9529 What bedding??

Try to get the duvets that you can split apart - one is heavier (usually 10+ tog) for spring/autumn and the other is much lighter (4 - 6 tog) for summer. You can clip the two together for winter. High summer you will only need a top sheet though. Check sizes carefully - Italian beds and bedding are often sized differently from UK sizes.

According to some of the Italian brochures I have these are standard sizes there

Materasso singolo 80 x 190
Materasso 1 e 1/2 120 x 190
Matrimoniale 160 x 190

IKEA has different sizes

Singolo 90 x 200 and 80 x 200
Matrimoniale 160 x 200

So IKEA beds are slightly longer

I agree with Juliancoll's advice regarding duvets which you can split apart. Very handy. Nights can be pretty cold in Lucca.

As for ginding good bedding in Lucca, I am not quite sure, but I could advise you to have a look at the Centro Commerciale I Gigli at Campi Bisenzio, Florence (near Prato) as they have a couple of places with nice things, including Zara Home.

Unless you are prepared to pay way over the top for good quality Italian bed linen, I would strongly recommend that you buy in UK. Generally the quality v price means that you can do better at John Lewis or TK MAXX. (John Lewis sell the pop together washable duvets previously mentioned and you'll need them). Duvet covers in Umbria/Tuscany are rare and both quality and design not what I would choose. I like cotton and plain bedding for preferance. The problem is, if you are buying an Italian double bed it will be bigger than an English 5 ft bed. See Gala's comments. So bear this in mind when buying bed linen/duvets in England. We had simple 5ft beds and mattresses made, as I had so many fitted sheets to use up. Single beds much the same as UK. Note. People often put 2 single beds together for guest use.
Washable pillows are a good idea due to the heat in Summer, sweaty smelling pillows are not.

Italians generally don't use duvets they use Trapunta in winter and trapuntina in summer the latter is a quilted bedspread which they use with a sheet. The trapunta is a filled quilted bedspread. We found a very reasonable place to buy bedding is Paris in Torre del lago "Paris is the owners surname" they have lots of choice and it is very well priced. It is a large store that sells bedding and all household textiles such as curtains and poles, tea towels, everything. We bought all our bedding there.
Susi

If you're doing quick trips from the UK you can use up you baggage allowance by buying Bedlinen and Towels from Primarks. Don't be put off by the name, 100% cotton, with better quality than the banded but at half the price.

Thanks for all your help everyone! This has given me so much more to think about now!! :-)

Is a Matrimoniale about the the same size as a UK king?

[quote=Gala Placidia;89299]
IKEA has different sizes

Singolo 90 x 200 and 80 x 200
Matrimoniale 160 x 200

So IKEA beds are slightly longer
[/quote]

Ikea's continental beds are based on that for a double bed, you put two singles together. Then you can vary the with from 80x2 up to to 140x2.
The length suits me fine, I am 186 cm tall and find a bed that is only 190 rather short. My Hästens bed at home is 210 and I would like to find beds that long in Italy to. But I guess I'm hoping too much.

I think you could find what you are looking for from Flou.
[url=http://www.flou.it]flou.it[/url]

Have just had a look at the site and see they have a metal bed with netting called the Crimea, wonder who dreamt that one up!
A