Having someone pre-purchase a sim in Italy

[jpezz]

I'll be going to Italy October first. I don't see addressed the purchase of a card by someone over there who could buy, activate and send me a card already activated with an Italian number. Given that one of my cousins there could do that (or that someone from this forum who lives there would) if I sent them 10€ for the card plus money for postage, is this reasonable? Could I not then just pop the card in my phone on arrival and instantly use it?

I have 2 unlocked quad phones and one of my brothers one. So we will be going over there and will need 3 or 4 cards (if I can find fourth phone cheap for my wife). Wife and I will be going for 3 weeks, one brother for 2 and one for 8 days. We will need to communicate.

The use would be primarily (1) communicating with with each other, (2) calling hotels ahead to make reservations, calling relatives and (4) receiving an emergency call from home. To call back home, we would find cheapest way but I would not consider that in our planned use.

John