Italian fashion is, dare I say it, second to none. No one
else even comes close (sorry France, you are a distant
second). You will see the best of the best when it comes to
the fashion industry: Armani, Fendi, Gucci, Valentino, Versace, Zegna,
etc. When you see "Made in Italy," or "Fabbricata in
Italia" you can rest assured of the quality and craftsmanship of the
item you are buying. The cities of Rome, Milan and Florence
have become very important centers for the fashion industry and dictate
many of the trends we see here in the United States, Canada, and all
throughout the world.
When shopping in Italy, many of the store-fronts will have their items
prominently displayed with the corresponding prices
attached. You can usually expect fine service when you
enter into one of these boutique-type stores. Don't be
offended if the proprietor hovers around while you browse, they are not
watching to see if you will shop-lift...they just want to be available
should you have any questions. You can expect to pay pretty
inflated prices in these type of stores, unless you go during a
sale. Look for either of these signs displayed in the
window: Saldi (sales) or Sconti (discounts). The winter
sale season usually runs from January to mid-February. The
summer sale season runs from July to early September.
Italy does have a couple of department stores. The more
notable ones are Standa and Rinascente (formerly Upim).
Most of them will sell some clothing, food items and can come in handy
if you want to pick up a nice inexpensive bottle of wine, olive oil,
etc. There is also Mercatone Uno, but they are more for
electronics, Italian furniture, etc.
Italy offers great deals on silk, leather, gold, crafts, ceramics,
etc. A great place to find a bargain is usually in the
open-air markets of some of the larger cities. Various
neighborhoods of Rome, for example, will have their market on different
days of the week. They tend to be similar to the
flea-markets that you find in the United States and Canada.
You can find great deals from shoes, food, to the kitchen sink, and
other assorted items that you probably don't need. And
sometimes you can haggle with the proprietor, although not always.
Some of the smaller towns will have these markets open one or two days
a week. A lot of these vendors will then move to the next
town on the next day for that new town's slated turn. For
example, Town A may have their open-air market on Tuesday.
Town B, 5 miles away, will have it on Wednesday, etc. When
you get to your hotel, ask what day is the next market gathering.
Another thing to keep in mind when shopping in Italy, is that cash is
king. Although many merchants now accept credit cards, it
is not always the case. You should always ask: “Si puo’
usare la carta di credito?". Also keep in mind that Visa
and Mastercard are the cards widely accepted, and to some extent
American Express. You can leave the Discover Card and
Diner’s Club card at home. Contrary to popular opinion, you
can leave home without the latter three.
Italy also has an excellent network of ATM machines. The
Cirrus Network and HONOR system are all prevalent in Italy.
Chances are that an ATM is always nearby. It is not
necessary to carry traveler’s checks as once was customary.
Check with your bank to be sure that they have ATM’s in Italy, but more
than likely they do. The withdrawl will appear on your
statement at a favorable exchange rate, less some nominal fee for the
transaction.
You should also note that in Italy when shopping for an item that the
prices indicated INCLUDE the sales tax. Which can be a good
thing, being that Italy (and the rest of Europe) imposes an IVA, or
value-added tax which is about 19%. You are eligible to
claim a refund if you meet certain conditions on certain items.
So despite the strengthened Euro against the Dollar, there are still
bargains to be found in Italy. It just takes a little
diligence and planning, and you can come home with some fantastic
Italian merchandise. “Buona Spesa", or Happy Shopping!
Larry Aiello is an Italian-American living in Florida that loves to
share his knowledge of Italy. For travel-related information, tips,
travel advice, recipes, community, etc., visit his website at http://www.Italian-Link.com. and for free Italian lessons in audio format, visit his other website at http://www.FreeItalianSchool.com.
Disclaimer: All information on this site is provided for informational purposes only! By no means is any
information presented herein intended to substitute for the advice provided to you by any health care or other professional
or organization.
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