Hello everyone! We are leaving this Friday for Italy (Rome, Venice and Florence) and need to buy a soccer jersey from an Italian team for my son (he is a huge soccer fan)as a souvenir. Where in Italy should I buy them? Any specific stores to avoid spending a fortune?

Thanks,

Clau

There are sports clothing stores that you can buy them from.

Also check the tourist markets.

The outdoor markets are good for a bargain shirt. We picked up a nice Italia world cup shirt, with Gattuso on it (son-in-laws name) for about 15 euro in Florence.

For authentic wear, each team usually has their own shop.
For example, in Rome, ASRoma has a shop on the Piazza Colonna.

We've bought several soccer (calcio in italian) shirts for our son. The cheapest, though still not that cheap, we bought in Venice from a tourist cart. It started falling apart after the first time he wore it - I had to resew all of the seams.

In May, I bought him an "official" shirt (it's says it's a licensed shirt) from a tourist shop in Barcelona for not much more than the Venice shirt. It's amazing how obvious it is that it's much better quality than the other shirt (whether or not it's really official).

There are official stores all over, with licensed apparel. They are much more expensive, but maybe the difference in quality is worth it.

Ask your son which team's shirt he wants, and if there's a specific team member's name he wants - if he's a big fan, he probably has a preference. Also, generally speaking, the prices will probably be better in Florence and Rome.

You can buy them everywhere but if you want the official soccer jersey you must buy them in a shop.
If you are in Rome you can buy the shirt in Via Del Corso..Coming from Piazza Venezia is on the left side before you reach Piazza Colonna.

Another vote to buy an official shirt. Unless your son is quite young and will grow out of the shirt quickly go with the quality shirt.

Some are identical, others aren't. google it. Most current player's jerseys are identical. I've bought a Messi Jersey,Brasil Jersey. All excellent quality.

And be careful what you buy. Italian calcio teams have historic and political affiliations: Juventus is historically a feeder for the Italian national team and the closest Italian equivalent of the Yankees or Man U or Real Madrid or the Yomiuri Giants as the local team that transcends the sport nationally.

AC Milan has been tied to left-wing politics and draws many supporters from the working class and trade unions (yes, despite Berlusconi's ownership), Internazionale historically has been supported by the elite of Northern Italy.

Lazio was Mussolini's team. Roma was not.

In other words, don't buy Lazio gear.