Kent → Italy
Kent to Italy, permission by permission
Italy is the route with the most local permissions in it. The national paperwork is ordinary; what needs planning is the comune — residency at one counter and, very often, permission for a lorry at another.
| Item | Obtained by | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Codice fiscale | You | The Italian tax code, applied for through the consulate before you go. Nothing else in the process works without it. |
| Address proof | You | A purchase deed or a registered rental contract for the Italian property. |
| Iscrizione anagrafica | You | Residency registration at the comune, which is also the body that decides restricted-zone access. |
| ZTL permit | Us, with the comune | Where the delivery address sits inside a restricted-traffic zone, applied for in advance — or replaced by a transfer to a permitted vehicle. |
| Inventory | Us, with you | Itemised and valued in Italian, written during packing, signed by you. |
| Export declaration | Us | Raised in Kent before departure, with the transit paperwork. |
Restricted zones, checked before loading
Nearly every Italian city of any age restricts traffic in its historic centre, enforced by camera and fined automatically. If your delivery address sits inside one — very likely in Florence, Siena, Bologna or central Rome — the job needs a permit applied for through the comune, or a transfer to a permitted vehicle.
Neither can be arranged on the morning, so the exact address is checked against the zone at survey, in Kent, before anything goes on a vehicle.
Two routes, decided by destination
Over the Alps for Turin, Milan and the lakes — through Mont Blanc into the Aosta valley or Fréjus into Turin, both toll tunnels with vehicle restrictions and both liable to close in bad weather.
Round the coast for Tuscany, Umbria, Rome and the south — down the French Mediterranean, across at Ventimiglia, then the A10 to Genoa and the A1 south. Longer on paper, steadier in practice.
Older contents, handled as such
Kent loads bound for Italy carry more stone, marble, cast iron and framed pictures than most. Those travel crated or braced rather than wrapped, and they are valued carefully on the inventory — both for the customs file and for the cover.
Flag them at survey. A marble table top is not a two-person lift and the crew size follows from knowing about it.
Restorations
A large share of these moves attach to a property still being worked on. Holding the load in store in Kent until there are finished floors and a lockable door is almost always better than delivering into a building site.
France covers the first part of both Italian routes in more detail.
Worth knowing
Kent to Italy, before you commit
Why does the comune matter so much?
Because in Italy the municipality holds several of the things a move depends on: residency registration, and in most historic centres the permission a vehicle needs to deliver at all. It is a local process rather than a national one, which is why lead times vary by town.
What is a ZTL in practice?
A camera-enforced restricted zone over the historic centre. Unauthorised vehicles are fined automatically. Delivering inside one needs either a permit arranged in advance or a transfer to a permitted smaller vehicle, and the exact address is checked against the zone before anything is loaded.
Alpine tunnels or the coast?
Mont Blanc or Fréjus are shortest for Turin, Milan and the lakes, but both are toll tunnels with vehicle restrictions and both can close in weather. For Tuscany, Rome and the south the coastal route through Ventimiglia is longer and more dependable.
We have antiques and pictures.
They travel crated or braced rather than blanket-wrapped, and they are declared and valued carefully. Note also that Italy regulates cultural property — items above a certain age and value need an export licence to leave Italy later, which matters if you might move on.
The house is still being restored.
Then hold the load here. Furniture delivered into an active restoration is at best dusty and at worst ruined, and restorations overrun in Italy exactly as they do in Kent.
Lakeside or hill-town delivery?
Access is usually the approach rather than the property — narrow shore roads, steep drives, sometimes a walk from the nearest parking. Photographs of the final stretch are worth more than any written description.
Is Italy slower than France or Spain?
The documentation is checked more closely and more of it is local, so it rewards starting earlier. Nothing about it is difficult; it simply does not reward improvisation.
Send the address and the tax code. We'll check the zone.
Whether the street is inside a restricted zone changes the vehicle, the permit and the delivery method. It is the first thing we look up.