Greetings everyone.  A bit of info in case you are going along in the Italy trip, and haven't quite worried enough about recharging all those devices.

In general, you can't just plug in your phone or laptop or hair drier or camera battery charger or, well, anything, for two reasons.

One, the voltage is different, and way more.  220 instead of 110.  That tends to create all sorts of interesting sparks, small fires, and adventures in Rome that we'd just as soon avoid...

Two, fortunate, kind of.  Even if you ignore the voltage and want to send your laptop to the electric chamber, you can't, because the plugs are different.

So, unless you plan to be device-free for 10 days (yeah, I teach, I know how likely it is to get anyone to go even 50 minutes without that device), you need two extra bits of technology.

A plug for Italian sockets:




And, some sort of current adapter.  Read more from Rick Steve..., who does point out that some new appliances are "dual voltage," and won't need the new device.   But be sure before you plug in.  I'm more eager to see the Colosseum than Roman firefighters in our hotel...


Here's an article that says all this very patiently, with pictures:

Electricity in Italy - Plugs, Adapters and Transformers

later, bob