smitty8,
go here...
http://www.poste.it/en/postali/parcels/ems.shtml
might be of some help?
although you have travelled with a bike before, beware of being charged extra for taking your bike with you. i have flown with British Airways before and previous to flying with them i checked about cost of transporting my bike with me on the flight as it used to be free. i called them up and was told i won't be charged a thing. i get to the airport and guess what? i had to pay an extra £80 to take my bike to australia, or it wasn't coming with me, as i was carrying excessive luggage. i wasn't happy, especially as their argument was a weight allowance issue and when i got on the plane it was only half full. as for packing the bike up, i've known people to not use any sort of case/bag at all. some just use pipe lagging on the tubing, use bubble wrap in the appropriate places and zip tie the front wheel and handlebars securely so it's a solid unit. the idea of this is that the airport staff can see what it is and supposedly treat it a little more gently...don't believe it myself personally and have always used cardboard boxes until i bought an ABS plastic bike case which offer the best protection but they also weigh a fair bit too.