where to shop in italy
 

i will be visiting Milan, Cinque Terre, Florence, Tuscany and Rome in september. Where is the best place to shop? Looking for leather and pottery. Some clothes shoppping too. any suggestions?

Tuscany is too broad..any city in particular? In Florence there is a huge outdoor leather market with great bags, coats, gloves etc. You should not hesitate to try to strike a deal because the price tag is far more than they're willing to take. The market is between the train station and the Duomo.

Where in Tuscany will you be?

Yep, definitely Florence for the leather. Milan (the fashion capital) for high-end clothes, Rome for more moderate stuff. Florence had quite a bit of pottery/ceramic shops as well, and if this sort of thing interests you, gorgeous handmand paper.

Oops--handmade, of course. :-)

There was a thread on this last month and the poster came back to the board with a list of all kinds of shopping places. I don't know if you can pull that thread up on the search engine or not....people mention having problems with it sometimes. Anyway, you might give it a try.

I know others may have had success shopping for leather goods in Florence, but I would never do it again.

On a trip in 2000, we bought 2 leather and 2 suede jackets between us in Florence, in different stores. While we were enamored with the clothes while there, and inspected the items, etc. they did not hold up well at all versus other leatherware we have. The leather jacket I got was really cool - but it never really broke in. Another jacket's seams split for no reason. We also didn't find the value of the leather to be that great versus what you can get in the US (if that's where you are).

My opinion isn't to stop you - it's just to give you a "heads up" that if you think something isn't that great of a value, it probably isn't.

While there is certainly high-end clothing in Milan, there are also more affordable stores that have great clothes in stock. I remember thinking a few months ago when we were there that of all the places in the world to consider for a clothes shopping trip, Milan would definitely be at the top of the list.

My husband bought a briefcase bag in Siena at a store just off the Campo and has been using it for two years now and it still is in good condition. There are ceramic shops all over Siena that ship back to the US. There is also a great ceramic shop in Cortona-different, more muted tons than that in Siena. If you are going to Cortona, I can look up the info. (They used this pottery in the movie, Under the Tuscan Sun.)

Here's the link to the Cortona shop...
http://www.toscumbria.com/cocciaio/default_uk.htm

This is a great thread. As we will be in Milan, Florence and Rome in April your posts will be in our "Honeymoon File." Thanks.

Forgot to mention earlier that I had a lot of success in Florence clothes shopping at a larger department store (forget its name). (I think it was near the Uffizi.) I also have a pair of pants I bought at Stefanel in Florence that I have been wearing since my grad school years.

Another nod for pottery from Siena. However, my in-laws bought a couple of large pieces of pottery there that they were told were rare and unique, and then spotted the same stuff (or at least a decent fake) in the US for much cheaper (sorry to be the voice of doom again!).

The pottery we purchased in Siena was at a store right behind the cathedral. I have seen similar items here but all were much more expensive. I would just make sure that whatever you're purchasing is locally made.

I think the "larger department store near the Uffizi" is Rinascente. It's a chain with stores in most major cities in Italy (and some cities in Switzerland too, I think).

About 15 years ago my wife purchased four jackets from a leather store in Florence. She wears them often and today they still look great.
Our experience buying leather in Florence was a good one.

like Johns, I've been fortunate to have good experiences buying leather in Florence. However, I agree with hunnyw. If it doesn't seem like something of great value, it probably isn't. Not to say you need to spend lots - you can get great bargains there. You just have to be careful with your purchases. Have fun. I'm jealous already.

Will you have access to a car? There is lots of fantastic outlet shopping to be had if you're into that kind of thing. Several years ago I hit the jackpot at the Prada outlet in Tuscany. I still wear many of the items that I purchased on that trip.

If I were you, I'd avoid the open market in Florence for leather goods. They're not fine Italian leather but rather they're mostly made in Korea....hence the very low prices.

Try Firenze Leather Factory on Via Dei Cimatori, 24-26 rosso. It's near Piazza Signorina as I recall. I think they may have opened a second shop too (some street like " Via Neri" ). Mine is still going strong and is still fashionable after 8 years. My sister went later, looked them up, and bought a beautiful suede jacket. They will bargain with you on the price. Their jackets are designed and made in Italy.

Just dug out my travel records and I bought the leather jackets at the same store as Pilates mentioned...Firenze Leather Factory on via Dei Cimatori.
Very fine quality leather and good designs. Bargain somewhat!

Good shopping!

If you can afford it, the best leather store in Florence is FERRAGAMO on Via Tornabuoni. If you are on a budget, head to the leather school at Santa Croce church.

What price range and type of stuff? You'll get more useful answers if you're more specific (can you recommend a hotel in Italy??). You should get 'Designer Bargains in Italy'. Great resource.

Al

Florence has the best shopping in all of Italy. There are many small boutiques throughout Florence that you will not find in the rest of Italy.

I suggest you buy Madova gloves, it is directly over the Ponte Vecchio (side of the Pitti Palace). Also when you cross the Ponte Vecchio the street directly to the right has a bunch of cute clothing stores and antique jewelry. It is the artisian side of Florence where many crafters do their work.

Via Tournaboli is all of the upscale stores, but the streets at the corner of Gucci and Roberto Cavalli have great stores.

Il Papiro is the famous paper store in Florence and they're located all over the city. Two on the street of the Arno.

I can't think of many pottery stores in Florence, or Siena for that matter. Shopping in Siena isn't that great if you are making it there.

You can find great leather anywhere in Florence. I have a coat that I live in during the Fall. There are definetely nicer places then others, as my parents spent much more on their coats then they did on us, but if you use your judgment you'll find good quality.

Cinque Terre is probably the best place for Pottery but all of the towns are really small and don't sell much. The last town which is the largest, I just remember restaurants and food stores.

Milan is the fashion capital but it's large and the stores are everywhere. I took the subway to a remote part of the city to find this great cluster of stores and one vintage store. They were gorgeous stores but pricey.

I suggest you buy the book Where to Wear, Italy Edition, it covers Milan, Florence and Rome. It's really helpful.

I just studied abroad in Florence and can literally tell you I shopped my way through it. Just wander and you'll come across everything you're looking for and everything you told yourself not to buy!

In Rome Bruno Magli, near the Spanish Steps has good leather products as well as Sermoneta and Furla which are right in the Spanish Steps Square. In Via del Corso you can find lots of clothing shops of any kind (from shoes to bags to jeans etc). Via Condotti, Via Frattina, Via del Babuino are pretty expensive, but good quality products. Try also Via Nazionale, Via Appia (there is the Coin in Piazza San Giovanni, which is similar to the Rinascente) has a good Ramirez shoe shop too, LOTS of shoes there, one of my favourite!
In Milan try the Rinascente near the Duomo and the Galleria (you can't miss it), they have a large selection of kitchen stuff, including pottery and lots of Alessi products. There is a Rinascente store in Rome too, near Piazza Colonna, on Via del Corso.

You can find pottery all over Tuscany. I went to Deruta and was almost overwhelmed with all of the shops selling pottery - some made at the store. I saw this type of pottery in all of the towns I was in - including Florence. You'll find leather goods all over Florence - quality varies as do the prices. I went to a recommended store for leather gloves - it was in the block before Ponte Vecchio. It is a factory store. Have a fun time!

Deruta is in Umbria (about 30 kms from Perugia), not in Tuscany ;-)

Not a big diffence though, as the 2 regions are next to each other, just thought to point it out as Italythistime had just mentioned Tuscany. YOu're right though, you can find pottery all over Tuscany (and Umbria).

Thanks for the clarification, BAT! I knew that, but got lost in the moment of thinking back to buying pottery in Tuscany AND Umbria!

I am really glad for this informative thread. (thanks italythistime) DH & I will be in Florence next weekend. I hate to admit it, but I am not that knowledgeable about recognizing a good bargain when it comes to buying a leather jacket. - thinking of one for myself or DH.

Could anyone out there give me a rough ballpark figure as to what might be considered a bargain? I don't want to get totally ripped off. I will keep the Leather Factory and Leather School in mind.