Ladies, help with shopping in Italy!

We will be in Italy in October.

My DW can only fantasize about shopping to the point where I want to just book my own excursions and let her go shopping.

We are stopping in Naples, Messina, Civitavecchia and Livorno.

I already told her that we are seeing the Vatican together, so no shopping in Rome.

Of the other 3 ports, where can she find the best deals on shoes, handbags, etc?

Florence (from Livorno) is known for its leather goods, especially shoes and handbags. Keep in mind that things won't be cheap but there are varying levels of quality depending on where you shop.

Bring your money with you! I think you will find it very expensive if you are American.

Livorno - Florence is the best for shopping. I found it 50/50 cost wise, some really good deals and then some not so great prices but incredible items - shoes and handbags. Very unique designs and well made so worth the splurge.

I split my waiting in lines to the Galleria Accademia with my travel companion once - I waited in line for about 30 minutes while she shopped and then we swapped. But I'd been to Florence a few times so knew the area and had specific shoe stores in mind. The Ufizzi is close to the stores on the Ponte Vecchio so she could shop and you tour the museums.

If DW is a professional spender ;), bear in mind that you can reclaim the European tax (included in the price tag) if she buys in shops linked to the tax-free scheme.

A minimum spend in each purchase (add together all items bought in the one transaction in that shop), commissions and expenses taken from the refund and lots of hoops to go through, and probably a few weeks before the refund comes through - but if spending hundreds or thousands of dollars ON THINGS YOU TAKE HOME well worth the hassle.

You normally declare and claim when you exit the EU, even if you bought earlier in your trip in a different EU country.

JB :)

I did some research into shopping in Florence before our upcoming trip. There are a TON of stores and markets, all of which sell "authentic" leather "made in" Florence. Very few products are actually still made in Florence and some other items unfortunately are not leather. A lot of the markets (in particular the one near the train station) sell a lot of souvenir type items, but almost all of the goods are made in China. It's similar to the glass stores in Venice - unless you go to Murano, there is a high likelihood everything is mass produced.

There is a leather working school in Florence (http://www.scuoladelcuoio.com/scuola-del-cuoio-about-us.html) that is in an old monastery that is really cool to visit. A few blogs list out several stores where you can be sure you're buying authentic items, normally in a family run store. Be prepared, though, that these items are normally not cheap :)

I did some research into shopping in Florence before our upcoming trip. There are a TON of stores and markets, all of which sell "authentic" leather "made in" Florence. Very few products are actually still made in Florence and some other items unfortunately are not leather. A lot of the markets (in particular the one near the train station) sell a lot of souvenir type items, but almost all of the goods are made in China. It's similar to the glass stores in Venice - unless you go to Murano, there is a high likelihood everything is mass produced.

 

There is a leather working school in Florence (http://www.scuoladelcuoio.com/scuola-del-cuoio-about-us.html) that is in an old monastery that is really cool to visit. A few blogs list out several stores where you can be sure you're buying authentic items, normally in a family run store. Be prepared, though, that these items are normally not cheap :)

There is authentic "made in Italy" leather goods that are actually made in Italy, but in sweatshops populated by Chinese laborers. A lot of this is in the San Lorenzo marketplace. So, it's still a crapshoot. You just have to go in with your eyes open to the fact that it's going to be that way.

The Scuolo del Cuioi is fabulous. If you want to spend quite a bit of money, the purses and handbags are quite exquisite.

We will be in Italy in October.

My DW can only fantasize about shopping to the point where I want to just book my own excursions and let her go shopping.

 

We are stopping in Naples, Messina, Civitavecchia and Livorno.

I already told her that we are seeing the Vatican together, so no shopping in Rome.

Of the other 3 ports, where can she find the best deals on shoes, handbags, etc?

I would answer you but I am not a lady.

Men know where the deals are also!

I did some research into shopping in Florence before our upcoming trip. There are a TON of stores and markets, all of which sell "authentic" leather "made in" Florence. Very few products are actually still made in Florence and some other items unfortunately are not leather. A lot of the markets (in particular the one near the train station) sell a lot of souvenir type items, but almost all of the goods are made in China. It's similar to the glass stores in Venice - unless you go to Murano, there is a high likelihood everything is mass produced.

 

There is a leather working school in Florence (http://www.scuoladelcuoio.com/scuola-del-cuoio-about-us.html) that is in an old monastery that is really cool to visit. A few blogs list out several stores where you can be sure you're buying authentic items, normally in a family run store. Be prepared, though, that these items are normally not cheap :)

If you are buying in a proper shop in Florence, and not from the counterfeit sellers set up on blankets on the pavement, if an item has the recognised hidemark as being leather, it will be leather. The regulations are very strict, and closely monitored. But as another poster says, things marked as made in Italy may well be made in Italy by Chinese workers.

Shame she can't shop in Rome -- just returned from my 5th trip there and while I am not a big shopper I prefer shopping there over say Paris. This trip I found a little family run cobbler shop not far from the Campo Di Fiore where I watched them make belts, shoes and bags. I bought a lovely pair of low heeled butter soft red leather sandals for about 70 euros -- quite reasonable to me considering the quality.

Shame she can't shop in Rome -- just returned from my 5th trip there and while I am not a big shopper I prefer shopping there over say Paris. This trip I found a little family run cobbler shop not far from the Campo Di Fiore where I watched them make belts, shoes and bags. I bought a lovely pair of low heeled butter soft red leather sandals for about 70 euros -- quite reasonable to me considering the quality.

Could you let me know the name of this shop in Rome? I'll be there in a few weeks and it sounds wonderful!

Ibiz Roma , via Chiavari 39. Have fun and let me know if you fine something wonderful.