Sales begin in Italy in the summer. When and where is the best time to go shopping in Italy for sales?
When we hear about Italy, not only gorgeous landscapes and world-famous attractions come to mind, but also great sales in Italy. During sales, you can buy clothes and shoes, as well as interior items from the best designers from around the world.
The main thing that distinguishes Italian sales from Russian sales is lower prices for all goods and a huge selection of exclusive items.
As a rule, fashionistas from all over the world come to Italy for sales twice a year. In this article you will find information about which sales are best to attend, when summer sales begin in Italian stores, and when winter sales begin.
In Italy, there are certain times when sales in stores start. Thus, sales in Italy take place in summer and winter.
Is it known exactly in advance when seasonal sales begin?
Summer sales in Italy, according to a long-standing tradition, start in early July. Their duration is usually 60 days from the start date, but it happens that sales come to an end earlier than expected. This is due to the fact that the items that were intended for the current sale have already all been sold.
On sale in Italy you can buy a quality item at a huge discount
During the winter, sales begin on the first Saturday in January each year. It turns out that winter sales in Italy begin when the Christmas holidays end, and Christian Christmas is celebrated just on the start dates of Italian sales, which is why they are sometimes called “Christmas sales.” The planned duration of the sale is the same as in the summer. But its completion also depends on the speed of sales.
It is worth noting that the winter sale begins strictly on the same day in all cities of the country, unlike the summer sale.
Typically, sales dates in Italy are precisely determined and publicized in advance in the media. mass media. Regular stores are prohibited from starting sales earlier or deviating from the specified schedule.
Outlet sales
But sales in Italian outlets may not necessarily begin when in regular stores, for example, winter sales sometimes begin in December. Here you can choose products with a discount on already reduced prices.
You will learn all the details about sales in Italy from the video:
Best days for shopping
You shouldn't go to a sale in its first days. As a rule, these days there is a very large influx of buyers.
Therefore, in the turmoil, most likely, you will not be able to appreciate and discern all the wealth of choice that leading trendsetters will provide you with.
In order to take everything from sales, you need to know that most often stores do not put out all the goods on the first day, they distribute the assortment for the entire duration of the sale in order to update it every week.
Where to go shopping during sales
Once you know when sales start in Italy, you need to find out where they are held.
The sales season in Italy covers all the largest cities in the country, all three parts of the country: center, south and north.
In the center are sales in Rome and Rimini, in the south are Sicily, Naples, Sardinia and, the northern part of sales is represented by Milan, Bologna, Turin, Venice and Florence. And everywhere seasonal sales in Italy begin at the same time, and when exactly is announced in advance in the media.
If you came to an Italian sale for original branded items from the most popular clothing or shoe designers, then you better go to the north of the country. The most popular city among shopping lovers is Milan. This is, in a way, a trendsetter and center of fashion.
Milan is a true paradise for shopping lovers
If you come to Italy for budget shopping, then go to the south of the country. There you will find high-quality copies of brands made by Italian factories.
Store opening hours
As for the opening hours of stores in Italy, they are open from 9 am to 20 pm with a three-hour break from 12-30 to 15-30. In large shopping centers, boutiques are closed on Sunday and Monday morning.
How much money do you need, and are shopping tours profitable?
You can go shopping in Italy on your own. Can you use the services travel agency and book a shopping tour to Italy for sales, the price of such a tour will depend on the location of the sale and the duration of your stay there.
For example, a tour to Rimini for 8 days will cost you from four hundred euros per person. Tours to Milan and Rome will cost more - from eight hundred euros per person for 3 days.
As for prices at sales in Italy, at this time in fashion boutiques you can buy items from the current collection with a 30-70% discount.
The outlets feature models from past collections, which already have discounts from 30 to 70%. During the sales period, seasonal discounts of up to 60% are added to them.
Of course, in any store during the summer and winter sales seasons, both in Milan and in any other city, there are discounts. But the size of the discounts and the variety of assortment depend on the location of the store. For example, if a store is located on a tourist shopping route, then the store will have a narrower assortment and fewer discounts.
Discounts are lower in places popular among shopping enthusiasts
Therefore, shopping will be more successful if you go on it yourself, without the help of a travel agent.
In addition, you can use the services of professional shoppers who are fluent in sales, know all the outlets in the city, and also have an excellent sense of style. This expensive pleasure guarantees you a 100% successful purchase.
What is TAX FREE
If you are a citizen of a country that is not part of the European Union, then you are entitled to a VAT refund if you make a purchase whose price is higher than 155 euros.
In order to avoid red tape when processing this refund, it is better to make purchases in those stores that are part of the Euro Free network.
On the windows of such stores there is a special sticker that informs the buyer that he belongs to this chain.
Some stores refund VAT upon purchase
Items for which you have purchased Tax Free will become much cheaper for you. The tax on clothing in Italy is 12%, and on jewelry and fur generally 35%.
But it is worth noting that jewelry and fur products in Italy are very rarely included in seasonal sales.
Documents, and this is a Tax Free Check with a customs mark, as well as a check and your passport, can be presented at the airport in special point, and immediately receive cash.
Anyone who has never been to a sale in Italy, after listening to a person who came from there, will undoubtedly want to attend this event, because the reviews are always only positive.
Both the prices and the quality of things from Italian sales are just a fairy tale. Many connoisseurs of high-quality clothing and shoes believe that it is better for the item not to be from the latest collection, but made of high-quality material, and this is an original branded item.
Connoisseurs of quality clothing and shoes go shopping to Italy
In addition to the quality of the product, the quality of service in Italy is also top level. Here consultants will never allow themselves to offend or simply respond rudely.
Here you will always be greeted with a smile and will not be left unattended, and the necessary assistance will be provided without any intrusiveness.
Without a doubt, purchases brought from Italy will give you a boost of positive energy until the next sale.
Tourists to Italy are attracted not only by numerous attractions, natural beauty, festivals, etc., but also by the excellent opportunity to replenish their wardrobe with new interesting things. Blogoitaliano has already talked about the features of shopping in Italy in an article, now let’s talk in more detail about sales. During sales seasons in Italy, you can make many very profitable purchases: clothes, shoes and accessories from famous Italian trendsetters are put up for sale at significant discounts.
When are the sales in Italy?
The biggest sales in Italy happen twice a year - in winter and summer. Actually, winter sales are typical for everyone European countries, but only in Italy can you find such stylish things and such attractive discounts. Winter sales in Italy Traditionally, they begin on the first Saturday of January. In 2013, for example, this day falls on January 5th. Stores cannot start sales before the appointed day - this is fraught with serious fines. Summer sales in Italy start at the beginning of July.
The biggest sales in Italy happen in winter and summer
Sales here last, as a rule, 60 days, but actually end a little earlier - when the goods intended for these purposes run out.
What to buy at sales in Italy
First of all, of course, stylish items from famous Italian designers, as well as their equally high-quality, but cheaper analogues produced by Italian factories. The assortment in stores is huge, so the question is: what to buy at sales in Italy, easy to resolve.
During winter sales you can find excellent demi-season coats, jackets, luxurious hats and scarves. Pay attention to leather goods - shoes, wallets, bags, as well as jewelry and costume jewelry. But you shouldn’t buy fur coats during sales - furs are quite expensive, so they are sold either without discounts or with a very slight difference in price. On summer sales in Italy, accordingly, they buy summer clothes.
You can find great jackets and coats at winter sales
Many people mistakenly believe that sales are interesting only in the first days: that’s when, supposedly, all the most interesting models and popular sizes are snapped up. This is far from true: stores often divide the range of goods into parts so that they can update it every week.
In the first week of sales, crowds of people gather in stores, queues form, in the crowd and rush it is not always possible to carefully examine and try on clothes, so there is a danger of spending money on an item that will later disappoint. Discounts at the beginning of sales are small - about 30%, and only towards the end of the season they reach a maximum of 70, and sometimes even 80%.
Knowledgeable people prefer to shop at sales about two weeks after the start - there are few tourists at this time, the assortment is still extensive, and the discounts are quite sensitive.
Sales in Milan are considered the most profitable
You should know that the cheapest things can be bought at - a discount is added to the already reduced price, and as a result the price turns out to be more than attractive. But in stores located on popular tourist routes, discounts are minimal.
Where are the best sales in Italy
Usually tourists try to combine shopping with an excursion program and, when going to sales in Rome, you will definitely be able to combine business with pleasure. famous primarily for branded clothing and shoes. The best luxury boutiques are located on Via del Corso, Via Nazionale, Via Condotti and Via Cola di Rienzo, where a free bus runs during sales periods. In addition, in Rome there are enough shops with average prices and outlets, where items from both famous designers and little-known brands are presented.
Having gone to sales in Rimini, you can have a wonderful relaxation at sea and make some very profitable purchases. People usually go to Rimini to buy bags and shoes, since there are many factories producing these products in the city and its surroundings. Also here you will find a huge range of goods in the mid-price segment: business suits, wedding suits and evening dresses, swimsuits, clothes of non-standard sizes.
Popular shopping area in Milan - Fashion Square
But the most popular and profitable are considered sales in Milan, which we briefly mentioned in . Milan has everything: clothes from luxury brands and little-known young designers, expensive boutiques and mid-price shops. The cult place of all advanced fashionistas is Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II - there are shops of the most famous brands, famous restaurants, exhibitions and concerts. Another popular area in Milan is the so-called Fashion Square, located between Via Sant’Andrea, Via Montenapoleone, Via Della Spiga and Via Manzoni. More affordable brands can be found on Corso Vittorio Emanuele and Corso Buenos Aires.
0
Not many people know that modern Italy is of interest not only to lovers of beach holidays and historical values. In Italy there is a so-called sales period, when each store reduces prices on its range to incredible percentages. This happens exactly twice a year – in winter and summer. And when exactly is the best time to go to Italy for sales, we will tell you further.
Let's say right away that Christmas in Italy is not a time for discounts. Many tourists think that it is during Catholic Christmas that shopping tours take place in this country, when goods are almost worthless. But they are wrong! At Christmas, prices may, on the contrary, rise, as everyone buys gifts for loved ones.
The first sales season in Italy begins immediately after Christmas. And this is not surprising. After all, most people in the country spent money on Christmas gifts. And they simply have nothing to go to the stores with. Therefore, stores reduce prices, and quite significantly, immediately after the holiday. In this way, they attract customers who are happy to come to them for goods several times cheaper than they were before.
This so-called winter marathon of discounts lasts for several months. It usually starts in January - the 7th. And it ends with the beginning of spring - March 1. But the timing is not always precise. It all depends on the store and its owner.
There is also no clear discount percentage. Typically, discounts range from 30 to 70 percent. But there are exceptions, for example, you can’t buy a new dress from a fashion brand at a discount even these days!
By the way!
In Italy it is not customary to bargain. If there is a discount on a product, then there is one. If it's not there, then it's not there. Even if you suddenly find a defect or defect in the purchased item, you are still unlikely to be able to get an even lower price. They will simply overweight such a product and sell it to another buyer who will not be so attentive!
The second stage of sales in Italy begins in the summer, when there are many tourists in the country. They come to beach holiday, so they don't go shopping. A local residents on the contrary, they go on vacation, and they also don’t go shopping. And then price tags with discounts of up to 70% appear in stores again!
Typically, the summer sale in Italy begins in July on the 10th of the month. And it lasts until autumn – until September 1st.
Another difference between a summer sale and a winter sale is that in the summer you won’t buy winter items at a discount. And in winter you won’t be able to buy summer items at a discount. All discounts apply only to clothing for the season in which the sale takes place!
You should also take into account that sales do not start immediately in all cities. As a rule, the first discount stores open in Naples. Then follows the city of Piedmond, and only after it do price tags with discounts appear on store windows in the cities of Rome, Milan and Florence.
If you come to Italy, then do not miss the opportunity to see its sights:
Sights, historical places, cozy beaches... It doesn’t matter at all why you are going to Italy. Girls are girls for that: they always have time for shopping. And if the young ladies happened to come to this country during the sales season or, as the Italians themselves say, “Sconti”... Men, save your wallets and cards while there is something to save. Otherwise, at the airport you will be trying to persuade the cashier to exchange “this beautiful emerald dress from new collection“for two tickets to Moscow or at least just somewhere in Russia.
Actually, that's all men need to know about sales. Now ladies. We have a million important issues to discuss with you. Where and when are the biggest discounts? What to buy in which city? Take a taxi, rent a car or ride like a young doe on your own two feet? Should I hire a translator? Book shopping tours or choose stores yourself? Should you fight with Italian women for the thing you like or will they definitely take it in quantity? Then maybe you should go with your friends? Or should I persuade my husband to jealously guard the selected shoes?
Italy&Russia: whose sales are more interesting?
It’s not hard to guess that sales in Italy are a hundred times larger and more profitable. Why?
Everything is very clear, because here:
- Cheaper.
You can save a measly 15% on clothes even within the Garden Ring. But buying a stylish item at a 50-80% discount is only possible in Europe. Some, of course, manage to purchase an “exclusive from Versace” in Vykhino, but you and I are smart girls, we understand everything, right?
- Better quality.
It is logical to assume that you cannot buy clothes from the latest collections at summer sales. Prices are reduced during the SALE period for a reason: items from previous seasons and models that turned out to be unpopular are sold off. But the quality of products at Italian sales is not satisfactory. There are no models from the latest shows here, but all the sundress cardigans are brand new, made of good materials. These are not “second-hand brands” from the harsh Russian realities, but real Prada, Miu Miu, Gucci and Jimmy Choo.
- And the service is better.
Not a single store here will allow consultants to make sarcastic remarks about a potential buyer. Although if they take a risk, we will remain blissfully unaware, because... Few inhabitants of the post-Soviet space understand Italian at the proper level. Non è vero?
What? Sales! Where? In Italy! When?
The best shopping in Italy happens twice a year:
in winter
And in the summer
And summer ones begin on the first Saturday of August and last until August 30-September 30 (dates may vary slightly for each city).
These dates are important for those who want to stock up on products from luxury brands. If the main goal is simply to replenish your wardrobe with inexpensive and high-quality things, then you can go shopping at any time. Italian outlets, patches and stocks provide discounts all year round. But keep in mind even outlets add another 30-40% to their regular discounts during seasonal sales.
Which city should you choose for shopping?
During sales, discounts will be everywhere, so first you can explore the stores in the city where you are spending your holiday.
Is inexpensive clothing from Italy your main goal? Then remember the rule: “The fewer tourists, the lower the price”. Based on this, choose a city. Available options: , Turin. People traditionally go to Marche for shoes, and to Bologna for furs. If brands are definitely not the main thing for you, then you can look at markets and all sorts of small shops. The prices there are lower, the clothes are “noname”, but there are interesting models, and the quality is quite acceptable.
In Rome, prices will be 2-4 times higher, but the brands there are more famous.
In Italy you can shop profitably in any city. Especially if you do it during sales and wisely.
Albina (39 years old, Voronezh):
“I heard a lot of reviews from a colleague who regularly travels to Italy for shopping, and decided to try it myself. Well, on my own, with a friend, of course.
Let's go to San Marino. It was a shock: a leather bag can be bought for 20 EUR, and a jacket for 100 EUR!!! This is if not branded. Branded items are more expensive, but our prices cannot be compared! I bought everything for myself, for my family and for gifts. I bought Baldinini shoes for my husband for 140 EUR, and a bag for myself for about the same. I bought clothes for my daughter: from 15 EUR. When my husband saw me off, he mentally said goodbye to the family budget, and when he found out how much I spent on 3 bags of shopping, he said that next time he would go with me - he wanted a good sheepskin coat.”
What to buy at Italian sales?
Prices are reduced on everything: leather goods, shoes, bags, jewelry, accessories, outerwear, sportswear, children's clothing. Therefore, make a list of the things you need something like this:
- basic T-shirt, under a jacket (black or beige);
- autumn boots, under a dress, with heels (black or brown);
- dress for my daughter's party (necessarily pink!), etc.
But planning expenses down to the penny is pointless. What if, in an unremarkable outlet, at the seventh hour of excavation, the dress of your dreams jumps out at you? Naturally, it’s impossible not to buy it, so leave some “free” money in your wallet.
Arkady (45 years old, St. Petersburg):
“In the summer, my wife and I went to Rome, completed a cultural program, and on the last day my wife took me shopping. She liked some pink blouse and retired with it in the fitting room. He looks out and says everything is fine: the fabric is natural, the model fits, just a smaller size. I obediently translate. The consultant looked at the blouse for a long time, then said: “Yes, I’ll bring it now,” and went somewhere to the utility room.
We waited for her for about 40 minutes. I was already starting to get furious: it was the last day in Italy, and we, damn it, were sitting in the store and waiting for God knows what. But my wife is almost in tears: she likes the blouse, it’s cheap, and no one will have one like it. In general, women know how to induce panic.
As a result, when the saleswoman returned, my wife happily grabbed her jacket and didn’t even try it on, I paid, and we left. Only at home, in St. Petersburg, they discovered that the model “one size smaller” fits the same as the previous one. We took a closer look and found out that the size tag had simply been altered. The problem, of course, was solved: the wife took the blouse to the tailor and they adjusted the outfit to her figure. But our trust in Italian stores somehow diminished after that.”
5 rules of shock shopping!
- Those who spend less on hotels spend more on clothes! If you are going to constantly shuttle between boutiques, cafes and the nearest beach, then why do you need five meals a day in a hotel, a room with air conditioning, three sofas and a sea view?
- You can, of course, take a taxi or rent a car, but this is not as profitable as it might seem. Firstly, additional costs, secondly, constant traffic jams and detours, and in the case of renting, also worry about someone else’s transport. You can go shopping on foot, the buses have not yet been canceled either.
- Do you want to dress up in a minimal amount of time, without queuing, hustle and bustle? You probably want to go to the darkest places right away, right? Then find yourself a personal shopper or stylist in Italy in advance. His services, of course, are not free, but shopping will be fast and 100% successful.
- Keep your receipts and apply for Tax Free (this is a refund on a card or in cash of 22% of the purchase price). You can apply for the service in stores marked “Global Blue Tax Free Shopping”. The minimum amount for a Tax Free order is 155 EUR (purchases made in one store during the day can be summed up).
- If you are going to a sale to buy shoes or clothing from a specific company, first make sure that it is participating in this action. For example, the popular Louis Vuitton stubbornly ignores all these seasonal discount events. Discounts on fur products also happen infrequently.
Eva (27 years old, Moscow):
“In January 2019, right after the holidays, my husband took me to Italy for sales. More precisely, he was traveling to Milan on some work business, and he called me, knowing that I love shopping. Milan is always trendy models from the latest collections, all brands, the most famous designers and an amazing selection. I don’t remember how much I spent there, the first 5000 EUR was gone literally in one day: a new fur coat and a dress from Dior were worth it. Here in Moscow there are no such models yet, so I’m very pleased, my girlfriends still don’t believe that I managed to buy two such successful things in one day. But I explain to them: “This is Milan, it’s always like that there.”
Julia (41 years old, Krasnodar):
“I really, really wanted to go to Milan, but after reading the reviews, I was afraid to go there for shopping. Everyone said that the prices were crazy, there was no benefit, only new expensive models and all that. But I still really, really wanted to go there. My husband decided: in the winter he bought tickets and said, “Let’s go, at least we’ll see the city.” The city turned out to be amazing, but that’s not about that now. It turns out that you can also skimp there normally if you want. We went to the outlets. Yes, it’s not easy to choose the sizes, yes, there are a lot of people, yes, in order to have all the sizes, you have to guess and come to the delivery. But real (!) branded (!) items at prices starting from 20 EUR! They immediately bought my husband a cool leather jacket from (for a second!) Roberto Cavalli for 100 EUR, I bought jeans from Calvin Klein for 25 EUR and a crazy coat from Armani for 150 EUR! They brought my daughter a huge soft toy of Mickey Mouse (my daughter is 20 years old, but it was her childhood dream), bought for 25EUR! In general, now I tell everyone about Milan, but no one believes me when I talk about prices there.”
Now you can make up your own “”, ignoring the paid “advice” of the tour operator. And you won’t have to travel around the country in a panic in search of that perfect dress and ankle boots to go with it, because you already know where to look for unique outfits.
So ladies, go for it! Make a shopping list and go! The right sizes for you, huge discounts, successful shades of gray. And woe to those Italians who dare to stand in your way! We put out fires at our leisure, stop our horses, and why don’t we fight for the blouse we like?
Tina Krainichenko
Shopping in Italy is the cherished dream of fashionistas all over the world. What could be better than the colorful windows of designer boutiques? Only purchases during the discount season. In Italy, official (Sconti) and private sales (Promozioni) are held. The first ones last two months, are approved by the government and, since 2011, have a unified national schedule, for non-compliance with which fines are levied on the store administration. The second are hidden sales for their clients, usually starting a month before the official ones.
Sales in Italy in 2017
The largest and most generous are, of course, seasonal sales in Italy. Winter 2017 will be very fruitful. When discounts in Italy just begin, you can count on a 20% discount, a month later - by 50%, and by the end of Sconti, stores will offer the full 70%. A special feature of the sales season in Italy is that goods disappear from shelves very quickly. Therefore, if you are planning to make major purchases, do not delay shopping. Chasing the most “delicious” sales, you risk ending up with not “sweet” leftover goods, and given that local fashionistas will begin to buy new collections in advance, visiting closed sales in Italy, winter 2017 will be fruitful only in January, in February, running sizes interesting models are already sold out. In general, you can’t hesitate in Italy, either don’t miss the day when sales begin (in winter 2017 this date is set for January 5), or come shopping a month earlier and use the services of a professional shopper. Accompanying a guide will cost you a lot (in Milan - up to € 400, in Rome and Palermo - up to € 300, in Naples, Bologna, Genoa and Turin you can bargain for € 200), but if you plan to seriously update your wardrobe, the services of a shopper will pay off for you his personal discounts. By taking advantage of his discount, you can get a 20-40-60% discount during a hidden sale in Italy.
Summer 2017 will begin for shopaholics on July 3. The period of summer discounts will last 2 months, but again, you shouldn’t delay your purchases. In the second half of August, a relatively boring choice usually remains in Southern Italy (Naples, Catanzaro, Bari, Potenza), Sardinia, Sicily and Valle d'Aosta. During Milan, the most valuable and exclusive things disappear from the boutiques even before the end. Don’t forget also about closed sales in Italy; summer 2017 for discount owners starts in early June.
It’s up to you to decide when it’s better to go to sales in Italy in 2017, it all depends on your goals, scope, and shopping budget. Remember that the increase in discounts is inversely proportional to the range of remaining goods. As for choosing a destination, it is advisable to buy outfits from famous couturiers during the season, and more budget brands are better represented in Rome, Turin, Bologna, Naples and Florence. And finally, no matter which method of traveling to sales in Italy you choose, shop or independent shopping, we wish you successful shopping!
