Bring things you need to survive...things you would be lost without. You don't want to live your tour here suffering without conveniences of America. Here are some things we had thought about not bringing, or didn't bring and wish we would have.
Rugs: All the flooring is marble, tile, etc. If you have rugs or can pick up a few before your household goods are packed out, bring them! Especially large, room sized rugs. There are places to buy rugs once you arrive, but if you are going to get a 9'x12' rug...you better have a way to transport it because it will NOT fit in the tiny European cars.
Patio furniture: Most houses will have patios or balconies where it would be nice to have a set of chairs to use to take in those beautiful views. Even the Support Site (SS) housing has large balconies.
BBQ grill: Same reasoning behind the patio furniture.
Car: if it's small and if you don't mind it getting a few Naples kisses (dents and dings) on it, bring it! BUT many people will tell you that you can decrease (slightly) your risk of having your car broken into by having a non-American car. So no Toyota, Buick, Ford, Chevy, etc. You can purchase a car on the base's 'lemon lot' for anywhere from $1000-$3000 (and more for newer cars), and then sell it back to another service member when you leave. If you do decide to ship your car, your Travel Office will give you the details of where it needs to be dropped of. Also, if you decide to bring your American car, it might not be a bad idea to bring a few replacement parts - they can be hard to get in Naples. Things like air filters, spark plugs, etc. Keep in mind that each service member is only allowed to register three vehicles -INCLUDING motorcycles/mopeds/vespas - no matter how many dependents, so don't bring along to many or you'll have to pay out of pocket to ship them back to the states. Dependents are not allowed to register vehicles.
Cabinets, shelves and other storage items: Italians don't do closets...well, most don't. If you live on the economy you will find soon enough that closets, dishwashers and efficient clothes dryers are an American luxury. The Navy will issue you one wardrobe per family member, and the active duty member gets a second. These are about 6' tall and 4' wide and 2' deep. There's your closet. If you have any storage pieces of furniture BRING THEM...think of everything you put into a closet...linens, games, coats, etc...now imagine how you'll store them when you don't have a closet. If you have the means to pick up a few extra pieces, you won't regret it. There are options here, but they are not as plentiful, cheap or easy to access as they are in the states.
Slippers with sticky bottoms: The floors here are mostly tile, stone, hardwood, etc...and they are COLD in the winter. Rugs help, but if you are not a slipper wearer...you will become one. Bring along a pair of cozy slippers, and make sure they have good grippers on the bottom. Coming down a flight of slick marble stairs in non-sticky slippers has given me more than one set of bruises!
Power strip(s) with surge protector: (If you are even thinking about living out in town) The housing office will give you two transformers to use, it is a good idea to plug the power strip into the transformer and then plug your items into the power strip. This way when the items aren't in use you can switch them off all at once, as well as protect your expensive items from power problems.
Air purifier: The air around Naples is horrible. Like SERIOUSLY horrible...we moved from Chicago and the air in downtown Chicago was like fresh mountain air compared to here. Some days are worse than others, and some areas are worse than others (near the Support Site is the worst that we noticed). If you have an air purifier, or can pick one up - GET ONE. They are tough to find here, you'll end up ordering one online if you want one. If you have children or someone who is especially sensitive to pollutants, this is a must have.
Cold/Sinus Medication: It seems like almost everyone we've ever met (ourselves included) caught the 'Naples Crud' about 7-10 days after you arrive. It's just your sinus' reacting to the bad air quality. Of course you can always grab this stuff at the NEX, but throwing a box of Sinex in your suitcase is a good idea...especially if your bout of Crud hits in the middle of the night and the nearest 24 hour Walmart is thousands of miles over the ocean. If you have someone in your family with asthma...be sure to bring extra medication to help get through the first couple weeks.
Cabinets, shelves and other storage items: Italians don't do closets...well, most don't. If you live on the economy you will find soon enough that closets, dishwashers and efficient clothes dryers are an American luxury. The Navy will issue you one wardrobe per family member, and the active duty member gets a second. These are about 6' tall and 4' wide and 2' deep. There's your closet. If you have any storage pieces of furniture BRING THEM...think of everything you put into a closet...linens, games, coats, etc...now imagine how you'll store them when you don't have a closet. If you have the means to pick up a few extra pieces, you won't regret it. There are options here, but they are not as plentiful, cheap or easy to access as they are in the states.
Slippers with sticky bottoms: The floors here are mostly tile, stone, hardwood, etc...and they are COLD in the winter. Rugs help, but if you are not a slipper wearer...you will become one. Bring along a pair of cozy slippers, and make sure they have good grippers on the bottom. Coming down a flight of slick marble stairs in non-sticky slippers has given me more than one set of bruises!
Power strip(s) with surge protector: (If you are even thinking about living out in town) The housing office will give you two transformers to use, it is a good idea to plug the power strip into the transformer and then plug your items into the power strip. This way when the items aren't in use you can switch them off all at once, as well as protect your expensive items from power problems.
Air purifier: The air around Naples is horrible. Like SERIOUSLY horrible...we moved from Chicago and the air in downtown Chicago was like fresh mountain air compared to here. Some days are worse than others, and some areas are worse than others (near the Support Site is the worst that we noticed). If you have an air purifier, or can pick one up - GET ONE. They are tough to find here, you'll end up ordering one online if you want one. If you have children or someone who is especially sensitive to pollutants, this is a must have.
Cold/Sinus Medication: It seems like almost everyone we've ever met (ourselves included) caught the 'Naples Crud' about 7-10 days after you arrive. It's just your sinus' reacting to the bad air quality. Of course you can always grab this stuff at the NEX, but throwing a box of Sinex in your suitcase is a good idea...especially if your bout of Crud hits in the middle of the night and the nearest 24 hour Walmart is thousands of miles over the ocean. If you have someone in your family with asthma...be sure to bring extra medication to help get through the first couple weeks.
Molto Bene!
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