Italian bed linens
 

I'd love to buy some beautiful bed linens in Italy in October. Love Frette and Pratesi, but don't want to pay Madison Avenue prices. I'll be in Rome, Siena, San Gingimano and Volterra. Any suggestions on where to buy well-priced high-quality linens?

You will find that the prices in Italy for Frette are cheaper than in the US due to the strenth of the dollar. I bet that they are 1/2 the price of the states.

Youll also find beautiful linens without the NAME , if you're into NAMES do for the frette,it is cheaper , but I found beautiful hand embroidered linens in Venice and Florence with names I didn't recognize but were even better quality. I adore the Italian towels, made of thin waffle weaved or huck fabric , guests say they could not believe how absorbent they were and they dry quickly and they are large enough to wrap around you and I LOVE THEM!

Thanks for the responses (I originated this question). I have a follow-up: Does anyone know anything about sizes of bed linens? In other words, does the term "queen size" exist in Italy, and is it comparable to here, or do I need to bring measurements?

Also would like to know about bed sizes. I have a queen size and a double bed..

Measure your current sheets and bring those measurements with you -- in cms. <BR> <BR>In my experience, European beds are different sizes, so whatever terms are used to package sheets -- twin, double, etc. -- won't necessarily correspond to American beds (i.e. fitted sheets won't fit). <BR> <BR>You may need to buy two flat sheets to make a set, and as I said, you'll have an easier time if you convert the measurements into metric equivalents.

And an aside about those waffle-weave towels: I liked the ones used at a villa we rented so much, I asked the owner of the house where I could find some to bring home. He looked a little sheepish and said that most people he knew disliked those towels intensely, but that they are cheap and practical and useful for "institutions: you know, hospitals, prisons, and so forth." I didn't buy them on that trip at the shop he sent me to in Siena, but found some last fall at Peter Jones for a very reasonable price....

Claudia, Thanks for the info on the towels, mine are just about worn out and we won't be in Italy this year, but will be in London. I was planning on going to Peter Jones to pick up some "drop stops" for wine bottles and now can addd towels to my list!

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This thread is right up my alley. I can't tell you how many hours I spent in the Frette store while in Venice last year!!! <BR> <BR> <BR>Definitely measure your bed. The problem I had was that there doesn't seem to be "queen size" linens. Also, I don't think the sales woman at Frette really understood what a queen size bed was. They kept trying to sell me sheets that I KNOW were for a king size bed! The Frette store in Venice did not have fitted sheets to my knowledge. If I had bought them I would have had to buy two flat sheets. I didn't end up buying them there. <BR> <BR>If you're going to be in Sorrento, I can give you the name of a store that will hand make you bed linens and tableclothes AND they will ship them home for you!! I did this while visiting Sorrento last fall and I'm delighted!! The quality is top notch and I've never seen any linen like it in the USA! <BR> <BR>Hmm.... I'm going to be on the Italian Riviera for three nights this fall, I wonder if there's a Frette there? Can't have too many linens! :) <BR> <BR>RMC

Thanks, RMC. I will check out the Frette store in Rome,and have duly measured everything - mattress, sheets, comforter on my queen size bed and converted to cm. I am looking for bargains, although Frette in Rome might be. I'm not going to Sorrento, but will be in Tuscany, specifically Volterra, San Gimingnano and Siena. Do you know of any good sources near there? <BR>Thanks.

I got some Frette linen hand towels for my guest bath last year in Venice at the Frette store there. They were obscenely expensive but they were so beautiful and I loved them so much that my husband went back for them after we left the shop. They were $125 each in Venice and when I looked at the Frette store in NYC they were $ 200! Quite a difference and the Lira was stronger then so my guess is that you'll get an even better deal now. We also looked at Duvet covers and they actually make them in American sizes, like queen, so getting linens to fit your bed should not be a problem. And those towels actually launder amazingly well, they look as good as when I first bought them, no easy feat with 2 boys who frequently forget and use "the good towels".

Andi, <BR> <BR>I'm sorry I've never been to Tuscany :( so I can't help you there. <BR> <BR>One think you might try is a book called "Born to Shop Italy". I can't remember the name of the woman who writes it but they're pretty popular books and she gives lots of bargain hunting ideas. It's in the Travel section of most book stores. <BR> <BR>Best of luck! <BR> <BR>

can anyone give me specific directions and address to the Frette shop in Venice. Will be there in a few weeks and I'm definately planning on bringing some home with me. Thanks

Yes, the Frette store in Venice is wonderful and the sheets are half the price as in the US! It was right behind our hotel (San Moise'), which I believe was the same name of the street and the church near the store. They didn't have queen size fitted sheets, so I bought two flat sheets, which shrunk a bit and did not fit well on the bottom. I would recommend buying a king size flat for the bottom sheet, and making sure that it is never dried in a hot/warm dryer. They also have incredibly soft robes, which my husband picked out for his anniversary gift! Now it makes me want to go back for one for myself...

West of Florence near to Pistoia you will find the factory outlet of Pratesi. <BR> <BR>The address is Via Montalbano 41, Casalguidi (Pistoia) Tel: + 39 0573 526462