Travel Italy: Vacation Packages, Tips, Tours of Italy

The summer sales season kicked off in some of the cities in Italy. On July 10 you will have shopping sales season ongoing throughout Italy.
Below is the starting date of summer sales season in Italy for each of the regions. Keep in mind, earlier is better to grab the best deals.

Lombardy (Milan): July 3; Lazio (Rome): July 3; Tuscany (Florence, Siena etc…): July 10; Umbria (Perugia, Assisi etc…): July 7; Veneto (Venice, Padova etc..): July 3; Campania (Naples, Capri, Amalfi Coast…): July 2; Liguria (Genoa, Ligurian Riviera, Cinque Terre…): July 9; Emilia Romagna (Bologna): July 7; Piedmont (Turin): July 3; Sicily: July 10; Sardinia: July 3; Marche: July 7; Apulia: July 2; Friuli Venezia Giulia: June 15; Trentino Alto Adige: July 15; Valle d’Aosta: July 10; Molise: July 10; Abruzzo (L’Aquila): July 10; Basilicata: July 2; Calabria: July 3.

If you are visiting Rome or Tuscany or Umbria, we suggest to visit a couple of fashion malls featuring hundreds of designer stores all in one place. There you can get the best bargains when it comes to shopping designer items.

Below are the links to the handiest fashion malls in Rome and Tuscany (see the stores you find there and how to get there).
“Castel Romano Designer Outlet” is located in the surroundings of Rome (15km away from city center); “Valdichiana Outlet Village” is a very handy one for those who are visiting Tuscany or Umbria.

The winter sales season is starting in most of cities of Italy. Below you have the schedule with the kick-off date for each of the regions.
Please, be aware, even the sales season lasts around 60 days, you could grab the best deals only in the early weeks.

Lombardy (Milan) Jan 2; Lazio (Rome) Jan 2; Tuscany (Florence, Siena etc…) Jan 7; Umbria (Perugia, Assisi etc…) Jan 7; Veneto (Venice, Padova etc..) Jan 2; Campania (Naples, Capri, Amalfi Coast…) Jan 2; Liguria (Genoa, Ligurian Riviera, Cinque Terre…) Jan 5; Emilia Romagna (Bologna) Jan 2; Piedmont (Turin) Jan 2; Sicily Jan 2; Sardegna Jan 8; Marche Jan 2; Apulia Jan 5; Friuli Venezia Giulia Jan 2; Trentino Alto Adige Jan 9; Valle d’Aosta Jan 10; Molise Jan 7; Abruzzo (L’Aquila) Jan 5; Basilicata Jan 2; Calabria Jan 3.

If you are looking designer items the best way is to go for the large designer outlets. They are large fashion malls including hundreds of stores featuring top designer brands all in one place. There, you can buy designer items at prices reduced from 30% to 70% all year round, but if you go there during the sales season you get even greater deals.

Designer outlets are located a few km away the city center. However it’s worth visiting them, you’ll save time and money.
Below links to a couple of these large fashion malls (see maps and how to get there).
“Castel Romano Designer Outlet” is located in the surroundings of Rome (15km away from city center); “Valdichiana Outlet Village” is a very handy one for those who are visiting Tuscany or Umbria.

With the New Year the fashion discount season kicked off in most of Italian cities. With premier designer shops offering quality items at very cheap prices, it is an unmissable opportunity to fill up your wardrobe with the best designer fashion.

To locate the best designer shops in the major art cities located at walking distance from major tourist attractions, please have a look to our shopping in Italy guides.

If you have a chance to travel a few km outside the city center, don’t miss the opportunity to visit the only-designer outlets.
You can find the best designer deals there. Just to suggest few in the surroundings of major art cities:
- in Rome: McArthurglen Outlet in Castel Romano , 15 km away from Rome Eur (details here); Valmontone Outlet, along the motorway A1 Rome - Napoli (details here).
- in Florence: McArthurglen’s outlet in Barberino del Mugello (about 20 miles north of Florence) and
the Prada outlet in Levane-Montevarchi (about 30 miles south of Florence; direction to Arezzo).

The fashion sales season actually go on until early March, however in the early weeks of January you can catch the best bargains.

Below the 2009 winter sales start dates for the major cities and tourist areas.
- Jan 2: Napoli (Capri, Amalfi Coast and Campania), Trieste, Potenza
- Jan 3 gennaio: Bari, Bologna, Catanzaro, Genoa (Liguria), Milano (Lombardy), Palermo, Rome, Turin (Piedmont), Venice (Veneto)
- Jan 6 gennaio: Ancona (Marches)
- Jan 7 gennaio: Florence (Tuscany), Perugia (Umbria), Bolzano, Trento
- Jan 8 gennaio: Cagliari
- Jan 10 gennaio: Aosta, L’Aquila (Abruzzo).

For those who are looking for Christmas markets while visiting the major art cities in Italy during the holiday season, here is a quick guide listing the most important ones.

- Rome
The most traditional Christmas market is the Piazza Navona’s Christmas market. Piazza Navona is an ideal place to experience the flavour of the festivities in Rome.

- Florence
Recommended is the Mercatino di Natale Heidelberger. Held in the Piazza Santa Croce, it is a five-century-old market.

- Naples
Major Christmas market in Naples is held in the Chiaia district, where a Christmas village is being set up. Chiaia district is the center of the Neapolitan festivities.

- Bologna
Fiera di Natale is the traditional Bologna’s Christmas market. It is held next to the Cattedrale di San Pietro.

- Turin
In Turin, we suggest the Christmas market held in the piazzas and gardens of Borgo Dora within the Maglio and Ciliegi courtyards.

- Venice
The Campo Santo Stefano’s Christmas market, taking the name after the historic square of Campo Santo Stefano where the market is taking place. You’ll be able to buy there craft-made Venetian products there as well as a variety of regional gastronomic delicacies from all Italian regions.

Campo Santo Stefano’s Christmas Market in Venice gives visitors the opportunity to include typical hand-made Venetian products in the Christmas shopping.

Regarded as the major Christmas Market in Venice, held in the historic square near the Accademia and the Palazzo Grassi, it makes of Campo Santo Stefano a Christmas Village throughout December.

You can buy there typical hand-made Venetian products such as glass, lace, paper, perfumes, toys, cribs, frames and leather objects. An area of the market, “the Campiello dei Golosi“, is dedicated to wine and food delicacies from all over Italy representing the various regions of the Peninsula.