How much does it cost to send a letter in Italy?

The B stamp is worth EUR 1.30 and corresponds to the first weight bracket of Posta Ordinaria in the small format, that is, up to twenty grams. It carries no printed amount precisely because its value follows the tariff in force: it is designed not to lose validity when the price list changes. The B_50 g stamp is worth EUR 2.90 and covers the second bracket, from twenty to fifty grams. Older stamps with a printed amount can still be used, but they have to be topped up to reach the current tariff.

Because the postal tariff is not proportional to weight but divided into brackets, and each bracket has a single price. The small format has only two brackets: up to twenty grams costs EUR 1.30, from twenty to fifty grams costs EUR 2.90. There is nothing in between. The jump is therefore structural rather than a price rise: one extra gram changes band, and the next band costs more than double. That is why weighing the sealed envelope before stamping it is the most profitable tip in this guide.

The standard declared by Poste Italiane for Posta Ordinaria is delivery by the fifth working day after posting, with a target of meeting that in 90 per cent of cases, and by the sixth working day in 98 per cent of cases. Saturdays and public holidays do not count. If the letter is sent online, meaning Poste also handles printing and enveloping, two working days are added. These are service commitments declared by the operator, not an independent measurement of actual delivery times.

It depends on the weight and on the envelope format. In the medium format, which is an unfolded A4 envelope, the scale starts at EUR 2.90 up to fifty grams, moves to EUR 2.95 up to a hundred grams, rises to EUR 4.25 up to two hundred and fifty grams, and continues to EUR 7.05 in the one-to-two-kilo band. The extra format, for larger items, has its own scale running from EUR 3.25 to EUR 7.60. A bound contract almost always lands in the two-hundred-and-fifty-gram band.

No, and this is the most important difference from registered post. Ordinary mail has no tracking number, no proof of delivery and no proof of posting: if the letter never arrives, no document exists to show it was ever sent. For an informal message that is no problem. For a contract cancellation, a formal notice, or anything where the date matters, ordinary mail is the wrong choice, and saving a few euros can cost far more if the matter is ever disputed.

It is worth it when you do not have the document on paper, or when you would rather not leave the house: Poste prints, envelopes and sends on your behalf. The postage price still follows the same weight-and-format tariff, but you should allow for a declared two extra working days for printing and enveloping. On a single letter the gain is mostly in your own time; on repeated or bulk mailings it becomes organisational too, because it removes both buying stamps and the trip to the postbox.