Fréjus tunnel
Piedmont and Turin, then south on the A1
The default for the north-west and for most loads heading to central Italy.
UK → Italy
Removals from the UK to Italy
Two things shape an Italian move, and neither is the distance: how the vehicle crosses the Alps, and whether it can legally stop within reach of your front door.
First decision: how we cross
Three ways in, chosen when the load is booked and checked again before the vehicle leaves.
Mont Blanc tunnel
The Aosta valley, Milan and the lakes
Shorter for Lombardy. Both Alpine tunnels close for weather and maintenance, so neither is ever assumed.
The Ligurian coast
Genoa, the Riviera and east along the coast
Longer, but never shut for snow. The planned fallback on every winter load and the first choice for Liguria itself.
Second decision: whether we can reach the door
Most Italian towns of any age have a zona a traffico limitato around the historic centre — permit-only, camera-enforced, often with a time window. Driving a removal vehicle through one without a permit earns a fine per camera, and the fines arrive months later when everybody has forgotten about it.
So the delivery address is checked against the local ZTL before the move is scheduled. Where a permit is available we apply for it; where it is not, we park legally outside the zone and shuttle in. With a heavy item that shuttle needs planning rather than improvising, because a piano does not go round a corner on a hand trolley.
Hilltop villages in Tuscany, Umbria and Le Marche add the other version of the problem: a track rather than a street. Those get looked at on satellite, with photographs of the final approach where you can send them.
Worth raising early
Antiques, instruments and the paperwork nobody expects
A lot of what we carry is old. Most of it is household goods and travels as such. But Italy takes cultural goods seriously at both ends of the journey, and genuinely notable pieces — an early painting, a documented piece of furniture, a significant instrument — can need documentation an ordinary inventory does not cover.
This is not a reason to panic and it is a very good reason to mention it at survey. The time to find out that something needs specialist paperwork is while the vehicle is still empty.
Where in Italy
Milan, Turin and the north — predominantly work moves into apartments, on dates that cannot slip. Courtyard entrances, small lifts, and a parking permit arranged with the comune.
Liguria — Genoa, the Riviera towns, Sanremo. Comes in along the coast and skips the mountains, which makes it the most weather-proof Italian destination we serve.
Tuscany, Umbria, Le Marche and Abruzzo — the renovation regions, and a different kind of load: fewer appliances, more solid furniture, and a delivery address at the end of something narrow.
Rome, Naples and the south — apartment deliveries with ZTL attached, and the longest drives on the Italian book once you pass Naples into Puglia.
The customs side
A move from the UK to Italy is an import and is declared as one. Used household goods moving with a genuine residence transfer normally come in without duty, but the relief rests on the documentation being consistent with the load. Ours is built from the survey inventory so the two always agree — heavy and notable items named individually.
Comparing routes? The hub sets out all four, and France shares the first half of this drive.
Moving to Italy — the practical questions
How do you get a removal vehicle from the UK to Italy?
To the Channel, across, then down through France. From there it is the Fréjus tunnel towards Turin, Mont Blanc into the Aosta valley, or the coast road through Ventimiglia into Liguria — chosen by destination, season and vehicle.
Do the Alpine tunnels ever close?
Yes, for weather and for maintenance, and the coast road via Ventimiglia is the standard alternative. It is longer but never shut for snow. We pick the crossing when the load is booked and check it again before the vehicle leaves.
Can you deliver into a historic centre?
Not with a large vehicle in most cases. Italian centri storici are usually ZTL — restricted traffic zones, camera-enforced, permit-only, often with a time window. We check your address against the local zone before scheduling, apply for a permit where one exists, and park outside and shuttle in where it does not.
We have antique furniture. Is there anything extra?
Possibly, and it is worth raising early. Italy takes the export and import of cultural goods seriously, and genuinely old or notable pieces can need documentation beyond an ordinary household inventory. Most family antiques are simply household goods, but establishing which yours are belongs at survey rather than at a border.
What does Italian customs want?
A detailed inventory with values, your codice fiscale, proof of your Italian residence or your application for it, identification, and a declaration that the goods are used personal effects moving with your change of residence.
Do I need a codice fiscale first?
In practice yes — it is the tax reference the import is filed against. An Italian consulate will issue one before you travel, which is considerably easier than arranging it from a rented flat in Milan.
The house is mid-renovation. Can you still deliver?
Yes, but tell us how mid. Delivering into a building site needs different protection and a different unloading order, and a heavy item going into a room without a finished floor is a conversation rather than a delivery. If the property really is not ready, storage here is usually cheaper than delivering twice.
Can a motorbike or machinery travel?
A motorbike can, with the fuel drained, the battery disconnected and the bike listed separately. Workshop machinery likewise, drained and secured. Cars go by dedicated vehicle transport, not with us.
Planning a move to Italy?
Send both addresses and a rough inventory. We will check the crossing, the restricted zone and the delivery access before quoting anything.