Hi,

I'd like to visit Naples, Bari and Lecce on my next trip to Italy. When it comes to clothes and books, are stores in these cities like the ones you find in Rome, Florence, Venice and Milan?

Thanks for your comments!

Anybody?

Sorry, I spent a brilliant week in Naples earlier this year & can throughly recommend it, but have no interest in shopping.

Thanks Caroline, I'm saving your answer so I can print it and read it later.

Naples does have some exclusive clothing stores. If I remember correctly, I passed a Battestoni or Brioni when I was there.

Bari, not to offend anyone, is a backwater. The people are very nice, but you will not find the exclusive shops of Milano, Firenze, or Roma.

Hi Castellanese, I have only bought clothes in Naples and found them charming and less expensive than in the other cities you listed. I am sorry I no longer have the names of the shops however.

I have not been to Lecce and I have not done any shopping in Bari so I am no help there.

I assume you will be staying at a hotel in Naples? If so I would ask the hotel desk for suggestions regarding clothes and book stores. They will no doubt be able to give you good information (that has always worked for me). Also when you walk the streets you will no doubt see shops that catch your interest. As all of the clothing stores I visited were small clothing stores I always greeted the person working there (buon giorno, buena serra) and although they did not speak English and my Italian..well it could use some improvement..they understood that I wanted to look at their merchandise. Let them hand you items rather than going through them yourself as we tend to do in the US (I am assuming you live in the US). Actually I have had a lot of fun shopping in Naples! Enjoy!

If you want to shop in Naples, and visit top of the line stores, you must go to the Piazza Di Martire. That's where you will find the high fashion places equal to those in Paris, with prices to match.

Kiton is one name that comes to mind when thinking of upscale fashion in Naples. I believe it is men only. One of my favorite shoemakers used to be based there but I do not think he is in business anymore..Mario Valentino.

I found the stores in Naples to be less expensive than Rome. There is a lot of shopping on the Via Roma/Toledo (or whatever they are calling it now. The street changes names). Not sure what you are looking for, but there are upscale stores as well as lesser priced shops. Stores generally close on Sundays and during the week for the siesta about 12-1 and reopen about 4-5 pm.

Lecce had a few shops in the historical center. I suspect in the more modern section there would be more. I did not visit many though because when we were there they were closing for the siesta. They also close from about 12-1 and reopen about 4-5 pm. Some touristy shops may stay open through the siesta. The same with in Naples. For instance on the via san Gregorio Armeno in Naples all the shops were open during the siesta because it is a major tourist area. There are lots of Christmas nativity scenes on this street if that is your thing. Some are truly amazing in their detail and size.

Naples? Yes, there are the snazzy and classy Italian clothes that you normally find in Rome.

Bari and Lecce? Not a chance. We were there last year, enjoyed the area tremendously, but did ALL our clothes shopping in Milan instead.

Well I thought it would be nice to provide at least one answer, even if it wasn't what you were looking for, since you had no answers at all at that point & I felt sorry for you. Sorry for trying to be nice.

Thanks everybody for your valuable information. I'd like to visit Puglia and Campania next year, but I'm not sure yet about where to base myself. I still have a lot of reading to do about those two regions.

Caroline, when I read your message, it didn't sound "nice" at all. I guess that's the problem with written messages: you can interpret it in a completely different way it was originally written. English isn't my mother tongue, so I think that's why I may have gotten it the wrong way. Thanks for sharing the fact that you like Naples because I know that city is an acquired taste.