Originally Posted by
EjustE
with the amount the airlines will charge to load the bike and fly it, (plus the cost of packaging) it will not be a bargain.
The trick is to not tell them it's a bike, or you'll get charged the special fee that they charge for bikes. I knew a guy who told the airline person that his bike was a sculpture made from a bicycle frame and got around the fee that way. But I don't know what kind of deals are to be found in Italy so it could very well turn out to not be a bargain either way.