hoists where the stairwell will not take the furniture.
Puglia and the south
Bari, Lecce, Ostuni, the trulli country. A long way down the peninsula and served less often than the north, so the scheduling is the main consideration rather than the logistics of the property itself.
Paperwork
A UK export declaration, an Italian import entry, a detailed inventory, and your codice fiscale. If you are transferring residence, the relief requires evidence of that — property documents, residency registration, and a consistent story across all of it.
Furniture going to a holiday house is declared differently. As with everywhere else, the inventory is the thing that decides whether this is routine or painful.
Quoting an Italian move
We want the region, the nearest town, whether the property is habitable on arrival, the access, and how firm the date is. If the building work is still running, say so — we would rather build in storage than deliver into a room with no floor. The hub page covers transport methods, and France shares the first half of this route if you are weighing the two.
Devon to Italy — questions
What is a codice fiscale and do we need one?
It is the Italian tax code, and yes — the import paperwork needs it, and so will almost everything else you do in Italy. You can get one before you move. Without it the customs entry cannot be completed, so it belongs on the list alongside the property paperwork.
Which way does the lorry cross the Alps?
Usually the Mont Blanc tunnel from Chamonix into Aosta, or the Fréjus tunnel to Turin. Occasionally the Swiss routes. Winter weather can close or restrict them and there are lorry limits in both tunnels, which is one reason Italian transit windows are wider than French ones.
Is Puglia as far as it looks?
Further. Once the load is in Italy, running the length of the peninsula to Bari or Lecce is a substantial journey on its own, and the south is served less frequently than the north. Nothing about it is difficult, it just needs patience with the schedule.
Are Italian apartments a problem?
They can be. Historic centres have narrow streets with restricted access zones, and lifts in older buildings are often too small for furniture. Exterior hoists are common in Italy for exactly this reason and we will arrange one where it is the sensible answer.
Do ZTL zones affect a removal lorry?
Yes. Most Italian historic centres have limited traffic zones with camera enforcement, and entering one without a permit generates fines weeks later. Access has to be arranged with the comune in advance; we factor the timing in rather than gambling.
Can you handle a renovation property with no furniture in it yet?
Often the situation. You are shipping out a half-house while the Italian end is still a building site. Delivery into a property under renovation needs somewhere dry and secure to put things — we will ask, because unloading into an unfinished room is how furniture gets ruined.
Moving to Italy from Devon?
Send us the two addresses and roughly what's going. We'll come back with a written quote once we've had a proper look at it.