Has anyone ever been to an outlet mall in Italy? Are they good? Are they similar to the US outlet malls--not really much cheaper??

If so, which one(s) would you recommend? I would love to find a discounted designer bag (prada, fendi, etc)!!

Omg, I went wild at the Prada and Gucci Outlet stores and they are well worth the trip however you have to have a car and a good map becuase they are in the middle of no where and there are not any signs. All of the top Italian designers have Outlet stores about an hour south east of Florence in Tuscany. Its going to be hit and miss but I got $300 shoes for 30 Euros and one pair was 100 Euros and $600-$800 handbags for 180 Euros. The best part is that if your from the US then you get the VAT back so its even cheaper.

One other thing at the Gucci Store its in a mall complex and has Armani and a handful of others. Fendi is a few miles down the street from there and I couldn't find the D&G one but its suppose to be pretty close as well. Make sure you have directions before you try to find these places. I can't stress the lack of signs or the bad signs enough.

It is really hard to find the outlet entrance except Celine and Fendi which they have road sign all the way. My husband and I were wasted over 3 hours to locate the Gucci and Prada Outlet. They have no road sign and its location are hide away from the main road. If you have three or more people to go, I suggest you hire a driver to take you visit all of them in one/half day. Actually, if the driver know how to go, it takes only half day to visit all the outlets, they are close to each other. You can find those service in www.firenze-outlet.com Time is very important while you're travelling aboard.

Okie,
Go to: http://www.intuscany.net/guides/shopping_spacci.htm
It has the info you're looking for.
Good luck.

We spent 2 hours at those designer malls south of Florence last week and I must admit that I just do not get it. I thought they were a joke. Sorry, I just do not get it.

I spent 4 hours at just the Prada outlet in early Oct., 2003. I definitely thought it was worth it. The outlet is a great place to stock up on Prada staples (suits, cosmetics, accessories...). When I went, the store had a large selection of handbags: many black nylon ones, many beautiful classic leather bags, and a few chic evening clutches. If you are looking for their trendiest last-season bag, then your choices will be limited. They had a few of the colorful ostrich and patent crocodile bags that were in Vogue a few months ago. However, the prices are still somewhat expensive -- you're not likely to find a lavender ostrich clutch for 25 Euros, although I suppose it's possible. I overheard an American girl with 4 inch tall acrylic hooker shoes and a too short skirt bemoan that "Things ain't that cheap here." Most of the items I purchased were about 50-70% off what I would expect to pay retail.

Also, the Prada outlet also carries Miu Miu and Jill Sander, which is discounted more than the Prada items.

I have been at THE MALL outlet centre and It's fantastic for the brands it has. The Mall is an outlet centre situated at thirty-minute drive from Florence and hosts Agnona, Bottega Veneta, Emanuel Ungaro, Ermenegildo Zegna,Armani, Gucci, Hogan, La perla, Loro Piana, Ferragamo, Sergio Rossi, Tod's, Valentino and Yves Saint Laurent outlet shops. The opening hours are: 10-19 non-stop monday-saturday and 15-19 on sunday.
I booked a shuttle bus service a day before my arrival at the information desk of the outlet(Tel +39 055 8657 775, Fax +39 055 8657 801
e-mail [email protected] ) and it has picked me up in fron of my hotel in Florence. There is also the public transport made by SITA company and the bus stop is near the Central Train Station in Florence.
Bye Bye!!!!