Italian Post: history, features, modern service

The post office of Italy is considered one of the oldest in the world. The idea of ​​its creation belongs to the emperor Augustus, who in ancient times founded the public state mail system - cursus publicus. The modern format of this service appeared in the second half of the 19th century after the unification of the Italian state.

Historical reference

You can trace the history of Italian mail since the time of Ancient Rome:

• At the initial stage, special stations were used for private and government purposes, between which messengers ply. A little later, Emperor Augustus created an extensive network "kursus publicus", which performed the function of providing communication in the state.
• In the Middle Ages, the courier service was introduced by traveling monks. Corporations of professional messengers began to appear at universities. In the XII-XIII centuries, messengers from the universities of Naples, Bologna, Salerno were held in high esteem.
• In the 15th century, representatives of the Taxis clan from the city of Bergamo attempted to create the first full-fledged postal service. The main message delivery route was Brussels – Vienna – Italy.
• In 1850, Count Camillo Cavour made a proposal to reform the postal service in the image and likeness of other European countries. The reform began to be implemented already in 1851.
• In October 1874 Italy signed the Universal Postal Convention. In 1917, it was the Italian postal service that issued the world's first airmail stamp.

A modern post office is a symbiosis of a post office, a bank and a store.

What you need to send a parcel to / from Italy

The procedure on how to send a parcel from Russia to Italy and back is not too complicated. If you need to send a shipment from a Russian city to an Italian one, you can use the services of the Russian Post (PR). To do this, you need to find a branch that deals with international shipments, and study the rules:

• a package up to 3 kg is packed in an envelope, bag or paper;
• the heavier load is shipped in a box, the maximum weight is 30 kg.

Further, the algorithm of actions looks like this:

1. Pack your items securely.
2. Go to the PR website and arrange the shipment (fill out the declaration and pay for the service) or come to the office with the parcel and arrange everything on the spot.
3. The part of the form that concerns the recipient must be completed in Italian (address, surname and first name). Be sure to indicate the value of the item. An example of filling out a form can always be found at the post office.
4. Obtain a receipt from the postal officer, which will contain a number, the so-called identifier, by which it will be possible to track the shipment on the Internet.

To send a parcel, parcel post or letter to Italy, you can use the courier services: EMS Italy, “MultiPost”, “Pony Express”. In this case, it is possible to call a courier to your home, who will arrange everything and take your cargo.

Delivery of goods from Italy to Russia can be carried out by means of "Italian Post" - Poste Italiane. The fastest delivery is via Express EMS.

Requirements for the parcel: no more than 30 kg, allowable size 225 x 150 cm. Anything over 2.5 kg must be packed in a box.

It is important to remember that things that are sent to Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Belarus or other CIS countries in the name of one person are subject to duty and require payment of a customs crossing fee.

What you need to do to send a cargo from Italy:

1. Come to the nearest Poste Italiane branch and sign up for the electronic queue. The terminals are at the entrance, you just need to select the desired service and get a ticket. When your turn comes up, the number of the window to which you need to approach will light up on the board.
2. Fill in the forms (in Italian), attach an inventory of things, indicate the addressee's details.

In order not to have any difficulties at customs, you need to describe the items being sent in as much detail as possible. Medicines and foodstuffs cannot be sent.

After all the formalities have been met, the service officer will issue a track number by which it will be possible to track the status of the shipment. The cargo will reach the Italian border quickly, but crossing the rest of the way will take longer.

How long does the parcel take from Italy or back, you can find out on the website of the Russian Post. Just enter the parameters, for example, “Moscow-Italy, parcel weighing 10 kg”, and you will receive the answer:

• regular dispatch - 23-25 ​​days;
• accelerated - 13-21 days;
• EMS - 5-11 days.

The courier service will do it in 2-11 days.

How to get a departure in Italian territory

You can pick up a parcel in Italy in two ways:

• at the post office, presenting the track number of the waybill and passport;
• in an automatic terminal located in the post office to which the cargo was sent to you.

The second option was introduced back in 2021, but today such a service is not available in all post offices in Italy. To pick up a shipment at the terminal, you need to get a special barcode at the post office and enter the code on the screen that will be sent in an SMS message.

After the shipment arrives at the Italian post office, a notification is brought to the addressee. If no one has applied for a parcel within 5 days, a second notification is sent. For storage of cargo from this moment, payment may be charged.

The total period of stay of the parcel in the department is 30 days. After that, it can be sent to the sender at his expense.

This does not apply to letters and parcels: if they remain unclaimed, after 6 months they are simply destroyed.

How to track the parcel

Since the shipment will have to travel a long way and cross several countries before it gets into the hands of the recipient, it would be nice to understand at what stage it is in a given period of time. Tracking postal items is possible using special tracker sites. To find out where your cargo is located, you will need the invoice number (barcode indicated on the receipt).

You can use the following services:

• 1track.ru - here you can track any cargo that was sent by post to Italy, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, China, Hong Kong and Belarus. The portal also provides an opportunity to find out where the order is from online stores: Taobao, Aliexpress, Ebay and some others.
• track24.ru - reports the status of parcels sent only by “Italian Post”. If the cargo is not found by the track code, you can register on the website, and the system itself will start tracking the shipment as soon as information about it appears.
• postal.ninja - also allows you to track only those parcels that were sent by Poste Italiane.

If you need to send a letter to Italy, you can follow it on the Russian Post website.

Track numbers used by Italian Post

Each parcel or courier delivery is assigned a unique number by which you can find out where the shipment is. Letters usually do not receive such a code, and therefore any cargo can be tracked, starting with a small package.

The international identifier used by the postal service is composed of letters and numbers:

• RT43658493IT - small package sent from Italy;
• CA56743567IT - package;
• ЕЕ87656555IT - a shipment sent by express mail.

The letters R and C indicate that the shipment has been registered. Everything that is sent by EMS has the letter E at the beginning of the code. The numbers in each case make up a unique code. The letters IT are the country of departure.

Shipment statuses

Depending on the stage at which the parcel is located, a certain status is assigned to it, which will inform about its movement:

Contact details

All information that is required to send the goods contains the official website of the "Italian Post". The following functions are available on it:

• payment of receipts;
• tracking shipments;
• online registration of letters, parcels and parcels;
• money transfer.

Here you can also find out where to find the nearest branch and parcel machine.

Working hours of post offices:

• Monday – Friday from 8.30 to 19.00;
• Saturday until 12.00;
• Sunday is a day off.

The central office in the city can work on Saturday and afternoon. The little ones close at noon.

As you drop the letter into the mailbox, pay attention to the inscription on it:

• per la citta - shipping only within the city;
• per tutte le latre destinazioni - sending in all directions.

The inscription levata: ore ... denotes the time at which the seizure of correspondence takes place.

Outcomes

The Italian postal service dates back to ancient times. Today it is represented by a well-developed network of branches, services, and various types of delivery. You can send a parcel from Italy at the post office, having previously registered it on the Internet. With the help of a special service, you can track her movement.

The arrival time of the shipment can vary from a week to three weeks, depending on the type of delivery (urgent or regular).