Staff Picks : Insider shopping tips | ||
The peaceful town of Tredozio in Emilia-Romagna seems like an unlikely place for great shopping, but there are two world-class opportunities. First is the factory of a highly regarded artisan who makes custom riding boots and golf shoes for the rich and famous (Prince William, Penelope Cruz, Robert Redford) and for designers like Dolce & Gabbana. You can be measured for custom boots which will cost a fraction of the price elsewhere. There is another famous workshop less than thirty minutes from Tredozio on the way to Faenza, where Antonietta Mazzotti produces beautiful ceramics for the best Italian family weddings. You can buy or have them custom made, or, by special arrangement, you can learn hand painting on a Monday afternoon and return Friday to pick up your fired piece! — Kit |
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Whenever I'm in Florence, I go to the Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella, at 16 Via della Scala, for their incredible potpourri. One of the oldest pharmacies in the world, they made perfume and face creams for Catherine de Medici, the Viscontis, the Sforzas, and the d’Estes. It's worth the trip just to admire the magnificent building, which dates from 1612. For twelve euros, you can fill your house with the unique scent of flowers and herbs from the hills surrounding Florence. The aroma lasts for months and makes a great gift — you'll wish you bought more! — Ellen | |
I was pleasantly surprised to find Barcelona a very hip, exciting city. I found so many great little shops up and down the winding streets surrounding the Picasso Museum, but my favorite shop was the Picasso Museum bookstore. I found old Picasso prints for as little as five euros, as well as prints from other famous artists. I spent about 50 euros and left with the greatest artwork. I couldn't wait to go home to have the prints framed! — Monica | ||
When visiting Venice, everyone knows that Murano is the best place to shop for glass, but you may not know about Burano, a quiet island of colorful stucco houses and shops selling lace tablecloths, doilies, jewelry and clothing. In fact, Burano is known as the City of Lace. Shop carefully, since not all of the lace is genuine Burano lace. Today, much of it is machine-made rather than handmade. Handmade lace can cost ten times as much as machine-made, but some of the machine-made lace is so fine, it's hard to tell the difference. Dalla Lidia, on Via Galuppi, has new lace as well as wonderful examples of handmade Burano lace from the 16th century. Don't miss the exquisite examples at the lace school and museum, the Scuola di Merletti, on Piazza Galuppi. — Roberta |
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Do as we do — Combine shopping with everything else! For example, spend the day at the famous Fonteverde Spa in San Casciano dei Bagni and shop in the spa's elegant boutiques between beauty treatments. Or, if you are staying at Villa Amiata or any villa in southeast Tuscany and want to take a day off from day trips by car, catch a fast train to Florence or Rome from nearby Chiusi, where there are several excellent shops right in the train station that can help you pass the time while waiting for your train: Mariotti for linen, Ada for perfume, and Donald for leather. — Suzy | ||
| When visiting Provence, be sure to visit the Abbaye de Sènanque, nestled among fields of lavender at the bottom of the valley below the hill town of Gordes. Founded by Cistercian monks in 1148, the order still lives, prays and works here. By all means, tour the dormitory, the Cloister and the Chapels, but don't neglect the little religious bookstore. In addition to the illuminated manuscripts and picture postcards are pots of honey, hand embroidered sachets and beeswax candles—all charged with the heady scent of the lavender which is tended and harvested by the monks, and which still supports the order some nine hundred years after it was consecrated. — Laura | |
When I travel to Italy I shop for two specific items: the first is wonderful, soft cotton underwear. Ragno, made in the Piemonte area, is the softest. You can find a large selection at lingerie shops. The other thing I like to shop for is colorful pottery. Each town has its own design. I look for unusual styles to bring back as gifts. I now have a collection of pitchers that comes in handy in the summer for water and juices. I recently spent a day in San Gimignano and was overwhelmed with the pottery. You may find the same quality at lower prices by shopping for ceramics in Siena instead of Florence (try Tesori di Siena, with two locations: Via di Città and Via di Fusari), or in Gubbio rather than Deruta (browse the shops along the Via dei Consoli). — Marta | ||
I recently visited Villa Santa Fina and had a wonderful experience shopping in a little leather boutique in San Gimignano, a medieval jewel of a village where just walking along the main street window-shopping makes you feel a part of the town. There was a lovely hand-painted ceramic shop where everything is so colorful and beautiful, it is impossible to leave without buying a little treasure. The leather boutique has everything from fine classic purses to edgy fashionable bags. If you are not well-prepared for this shopping bonanza, you can find stylish carry-on luggage for all of your treasures. — Meggie | ||
