Know Everything About Shopping in Italy is a Wonderful Adventure
Shopping In Italy
Italy's
hottest shopping draw is of course fashion. Milan is home of the
country's fashion industry, but Rome is the main Italian bazaar where
the threads are put on the market. Here you can find the ultra chic
garments of celebrated designers numbering in the hundreds.
Quality is very high and the range of materials includes leather,
cotton, silk and wool.
Other than
garments, Italy is pre-eminent in the production of quality
glassware, furniture,
jewellery and porcelain goods.
Shopping In Rome
While Rome is
overrun with international fashion boutiques, shopping in the Eternal
City can still offer its own very Roman flavour. For the ultimate in
windows shopping, the area around via ondotti at the foot of the
Spanish Steps is the place to go. You can gaze at the creations of Armani,
Prada, Versace,
Dolce
and Gabbana, Gucci and the other grand names in the elegant
windows under the baroque or neoclassical facades. But remember that
rents in Rome are sky high and so are the prices.
For antiques,
head to Via dei Coronari. It's a narrow pedestrianised street near
Piazza Navona. The 500-meter long thoroughfare is lined with antique
stores and galleries.
For the true
Roman experience, you have to visit one of the city's many markets.
The Sunday morning flea market at Porta Portese is an overcrowded
event where you can buy almost anything. It's held on via Portuense
south of the Porta Portese gate. Beware of pickpockets.
From Monday to
Saturday, the morning market is in via Sannio, just outside the Roman
walls by San Giovanni in Laterano. Here you can browse huge volumes
of cheap clothes.
Shopping In Venice
Venice has
long been a place of trade and remains a busy retail center. Though
the big name fashion houses are
well-represented, the joy of shopping in Venice lies in hunting down
those local novelty items that evoke the spirit of La Serenissima.
However if
it's brand name fashions you're after, Venice won't disappoint. The
island's busiest shopping strip is the Merceri. It runs all the ways
from the Piazza to the Rialto Bridge and almost all the celebrated
Italian labels have boutiques here.
For other
items, Calle della Mandola is the place to browse books and glass
beads. And Campo Santo Stefano is the square for antique hunting.
However, you can't leave Venice without getting a souvenir carnival mask.
Carnival is
the great event held every February but the masks are manufactured as
souvenirs all year-round in Venice's small workshops. You can get
everything from full size porcelain masks with a hefty price tag to
inexpensive ornaments such as silver
earrings in the shape of carnival masks.
The other
great specialty of Venice is glassware from the island of Murano.
These include such items as vases,
clocks and wine bottle caps. And you can also get decorative items
such as rings, bracelets or
pendants made out of the delightful colored glass. These can be very
inexpensive and make great souvenirs of Venice. Other delights
special to Venice include porcelain dolls and Burano lace work. |
