Once you’re living there full time, shopping in Italy becomes more than a pastime – it forms part of your weekly routine. From designer outlets near Milan to your local bakery, understanding how retail works helps you settle in and spend wisely.
If you already know your way around your chosen region, you’ll also know that shopping habits vary between north and south, city and countryside. As a homeowner, you’re not just browsing for souvenirs – you’re sourcing furniture, tracking down decent tea bags and figuring out when the supermarket shuts for lunch. Here’s what you need to know.
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Clothes shopping in Italy
Italy’s global reputation for fashion is well earned. Brands such as Gucci, Prada, Armani and Dolce & Gabbana are headquartered here, with Milan widely regarded as the country’s fashion capital. Milan Fashion Week is organised by Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana, underlining the city’s long-standing role in the industry.
If you’re buying property in northern Italy, you’ll have easy access to Milan’s flagship stores and designer districts such as the Quadrilatero della Moda. Rome and Florence also offer high-end boutiques alongside independent Italian labels.
For more practical purchases, every major city has familiar European high street names and modern shopping centres. Retail parks and outlet villages – often just outside urban areas – can offer significant reductions on previous seasons’ designer stock. Serravalle Designer Outlet in Piedmont, for example, is one of Europe’s largest outlet centres.
In smaller towns, choice narrows. You may need to drive to the nearest provincial capital for specialist items, particularly if you’re furnishing a new home. Many buyers factor this into their property search – proximity to a good retail hub can make daily life simpler.
Food shopping the Italian way
Food shopping is where daily life in Italy really stands out.
Weekly fruit and vegetable markets are common in towns and villages. Here you can buy seasonal produce, local cheeses, cured meats and fresh fish. Prices are often competitive, especially for what’s in season.
Supermarkets – even in small towns – typically have staffed counters for cheese and salumi, plus in-store butchers and fishmongers. Quality expectations are high. As a result, you’ll notice careful selection of fresh meat, ripe tomatoes and regional specialities.
Bread is usually bought daily from a local bakery. Instead of pre-sliced loaves, you’ll find crusty rolls, round loaves and focaccia sold by weight. It’s a habit that many overseas buyers quickly adopt.
Tea drinkers may struggle with limited choice in mainstream supermarkets, while coffee dominates. UHT milk is widely stocked, partly because it keeps longer, especially in warmer regions.
And then there’s gelato. Almost every town has at least one gelateria producing fresh ice cream in-house. It’s an affordable pleasure and part of the social fabric – particularly during summer festivals and evening passeggiata.
Fitting out your Italian home
Once you’ve bought your place, shopping in Italy shifts from fashion and food to furniture, appliances and all those practical items you suddenly realise you need. From kitchens and sofas to sun loungers for the terrace, you may find that prices are lower than in your home country – and buying locally is often cheaper than shipping everything over.
Major retailers such as Ikea, Leroy Merlin, Mondo Convenienza and Amazon Italy make it straightforward to order online and arrange delivery, even in smaller towns. However, electrical compatibility, kitchen packages, mattress sizes and Italy’s standard 3kW domestic power supply are all things you’ll want to understand before you start filling your basket.
VAT and tax-free shopping
Italy’s standard rate of VAT – known locally as IVA – is 22%, as set out by the Italian Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate). As a resident homeowner, this is simply part of the ticket price on most goods.
If you’re visiting Italy and are not a resident of the EU, you can still claim back a portion of the VAT (known locally as IVA) on eligible shopping purchases when you leave the EU. Italy’s standard VAT rate is 22%, but only part of that is typically refundable after service fees are deducted. Under the current rules, the minimum spend to qualify for a VAT refund is €70.01 (including VAT) per purchase, per store.
To be eligible you must:
- Live outside the European Union
- Spend at least €70.01 in one store on the same day
- Have the goods exported out of the EU in your personal luggage (usually within three months)
- Request the tax-free form at the time of purchase and present it — along with the goods and your passport — to Italian customs when you leave the EU
Tax-free refunds are processed through a validated tax-free form and can be claimed at the airport before departure or after customs validation via the refund operator you used in store.
Queues at airport customs desks can be lengthy in peak season, so allow extra time. If you’re relocating permanently, remember that once you become resident you’re no longer eligible for tourist VAT refunds.
Online shopping and rural living
If your home is in a rural area – perhaps in Le Marche, Puglia or inland Sicily – online shopping can be a lifeline. Most major Italian retailers offer home delivery, and courier services are generally reliable even in smaller comuni.
Ordering from the UK or elsewhere outside the EU is treated as an import. VAT and, in some cases, customs duties are payable on goods entering Italy from non-EU countries. Before clicking ‘buy’, check the total landed cost and whether the item is permitted for import.
For British favourites that are hard to find locally, specialist expat food websites exist, but delivery charges and import fees can add up. Many long-term residents adapt their habits instead – particularly when it comes to food and drink.
Opening hours and shopping etiquette
Shop opening hours still reflect traditional patterns, especially outside major cities. Many independent stores open around 8am or 9am, close for lunch between roughly 1pm and 3pm, then reopen until 7pm or 7:30pm. Larger supermarkets and shopping centres in urban areas are more likely to stay open all day and may trade on Sundays.
As a homeowner, you’ll soon learn the local routine. Turn up at 2pm expecting to buy paint or light fittings in a small town and you may find the shutters down.
It’s also common to greet staff when you enter and leave a shop. A simple “buongiorno” and “arrivederci“ goes a long way in building rapport – particularly in smaller communities where you’ll see the same faces each week.
Making shopping part of your new life in Italy
Once you own a home in Italy, shopping becomes less about indulgence and more about integration. You’ll learn which market stall sells the best pecorino, which outlet is worth the drive and when to avoid the supermarket on a Saturday afternoon.
Understanding how retail works – from IVA rules to opening hours – helps you budget realistically and settle in faster. And that confidence is part of what turns a property purchase into a genuine home.
Frequently asked questions about shopping in Italy
If designer fashion is your priority, Milan and the wider Lombardy region offer the greatest concentration of luxury brands and outlet centres. Rome and Florence are strong contenders for a mix of high-end labels and artisan goods. For food markets and regional specialities, smaller towns across Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany and Campania are hard to beat.
Italy is best known for fashion, leather goods, shoes and jewellery, along with high-quality food products such as olive oil, pasta and regional wines. Furniture and home design are also significant sectors, with Milan hosting the annual Salone del Mobile, one of the world’s leading furniture fairs.
Well-known Italian brands include Gucci, Prada, Armani, Dolce & Gabbana, Versace and Valentino. You’ll also find more accessible labels such as Max Mara, Calzedonia and OVS. In everyday life, Italians mix international high street brands with homegrown names.
