italythistime

i will be visiting Milan, Cinque Terre, Florence, Tuscany and Rome in september. Where is the best place to shop? Looking for leather and pottery. Some clothes shoppping too. any suggestions?

sandi_travelnut

Tuscany is too broad..any city in particular? In Florence there is a huge outdoor leather market with great bags, coats, gloves etc. You should not hesitate to try to strike a deal because the price tag is far more than they're willing to take. The market is between the train station and the Duomo.

swalter518

Where in Tuscany will you be?

g33kgrl

Yep, definitely Florence for the leather. Milan (the fashion capital) for high-end clothes, Rome for more moderate stuff. Florence had quite a bit of pottery/ceramic shops as well, and if this sort of thing interests you, gorgeous handmand paper.

g33kgrl

Oops--handmade, of course.

crefloors

There was a thread on this last month and the poster came back to the board with a list of all kinds of shopping places. I don't know if you can pull that thread up on the search engine or not....people mention having problems with it sometimes. Anyway, you might give it a try.

hunnym

I know others may have had success shopping for leather goods in Florence, but I would never do it again.

On a trip in 2000, we bought 2 leather and 2 suede jackets between us in Florence, in different stores. While we were enamored with the clothes while there, and inspected the items, etc. they did not hold up well at all versus other leatherware we have. The leather jacket I got was really cool - but it never really broke in. Another jacket's seams split for no reason. We also didn't find the value of the leather to be that great versus what you can get in the US (if that's where you are).

My opinion isn't to stop you - it's just to give you a "heads up" that if you think something isn't that great of a value, it probably isn't.

While there is certainly high-end clothing in Milan, there are also more affordable stores that have great clothes in stock. I remember thinking a few months ago when we were there that of all the places in the world to consider for a clothes shopping trip, Milan would definitely be at the top of the list.

swalter518

My husband bought a briefcase bag in Siena at a store just off the Campo and has been using it for two years now and it still is in good condition. There are ceramic shops all over Siena that ship back to the US. There is also a great ceramic shop in Cortona-different, more muted tons than that in Siena. If you are going to Cortona, I can look up the info. (They used this pottery in the movie, Under the Tuscan Sun.)

swalter518

Here's the link to the Cortona shop...
http://www.toscumbria.com/cocciaio/default_uk.htm

BobNCheryl

This is a great thread. As we will be in Milan, Florence and Rome in April your posts will be in our "Honeymoon File." Thanks.

hunnym

Forgot to mention earlier that I had a lot of success in Florence clothes shopping at a larger department store (forget its name). (I think it was near the Uffizi.) I also have a pair of pants I bought at Stefanel in Florence that I have been wearing since my grad school years.

Another nod for pottery from Siena. However, my in-laws bought a couple of large pieces of pottery there that they were told were rare and unique, and then spotted the same stuff (or at least a decent fake) in the US for much cheaper (sorry to be the voice of doom again!).

swalter518

The pottery we purchased in Siena was at a store right behind the cathedral. I have seen similar items here but all were much more expensive. I would just make sure that whatever you're purchasing is locally made.

Jean

I think the "larger department store near the Uffizi" is Rinascente. It's a chain with stores in most major cities in Italy (and some cities in Switzerland too, I think).

johns

About 15 years ago my wife purchased four jackets from a leather store in Florence. She wears them often and today they still look great.
Our experience buying leather in Florence was a good one.

mcnyc

like Johns, I've been fortunate to have good experiences buying leather in Florence. However, I agree with hunnyw. If it doesn't seem like something of great value, it probably isn't. Not to say you need to spend lots - you can get great bargains there. You just have to be careful with your purchases. Have fun. I'm jealous already.

kangamom

Will you have access to a car? There is lots of fantastic outlet shopping to be had if you're into that kind of thing. Several years ago I hit the jackpot at the Prada outlet in Tuscany. I still wear many of the items that I purchased on that trip.

Pilates

If I were you, I'd avoid the open market in Florence for leather goods. They're not fine Italian leather but rather they're mostly made in Korea....hence the very low prices.

Try Firenze Leather Factory on Via Dei Cimatori, 24-26 rosso. It's near Piazza Signorina as I recall. I think they may have opened a second shop too (some street like " Via Neri" ). Mine is still going strong and is still fashionable after 8 years. My sister went later, looked them up, and bought a beautiful suede jacket. They will bargain with you on the price. Their jackets are designed and made in Italy.

johns

Just dug out my travel records and I bought the leather jackets at the same store as Pilates mentioned...Firenze Leather Factory on via Dei Cimatori.
Very fine quality leather and good designs. Bargain somewhat!

Good shopping!

ThinGorjus

If you can afford it, the best leather store in Florence is FERRAGAMO on Via Tornabuoni. If you are on a budget, head to the leather school at Santa Croce church.

alfredo069

What price range and type of stuff? You'll get more useful answers if you're more specific (can you recommend a hotel in Italy??). You should get 'Designer Bargains in Italy'. Great resource.

Al