Ed Zubrow asked what to pack for Italy (musically):

>so that I won't suffer withdrawal from CD's and book ...

Not a radio!  The moment you hit Italy, there is a total dearth of
classical music, in fact you hit absolute stasis; I know no other country
where the 1950's pop song has lingered so long - it is about the only thing
you will hear!

So all recommendations to stuff a laptop with MP3 or WMA (Windows Media
Player) files are heartily supported ...

Books, on the other hand ...  you will find little Italian bookshops in
the best tradition of total chaos, with treasures hiding on dusty seldom
visited shelves; but books in Italy are priced like treasures - very
expensive.  Classic paperbacks (Manzoni, Dante, d'Annunzio etc) are cheap
- but your Italian had better be good.

CR