Route pair
Removals from Erith to Italy
Across the Channel, down through France, and over the Alps — or round them along the Ligurian coast. Italy is the route where the geography at the far end shapes the plan more than the distance does.
Italy attracts a different kind of move from Spain or Portugal. Fewer wholesale retirements to a coastal estate, more people buying a particular house in a particular place — a farmhouse in the Val d'Orcia, a flat in Turin, somewhere on Lake Maggiore — and moving with things they care about.
That changes the work. Italy jobs tend to carry more that needs real protection, more furniture worth taking apart carefully, and more deliveries into places a lorry cannot simply pull up outside.
The route
Out of Erith and across Kent as usual, then the crossing and the long run south through France. From there it forks.
For the north — Piedmont, Lombardy, the lakes, the Veneto — the vehicle goes through Switzerland and the Gotthard, or through the Fréjus or Mont Blanc tunnels from the French side. For Tuscany, Umbria, Le Marche and anything further down, the coastal route through Provence into Liguria is usually better, joining the A12 past Genoa.
In winter the Alpine options become a decision rather than a formality, and we will take the longer road rather than gamble a loaded vehicle on a pass that may close.
Where deliveries go
- Tuscany — Florence, Siena, Lucca, the Chianti, the Val d'Orcia
- Umbria and Le Marche — Perugia, Todi, Spoleto, the Sibillini foothills
- Piedmont and Liguria — Turin, the Langhe, the Riviera di Ponente
- Lombardy and the lakes — Milan, Como, Maggiore, Garda
- The Veneto — Verona, Padua, the Dolomite approaches
- Rome and Lazio — apartment deliveries inside restricted-access zones
Access, the Italian speciality
Two things recur. The ZTL — the limited traffic zone covering most historic centres, with permits and enforcement cameras. And the hill town, where the street to your door is a stepped lane that predates wheeled delivery entirely.
The answer to both is the one we use on the tightest streets in DA8: park where a large vehicle legally can, and shuttle. What is different is that the permits need arranging through the local comune in advance. Photographs of the last stretch, plus the address of the nearest place a lorry can stand, are the two most useful things you can send us.
Customs and Italian documentation
Bringing household effects into Italy attracts relief when you are transferring residence, but the case has to be made carefully. You will need your codice fiscale, evidence of residence being established — typically the certificato di residenza or the application for it — and a detailed valued inventory in the form Italian customs expect.
Antiques, artwork and anything of cultural significance sit slightly apart and may need their own documentation. If you are carrying a collection, say so at survey.
Packing for this route
Longer roads mean more hours of vibration; Alpine routes mean temperature swings. Anything veneered, anything with a stone or glass top, and anything already fragile gets more than the standard treatment. Pictures travel in purpose-made cartons or cases; marble and glass tops travel crated rather than blanket-wrapped.
Starting
Send both addresses, rough dates, and photographs of the approach at the Italian end if you have them. We will survey and quote in writing. The European removals page covers vehicle options, and France is the shorter version of the same first leg.
Route detail
Moving to Italy — questions
Which way does the vehicle go?
Two options. Through Switzerland via the Gotthard, or through France and over at Mont Blanc or Fréjus. For the north — Piedmont, Lombardy, the lakes — the Alpine crossings win. For Tuscany and further down, the coastal route through Provence into Liguria often works out better.
Is winter a real factor?
Yes. Passes close, chains become compulsory, and a loaded vehicle is not the thing to test them with. We take the longer coastal road when the shorter one is a gamble rather than risking it.
Can you deliver to a hill town?
Usually, with planning. Tuscan and Umbrian hill towns have gates, gradients and streets built for carts. The standard answer is a transfer to a smaller vehicle for the last stretch — the same shuttle we use on the tight streets back home.
What does Italian customs need?
Your codice fiscale, evidence of residence being transferred, and a detailed valued inventory presented the way Italian customs expect. Italy is particular about the inventory format, so we prepare it to that standard rather than sending a generic list.
What is a ZTL?
A limited traffic zone covering the historic centre of most Italian towns, with permits and camera enforcement. Delivering inside one needs the permit arranged in advance through the local comune — work we would rather do weeks out than on the morning.
Can you handle artwork and antiques?
Yes, with proper cases and wrapping, and with anything valuable declared and covered specifically. Items of genuine cultural significance can carry export considerations of their own — tell us early if that might apply.
Next step
Moving from Erith to Italy?
Send the two addresses, your rough dates and a sense of the volume. We will set out the route, the options and the paperwork.