jceilidh3

Can anyone advise as to the closest stores (baby or grocery) for baby gear - diapers, wipes, food, snacks, etc. to these locations ?

Florence near Duomo
Levanto, Italy
Juan Les Pins, Antibes, France

More concerned about convenience/location and selection than price.
TIA!

sandralist

Without the exact addresses in Italy, "closest" could be anywhere. Florence and Levanto are compact, but not that compact, and you obviously don't want to be haulting diapers all the way across town because somebody on the internet gave you that location without knowing there was one around the corner from where you are staying.

But better still would be just to ask your hotel when you get there? Every Italian concierge knows the nearest store selling diapers. (Don't know about French!) E-mail in advance if you'd feel better knowing in advance.

nochblad

Any pharmacy in Italy or France will sell everything you are looking for but most supermarkets will also sell the same but at lower prices.

jceilidh3

In Florence I would be looking, like I mentioned, nearest to the Duomo. I am hoping not to need much in Levanto. For Juan Les Pins, closest to the beach.

nochblad

Obviously you will not find supermarkets near the Duomo or the beach. But you would find pharmacies.

jceilidh3

Do the pharmacies have a good selection of baby foods?

I had heard of the Italian store Prenatal but I am not sure if they carry diapers/food or just clothing/gear.

sandralist

That's really not true that there aren't supermarkets by the beach in Liguria. The towns are so narrow, they are quite frequently by beach.

Every store sells Pampers and huggies and baby food. Supermarkets have better prices, but you can find these things quite easily.

What is the address of your hotel in Florence? Again, it is not true that there are no supermarkets within easy walking distance of the Duomo.

asps

As nochblad points out, pharmacies sell diapers and any sort of baby gear but are quite expensive. There are some little supermarkets near the Duomo (for example in piazza S. Lorenzo, on the corner with via de' Ginori, as well halfway via de' Ginori), but again supermarkets in tourist zones are expensive. In order to get better prices you would need to exit the center area - for example the Esselunga supermarket in via Masaccio, twenty minutes walking from the center. Worth the extra effort? I do not know.

sandralist

If you are unwilling to wait until you get to your hotels to ask, or unwilling to e-mail and ask in advance, you might try asking on the Slow Travel message forum, especially regarding Florence, but someone might now about the other towns too.

jamikins

Pharmacies in Italy aren't like they are in North America for example they don't sell food or makeup. They sell prescriptions and medical related items, sunscreen, etc.

You likely need a grocery store or supermarket.

sandralist

Excuse me, but pharmacies in Italy do sell food that is related to health needs, and they also sell baby food. They often sell make up as well if they are large enough.

bvlenci

Lots of pharmacies in Italy even sell shoes (brands similar to Dr. Scholls) and toys (so-called educational). A pharmacy is often the best place to find a variety of special foods, for instance for celiacs, or people with allergies. (Some of the foods may be more related to health fads than to health needs.) However, even a lot of these things are sold in supermarkets, and the price will sometimes be half of what it is in a pharmacy.

bvlenci

Actually, my local pharmacy is pretty small, but it does sell makeup, foods, toys, sunglasses, and shoes.

sandralist

We have two local pharmacies and one is large enough to carry shoes and cosmetics, etc, but the other is physically much smaller in size and most of the space is given over to being a dispensary. However, even the smaller pharmacy has what appears to be a complete stock of baby needs (never shopped in there with a baby!).

jceilidh3

Great advice. What if I needed a larger store - somewhere that would carry umbrella strollers?

Tulips

Will you have a car? In France, large stores are usually situated outside of town centre. A Casino or Carrefour will have everything you need. There are smaller supermarkets in town but these are unlikely to sell strollers. You may find a store in Antibes that sells them, Juan les Pins I'm not so sure.
Baby food and diapers are available from lots of places; small supermarkets in town will have that. Try the French babyfoods, my children used to love those.

sandralist

You might find such a store in Levanto, but probably closer to the train station. If not, La Spezia would have it, but again, your hotel is the best bet for finding out the easiest location from where you're staying

Surely it will be easy to find strollers in Florence, but you might want to ask your hotel for where the nearest one is for qualty at a nice price.