Italian retail therapy

Haggling in the leather market of Florence- Break out your bargaining skills, the streets around San Lorenzo church are packed with stalls peddling knock-off Gucci scarves, souvenir T-shirts, marbleized paper products, jewelry, wallets, and especially leather—great place to shop for a leather jacket for yourself, and stock up on belts, purses, and wallets as gifts... » more

From the boutiques of the quadilatero d'oro ("Golden Rectangle") district downtown to the suburban outlets of Serravalle, the world fashion capital Milan is a shopper's paradise ... » more

There are more than 1,000 glass shops in the San Marco district alone. That figure is probably not surprising to anyone who has been to Venice, where every little shop and big boutique seems to sport a display of delicate and colorful examples of the glassmaker's art, from intricate inch-high statues to magnificent Murano chandeliers ... » more

Just travel the wine roads of Tuscany, Piemonte, or the Veneto (anywhere in Italy, really), and look for the venditta diretta ("direct sales") signs. Peferably, bring a designated driver so you can freely sample the wares before purchasing ... » more

Rome's famous, massive Sunday flea market sells everything from antiques to old car batteries, comic books to clothing, bathroom fixtures to bootleg CDs ... » more

Both folk and fine, Italy is a land for the most beautiful pottery, with cermaics center that have been famous since Renaissance times, from Faenza near Bologna (whence the term "faience" for a certain type of tin-glazed pottery), Deruta and Gubbio in Umbria, Vietri sul Mare on the Amalfi Coast, Caltagirone in Sicily, and Grottaglie in Apulia.

The town of Omegna on Piemonte's Lake Orta is the unlikely epicenter of Italian industrial design, where 9th century artisan tradition gave rise to the modern giants of homewares: Alessi, Calderoni, Lagostina, Bialetti—and outlet stores for discounts on their designer housewares ... » more