Shopping in Italy – 7 Tips for 2020

Finding Better Things To Buy In Italy

The first thing you need to understand when shopping in Italy is to act like a local. There are areas that are surefire tourist traps, and the last thing you want is to go there. There’s no shortage of exquisite products from this Mediterranean fashion stop, so you need to go off the beaten path.

If you want to fit in, make sure to shop in smaller stores. One of the staples of many shopping tips is to make sure you see the price tags. Price tags should be visible by law to prevent anyone from taking advantage of tourist buyers.

If you can’t find a price tag on the product, inform the store owner or tell the police about it. Many big shopping centers will have higher prices, so you may want to visit independent stores and flea markets.

Find Regional Specialty Products in Italy

When looking for things to buy in Italy, you want to make sure you’re in the right region. Every general region has specific products they specialize in. The best shopping experience is when you know where you can buy the best.

For example, the Rome Shopping District has the best clothing and leather goods. The Amalfi Coast area in Salerno has artisan limoncello and ceramics as its best shopping options. Milan, of course, has high-end clothes as its representatives for the best things to buy in the country.

Check around on which region you can get the best products while shopping in Italy. While most of the products are high-quality, some regions have them in higher value or lower cost.

Understand the IVA Tax

If you’re going to Italy, one of the simplest shopping tips you can follow is taxes. The IVA or the Italian analog of the value-added tax is a way for the government to tax every sale. It goes at a rate of 22%, expected in the price tag already.

It’s crucial to always ask for a receipt from sellers, to make sure you have the IVA paid without issue. Keep it as you leave the store. This prevents anyone to charge you an extra 22% on top of the things to buy in Italy.

Even then, tourists can refund the IVA that they pay in Italy. There are tax refund kiosks in many major transport hubs around Italy. You can find them in train stations, airports, and many crucial stops when shopping in Italy.

If you want the best shopping experience, make sure you understand how the IVA works. Whether you’re on break in Rome or buying presents, knowing what to do helps.

Dress The Part When Shopping

If you’ll go around fashion-conscious Italy, dress the part. Be fashionable, but work on comfort and practicality as well.

When shopping in Italy, you would want to protect yourself from the cold, the sun, and the endless walking. When looking for things to buy in Italy, find the most comfortable set of clothes you can find. Comfy shoes go a long way in this country with many small walkways.

Since the best shopping options are in smaller corner shops, a casual wardrobe is great. Have a scarf ready to protect yourself on winds and cold during winter. Shades are the best during the sunny days of Sicilian summer.

Cash or Credit Card Is Not A Problem

There is no distinction if you are buying by cash or by credit card. Of course, flea markets, small stalls, and corner shops may prefer cash. This is especially true during bargaining situations when shopping in Italy.

Even then, there is not much distinction. If you buy using your card in Italy, you’ll find that you need to sign every transaction. This is a security feature for cardholders if you check for things to buy in Italy.

You need to remember that credit card receipts are not proofs of sale. Always ask for the actual receipt for the best shopping time.

Tipping in Italy

One of the Italy shopping tips you need to remember is tipping. Italy does not have the same tipping culture as the United States. This means you don’t have to tip.

Even then, some small concessions are present. For one, a 10% service charge is typical in many service stores. If you’re eating out, a bread and cover charge is standard even if you didn’t ask for bread.

If you have some small change, it’s good manners to leave them. People tend to do so, even when buying coffee while looking for things to buy in Italy. For the best shopping, check your receipt if there are a service charge and tip where needed.

Shopping Malls in Italy

If you’re looking for shopping malls, you would need to drive out of town. Due to the history of Italy, many of the modern outlets and malls are outside major areas, between 2 to 3 hours out.

Shopping in Italy means street shopping culture. If you want the best shopping, refer to street shops instead. For those who have to go to malls and outlets, getting a cab is your best choice.

VIBE AND KFC PARTNER TO CELEBRATE DADS WITH ‘FRESH FATHERS’ CAMPAIGN

Every year, Dad somehow ends up with a toolset, a gift card, or some high-priced item that screams "I love you, but this is the best I can do with such short notice." Guys love gadgets, so this is your year to really put some effort into this special guy’s gift— even if you only have less than a week to shop. We’'ve even simplified the process a bit by selecting gifts that both seasoned and novice tech enthusiasts can appreciate. Click through our ultimate Father’s Day tech gift guide and find the perfect match for your pop.--Terrance "BrothaTech" Gaines

KFC and VIBE magazine recognize hard-working dads across the country through the new Fresh Fathers campaign, which emphasizes the importance of fatherhood in the urban community. The centerpiece of the program is a contest that allows families and friends to nominate dads for a chance to win a trip to Las Vegas for VIBE’s 20thanniversary,  August 19-21, 2013.

Information about the Fresh Fathers campaign and contest can be found at www.VIBE.com/freshfathers, which launches today.

The contest asks fans of standout  dads to upload pictures and share stories about the fathers they admire. “With Father’s Day just around the corner, this is a perfect opportunity for KFC to recognize all the great dads out there,” said Jason Marker, Chief Marketing Officer for KFC U.S. “We’re thrilled to partner with VIBE magazine to give some of these fathers the recognition they deserve, and we’re always happy to provide a bucket of Kentucky Grilled Chicken to give dads the night off from grilling.”

KFC and VIBE magazine developed a custom video series celebrating famous fathers. The microsite includes an exclusive original series called “The Convo” that features intimate one-on-one conversations with Tyrese Gibson, star of the current box office hit Fast 6. In the segments, Tyrese speaks on his diverse career and dedication to his daughter. “It’s our responsibility as fathers to create the standards in our children’s lives,” said Tyrese.

Other celebrity dads featured on the microsite include Ne-Yo, The Dream, Snoop Dogg, Boris Kodjoe, and Raheem Devaughn. Family members and friends interested in nominating dads for an expenses-paid VIP trip to Las Vegas should visit www.VIBE.com/freshfathers and upload a video or picture with a caption or story that highlights positive characteristics and qualities of a dad. The contest starts June 10, 2013, and ends July 16, 2013. Complete rules are available at the web site.

For dads who need a grill-free night, effective today KFC is offering a Kentucky Grilled Chicken deal for just $3.99 plus tax (for a limited time at participating locations). The meal includes two pieces of KFC’s grilled chicken – famous for its flavorful, fall-off-the-bone taste – one side item and a biscuit.

The first 11 things to do with your iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, or iPhone 11 Pro Max!

We’re turning this one up to 11! Things! To do!

We love the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11, Pro Max. They meaningfully improve on last year’s iPhones, with superb new camera systems, an industry-leading A13 Bionic chip, and longer-lasting batteries.

But when you’ve got a new iPhone in your mitts, what then? (Besides putting it in a case, you loon – unless you want to risk your expensive pride and joy going smash on the concrete during an unexpected trip to the ground.) We’ve come up with the 11 things we reckon you should first crack on with, to fully enjoy all the amazingness at the heart of your new blower.

Need to buy yourself a new iPhone first? We've handpicked the best deals for iPhone 11, 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max.

Phones are valuable, small, and easy to pilfer. So do your best to secure your device – or at least your data.

Head to Settings, and in Face ID & Passcode, have Face ID be used to unlock your phone. In Display & Brightness, set Auto-Lock to 30 seconds unless your iPhone never leaves the house. Ensure Erase Data (scroll down to find this option) is on, which will wipe your iPhone after ten failed passcode attempts.

Check out the new Find My app, which combines location and device tracking. Here, you can set up location tracking for your iPhone, and perform actions on a lost device, including playing a sound, marking it lost, or – as a last resort – erasing it entirely.

TAKE PHOTOS AT NIGHT

Now that’s out of the way, let’s delve into something fun: night shots. Apple’s seriously ramped up low-light capabilities in its new iPhones, and the functionality is dead easy to work with.

Night Mode turns on automatically, denoted by a moon icon. In gloomy conditions, it can also be triggered manually – tap the button and it turns yellow. You’ll get an indication of how long you need to hold your phone still for the snap to be taken, and a preview of what you’ll get.

For typical city or gig shots, you’re talking a few seconds – and, naturally, this mode works best on mostly static subjects. But break out your tripod and point your camera at the night sky, and your iPhone will spend up to 30 seconds taking an arresting photo of the heavens.

MASTER THE NEW CAMERA APP SHUTTER

Smartphone photography is often about immediacy – capturing the moment. But Apple’s Camera made it a faff to switch between shooting stills and videos. No longer. With any iPhone 11, the Camera app apes social media snappers. Hold down the shutter and it transforms into a red record button, and immediately starts shooting video. Apple calls this feature QuickTake.

Let go of the shutter and recording ends. Or drag the record button right to lock it – whereupon you’ll also get a secondary stills shutter. A fan of Burst Mode? That’s still there – you now drag the standard stills shutter to the left for however long you want the burst to last.

USE THE ULTRA-WIDE LENS

Apple’s new iPhones have an ultra-wide camera, letting you capture up to four times more scenes. This can be great with landscapes, and handy when you want a wider shot but lack space to back up.

When using the standard wide lens in the Camera app, you’ll ‘under’ the rest of the interface see a preview of what’s beyond the frame. Tap the .5 button to switch modes. You don’t get the same preview when shooting video, but switching lenses is swift, presenting in footage like an extremely fast, precise manual zoom.

TAKE RIDICULOUS SELFIES

If you spend most of your camera time with it pointed at your face, there are things you’ll love about the new iPhone. The TrueDepth front camera can now record at 120fps, so you can shoot what Apple’s coined ‘selfies’. Don’t blame us – we didn’t come up with the term.

Portrait mode adds a high-key mono effect, which gives you a fighting chance of creating studio-style shots without access to an actual studio. And because, unlike the iPhone XR, the iPhone 11 sports a dual-camera system, it fully supports Portrait mode, rather than being lumbered with the XR’s cut-down take.

DIG INTO REVAMPED APPS

When Apple updates iOS, most app updates are incremental, and some changes are regressions. (The new Mail toolbar is awful.) However, sometimes refreshes prove transformative. For example, the new Photos offers very smartly, thorough editing functionality. Naturally, the powerful A13 Bionic chip inside the new iPhones makes short work of adjustments.

Reminders have hugely improved, ditching the dated card metaphor and emphasizing scheduling and speed (although, irritatingly, you still can’t sort a list alphabetically). Safari warrants a look too – it doesn’t match the iPad version’s desktop-grade smarts, but you can now define settings on a per-website basis, and there’s also a download manager.

TRY APPLE ARCADE

Yeah, we know Apple and games. We were positive, if skeptical – but then Apple Arcade landed and, well, wow. We immediately unearthed five great instant titles, and have found many more crackers since then, such as superb puzzler Pilgrims, shooter Exit The Gungeon, adventure Mutazione, neon rhythm action game Sayonara Wild Hearts, and oddball stealth effort Sneaky Sasquatch.

With the A13 Bionic being the beating heart of the new iPhones, all these games work brilliantly, with silky smooth visuals, and surprisingly booming audio from the speakers. What’s more, you needn’t pay a bean – Apple Arcade’s entirely free for 30 days.

WATCH A MOVIE

An iPhone’s never going to compete with your telly and a top-notch sound system, but the new iPhones do take you a step closer. Apple’s spatial audio system with Dolby Atmos support attempts to provide something akin to surround sound, immersing you in a 3D space.

If you’re armed with an iPhone 11 Pro or Pro Max, the display’s now more geared towards movies as well. When you’re watching HDR10 and Dolby Vision movies, the screen’s brightness can ramp up to an eye-searing 1200 nits. Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) may also help you stream your favorites faster if you’ve got the right kit.

EMBRACE THE DARK SIDE

You’ll get the chance to turn on Dark Mode during iOS 13’s set-up. But if you ignore that prompt, you can turn it on manually in Settings: head to Display & Brightness, and at the top tap Dark. Alternatively, turn on Automatic to have your iPhone switch to Dark Mode during evenings.

When active, Dark Mode reduces eye strain by using mostly black backgrounds, rather than retina-searing white. It all looks rather swish; and with the entire iPhone 11 line sporting black bezels, it often makes screen content seamlessly blend with the device itself.

USE HAPTIC TOUCH

3D Touch is dead. That’s for the best – it never caught on and didn’t even make it to iPad. But if you’ve previously used a flagship iPhone with 3D Touch, you’ll need to make adjustments.

Haptic Touch supports quick interactions, but through a longish press rather than a hard one. So on the lock screen, hold the Camera icon to get at your snapper. In the likes of Mail, long-press for peeking and use a second tap for pop.

Similarly, accessing Home screen Quick Action menus (which now house the Rearrange Apps option) now requires a press of around three-quarters of a second – about 50 percent longer than when using 3D Touch. Just imagine what you could have done with all that extra time!

SWIPE TO TYPE

It’s not like swipe typing is new – SwiftKey and others have offered it for years. But Apple’s keyboard remained stubbornly tied to having you peck at keys, like a Luddite with a BlackBerry.

With QuickPath, you can now swipe in the vague direction of keys, and your iPhone figures everything out. Apple’s implementation of swipe-typing is really good and smartly reasons that if you err, you’ll want the entire previous word removing when you tap delete.

It’s still amusingly puritanical, though, when you want to type something a bit fruity. Depending on your own point of view, that might be a very good thing or ducking annoying.