Accompanied by seasoned local shoppers this tour is based in tranquil Umbria to indulge in a villa cooking class and the cool countryside, then into Tuscany where we visit designer outlets as well as the shopping indulgence that is the city of Florence itself.

• The Luisa Spagnoli and Maria Ripabianca factories in Umbria
• Deruta for ceramics and Perugia with it fascinating shopping streets
• Prada's Space outlet near Arezzo, and The Mall near Florence
• Florence's enormous range of fascinating shops, the Ponte Vecchio and San Lorenzo leather markets

2 nights in San Giovanni Valdarno in a fabulous 4 star villa complete with indoor swimming pool, spa renaissance garden and antiques. Close to Florence yet perfectly situated between the outlet shopping opportunities and providing a sheltered vine draped cloister for our much needed relaxing dinner at the end of each day.

3 nights in Florence. We stay in the very centre of the city in a 4 star hotel close to shops, markets and restaurants

The cost of the tour is EURO 2220 / AUD 3700 per person in twin share accommodation. A deposit of EURO 600 per person is required to reserve a place on the tour. This deposit is non-refundable unless the tour is cancelled. A limited number of single supplements is available at an additional cost of EURO 500 /AUD 850 in a double room, single use.  Final payment is due by 60 days before the tour. The tour is costed on a minimum of twelve (12) people travelling and is limited to the 10 rooms we have reserved for the tour. Subject to lower tour numbers the price may vary slightly. You will be notified immediately of any change.

• 7 nights accommodation (3 B&B, 3 HB, 1 FB)
• Transport in comfortable air-conditioned coaches
• Visits to the outlet villages of Valdichiana, The Mall, and Barbarini in Tuscany
• Individual designer factory outlets including Luisa Spagnoli, Prada, Maria di Ripabianca, Roberto Cavalli & Dolce e Gabbana
• A guided shopping excursion in Florence
• The services of a tour guide throughout

• Airfares
• Travel insurance (this is a pre-requisite of participation in the tour)
• Entry fees to places other than those specifically mentioned on the itinerary
• Meals not specifically mentioned in the itinerary
• Optional excursions may be offered which are not included in the tour price
• Drinks outside normal meal times, or additional wine in restaurants
• Personal transport costs, phone calls or tips

Vat refunds ~ If you are doing some real shopping, you must spend over 170 Euro in one store to get the tax rebate. They give you a form, you hand it in at the Vat refund desk at the airport. This is located past the check-in and you must have the goods you purchased with you.

Stores close in the afternoon ~ Usually from 1pm to 4pm. In larger cities they may only close for an hour or two, and in Florence many stay open right through. After opening at 4pm shops stay open until 7 or 8pm.

Be prepared for queues in Rome outside the main designer shops as the sales season begins. Also weekends at the outlets can be hectic.

Don't expect low prices like you find in Australia with its easy access to Chinese manufacturing. There are rigorous protests to keep Chinese priced products out, and the Italian designers use labels proudly declaring Italian manufacturing, but these of course escalate the prices enormously compared to what we are used to in Australia. A bargain pair of Prada shoes could come down as low as 100 Euro but expect prices more like 200 Euro, and that would be with the 30% or 50% discount. See this comment pulled of the web.

"The Gucci outlet is in a mall together with other designer outlets, like Armani, Fendi, Marni, Giorgio Armani, La Perla, Yves Saint Laurent and Sergio Rossi. I went there in August and summer sales where going on. All the shops had good bargains on women's shoes. Gucci for instance had several very high heeled sandals for 80 Euro. Armani had some good deals on clothes, and his younger range Marni has a superb selection. One of the shops nearby has a selection from Stella McCartney which I loved, and I found a beautiful pair of shoes at the Sergio Rossi for 70 Euro. However most of the stuff is still pretty expensive. Sure, a bag for 500 Euro that originally cost more than 1000 Euro is a great bargain, but still to much for me. We also went to the Dolce Gabbana Outlet about 5km away, which is pretty large. The prices there were just too high, but still worth having a hunt through, and just wonderful to try the things on."

• Shopping is the infinite capacity to take pains
• There is always room at the shop
• Shopping men tell no tales
• Shopping is stranger than fiction
• The husband is always last to shop
• The customer is always shopping
• A little shop is a dangerous thing
• Empty shops make the most sound
• You cannot run with the hares and shop with the hounds