STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

I lived near Venice for 3 years, and the shopping there is incredible.  So is Florence.  Can't remember where Missoni is in those cities, but they have everything, and you'll find the big stores like Missoni easily.  Shopping is VERY easy to do there!  One thing to remember is that August is "vacation month" for most of the country, so you might run into a lot of stores being closed.  Not as much in the the big touristy areas of cities as in the smaller ones, but in the town I lived in, it seemed like 60% of the town was closed for the month.  The heat gets pretty bad, but in big cities, there are lots of ways to get out of it.  You'll definitly find the best shopping in August in the bigger cities, and if you want to venture out to a spefic store or outlet outside of town, I'd try to find out ahead of time if they're even open.  Can't wait to see your purchases.  I miss Italy sooo much, so I want you to post lots of pictures, okay?

I have a couple free minutes, so I thought I'd give you some more info:

If you get a chance to go to Siena, the pottery shops are amazing!  Tresori di Siena and Ceramiche Artiste di Siena are two good stores, although there are many.    I have many pieces from there, and they are stunning.  Well worth the $$$.  Siena is a great day trip from Florence and you must drive along SS 222 through the Chianti region.  I'm sure there will be plenty of stores open to purchase pottery.   Oh, and if you drive there, from Florence on the way to 222, there's a replica of The David atop a hill overlooking the city.  Fabulous view.  Easy to find, most Florentines would know where it is.  I think it's the only exact duplicate in the world.  I second shopping for leather in Florence.

And Venice.  So so so many beautiful shops.  Very overpriced, though.  Don't expect to get a good deal on Italian designer clothing (or anything there).   I just loved shopping there, but not for anything ordinary that I could get where I lived.  Shoes were my weakness when I went into Venice.  And local art that you can buy on the street.  I have so many great pictures from street artists. 

That's all the shopping info I can think of right now.  If you have any more questions about anything else, just ask!  I'm so jealous of you!!!