Summer Sales in Italy
July in Italy is synonym with Sales (Saldi in Italian)! Indeed, the favorite period for shopping lovers usually starts on the first Saturday of July and last until late August or the first days of September. You’ll see SALDI everywhere, so you’ll learn it quickly, it’s plastered in every shop window along with whatever percentage discount they’re currently offering. The specific dates for each sales period change each year, and they vary by region, so you may find the sales already in full swing in Milan but a few days away in Rome. Everyone puts inventory on sale even high-end designers. The boutiques, however, sometimes have invitation-only sales for their repeat customers first, with the leftovers made available to the masses afterward. Typically, the prices continue to drop during the sales period, so some shoppers will hold out until the bitter end to get the best deal. The trade-off, however, is that the selection dwindles, too. You might find a killer deal on a pair of shoes, for instance, but only find it comes in one size that’s way too big for you.
Where to Go Shopping in Italy Pretty much everywhere you go throughout the country there will be some shopping opportunities – after all, shopping isn’t just a vacation pastime, it’s something the residents need to do, too. In larger cities you’ll find department stores, boutique shops, and periodic open-air markets. In smaller cities and towns you might not find the big department stores, and not every small town has its own market, but then there’s usually one in a nearby town. The deals are apt to be infinitely better at the open-air markets and sometimes at the small shops than the department stores. Shopping opportunities are available year-round in Italy – even the open-air markets run all winter long – so you’ll be able to hunt around for that perfect souvenir no matter when you visit.
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