On the Road: Shopping in Italy

A recent staff trip to Italy was a welcome opportunity to do some firsthand research for this newsletter.

On our way to Torino, we stopped at Serravalle, Italy's largest outlet mall. Some of the stores were American, but Italian designers were represented, too, including two that appeared on Forbes.com's list of "Top Shops Around the Globe"—Loro Piano for cashmere and La Perla for lingerie (Madonna is a fan). I found a Prada makeup bag for 35 euros, about a third of what I would have paid for it at home, and discovered Madina Milano, a cosmetics store owned by a former makeup artist from the famous opera house, La Scala, with quality products and reasonable prices.

Exclusive fashions at Palazzo Gattai

We arrived in Florence in time to attend an exclusive private showing at Palazzo Gattai hosted by Rina Milano, a designer whose atelier is in the building. The fashionista clientele was almost as chic as the one-of-a-kind couture designs on display. Rina also has a pret-à-porter shop in nearby Via Carducci, with ready-to-wear designs.

The following morning, we were picked up by a private driver for a half-day shopping tour. Our mission: to shop the Gucci, Prada, and other outlets all in one day. Our driver Guido was charming and helpful, offering the inside scoop as he whisked us along in a comfy Mercedes. He waited in the car while we went to check out the bargains at the Prada outlet, then took us to Dolce & Gabanna and The Mall, with 23 outlet stores, including all the big names. The price of our excursion—220 euros—was well worth it for the friendly service and the convenience of being escorted by someone who knew the routes and the ropes. We might still be standing outside of the Prada Outlet trying to figure out how to get in if our driver hadn't explained that we needed to take a ticket from the machine outside. You can save considerable time by booking a shopping tour instead of trying to find your own way, and relaxing in the back seat of a comfortable car gives you more stamina for shopping.

Our shopping tour was like stepping right into the pages of Vogue. I even picked up a few fashion trends I can apply to my own closet. — Ellen Sinoff, Staff Writer