Fabulous Italy. Remember your travel adapter!

Fabulous Italy. Remember your travel adapter!

Italy has history and culture in abundance. From its capital, Rome including the Vatican City, ancient ruins and major cities such as Venice, Florence and Milan, there is something for everyone. Just don’t forget your travel adapter!

Colosseum in Rome Italy

Aside from the culture, Italy has so much going for it. In the north, the Alps and Dolomite mountains dominate, offering great skiing. Heading south, Italy has the Tyrrhenian Sea on its western coast and the Adriatic Sea on its eastern coast, both of which have fantastic seaside resorts. 

In fact, Venice is at the northern end of the Adriatic Sea, just 60 miles from the border with neighbouring Slovenia. A little further down the east Italian coast will bring you to Rimini, famous for its beach-side nightclubs. 

Just inland from Rimini you’ll find San Marino, the fifth smallest country in the world. Completely landlocked and surrounded by Italy, it is a country within a country! Dating back to AD 301, it was established by Saint Marinus who founded a monastery on Mount Titano. It’s a beautiful city but remember your compact travel adapter as it uses the same electrical system as Italy.

Travel adapter for Italy

Much further south and on the west coast, you’ll find Rome and all the beautiful buildings and culture you can imagine! Keep going and you’ll get to Naples, the bustling commercial port dominated by Mount Vesuvius. Devastated by Vesuvius in 79AD, Pompeii sits in the distance and the dramatically beautiful Amalfi coast just around the corner. 

With all this history and culture, you’ll want to take loads of pictures, which inevitably means charging your smartphone, tablet and camera batteries. So what do you need to consider when choosing a travel adapter for Italy

Italy electrical system

Plug and socket in Italy

In common with the rest of Europe, Italy has adopted the type C plug for any appliance that does not need an earth connection. This plug has 2 round pins, usually with the last quarter of the pin covered in plastic as a safety feature. This feature means that the pins are disconnected from the power supply before any of the metal pin is exposed outside of the socket.

C type plug in Italy

 

 

F type plug in ItalyL type plug in Italy

For appliances that require an earth connection there are two possibilities in Italy. The type F plug is used in some European countries, such as Austria, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain. The type L plug is used in Italy and San Marino in Europe and a handful of other countries across the world. 

Luckily, the Italians have recognised the different types of plug and the problems it could cause, and often you will find a kind of universal socket that will accept all three plug types.

When travelling to Italy, the only thing to consider when choosing a travel adapter is that it will fit a type C socket.

Electrical voltage in Italy

In common with the rest of Europe, Italy has operates on a voltage within the 220V-240V range, at a frequency of 50Hz. If you are traveling from a country within Europe or one that uses a voltage in that range, then you only need to consider bringing a travel adapter.

Travel adapter with type C plug

If your country uses a voltage in the other range, of 100V-127V, then you will have to make sure your item is compatible or bring a power converter with you.

Many modern devices are now multi voltage, either by using a switch or automatically adjusting to suit the power supply. Take a look at our earlier blog on dual-voltage devices to find out how to check your device.

The last thing to think about is USB charging devices. Conveniently, the voltage on USB connections is standard where ever you are in the world, at 5V DC. This means that so long as your travel adapter has multiple USB connections, you can charge all your USB devices at the same time and not worry about the supply voltage of the country you are visiting.

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