If you were to have only a limited amount of time for shopping, where would you do it in these two cities? I have the information on the outlets north of Florence and will try to get there during our stay.

Shopping for women's clothing , boots, handbags, small gift items made in Italy.

Thank you.

You are aware that the currency exchange has never been worse. Perhaps you do not care what it cost.

Oh yes, Bob. I know it is bad....but I have no idea when I will get another shot at this. Perhaps by the time I get there, things will improve (she says with wholly unwarranted optimism).

I appreciated the suggestions you gave me on Malpensa. I don't know if you returned to that thread, but USAIRWAYS cancelled the flight to Milan and we are now arriving and departing from Florence. I would welcome any suggestions you have for me.

For Florence, you should research shopping for leather gloves. There are several historic glovemakers of great repute in Florence still operating small stores. Madova is many people's favorite, but there are others. Also, the Farmacia of Santa Maria Novello has many unique, non-liquid, items you can safely transport home. The store itself is an architectural wonder, but it's worth spending some time researching the offerings ahead of time, because choosing among the many soaps, cremes, etc. can be overwhelming. I suggest you not waste any time on the outdoor market in San Lorenzo, where the quality of goods and their origins is suspect.

Portofino is a tourist trap par excellence. You can find very stylish items there, and designer labels (including many non-Italian), but you will pay a fortune, and the frenzied ambience of Portofino can be quite unpleasant in tourist high season. If you are spending time on the Italian Riviera, you might consider targeting Zoagli, which makes legendary textiles, and some shops offer women's custom-made clothes:

http://www.seteriecordani.com/eng/abbigliamento.php

The town of Chiavari is altogether a more enjoyable place to shop for women's fashions than Portofino, and the Saturday morning antiques market is a riot of special finds. Also in Chiavari, Franco Casoni is a master woodworker who makes unique pasta stamps, and will do custom designs.

The close-by town of Rapallo has a long tradition of lacemaking if you are willing to pay for the handicraft. Rapallo is also filled with stores in every price range offering women's fashions, bags, shoes, etc (some made in Italy, some not).

http://www.filimeravigliosi.com/inde...g=en&id=4&ch=2

Portofino is a tiny town and, while there are a few upscale shops, it is not where I would concentrate my energies for shopping. You can do much better in Santa Margherita Ligure, on the streets near the harbor.

Have you seen this thread, about Santa MAria Novella products?

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...a-products.cfm

In addition to the outlets north of Florence, there is a large outlet (Space) near Montevarchi, selling Prada and a few other designers.

Another reason why you should plan to shop in Florence is that while you may find shops with designer brand names in smaller locations, both the variety of styles and the sizes are apt to be limited.

Notwithstanding Bob's comments, and regardless of the currency exchange of the moment, you can do well provided you are aware of the hometown price of items you want to buy. Figuring in the VAT refund (do not forget to ask for the paperwork) prices on "designer" items should be lower in Italy than in the US.

cmcfong,

I've never done any serious shopping in Italy because for me, my main souveniers are my pictures. I'm a budget traveler. Two places where I was STUNNED at the prices were Capri and Portofino.

As mentioned beofre, Portofino is tiny. Touristy shops along with designer shops, some of which we have in the US.

Thank you all so much for the responses, they are very helpful. Santa Maria Novello is definitely a priority in Florence (the almond hand cream alone would be a great incentive)!
I hope to visit Chiavari and Rapello, stepsbeyond. Thank you for mentioning them. I also appreciate the warnings about the market in San Lorenzo.
eks, we found the villa you recommended a perfect fit. Thank you so very much for the suggestion. I appreciate the link to the thread on Santa Maria Novello, I had not found that in my searches here. I am curious, I haven't seen any postings from zeppole lately, has she left the forum?
Dayle, I am hoping for some fabulous pictures as great souvenirs...but I wouldn't mind scoring a great Italian dress,too. I figure since I saved the $$$ for airfare, I should get some kind of reward.
I welcome any suggestions you have for my visit. You have been so helpful in my planning process. If you prefer to make the suggestions off the forum, my screename at yahoo will work.

stepsbeyond, those are fantastic websites. WOW.

I am drinking my prosecco and hoping for more...more...more information and recommedations. Has zeppole left the forum?

If you like marbled papers and other paper items, check out Il Papiro in Florence. If you are in Pisa you might find the prices a bit cheaper at the store there. I like their cards with monuments and postcards.
http://www.ilpapirofirenze.it/ENG/index.htm

I'm not sure what you are looking for, but this website might have something that interests you.
http://www.madeinfirenze.it/index1_e.htm

I bought a paper trash can (looks like leather - sort of embossed) years ago for my mother. I saw them last fall at one of the outdoor markets, but the quality didn't seem as good. I didn't do much shopping so I don't know if there are better ones in stores. They fold flat so aren't difficult to transport. I also bought her an umbrella with the Tuscan cypress trees.

In Florence the Pontevecchio(sp?) is the famous bridge for gold & silver, thirtysome shops in a row. I know it wasn't on your list of items, but it was on my list.

MDH said "you can't possibly make a choice in the short time we have here". I said, "want to make a bet?". I walked in a shop & told the salesgirl to show me a bunch of thin gold bracelets. I chose a beauty for about 125 euros. It has been on my wrist for 8 years. The gold is so smooth and beautiful.

Every once in a while MDH says "I know, I don't want to hear about it", as he looks at my wonderful bracelet. Sometimes you just don't care what you pay for it when it will be memorable for years to come. Pick out something you like, throw caution to the wind.

cmcfong, I would suggest you keep your eyes open for nice shops as you go to sites or restaurants.

Some years ago I found a leather goods shop on the way to Santa Maria del Carmine and everything was soft, real leather and made in Italy. I bought a black leather shoulder bag. I used this purse about 6 years as my main purse.

Our friends who live in Florence warned us that the shops on and near the Ponte Vecchio offer the worst deals in Florence on jewelry.

Thank you so much for the helpful suggestions. Keep 'em coming!

The best advice I can give you is to verse yourself on prices back home before you leave. That way you can ferret out the good deals. Gloves, for example, are a specialty of Florence but I have often found better prices on gloves at discounters in New York. Portolano, for example, has a very wide retail net here in the US.

While Ponte Vecchio is touristy, you can find fair prices here, too, if you know where to begin, price-wise. The price of gold is the same worldwide; unfortunately it is very high these days!!

At the Pitti end of the bridge, on your right-hand side as you face south, there is a shop selling leather goods--shoes (excellent renditions of the woven-leather Bottega Veneta classics), wallets, bags, etc. They do a huge volume and because they have their own factory, prices are very reasonable.

There is at least one discount clothing outlet store within the city--in the SW, as I recall; it has been mentioned on threads here but I've not seen it discussed in a few years...if I can find specifics I will post here.

For men's wear, there are a few "stock" shops in the Borgo Ognissanti area near the grand hotels--you can find some good prices here, too.

The "designer" shops often will deliver your items to your hotel as a courtesy so you do not have to walk around carrying your loot.

Zeppole may have grown tired of her nickname--perhaps she is here in another guise..

Please feel free to keep your questions coming! Regardless of the exchange rate, there are treasures out there. With the bad exchange, these are even MORE expensive back home!

Oh..one more..for small gift items, you might check out the Il Papiro shops. They are a little commercialized these days, but are still a quick source of small paper gifts..everyone seems to like the agendas and address books covered in the signature marbelized paper.

There is, or as, a great workshop selling hand-made paper itms near the central market; I bought a beautiful album as a wedding gift a few years ago....


I will top my report on Florence; maybe you will find some useful information..but keep in mind that the trip was about 4 years ago..

As soon as I topped the report, I realized that the trip that I had done lots of shopping was the one before that (no trip report, but I do have my notes here and will refer to them if you have specific questions) ...but there is some good eating information on the report..

Florence outlets.
http://www.firenzeturismo.it/images/...outletsing.pdf

I had forgotten about Il Papiro. I also bought some wonderful hand made paper gifts in that shop.