With the dollar not as good as it was a few years ago, how is the shopping? We will be going back in October. The hotels are much more expensive than they were. Will the shopping be good? We will be going to Rome, Positano, Ravello and some of the surrounding countryside. What is still a good value?

Thanks

Diane

When we went last year, we found that various items previously priced at say, 1,000 lire were now priced at 1 Euro, which is a significant increase. I think it is much more expensive, and now that the dollar is weaker than it was then, I realized it is getting rather expensive to visit our favorite destination. The Italian Tourism Board has noted that tourism numbers are down significantly this year. Perhpas it was the US action in Iraq, but I was tempted to write them that the tourist related costs seemed to have increased significantly, which was a factor for us. That being said, I did return to my favorite copper shop in Montepulciano, and purchased/shipped a large pot for making pasta fagioli - it was still cheaper than buying a similar one from Sur la Table. It was also more fun as the proprietor and his wife brought out some very nice liquor for us to sip as they did the paperwork. If you have ideas of what you want, check around for pricing before you leave.

Do I dare reply to this? I found everything extremely expensive. After we got back and received our credit statement, it was even more expensive. A pair of pants for my daughter turned out to be $70 (and she is only 14). An average meal for the 4 of us came out to be about $130. Shoes ran on the average of 150 euros up to 750 euros. Leather jackets ran about 500 euros on up. Purses ran about 60 euros on up. If you go to the fleamarket on the streets in Florence, you will find some things cheaper, but then you have to worry if they are real. Now, let me remind you, this is just MY experience.

We brought back some glass and ceramic pieces that would easily be 2-3 times the price in the States.

Also food prices in the smmall towns seemed cheap. Two cappuccinos and 2 pastries were about 3.50 Euros.

Gelato in Italy is priceless

I think it depends on what you are looking to buy. When i was there in May I didn't think the shoe prices were anything to get excited about; I've always thought food in Europe is expensive and I still do but that's all part of going to Europe and Italy.
In terms of the quality of the goods offered for sale..well certainly the usual high quality depending on the sale venue..the street markets can be a little dicey but that's true everywhere...things are going to cost even more with the weaker dollar..but it's always fun to look! Hope you enjoy your trip (try not to buy anything that says "assembled in Maylasia" or "Made in China"..you can get that stuff here!

In 2001 when the lire was still in use we got leather jackets at a store in Rome called Gazelle. It worked out to around $250 ea. Yes, I believe the prices are higher now with the euro.

Just back a few weeks ago and with the devalued dollar, we found prices in Italy to be very expensive. except for food which we always felt we spent less than for a comparable meal in the states. My advice, if you are interested in something in particular, price it in U.S. first. That way you know if it is good value.

Donnabee - Don't be paranoid. No one expects your reply to be villified and attacked, as was your report.

teach905 -- Italy is expensive, as is much of Europe, without regard to the exchange rate. Fortunately many restaurants are affordable, except at the beach in Positano. Try Donna Rosa, la Tagliata and il Ritrovo in Positano. Have a great time, the weather should be great.

Digressing a bit from shopping question, but related: Villa Rosa, charming little hotel in Positano, was a bit less than $90 when we stayed there in '01, and I see that it is now ~140 euro. Quite a jump.

Indeed , 140 EUR at today rate are the equivalent of 159.60 USD !

LeCanard, yes, I was a bit incredulous when I saw someone quote the price here the first time, then saw it again. A wonderful little budget hotel has become not-quite-so-budget, if at all!

yes and no...

we went in june/july this year, and found that july (january as well) is when the stores have sales, or "promotzione". just go into a store and ask if they have sales.

this year, even with the collapse of the dollar, shopping was cheaper than ever because of the sales - Armani sportjacket for 110e, Armani sunglasses for 45e, Prada shoes for 81e. And that's not including the tax rebate.

Even with the weak dollar, virtually all european made clothing will be cheaper in europe than the US.

Coachboy

By the way I have seen an adv about an apartment to rent in a seaside resort along the calabrian coastin the south of Italy. It was 400€ a week in June and 800€ in August.
Budget off season.

I think it depends on what you want to buy. Clothes in traditional shops and stores can be unbelievably expensive, but at the Mercato Nuevo in Florence I got a beautiful leather bag for 26 Euros and a great leather belt for ten--a fraction of what I'd pay in the states. We also got a very pretty Venetian glass picture frame in Venice for about 14 Euros--not a great bargain but a very fair price for something you can't get anywhere else.

Cheap items--pizza margherita, spaghetti al pomodoro, souvenir T-shirts, postcards--are truly cheap. (You can buy 20 postcards outside the Colosseum for 1 Euro, and we saw pizza margherita in Rome for 3.50.)

Don't go planning to buy something specific. Instead, keep your eyes open and if you see something that seems special and a reasonably good value, go ahead and buy it.

I've been to Rome, Positano and Ravello this past May, and here's my examples of a "good value":

1. Gelato anywhere...the best deal in town. You can't get more bang (exquisite flavors) for the €! Pizza too. I thought Cumpa Cosima in Ravello was a good value.
2. Ceramics, albeit expensive, are still much cheaper there than here in the US. The best values are away from the touristic centers of Positano and Ravello. There was a large Ceramiche d'Arte store along the Amalfi Coast road just outside Praiano that seemed to offer better deals. The shipping costs may take a huge bite out of the savings though, so be prepared to lug them around.
3. Food items that keep well like dried porcini mushrooms are definitely cheaper there. Forgot what it costs there, but I've seen them sold at my local Ralphs/Kroger for $40 per lb. Same goes for vintage wines and premium extra-virgin olive oils.
4. As for clothing, I'm still saving up for dem sharp Brioni suits, but it was hard to compare prices since I didn't see the same items here as I did there. As for handbags, my wife still torments me at every visit to the shopping malls here because I talked her out of buying that darn Prada purse on Capri for €400+ which see saw at Neiman Marcus for $750. Now I definitely have to take her to the Prada outlet near Florence next year or I won't be alive to share my thoughts on Fodor's...which may be a blessing for some of you.

Wow. Kind of surprised by some of the posts. We were there in December and January. And were there with the Lira before that. Stayed in the same place in Rome and the same price. Going back in January, same hotel quoted price which is less than last year.

We bought leather coats and purses in Florence for what would be half the price in the U.S.

Maybe I don't know where to eat, but we have found food to be much less expensive in Italy than the U.S. If you eat dinner outside on the Piazza Navonna, you will PAY...more than a nice trattoria. And one night we did dine at Alfredos (expensive but very very nice).

We did NOT shop on the via Condotti.

I just didn't see prices being out of line and I wondered when going to Italy last year after switching from the Lira to Euro if that would happen.

Maybe we all have a different definition of what is expensive, and maybe it also differs from where we live, but I found Italy to be very reasonable. Yes, there were some very expensive shops, but then again, so does San Francisco, Beverly Hills and I'm sure many other areas in different cities in the USA. But there were also a lot of shops that I thought were more than reasonable, there was nothing that I saw that I really wanted that the prices kept me from buying. Even drinks, some people traveling with me commented that beers were expensive. They got a beer for 7 Euros, though, I won't say that is cheap, when I go to a basketball game to watch the great Sacramento Kings (sorry, couldn't help a moment of Sports pride & loyalty), the concession stand sells beer for anywhere from $5 to $8 American dollars.

Like I said, I guess it's all in what you're used to and where you shop. Also, if you expect that stores will be given things away, you will be let down.