There are so many good motives for living in or visiting Como but one that we have not yet featured is the shopping! So to address that lack here are three different but excellent options, namely:
- Meandering around the boutiques of Como’s ‘centro storico’
- A trip to the heart of Italian fashion design in Milan
- A day out at Serravalle Designer Outlet.
Como
Shopping in the historical centre of Como combines the pleasure of ambling around its ancient streets while indulging in relaxed window gazing. Como has for years maintained a policy of keeping its retail stores relatively small so as to encourage a greater variety of boutiques. There are no department stores in the centre apart from Coin in Via Boldoni. Instead you will find representative branches of many international chains like Max Mara, Benetton, Marina Rinaldi or Stefanel. You are also bound to come across the ubiquitous Tessabit, a local company set up seventy years ago and still managed by members of the local Molteni family. If all Tessabit branches were brought together they would form an extensive retail space but they have embodied the Como idea of maintaining relatively small individual multi-brand boutiques each slightly differentiated in terms of style and content but all committed to the high end of the market.
The real advantage of the focus on boutiques is the variety of styles and fashions represented not least due to the many small independent retailers who are encouraged to a) differentiate their particular customer offer and b) apply their own knowledge and links with Italian suppliers to stock items unlikely to be found on a normal High Street. These independent outlets can be found in nooks and crannies across the old centre.
One of these independents is worth mentioning for the quality of their offer and to illustrate the variety and the gems that adventurous shoppers can find in Como. Ally, on the southern corner of Piazza Mazzini and Via Diaz, is a top-end women’s fashion shop specialising in cashmere for her winter collection and Como silk for summer. All of the items on sale are designed and produced by the shop’s owner, Alessandra Binda, which makes her boutique particularly unique.
Como remains the most important European centre for silk printing and finishing. As a result there are at least three shops in the centre selling silk items made in Como. They are A. Picci in Via Vittorio Emanuele, Inseta (InComo) near to the Porta Torre, and the recently established and fascinating Grand Tour Lake Como on Via Adamo del Pero. Inseta InComo also has a factory outlet store outside of the town centre in Via Pasquale Paoli as does Larioseta in Via Asiago in the Tavernola area.
Milan
When a young American fashion designer, Tom Ford, came to Milan in 1990 to work for the House of Gucci, he not only transformed the fortunes of the ailing fashion house but also contributed to transforming Milan into one of the world’s most famous centres of fashion. The various fashion houses established or reinvigorated in those years are all focussed in a relatively small well defined area sometimes referred to as Milan’s Golden Triangle. The triangle is formed by Via Della Spiga, Via Sant’Andrea and Via Montenapoleone. There are so many good reasons for making a trip down to Milan where a look around the Golden Triangle can for example be combined with visiting the fine art collection in the nearby Brera Academy. No-one expects to stumble across a bargain in Milan’s most fashionable quarter but you will find the best of Italian fashion design.
Serravalle
But if you take a day trip out to the Serravalle Designer Outlet you will find numerous bargains in the stores of those same Milan fashion houses, or in any of the other luxury brands represented there. Serravalle is Europe’s largest luxury designer outlet which has itself been so well designed as to make a visit there relaxing and enjoyable even for people like myself who are reluctant shoppers. On a personal note, I had never previously been able to appreciate the concept of shopping as a leisure activity but Serravalle has shown me how it’s done!
They claim up to 70% less on standard retail pricing and describe themselves in their own words as having ‘ all the endless glamour you’d expect for a shopping destination only 50 minutes from Milan, one of the world’s most prestigious fashion capitals. It is a shopping heaven, offering an unmatched collection of Italian and international luxury brands – such as Gucci, Prada, Fendi, Saint Laurent, Balenciaga, Valentino, Off-White, Jimmy Choo and many more, and incredible services all year round. Guest services include 14 restaurants and cafes, free parking, Shuttle bus service from main cities, free wifi, guest lounge, hands free shopping and a children’s area play area and waterpark. Serravalle Designer Outlet is also the gateway to explore Monferrato, its gastronomy and wine, including the distinguished Gavi, produced in the hills surrounding the Centre.’
I visited Serravalle as one in a small invited group of fellow bloggers. I was definitely out of my customary environment not being known as a natural shopper. I was however sincerely impressed by the range (not just clothing) and quality of the shops present and, more importantly for me, by how well the outlet has been designed and signposted. Our hosts talked about the quality of the ‘shopping experience’ as might be expected from marketing professionals but by the time we left I had not only bought into the ‘leisure concept’ but also concurred over the quality of the ‘experience’. I came away feeling both relaxed and rewarded from my day out from Milan.
A visit to Serravalle is definitely an excursion – with all the facilities on site to meet most needs during the day. It is not a shopping mall. It is more of a faux village of entirely pedestrianised streets opening onto spacious piazzas with shaded seating areas for those taking time out. The overall architectural style of the two storey buildings might be characterised as Italy meets Las Vegas – but then most eyes are more likely to be focussed on the ground floor shopfronts. There are play areas for children and an Aqua Park with water slides which is open every weekend. They even offer a baby sitting service. When you first enter the village there is a reception area where all the facilities and additional services are explained including how foreign visitors can reclaim tax, with repayments processed within a mere 40 seconds. One slight compensation for UK’s ill-advised exit from the EU is that British residents can now also claim tax free refunds when shopping not just here but also in Milan or Como.
For those visitors with the financial means, Serravalle provides services such as a guest lounge where one can recuperate with a glass of spumante at any time during the day. Or use their app for so-called ‘hands free’ shopping whereby all purchases are gathered up from wherever bought and delivered back to the lounge. A useful service for all visitors is the economical shuttle bus with departures from Milan’s Stazione Centrale at various times in the morning with a return at the end of the day.
Whilst there is an undeniable and inevitable element of artificiality in a shopping centre that has not grown organically such as those of Como or Milan, Serravalle is however proudly located in place if not in time. It does act as a sort of gateway to the foothills and vineyards of Monferrato which are a visible backdrop as you walk around the site. It is a mere 10 kilometres from the heart of local wine production in the Comune of Gavi. The restaurant and wine bar where we lunched, LeDolciTerre, stocks 200 labels of Gavi and Monferrato wines and offers a cuisine based on local dishes. The outlet is also a keen supporter of local tourism and it promotes a large range of activities through a group called THINKSERRAVALLE as a fellow member of this local tourism consortium.
…and Others
Visitors to Como may also be interested in visiting the Foxtown Discount Centre in Mendrisio, a town about 15 kilometres over the Swiss border. Here, as at Serravalle, there are a large number of famous name discount outlets with prices and discounts clearly shown on product labelling. However the shopping ‘experience’ is entirely different from that at Serravalle. For a start, Foxtown is an enclosed indoor covered mall which I found distinctly claustrophobic particularly on a warm summer’s day. The corridors do open up into a couple of floor to rooftop atriums but they do not dispel the overall sense of constricted space. Many of the retail units are quite small and ceiling heights low. This may all be irrelevant to an ardent bargain hunter but it does matter in terms of ‘experience’ and the likelihood that you would want to spend additional time in exploring the area. The signposting is inadequate and the numbering of the different retail units seems to lack any logic. Foxtown did not come over to me as somewhere I would want to linger, and in marked contrast to Serravalle, there was nothing in the centre to retain my interest. I am sure however that my comments are unlikely to deter seasoned and determined shoppers who may well not be disappointed in their search for a bargain.
Further Links
Como: Both Tessabit and Ally have an online presence where their goods can also be purchased. Silk scarves can be bought online at Grand Tour Lake Como but the two partners, Massimo and Davide, pointed out how the true beauty and quality of the craftsmanship can only be fully appreciated by a visit to their shop where they are also delighted to explain the separate elements in their original designs. More information on the two silk factory outlets is available from InSeta InComo and LarioSeta.
Serravalle: Go to their website to get a complete list of the shops in the Serravalle Designer Outlet, information on all the transport options to and from the site and the various packages available with added services and discounts. Purchases can also be made online and delivered to your home.
To better appreciate what the area around the Serravalle Designer Outlet and Monferrato has to offer, visit the ThinkSerravalle site. Those considering staying in the area might want to take advantage of a voucher scheme backed by the Piedmont Region which pays for two nights of a consecutive four night stay in a variety of local hotels and B&Bs. The site gives details of this voucher scheme along with wine tours, family activities and cultural and sporting visits.
Mendrisio: Bargain hunters entering Switzerland can plan their visit in advance via the Foxtown site. The area of Mendrisio itself is well worth exploring in particular the Park of the Breggia Gorge and the churches and vineyards around Castel San Pietro.
Fashion Bloggers
I hope this brief intro to shopping options in and around Como proves of interest to some but I cannot admit to being too knowledgeable about fashion so do check out the blogs by the three other accomplices with whom I visited the Serravalle Designer Outfit, namely Celia and her site http://milanostyle.com, Hellen whose site gives some general information on living in Milan – https://www.girlinmilan.com/, and finally Eva who combines being a fashionista with competitive swimming at https://www.themermaidfashion.com/
The Como Companion 