What is the smallest load you will carry to Italy?

A handful of furniture pieces and boxes is enough to make a part load worthwhile. Below that, perhaps a few cartons or a trunk, a courier or our single-item service usually works out better value, because a removal crew still has to collect, inventory and deliver. Send us a list or a short video and we will tell you which option suits your volume.

Can I add a few items to my part load after booking?

Usually, yes, as long as you tell us before the run is finalised. Extra pieces change the space your consignment takes on the vehicle, so we update the inventory and re-quote the difference in writing before collection. Adding items is far easier than shipping them separately later, so walk round the house once more before the coordinator confirms the load plan.

Could my goods get mixed up with someone else's?

Not if the system is followed, and it is built to be. Every item carries a label matching your own numbered inventory, your consignment is loaded as one block, and the crew checks the list at collection and again at delivery. Customs entries are made per household, so your belongings are declared under your name alone and nobody else's paperwork can hold them up.

Can a part load go to Sicily or Sardinia?

Yes. Island deliveries continue by ferry from a mainland port, and the run is planned around the sailings, so the delivery window can be broader than for a mainland address. Where the island address has tight access, such as the old town in Ortigia or a hillside village inland in Sardinia, a local van completes the final drop from the vehicle.

Pay for your share of the vehicle

Part loads and shared vans to Italy

For flats, studios and selected furniture: your goods ride on a vehicle shared with other households heading south, packed and listed separately, with the same customs handling as a whole-home move.

Ask for a written quote Call +44 800 054 6942

How does a part load to Italy work?

A part load puts your consignment on a vehicle shared with other households heading south, so the cost of the long drive is split. You pay for the space your goods occupy rather than a whole lorry, and you keep the same customs handling and goods-in-transit cover as a whole-home move.

It suits moves that do not fill a vehicle: a graduate starting a doctorate in Bologna, a couple shipping the furniture they could not bear to sell to a rented flat in Turin, or a buyer sending the first wave of belongings to a house still under restoration. An accurate list or a short video survey sets the volume, and that volume is what the quote is built on. Self-packed boxes are fine if they are sturdy and sealed, and packing materials or professional packing of fragile items can be added as extras.

How is a part load to Italy consolidated?

By region and direction. Loads for Milan, Turin and Genoa tend to travel together through the western tunnels, loads for Venice, Verona and Bologna often group on the Brenner route, and Rome, Naples and the south continue down the peninsula. Sicily and Sardinia are planned around mainland ferry sailings.

Each household's goods are wrapped, labelled and listed on their own numbered inventory, then loaded as one distinct block within the vehicle, never mixed with anyone else's. The crew checks the list at collection and again at delivery. Customs entries are separate too: your belongings are declared on your own transfer-of-residence claim, so a neighbour's paperwork cannot hold up your delivery. The order of drops is set once the run is planned, and the coordinator confirms where yours falls. Where an island or hill-town address has tight access, a local van completes the final drop.

The view forward from a van cab on a suburban road with a cardboard box on the passenger seat — Part loads share the road south with other households bound for Italy

When does a part load arrive, and how are dates agreed?

As a window rather than a fixed day. A shared vehicle leaves when enough freight is heading in a similar direction and delivers along a sequence of drops, so we agree a collection window when you book and confirm the exact dates once the run takes shape.

This is the real trade-off of sharing. If you can be flexible, a part load is often the most sensible way to move a smaller household across the Alps, and a wide window lets us place you on the most efficient run. A narrow window may mean a less full vehicle and a larger share of the cost. If you need a guaranteed date, for example because a lease starts on a set day or you are flying out with children, we quote a dedicated vehicle instead and explain the difference in writing.

Is a shared van the right choice for an Italian apartment?

Often, yes. Italian city flats bring their own constraints, such as small lifts and condominio rules that restrict moving to certain hours, and a smaller, well-organised consignment can be carried up quickly. That keeps the amministratore and the neighbours on side and makes the drop simpler to fit into a shared run.

If the building sits inside a ZTL, the vehicle making your drop still needs an access permit, and we arrange it exactly as we would for a full house. Upper floors without a lift may need a montamobili. One thing to check before you decide what to leave behind: unfurnished Italian rentals sometimes come without a fitted kitchen, wardrobes or even light fittings. Read the tenancy contract first, because adding a few pieces to a part load is far easier than buying everything new once you arrive.

What is covered by a part load?

Space on a shared vehicle sized to your inventory, not a whole lorry
Your goods kept in their own section, with their own labels and list
A separate transfer-of-residence claim in your name
Goods-in-transit cover on the same terms as a whole-home move
Runs grouped for the north-west, the north-east, the centre and the south
ZTL permits and building access handled for your drop
Collection and delivery agreed as a window, confirmed once the run is planned
Packing materials or professional packing of fragile items available as extras

Who usually books a part load?

Students, researchers and academics taking up posts at Italian universities.
Tenants moving from a UK flat into an Italian rental.
Owners furnishing a second home in stages.
Families sending inherited pieces to relatives elsewhere in Italy.
Anyone happy to trade a fixed date for a smaller share of the cost.

What affects the quote for a part load?

We do not publish a price list, because no two Italian deliveries share the same access, route and paperwork. These are the things that shape the figure on your written quote. For a fuller explanation, read what shapes the cost of moving from the UK to Italy.

Volume of your consignment: You pay for the space you occupy on the vehicle, so an accurate list or a quick video survey gives the most reliable figure.
Destination region: A drop on the main northern runs is simpler to fit in than a remote address deep in the south or on an island.
Date flexibility: A wide collection window lets us place you on the most efficient run. A narrow window may mean a less full vehicle and a larger share.
Access at the Italian address: Upper floors without a lift, ZTL permits or a montamobili all add handling.
Packing: Self-packed boxes are fine if they are sturdy and sealed; professional packing of fragile items is quoted as an extra.

Where to check the official rules

Other services for a move to Italy

Tell us the Italian address —
and we will plan back from it.

A short brief is enough to start. We come back with questions about access, then a written, itemised quote.

Start your brief