My charming wife of 44 years has made a request. She is a great travel companion and allows me to plan the entire itineraries for our Europe trips--22 now and counting. Well, we are going back to Tuscany in Oct. for 2 weeks and this time she wants to see the famed designer outlets south of Florence. The date will likely be 16 Oct. as we drive from Fiesole to Montefollinico. Who can tell me the precise location of the best outlets? What are the hours?
She will appreciate your help ! Grazie molto

BOB THE NAVIGATOR
blittle@net-magic.net

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Kim,

Bill Sutherland is our expert on designer outlets. There are supposed to be outlets for cashmere near Perugia, one that he likes for shirts near there too, the Prada outlet in Chianti somewhere. That is all I remember.

There is a good book about outlets:
Designer Bargains in Italy by Theodora van Meurs, Editoriale Shopping Italia, 2002 (6th edition). Purchase from web site www.scoprioccasioni.it. "This guide with over 1100 addresses of top name factory outlets in Italy will tell you where to find the best designer bargains. Save 20% to 70% on all your purchases and pay for your holiday." Well organized by region with driving directions and opening hours.

Lillian wrote this trip report about outlet shopping:
Summer 2002 Trip Report

Pauline from Slow Travelers

Bob - read the following newspaper article

A reporter freind of ours wrote it while she stayed with us last year.

Bill & Patty Sutherland
Tuscan Women Cook
Montefollonico, Italy

Molto grazie Bill--that is perfect !

BOB THE NAVIGATOR
blittle@net-magic.net

We found the newspaper article from Bill's response really helpful when shopping in March. Our best buys were at Prada in Montevarchi (a pain to locate--it helped to have a good map) and The Mall stores in Leccio, especially Armani, Bottega Veneta, and YSL. I was especially struck by some of the things at Loro Piana, but the prices were still steep...As a survival hint:there is a nice little restaurant/bar underneath the Bottega V. outlet--great bathrooms and a respite from all that commerce (the building is different from the one with most of the stores in it--not well-marked). En route to The Mall we passed signs for a Celine/Loews outlet--never got to check it out. Have fun!

I am interested in the sweater outlets mentioned by Bill's friend in the article - where in Perugia are they. We are staying in Panicale for a week and I might take a side trip there.

Bob, It is so sweet of you to schedule outlet time for your wife. But, I am curious, with all the wonderful shops and shopping on Amelia Island, what could she still want for? I don't know if I'm mentioned this before, but I love your little piece of paradise.

Deborah Horn

In a previous life I was an Umbrian sunflower farmer. I'd like to do a past life regression and stay there.
-----------------------------------
www.petsburg.com

Prada
Localita Levanella SS.69 - 52025 Montevarchi (AR)
055/9789188
Open Monday - Saturday 9:30am - 6
Closed for lunch Monday - Friday 12:30-1:30
Closed for lunch Saturday - 12:30-4:30
Open Sunday 3:30- 6

This one can be really tough to find. We always laugh and tell people just to go through the toll both at the Valdarno exit and wait for a taxi filled with Japanese women to come by, then follow the taxi.

Take the Valdarno exit off of the A-1 Autostrade. Turn right (south) after you go through the toll booth, in the direction of Montevarchi. A few km, then follow the road to the right as it crosses back over A-1. A few more km and you will come to a traffic circle. As you go around the traffic circle, go in the directions of Montevarchi. Go South -ALL THE WAY THROUGH Montevarchi - in the direction of Levanella on Highway #69.
You will eventually come a sign saying you are leaving Levanella – there is also a traffic light here. You’ll also see a “small” sign on your left that says - I Pellettieri d’Italia.
Turn left here and you will pass through alot of warehouses on your left. Go all the way to the back. Prada is in the back of the warehouses on the left.
Prada is now using a “numbering system”, so as to allow only so many people in the store at one time. Be sure to get your number from the little machine on the wall near the front door. There is a small café next door where you can wait, the “next” numbers are displayed there, too.
Great prices, great selection.
There is no signage for Prada – this discount location is called SPACE.

The Mall
Leccio-Reggelo

This is the new hot spot with lots of discount stores and more under construction.

Take the Incisa exit on the A-1 Autostrade. As you exit from the toll booth, turn Right in the direction of Leccio and you will pass back over the A1 highway. The Mall is about 15 minutes from the exit. Stay on the same road all the way, and immediately as you pass through Leccio, you’ll see some 2 story commercial buildings on your left.

You will see a large building for Bottega Venneta and behind it are also stores for Gucci, Armani, Loro Pianna, etc.

ALSO – About 2 km before you arrive at The Mall, you’ll see signs pointing left. They will say Fendi and also Dolce Gabbana. Turn there and you will see Dolce and Gabbana a little up on your left. Fendi is further down on your right, in the back of some warehouses. Both will have signage.

Bill & Patty Sutherland
Tuscan Women Cook
Montefollonico, Italy

During the week of our classes, we take our guest shopping one afternoon. The place everyone likes the very best - at least this is where they spend the most money - is called -

LIBA
Via D'Arezzo, 130/A
Foiano Della Chiana (AR)
055/670126
Take Val di Chiana exit off A-1, turn right in direction of Foiano Della Chiana. About 5-6 km beyond Foiano Della Chiana, just after another store on the right called Rodopel - turn right to Liba, go about 100 meters. You will see a small sign for Liba on the right.
Liba makes the most beautiful shirts and blouses we've ever seen. Armani and Barney's of New York are their top 2 customers. This is NOT an outlet - it is the factory, hence what you will find here is products BEFORE they are even in the retail stores. Items run about 30 - 40 euro here - but are sold in the USA for $200-350.
Pierluigi is the owner - Tiziana is his daugther and both speak excellent English.
Tell them you know "Patty and Bill from Montefollonico" - no one here really knows our last name.

Rodopel
Via di Arezzo, 128/a
52045 Foiano della Chiana
Rodopel is next to Liba and is outstanding for leather clothing and furs. Quality is excellent and prices are very good - also has lots of seconds for outstanding prices.
Ask if Gianni is there - just use "Patty from Montefollonico" here.

Bill & Patty Sutherland
Tuscan Women Cook
Montefollonico, Italy

Cashmere - Exit A-1 (Autostrade) at Val di Chiana and go East in the direction of Perugia. Just beyone Lago Trasimeno, take the Magione exit. Turn East (left) in the direction of Corciano.
After 2-3km, you will see a large new electronics store - UniEuro. Turn right here.
Just as you turn in, you will see a cashmere shop on your right - don't remember name, but excellent quality and OK prices.

Just to the right of this cashmere store - same building - is what appears to be an office building / factory. Go in the door and immediately go in the first door on your left.
This store has the best prices of all. There will be lots of things in brown boxes that you can dig through - the really nice stuff is behind the counter. Don't let the looks of this little place fool you - they produce a huge amount of cashemere for Burberry. This store sells first quality + plus seconds. They will inspect what you purchase - show you any flaw if they find one and price it accordingly.

There are several other great cashmere shops in this area - we'll get back to everyone with exact directions.

Bill & Patty Sutherland
Tuscan Women Cook
Montefollonico, Italy

Mary Jane's Lo ScopriOccasioni - Designer Bargains in Italy is the best book written on outlets in Italy. Pauline posted the website in her post above.

Pauline also mentioned Lillian's trip report which has some great ideas.
Etro is soooo Italian and has the most extraordinary fabrics (expensive) that one could ever imagine.
Loro Piana - Patty has the cashmere shawl, too + Bill has the most unbelieveable overcoat from here.
Frette linens outlet is also great - we usually stock up on table cloths + napkins (less than $1) here.

All the above stores are near Milano - oh yeah - and Armani's main outlet - incredible during Fashion Week.

Bill & Patty Sutherland
Tuscan Women Cook
Montefollonico, Italy

We just got back. Stopped at The Mall and did well at the Armani outlet. The stores are nicer than the typical outlets here. Prices are still not cheap, as they are designer things after all, but bargains can be had. Unfortunately, the other half with Valentino, Zegna, etc. had not yet opened.
Marsha

Scoprioccasioni and the English version, Designer Bargains are both of and by Theodora van Meurs, I was only editing it and contributor. It can be ordered from www.scoprioccasioni.it .I do have a few copies of the English edition for people coming to Rome or Lazio. Its a gold mine...only problem is when we do the up-dates, visits we end up spending in each wonderful place. Mary Jane

Mary Jane
Elegant Etruria: Cultural Holidays - Travel Consultancy

Wow--what a gold mine--grazie to all !
Of course, I do plan to edit these many options. I can take about 2 hours of shopping and then back to the road. We do hope to meet Bill& Patty during our stay at La Costa. We will be there 17&18 Oct. Do you have a class then? And, Deborah,come see us your next time at Amelia--the lack of good shopping is her only complaint about living here.

BOB THE NAVIGATOR
blittle@net-magic.net

I particularly recommend Liba and Rodopel. We went to Prada twice and didn't buy anything. We went to Liba and I came away with five sensational cotton business shirts and from Rodopel Ches now sports the most wonderfully soft leather coat and our DIL a chamois leather jacket from the clearance section that cost 40 euros. Their clearance section tends to be samples from the last season at rediculous prices. Check the opening hours for Rodopel, as they do close for the long lunch. We had no problems with Liba, but had to kill an hour or so in town at a bar waiting for Rodopol to reopen.

"If it isn't true, it's to the point"
Italian Proverb

Has anyone been to McArthurGlen’s Castel Romano Outlet? It's supposed to have opened around October 2003.

If you're visiting northwest Tuscany, pop over the border into Liguria and check out "Victoria Outlet" in Sarzana. It's on Via Aurelia, slightly southeast of the city center. Easy to find off the A12.

I don't recall specific labels, but there was a great mix of designer shoes and clothes for women and men. I found the prices to be lower than Space outside Florence.

I added a map of the area near Perugia and mark the Cashmere shop with a question mark based on the direction from Bill. Everything Bill described seemed to fit the map perfectly, so hopefully I did this right.

Re “Prada outlet”;

We have also used Bill and Patty’s instructions although, coming from Castellina, we had to make some adjustments. If we passed the correct turn and had to come back was not the fault of their directions but ours for missing the turn.

I would like to add a few details:

- There is Lavane, and then there is Lavanella. Lavane is beyond Montevarchi so don’t think that Lavane is shorthand for Lavanella. We did and had to turn back.
- The name of the outlet, as far as we could see, is SPACE.
- We couldn’t find the I Pellettieri d’Italia sign.
- We definitely identified the name of the street at the end of which the outlet is, as “Lavanella-La Lama". There is a street sign with this indication at the beginning of the street, on the right side of the road and finding this sign will provide positive identification.
- We were there on a September Monday morning, at about 10:30 a.m. It was deserted and there were by far more sales clerks than clients.
- The best mindset for that place is to come with the idea that one will buy whatever happens to be on display. As it was explained to us by one helpful sales clerk, they have no idea what merchandise will come in on any given day, so coming there with a specific model of something, colour, size, etc., may not work. Improvising based on availability will.

Hope some one can help. I'm staying in a villa at Montelaguardia about 4km from Perugia.
I can catch bus EO18

now for the rest of my message...don't know what happened.
I can catch a bus from Perugia to Magione...I won't have a car.
Anyone have any directions for me to follow on foot from the train station/bus station to Lamberto Losani (cashmere outlet)

I loved Liba shirt outlet. I ahve three wonderful shirts that would ahve cost as much for one at Barney's as all three were there. I did not like Rodopel however, seemed like a lot of odd constuction in the pieces we liked and the stuff we really thought was well made was out of our price range.

Hello,
Patty & Bill - have you been to the Anteprima Outlet? I found this one at: http://www.outlet-firenze.com/anteprima_outlet.htm

I'm interested if this outlet is worth going to (good selection, good prices) and also if you have some detailed directions on getting there.

Thank you!
Lily