Hope

Iam going to Milan, Florence, Venice and Rome next month. DO you have any suggestions on what to buy ohter than souvenirs. I know Milan is the place for clothes but could I get any bargains?

Please give suggestions

Thanks

Marilyn Ham

In Florence you will probably want to visit the leather market and buy a belt, gloves, or a leather coat. The Ponte Vecchio bridge has a number of jewelry stores. In Venice there is the glass, and a number of stores sell lovely glass jewelry, glasses, and vases, etc. Rome seems to have everything from all over Italy. Marilyn

toby

I have not been to Milan or Florance, but Venice was a shopper's paradise!! It was as if every shop owner had to be an artist! I loved everything esp writting stuff-paper, pens, books,it was exceptional quality.Lots of leather bound too. Also jewlery and little stick pins with Murano glass tops--they are like $12 and I brought back a half dozen for my girfriends...they loved them and these lovely stick pins look great on suits, and blazers and coats. The one I have is glass with spun gold throughout.I saved money for Rome and was sorry I did not spend it all in Venice!!

Judith

I have to agree with Marilyn. Florence was great for shopping. There is a neat Murano glass store in the Piazza next to the Dumo where you can get little murano purfume bottles w/cool tops to the bottle. About $4.00 ea. We had great luck with the leather street venders and little flea markets. We bought a mans leather tote and wished we bought a ton more for gifts. Great looking purses, all prices and styles. I saw some contemporary clothing stores with good prices too.

Good buys on oil, aged balsmic viniger, spices and grappa liquor in hand blown glass bottles in Siena. Should be able to find these good buys in other places too.

We didn't find as many bargins in Rome. Maybe too busy in muesems and sites where the items are more for tourist. The spanish steps is a great place to shop but not for bargins. You will see jewlry, shoes, leather, clothes, etc.

In Rome we bought nice art books that you can set out (ones of places we visited...Vatican and Michalangelo. We bought roseries at the Vatican and had them blessed at St. Peters for family. Very inexpensive to do and exciting for my family.

Another inexpensive item is old books. I have a friend that loves old books so I bring her an old poetry book from every place I visit and she loves it. (even if it is in the native language)

Sherry

One of the things I loved in Florence was some of the beautiful boxes covered in hand designed paper. Also, I bought some of the most beautiful wrapping paper. The boxes come in all sizes, even tiny, teeny ones. And all shapes. Lovely!

marianne

pens and writing paper in florence(at the flea markets--it's called marbelized writing paper), scarves all over, handbags in florence (at Umberto), in venice at vogini--it's all nice

howard

With the adjacent Lake Como area the second-largest silk producer in the world (after China), Milan is good place pick up silk scarves and ties at very good prices.