I had seven months to prepare for the trip, so I had a lot of time to get everything right. I made a list; passport, shots, prescriptions, credit cards, cash, etc. My passport was current, and shots and prescriptions were taken care of.
I needed new, chipped, credit cards, since un-chipped cards do not work in Europe. I also wanted to get cards with no foreign transaction fees, and minimal conversion charges for cash withdrawals. I settled on Venture One from Capital One, and one from the Pentagon Federal Credit Union. I had my Wells Fargo debit card converted to a chipped card as well. I called all of the card companies and left my travel dates and locations with them so they wouldn't deny my cards when I was in Italy. I should have left some leeway, since my departure was delayed a day, and Pentagon Federal denied one of my charges. Before leaving, I stripped my wallet of all of the credit cards and other things that I wouldn't use in Europe.
I bought 300 Euros at Wells Fargo at a 4.5% conversion rate, and decided I would get more in Europe, but then decided that the rate here wasn't too bad. The best rates I could find were in Europe and the rate was around 2.5%. Not worth the hassle, so I bought another 600 Euros before leaving.
I was worried about thieves and pickpockets, since Italy, especially Naples is infamous for them. I decided to wear a photographers vest with zipped interior pockets to carry my valuables. My watch has a buckled strap, so I decided it would be okay.
I bought plug adapters for my electronic devices, one straight, and one with two USB outlets as a backup. All of my chargers devices, except for my toothbrush, were 90-240 VAC compatible.
I didn't want to lug around an SLR, so I left mine at home, and bought a miniature camera that attaches to an iPhone, a DXO One. The camera has a fixed focal length, moderate wide-angle f/1.8 lens, a one-inch, 20.5 MP photo-sensor, and will shoot 364 photos on one 64 GB card in RAW format.
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