2 way radios

US models aren't allowed in Europe. European units use a different set of frequencies, US radios will interfere with emergency services.

Cliff, Bringing two-way Radios from the U.S. is NOT a real good idea, as the frequency bands are different than those of similar European products. In some cases, U.S. radios operate on the same bands as emergency services in Europe. If you're caught interfering with their communications, you could face severe penalties. That WON'T be a "pleasant holiday memory". Cheers!

Thanks for the info. Anybody have info on using amateur radios, 2 meter or 440?
Several in our group are licensed HAM operators and wondering if anybody has done this? I see online there is an agreement in place, but if confusion is caused at customs or it is more hassle than it is worth, we will go without.

Buy them there if you need to. They may useful to avoid massive cell phone charges. However you need to buy the most powerful ones with longer range, which cost quite a bit, otherwise they are useless. My opinion however, is that if you don't plan to go to Europe very often, you shouldn't bother to make that investment.
RAther, get your phones unblocked and when you get there install European SIM cards in Italy (or buy cheap phones there). You can communicate among yourselves using the European based phones and the cost will be much less than 2way radios. I don't think it's possible to do so with Smart phones, but if you have some old phones, have those unblocked.

To buy a SIM card in Italy you need a CODICE FISCALE. it's a sort of Tax ID that is derived from your name, sex and date of birth. You can calculate your CODICE FISCALE using several websites, such as the following: http://www.nomix.it/calcola-codice-fiscale.php Just fill the fields: COGNOME=last name NOME=first name SESSO=sex (Maschio=Male, Femmina=Female) NATO= born (enter date)
COMUNE (O STATO ESTERO)=City or Foreign country (enter STATI UNITI D'AMERICA) Then click on CALCOLA button. Give the codice to the phone shop in Italy (or sometimes they might calculate it for you). You need your passport also when you purchase the SIM.

Cliff, Packing along 2-Meter / 70 cm Amateur Radios is certainly one option, but that also comes with a few "issues". I'm also a duly licensed Advanced Amateur Radio Operator, but it's been a while since I looked at the regulations on that sort of thing. There are reciprocal operating agreements which cover licensed operators from North America operating in Europe. As I recall...... > Each operator needs to obtain a CEPT (European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations) permit, and if requested they must present that along with their Passport and home Amateur Radio license. > Each operator must append their local US/Canadian Zone(Region) to the END of their call sign when identifying their station. > Each operator must adhere to the operating powers, frequency band allocations, and laws pertaining to the country they are currently operating in. The suggestion that Roberto mentioned is probably the easiest and simplest solution. Either buy a couple of cheap, basic unlocked quad band GSM phones off E-Bay OR when you arrive in Europe. Using text messages rather than voice calls is about the cheapest method of keeping in touch. Are you only gong to be travelling in Italy? You could also buy the phones off E-Bay and use them with a SIM card from one of the travel phone firms such as Roam Simple, Cellular Abroad, Call In Europe, Telestial or others. Those will provide consistent rates in several countries. Cheers!