Italy is well-known for its art and culture, and many Italian products and fashions are famous for their style and class. The country is also famous for imitations, so be careful with your purchases. Bargaining is not encouraged, though discounts are generally given. Besides the more fashionable and renowned centres of Florence, Milan and Rome, the smaller towns also offer a wide variety of cultural and commercial articles for sale. It is advisable to avoid hawkers and vendors on the beaches. Certain products, off course, are known world wide for the name of the region from which they come – e.g.… Como (Lombardy) for silk, Prato (Tuscany) for textiles, Empoli (Tuscany) for the production of bottles and glasses in green glass, Deruta (Umbria) and Faenza (Emilia-Romagna) for pottery, Carrara (Tuscany) for marble. Torre Annunziata (Campania) and Alghero (Sardinia) are centres for handicraft products in coral, and in several parts of Sardinia business cards and writing paper made of cork are produced. Cremona (Lombardy) is famous for its handmade violins. Castelfidardo (Marche) is famous for its accordion factories, and for its production of guitars and organs. Two small towns concentrate on producing their speciality: Valenza (Piedmont), which has a large number of goldsmith artisans, and Sulmona (Abruzzo), which produces ‘confetti’, sugar-coated almonds used all over Italy for wedding celebrations. Vietri sul Mare (Campania) is one of the most important centres of ceramic paving-tiles, and Ravenna (Emilia-Romagna) is famous for mosaics.

The main shopping areas in different cities are given below:

Rome The fashionable Via Condotti–Via Sistina area offers a choice of styles, colours and designs rarely matched, naturally prices will be steep. Equally expensive are the shops along Via Vittorio Veneto, which is famous for its outdoor cafes. Piazza Borghese is THE place for Old books and prints. Rome’s flea market is at Porta Portese in Trastevere on Sunday mornings, selling everything from second-hand shoes to ‘genuine antiques’. 

Venice: Glassware is the product of Venice – and there is a great deal of both good and bad glass made on the island of Murano. Murano is aloe famous for its art dealers and skilful goldsmiths. Venetian lace is also exquisite and expensive; however, most of the lace sold is no longer made locally (only lace made on the island of Burano may properly be called Venetian lace). 

Florence: Gold and goldsmiths are what are famous in Florence, and have been so for a very long time. These Jewelry shops are concentrated along both sides of the Ponte Vecchio bridge. Florentine jewellery has a particular quality of satin finish called satinato. Much filigree jewellery can also be found. Cameos are another speciality of Florence,  and these are carved from exotic shells.

Milan: Via Montenapoleone is where the city's industrial wealth is reflected in its chic, elegant shops. Prices tend to be higher than in other major cities.

Southern Italy: Handicrafts, carpets and pottery are the industries of Southern Italy. People here have been involved in these industries for centuries. The products of other regions are filigree jewellery and products of wrought iron and brass in Abruzzo; products in wood in Calabria; corals and cameos in Campania; a variety of textiles, including tablecloths, in Sicily and Sardinia. In Cagliari, it is possible to find artistic copies of bronze statuettes from the Nuraghe period of the Sardinian Bronze Age. In the larger towns, such as Naples, Bari, Reggio, Calabria, Palermo and Cagliari, there are elegant shops with a whole range of Italian products. Many smaller towns have outdoor markets, but souvenirs sold there are sometimes of very low quality, probably mass-produced elsewhere.

Shopping hours: Mon-Sat 0830-1230 and 1530-1930, with some variations in northern Italy where the lunch break is shorter and the shops close earlier. Food shops are often closed Wednesday afternoon.