**Paging Independent Gal**

[Jaders731]

IG-

You mentioned in a yummy Shoe thread back in July that you got your Prada pums at the Factory Outlet in Italy..

Do you know where this is??? I have a friend going next month and was VERY interested!

Any info you have would be greatly appreciated...

Thank you soooo much!

 

[luckystar112]

I'm not IG (obviousy) but I know that the Prada outlet is in between Rome and Florence.

Edit: You probably already knew that from the thread.

 

[Independent Gal]

Well, don't I feel special! I look up all the details for you. They're on this machine somewheres.... Here we go!

1) The town closest to the Prada outlet is called Montevarchi and it is in the province (province?) of Arezzo. You can get there on the train line between Florence and Rome. It's about 40ish minutes from Florence and closer to 90 minutes from Rome if I recall correctly. Arezzo the town, by the way, is beyond charming. I stayed there once for a few weeks and I think Pandora (on here) lived there for years. Definitely worth an overnight, and makes for a great base for a day of outlet shopping.

2) When you arrive in Montevarchi, there should be taxis outside. There will probably also be other tourists there looking for a cab to the outlet. Sharing is a good idea since the ride costs about 15 euro. Tell the taxi driver you want to go to the 'Space Outlet'. That's what it's called. And they have Prada, Miu Miu, Jil Sander, etc. Mostly about 70-80% off.

Now, tell your friend that she must arrive a bit before they open and ages before they open in the high summer season unless she wants to be mobbed! You take a number when you get there and they let in a certain number of people at a time. If she goes on a Tuesday, e.g., earlier in the morning, she'll have more fun. I think they open at 10am.

3) It's a good idea to make an arrangement with the taxi driver for return transportation to make sure you have a timely ride back to the station. Or, the staff at Prada can call you one, but it's faster if you call yourself.

OK, now that's only the first part of the good news. The second part is that about 20 minutes drive (or take the train a couple more stops) from the Prada outlet is the most beautiful outlet complex EVER complete with orange trees and Tuscan scenery where you can go to lovely little shops along a boardwalk that are outlets for: Gucci, Armani, Yves St Laurent, Sergio Rossi, Loro Piana, Bottega Veneta, Ferragamo, Valentino, Ungaro, Zegna, La Perla, Hogan, Tod's, Agnona, Fendi, I Pinco Pallino, Marni, Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney, Yohji Yamamoto, Y-3, Balenciaga, and (breath) Pucci. That complex is called "The Mall". It's mostly outdoor and leeeeervely.

I think about half my wardrobe comes from there. I got a wool YSL dress for $60 that's one of my winter work staples. So couture! So lovely! So redonkulously inexpensive!

There's also a Dolce and Gabbana outlet on the road to the station.

It should be easy to get directions from the Prada staff to get to 'The Mall'.

OK, hope that helps. Let me know if your friend has q's. If she's budget traveling, I can give her the name of a wonderful place to stay in Arezzo, e.g..

 

[Jaders731]

OMGosh.. IG you are such a doll!!!

I am going to print this out for her.. and she is going to be sooo flippin excited!!! thank you thank you thank you...

She is most definitely NOT a bargain shopper... LOL.. but.. you throw out names like Prada, Valentino.. D&G.. holy cow.. her eyes are gonna bug out of her head.. LOL.. and goodness.. I hope she brings me a "finders fee" LOL...

She is going on a 14 day Mediterranean cruise!!! and the ship is in a new port everyday.. sooo... I know she is setting out to shop once they hit Italy...

Thank you sooo sooo much for the info.. she is going to be sooo excited!

Thank you tooo Lucky for chiming in!!!

 

[Independent Gal]

Errrrr.... how long will they be in Italy and where will they be docking? These outlets are a full day endeavour so it may not be feasible if she's on a cruise and is only off the ship for a day.

ETA: Or did you mean Italy is after the cruise is over?

 

[Jaders731]

Hmm.. I will have to ask her.. I was pretty sure she told me they had a complete 10 hours in every port.. so.. I''ll have to check...

I''m getting sooo jealous now.. but I know that my Europe trip is coming next March.. so I''m just being patient...

 

[Independent Gal]

Depending on the port, 10 hours might be a stretch! If you can find out from her what port it is, I can probably help give her a sense of whether it''s feasible or if it would be too stressful. I know the country''s geography pretty well and am pretty handy with Italian train schedules if I do say so myself!

 

[Jaders731]

Thanks again IG..

I am having lunch with her today.. so I will get all the particulars, and let you know...