Venice

If you've come to Venice thinking that you won't be able to do a bit of designer shopping, think again! Just like in every major Italian city, you get the big fashion brand names here too. For label clothing shopping, the best area is that around the Piazza San Marco, where you can find Versace, MaxMara, Gucci, Armani, Louis Vuitton, Prada and numerous more big names. If you want to shop for clothing or accessories, though, you don't necessarily have to shop through the biggest names in fashion - in the Campo Santo Stefano and Calle della Mandola, you can get less famous or local boutiques, but you can find some excellent quality and/or unique items such as clothes, shoes, wallets, or handbags.

Watch out also for the hand-made paper and the exquisite miniature buildings made by Moro. Watch out for fakes; Moro "signs" his name on the back. Also, beware of fakes and "free" trips to neighboring Murano for its famous glass. See article for details.

Tourist Traps: "Coloured Pasta" and "Venetian Limoncello" not the original napolitan one are not Italian food, no Italian would ever eat them, they are particularly made for tourists, only buy typical regional Italian food in food shops and always check the labels to discover where they have been made. In case it is not stated on the label, avoid the purchase.

Francis Model

Locally made leather bags. Exceptional craftsmanship. There are reports that some travellers were cheated in this store, by being told that transaction didn't occur while using their credit card, and demanded cash while in fact transaction did occur properly and thus having made the travellers pay for the same item twice.