Women Travelers - Italy - shoes & purses

Going to Rome for about 9 days. Planning 3-4 days in Rome and then some traveling around, not sure where yet.

Here's the important question - would I be a fool to buy any shoes here before I go or should I wait until I get there. Thinking of Italy as shoe and purse mecca but I'm also susceptible to sticker shock. ;)

Any input on great places to shop? Not looking for super-high end stuff but I do like my toys.

Florence is the meca for leather anything and everything. Cheap, quality products - GET THERE!

Just be wary of the <removed by moderator for TOS> dudes hanging around the markets trying to get in your face and sell you poor quality articles.

I find Florence a tough place to buy leather in unless you really know your leather goods or stick to the well-known designer shops, which won't be great bargains. You will be confronted with person after person who will tell they sell wholesale to <insert Neiman-Marcus, Saks, Bloomingdales, etc. here>, but because you're such a lovely person, they'll take you to their showroom and give you the same wholesale deal they give the stores. Don't do it. Usually they're selling cheap leather at prices beyond it's real value.

Rome has Bottega Veneta, Tod's and other designer leather products. You probably won't find an amazing bargain, but you may find something that's a little less than in the U.S. Ferragamo (they're all over Italy) has a sale in July, but you'll probably find just as good or better sales on their products at home.

The real key to buying high-quality handmade Italian shoes is to find the outlet centers and company-owned/operated wholesale stores. They have excellent sales. I regularly find deals more than 70% off the retail price. A search online, or chatting up some FT'ers who live in FLR region, should give you some info on where exactly to go.

This will help you with outlets in Rome (and other cities in Italy). Sales are better, IMO. The Fendi sale is also in July.

http://www.made-in-italy.com/shopping/stores/stores.htm#rome

Hate to say it, but, IMHO, you should buy before you go. The Euro is still way high and shoes are cheaper (lots) in the US.

You may get somewhat more "advanced" style stuff in Italy but you will pay big bucks and take the risk that the different Euro sizing will give you shoes you can't wear.

As I was hoping, great advice all around. Thanks ladies, especially for the tips on where to go to look. I'm a pretty disciplined window shopper - love to look but don't really like to part with my cash so I think I'll go to some of the places mentioned and linked to and just play. If I fall head over heels, so to speak, done. Otherwise, it's like a day at the museum for me. :D

I bought a purse in Florence once, didn't see that style in the US until much much later, and sort of liked that it wasn't any particular identifiable brand. I'm not anti-brand, just can't afford to get caught up in the name-game. If asked, it was "just a little something I picked up in Florence". Still snobbery, I suppose.

I would love to find a great pair of shoes I can wear traveling which go with everything and are eternally comfortable. I don't ask for much, do I? :D
When I travel, I get a kick out of watching what locals and travelers of various nationalities are wearing. I don't mean the old "sneakers/tevas/socks w sandals" thing - I think that horse has been beaten to death. I just like to see what normal medium-stylish women wear. Oh, how I love the shoes!

Going to Rome for about 9 days. Planning 3-4 days in Rome and then some traveling around, not sure where yet.

Here's the important question - would I be a fool to buy any shoes here before I go or should I wait until I get there. Thinking of Italy as shoe and purse mecca but I'm also susceptible to sticker shock. ;)

Any input on great places to shop? Not looking for super-high end stuff but I do like my toys.

OKAY, I know you are going to ROME so this may not help you, but just know that outside of all of the big Italian cities are outlets that carry the same high end designer goods at 40 - 75% off. Milan is a great example because it is such a huge fashion capital. If you drive 40 minutes over to Switzerland there's an outlet called FOX TOWN (I know, the name is so funny) and it looks just like an American-style shopping mall. But, it has only high-end Italian designer stores. I got a Gucci bag there that was $1,400 in the states for $290. It's UNREAL. So for Rome, ask locals about designer outlets outside of the city.
Diane

I was contemplating doing the same thing as you, because I am going on a trip to Italy in a week, and it would be neat to pick up some nice Italian shoes on the trip.

However, one thing that I was thinking about that made me reconsider my plan was the fact that it could be mighty uncomfortable to do all that walking and sight-seeing in shoes that have not been properly broken-in.

Granted, there are some shoes that I can wear directly out of the box and be just fine, but still...

It might not be a big deal to you, but just one more point for you to consider, I guess.