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Italy shopping
Prices in Italy soared with the introduction of the euro, but a strong artisan tradition means that even if you won't find the cheapest goods there, you will probably find the best. Shopping in the international fashion capitals of Milan, Rome, and Florence can be a near-religious experience. But Prada and Gucci stores in the big cities sell items for about the same as (or more than) everywhere else in the world. The intrepid should lay hold of a map and a car and drive to the outlets (Gucci and Prada among them) outside Florence. They're not easy to find, but for fashionistas, the bargain prices will be worth it. Other areas of Italy have their own specialties. Venice and the island of Murano are both known for handblown glass. Tuscany is a center for marble, carved into elegant sculptures or in great slabs for the portico back home. Lombardy produces wonderful pottery and handmade violins. And from Piedmont you can get elegant handmade gold jewelry.
The Tuscan countryside is renowned for its olive groves, and this little shop sells an original and interesting selection of all sorts of things to do with...more
see the Florence guideThe walls of this discreet, elegant perfumery are covered floor to ceiling with glass flasks. Drop by, and expert assistants will steer you around the shelves...more
see the Rome guideThis alarmingly cool concept store is Bologna's answer to Colette in Paris. On three floors of a historic palazzo in the heart of the museum district, L'Inde le...more
see the Bologna guideFor nearly 50 years, Antonio Viva's sandals have graced the feet of celebrities, including Jackie O. and Sophia Loren. The store stocks ready-made varieties,...more
see the Capri guideThe art of decorative papermaking originated in France several centuries ago, but a strong tradition of the craft has long flourished in Florence. Colored inks...more
see the Florence guideBisonte's chunky leather bags (with the trademark bison motifs) are renowned throughout the world, and the business began in Florence. The current central...more
see the Florence guide
Ilaria Miani began her working life as a picture framer but has since branched out into a range of stunningly stylish furniture and housewares, such as the...more
see the Rome guideA sort of homegrown Milanese IKEA, High-Tech is a huge furniture, homeware, and stationery emporium housed in the Corriere della Sera newspaper's former ink...more
see the Milan guideCreative jeweler Grazia Vozza and her twin sister, Marica, do amazing things with gold, semiprecious stones, amber, and freshwater pearls; their stylishly...more
see the Capri guideTo avoid the risk of fire, all glass furnaces in Venice were banished to the lagoon island of Murano in 1291. There they remain to this day, as anyone...more
see the Venice guide
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