dreamITALY103 1/15/03 3:20 PM Page 1 INSIDE: Italy in America 3 The Details My Favorite Venetian 4 Rome’s Hotel Restaurants 6 Mount Etna Awakes 8 Prada Outlet News, Tips, Deals and Events 10 LOCATION: Levanella Spacceo, Strada Statale 69, Montevarchi Phone: (39) 055 978-94-81 dream of HOURS: Monday - Saturday, 9:30 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. and Sunday, 2:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. DRIVING: From the A1 motorway, take the exit marked Baldano. Follow the signs for Arezzo and then for Montevarchi. You will pass through a series of traffic lights and there will be a warehouse/factory on your left. That’s Prada. There is no sign on the building; just follow the people. TRAIN: ITALYVolume 2, Issue 1 www.dreamofitaly.com January/February 2003 Take the train from Florence’s Santa Maria Novella Station to Montevarchi (1 hour) and continue by taxi (about 20 minutes) to the outlet. Bargains Abound at the Prada and Gucci Outlets Gucci Outlet he build-up is intense. First you Again, by shrewd planning on the part have to find the elusive of Prada, there’s a café on-site for you Prada Outlet (officially called to patronize while you wait. In Space) among the nondescript addition to the very good Tbuildings in the town of food, the café serves up Montevarchi, 45 minutes from some fine people watching. LOCATION: Via Europa 8, Leccio, Florence. Prada doesn’t put any sign Many of the customers, Reggello 50060 Phone: (39) 055 865-77-75 on the warehouse where it houses its Asians, Americans, Brits HOURS: Monday - Saturday, outlet, and the directions it gives out and Italians alike, are 10 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. and aren’t much help either. Luckily, any dressed in their Prada best Sunday, 3:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. good citizen of Montevarchi knows the and some look like they are place and has probably been asked about to walk down the run- DRIVING: From the A1 motorway, take about it a thousand times already. way. But then there’s also the exit marked Incisa. Stay on the right the usual tourists in shorts towards Pontassieve until reaching Then there’s the whole issue of taking and sneakers. And don’t worry, as you Leccio. Soon after passing the center of a number. Prada allows only 100 shop- eat, you can stare longingly at the Leccio, The Mall will be on the left. pers inside at one time and averages monitor, indicating the number of the TRAIN: Take the train from Florence’s about 1,000 visitors a day. So it next group to go inside, willing it to Santa Maria Novella Station to Rignano employs a rather space age looking move faster. sull’Arno and continue by taxi (about 5 computerized counter to allot numbers minutes) to Leccio. SHUTTLE BUS: to those shoppers raring to get inside. Once inside, it’s hard to choose which There’s a daily service from Florence to The wait time can be just a few section to attack first. As you enter, and from The Mall. Call (39) 055 865-77- minutes or a matter of hours. shoes are directly in front of you, with 75 for more information. “Was it in short, ever well to be elsewhere when one might be in Italy?” — Edith Wharton dreamITALY103 1/15/03 3:20 PM Page 2 Prada/Gucci continued from page 1 A h handbags, accessories and collection As with American outlets, Italian out- Prada. It’s housed in an elegant strip pieces to the right and skin care, sun- lets, including Prada, are the final stops mall, called The Mall, along with glasses and sportswear to the left. And for last season’s merchandise. So you Bottega Veneta, Giorgio Armani, Loro the prices are to die for… will find the fluorescent green flats that Piana, Sergio Rossi and Yves Saint didn’t sell or the shirt with the shred- Laurent outlets. During a recent summer sale (20% off ded look that fashionistas wouldn’t be the already deep discounts), small clas- caught dead in. Thankfully, there’s no numbers system sic Prada handbags were offered at the or waiting to get in, although the outlet equivalent of $70 each, leather key Yet, Gershman cautions that there can can get crowded. Gucci’s décor exudes holders at $30, beautiful women’s moc- be some real finds in the mix as well. more elegance than Prada’s and items casins (similar to J.P. Tod’s) at $50. “Old merchandise can be classical are carefully displayed on glass These were the best shelves. Handbags, shoes, accessories, bargains and prices men’s clothing and women’s clothing went up from there. each has a separate salon. So you could still spend several hun- Gucci seems to _ dred dollars on a have a better selec- purse, but that’s likely tion of classic to be half of its origi- pieces than Prada. nal price. Then there’s You can snap up a the fact that if you beautiful black spend over 185 euros leather wallet for (essentially $185 at the $75. The best find 2 current exchange of a summer shop- rate), you get the ping spree: a value-added tax (VAT) small, leather back when you leave purse for $45. the country. That’s Men’s ties were 20.6%. And how can also about $45. As you not spend several hundred dollars, with Prada, Gucci stocking up on gifts for the folks at will give you a home and presents for yourself. cloth drawstring bag for each of International shopping guru Suzy your items. Gershman says outlet shopping is the enough_ to not matter,” she says. Keep smartest way to shop in Italy these in mind that all of the merchandise “At Gucci, I got such bargains, I am days. “I feel that with the euro, and came from Italian or European stores, still drooling, such as a blue silk sports now the much weaker dollar, Italian so you could still out-fashion your jacket for my singer-songwriter son, for outlets are the only way to go,” notes neighbor by buying pieces that may $125,” Gershman boasts. Gershman, author of Suzy Gershman’s have never been sold in the United Born to Shop: Italy (Frommer’s, 2001). States. Again, factor in the VAT refund if you “The savings and quality are great,” spend enough. she adds. The outlet carries all of Prada’s lines including Miu Miu, Helmut Lang, Jil If dropping cash makes you hungry, Sander and Church’s shoes. The staff is try the café called Café at the entrance incredibly helpful and free of the atti- of The Mall. It keeps with the shop- tude you will find at many of the ping-theme by continuously playing label’s stores throughout the world. fashion videos on screens around the 0 restaurant. Next stop, Gucci. The Gucci Outlet is 0 only about a half-hour’s drive from Start saving, the outlets are waiting. ◆ “Open my heart and you will see/ Grave dreamITALY103 1/15/03 3:20 PM Page 3 Italy in America: Patsy’s in New York City s a magnet for so many Italian the founder’s Neapolitan roots. For 12th, they serve one of his favorite immigrants over the years, dessert, there’s cannoli and tiramisu. desserts to every guest in the restau- A New York City is rant. home to an enormous num- Another attraction — Patsy’s is still a ber of Italian restaurants. family affair and Despite the reverential treatment he On almost every block their devotion to gave to Sinatra, there is one order throughout the five bor- the restaurant is Patsy wouldn’t fill for the superstar. oughs you will find a north- endless. Patsy, When Sinatra asked Patsy to open a ern or southern Italian- who dressed in a branch near his Palm Springs home, inspired restaurant or a pizza gray busboy jacket Patsy said, “Can’t do it. To be good we joint. One among them has so customers have to be at one restaurant, we have catapulted to great fame and stayed wouldn’t be intimi- to watch every little thing, and we there: Patsy’s has been a midtown dated to ask him for another glass of can’t do that in two places.” The family Manhattan landmark since 1944. water, set the tone. When Patsy’s has remained true to the founder’s daughter Anna was getting married, vision and maintains just one location Pasquale and Concetta Scognamillo, he told her, “You better pick a day — the original one. ◆ who emigrated from Naples in the early when the restaurant is closed, or most For more on Patsy’s, read 1920s, started Patsy’s. Ultimately, the of the family won’t be able to come to Patsy’s Cookbook: Classic Italian Recipes immigration officials at Ellis Island are your wedding. I’m not going to close from a New York City Landmark responsible for the restaurant’s name, the restaurant.” Today, Patsy’s son is Restaurant (Clarkson Potter, 2002) since they shortened “Pasquale” to likely to seat you, his daughter and by Sal Scognamillo. “Patsy.” While Patsy has since passed daughter-in-law sit at the register and on, his legacy lives on in a second and his grandson oversees the kitchen. 3 third generation of Scognamillos who dream of now run the restaurant. In addition to the food and atmos- phere, Patsy’s has something else, Why do people keep coming back to what you could call “star quality.” ITALY Patsy’s, decade after decade? For one, Every since it opened its doors, Patsy’s Kathleen A.