July 2006 Italy summer sales question
 

We are trying to plan our July, 2006 summer holiday in Italy amd I understand that there are apparently excellent summer sales in Florence, Rome and Venice.

Does anybody know where I can get information (or, better still, does anybody have information) as to when these sales occur in the various cities, are thay really that good, and whether the Florence outlet malls (Fendi, Gucci, and D&G) also have sales at this time.

As always, many thanks for any assistance.

topping

I have found the sales to be in September and in January -- not in July. The standard department stores (UPIM, COIN, STANDA) have these bi-annual sales with great prices; however, you can often stumble on a good deal in between times. I have been lucky year after year to find terrific sales in September and plan to hit up the stores again when I am there in 1.5 months.

There have been many posts on the outlet malls. I have not been to them as I have heard the deals aren't that great. I went to an outlet mall outside of Rome and the prices were not reasonable as their U.S. counterparts are.

Hi Nevertooold,

I am new in the forum. I live in Brazil but my whole family is Italian. Once or Twice a year i go to this wonderful country. I was in Rome between 8 and 12 July(2 weeks ago). There was a big sale going on. It will last until the end of the month. The prices were excellent( from 30% to 50% discount, all the stores). There was always a big line in Gucci and Prada Stores at Via Condotti. I Think the sales begin every 9th July.

Sorry if i've made any english writing mistake. My portuguese and italian are far better.

I tried in vain to get the exact dates for the start of the Janaury sales in 2006. It is my understanding that the exact date for the sales to begin is set by each municipality several months in advance. It is, therefore, too early to determine when they will begin next year. I do believe that the sales begin sometime in July (and again in January,) as the previous poster, GPetro, noted. If you are a shopper, they are well worth planning your visit around....all the luxury stores, as well as the others, offer huge discounts in clothing, shoes, handbags, etc. I got as much as half-70% off in Bottega Veneta, Max Mara, etc.

thank you all for your information - and to you Gpetro, your english is most understandable - now, does anybody know if the Florence mall (Fendi, Gucci etc.) is also subject to the sales, over and above their regular reduced prices, or should we forego the 45 minute train ride to and from Florence because the regular store sales are probably comparable at this time of year?

Once again, many thanks for your comments and advice!

If you're going to Italy and you REALLY want to shop, you need to go with Shop Around Tours. They'll get you to the outlets and other cool fashion places, but it's really for serious shoppers, NOT for someone that wants just a basic Italy tour.

A friend of mine went to Italy with them last year and loved it.

I am sure I don't agree that someone needs a tour to go shopping in any of these cities. What advantage would a tour be, except to the tour operator? I notice this in your first post here..do you run the tours?

Two years ago, we were in Florence the last few days of July/ early August, and there were plenty of sales going on! So many in fact that my daughter and I sent all our goodies home in a cheap suitcase!

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