Florence Outlet Shops?

Question

Is it worth taking the trouble to visit the BRAND outlet shops in Florence Italy. If so where are they and what is the best?

Answer 1

There are two larger outlet malls in the Florence area.

One is about a half hour south of the city, known as The Mall and has outlets such as Armani, Gucci, Tod's, Ferragamo to name a few. Nearby are also outlets for Prada and Dolce & Gabbana in separate facilities.

Here is a link for infomation about the malls (this is a place that offers tours, but you don't have to take them to get there). http://www.intuscany.net/guides/shopping...

About 45 minutes north of Florence is Barberino is another larger outlet mall. I have actually never been there but from the looks of it and the lists of the stores, it seems more like an American-style outlet mall. Here is a link to their site: http://barberino.mcarthurglen.it/index.p...

I've heard from people that have gone and like it a lot, so with the bigger choice of stores this may be more worth the trip.

As far as to whether it is worth going to these places...well, that's kind of a personal choice. Are you a hard-core fashionista? Well, then it is probably worth your while. Especially if you go during sale time -- end of July, beginning of January -- when you can get even better deals. But remember a lot of this stuff is high fashion, highly-priced merchandise so even with the discounts you are spending (think 70 percent off a 1,000 euro leather bag and you get the idea) and sizes are often for model figures.

I try to go out during the sales because occassionaly you get a good deal and it makes it worth it and it's a good time to stock up on Christmas gifts. But beware too that you'll be hit with customs charges if you partake too much.

Just a note, neither place is reached conveniently by public transportation. You can rent a car or get a car and driver or go on one of the many shopping tours offered in town. Check out www.florenceforfun.org--I think they offer trips to both places or at least can tell you who does.

Answer 2

I've lived about 2 hours north of Florence for 9 years and have never heard of anyone actually going to the outlets to shop, but Milan is just as close. There are several tour companies that offer trips from the hotels to the outlets. There is also information how to get to the outlets via train or bus at:

http://www.tours-italy.com/florence/outl...

There are links to the websites for some of the outlets (Dolce & Gabbana, Roberto Cavalli, the School of Leather, ...) at:

http://www.outlet-firenze.com/

the mall website is still under construction but most of the rest are active.

You can find reviews of the outlets in the Florence travel guide under shopping in Florence at virtual tourist: http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Eur...

Answer 3

there is one big in Barberino di Mugello..it isn only one outlet it's a place where you can find many of them