É«»¨ÌÃ

What would the container cost, and is it a wise idea?
Are your electronics 110v only - if so, they won't work in Europe without adaptors.
How does buying new furniture compare with shipping costs (and shipping hassle)?

What are you planning to pack? if it is just furniture and electrical items I would say buy them in Itay, there are on line places to buy new, pre-owned and antiques,  also there are properties sold furnished or semi-furnished.
If you want to bring antiques you may have to pay import duty, so get advice probably from an agent in the USA as they are used to the import/export tarrifs and taxes that will apply.
Hope this is of use
Good Luck
Marguerite

Yep.  I did it exactly that.
My charming wife, the ever-lovely Ora and I moved from north Denver to southern Italy a few years ago. With no intent to rain on your particular parade, what on earth do you need to move that requires a 40-foot container? We sold most of our possessions in Colorado, (and we had a lot of stuff to get rid of) including a lifetime's collection of power tools, sports equipment, a catering company, a library's worth of books, several automobiles and my Harley. Davidson.
If you would like to think about that and send a message, feel free. 
For further conversation, I'm Frank Macri on Facebook.
FJM

A friend of mine did more or less both ways when she was sent on a year's mission by a major pharma company. She and the colleagues were allotted a half container each. I understand that the company does it on a rather regular basis and probably gets a discount but, if I remember correctly, the cost was huge even though the container took months to arrive. Would tend to agree with those who posted previous comments. I looked up these services, which btw exist and are easy enough to find, when my wife moved here. That was a few years ago. The quotes were hair raising and not in a good way.