A corridor that splits in two.
Italy splits into two moves — north and south — and the difference matters more than the map suggests. Tuscany and the Veneto run on EU-standard logistics; Calabria and Sicily run on relationships. We work both.
The paperwork starts with a codice fiscale (Italian tax code) and the carta d'identità if you're staying. The customs side is straightforward post-Brexit if filed correctly; the practical side — finding the right driver who knows the right strada bianca — is what Essex Removals adds.
What's included
Door to door, end to end.
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Door-to-door pickup
A surveyor visits your Essex address; the same crew loads in Essex and meets the destination team at the Italian frontier.
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Italian-speaking coordinator
A native Italian-speaking coordinator handles condominio chairs, regional couriers, and the unspoken rules of the Italian moving day.
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Customs filing
EORI, ToR1, and Italian dogane filing handled in full. Tuscan and Lazio entry points have specific paperwork — we know which.
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Goods-in-transit cover
All-risks underwritten cover from collection through to your Italian delivery address.
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Strada-bianca-rated vehicles
Rural Tuscany and Umbria mean unmade roads; the destination fleet includes 4×4 light trucks for properties off the asphalt.
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Custom packing
Frescoes, antique furniture, marble, art glass — heritage-grade wrapping. Cellar-grade conditions for wine in transit.
What you'll need
Italian paperwork in plain English.
Italy starts with a codice fiscale, the tax code that opens almost every door. Below is what you'll meet — what we file is in the previous section.
- Codice fiscale · Italian tax code
- Free, issued by the Agenzia delle Entrate. Required for almost everything in Italy — utility contracts, bank accounts, property purchase. Apply at any Italian consulate before you fly out, or in-country once you arrive.
- EORI number · Economic Operator Registration
- UK-side requirement for any goods movement to the EU. We handle the HMRC application.
- ToR1 declaration · Transfer of Residence
- UK departure relief; allows household goods owned more than six months to move duty-free. Filed by us.
- Carta d'identità / permesso di soggiorno · Italian ID / residence permit
- Permesso di soggiorno applied for at the Questura within eight days of arrival; we time the delivery to align if needed.
- Bilingual inventory · Customs inventory
- Italian customs prefer a bilingual list with itemised values. We prepare from survey notes.
Where we go
5 regions, one corridor.
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Tuscany
Florence, Siena, Lucca, the Val d'Orcia. Stone houses; weight-restricted village roads; small-truck final mile from a regional depot.
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Lake Como & Milan
Northern Lombardy: gated lakeside villas, central Milan apartments. Concierge clearance handled by the destination team.
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Rome & Lazio
Centro storico has access constraints — pedestrian zones, weekday delivery windows. We work the permit chain with the Comune.
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Puglia
Trulli, masserie, Lecce townhouses; rural drop-points; longer transit but well-trodden by our southern partners.
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Sicily & Sardinia
Ferry routing from Genoa or Naples; island delivery costed as a separate leg. Customs already cleared on the mainland — no second clearance.
How quotes work
A single fixed figure, in writing.
Every Italy quote is a single fixed figure in writing covering transit, customs, insurance, and door-to-door handling. North-south distance is the largest variable; Sicilian or Sardinian routing adds a ferry leg. The Essex surveyor walks the property; we don't quote sight-unseen on Italian moves because access is so often the unknown.
"We had been told an Italian move would be a six-month saga. It wasn't. Essex Removals took the brief, walked our Chelmsford house, and met us in Lucca with the same boxes in the same order they'd gone in. The Italian coordinator spoke to our condominio chair before we'd even unpacked the kettle. Two cypresses, terracotta, dolce far niente. Yes."
Italy questions
The questions we hear most.
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Transit times depend on route, volume, customs clearance, and consolidation scheduling. Your written quote will include an indicative window. Northern Italy is a shorter haul than Sicily — but the Italian customs queue at the Brenner Pass is the variable that matters most.
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You'll need one for almost everything once you're there — utility contracts, bank account, sometimes the lease itself. It's free and quick to obtain. The move itself doesn't require it; your settled life there does.
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Anything wood-based — antique furniture especially — needs climate-controlled storage if it's going into a stone house with no aircon. We can arrange cellar storage at the Italian depot until your property is conditioned.
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Probably not the main truck. The destination crew runs a smaller 4×4 fleet for the strada-bianca final mile, transferring the load from the lorry at a sensible meeting point. We flag this at survey.
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Yes. The Italian conveyancing timeline is unpredictable; we hold goods at our partner depots in Milan, Florence, or Rome until the rogito is signed and the keys handed over.
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Yes — climate-controlled transport with customs-clean documentation. There are quantity thresholds beyond which Italian douanes treat the move as commercial; we audit at survey.
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Yes — the destination coordinator briefs the portinaio (and the condominio chair if there is one) on access timing, lift bookings, and the plumber's schedule for any same-day connections.
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Pianos cross the Alps every week. Specialist piano movers travel with the load; tuning at the destination is recommended after the instrument has settled for two weeks.