The law in Italy dictates that shops are allowed just two big saldi, or sales, a year – one in the summer, one in the winter – with dates varying by region.
The practice aims to boost consumption and give vendors a chance to shift the previous season's stock while ensuring an even playing field between competitors.
The custom actually dates back to the Fascist era, having first been introduced via a 1939 law.
The law was scrapped for about four decades after the collapse of Mussolini's regime, but was brought back in an updated form in 1980.
In 1997, existing regulations were revised to hand autonomy over to individual regions, which is why the saldi's start and end dates often vary from area to area.
While in many countries sales start as soon as Boxing Day, in Italy you'll have to wait until early January to pick up a bargain in the saldi invernali (winter sales).
The good news is that you'll have plenty of time to do so, as they typically last at least four weeks.
When do the 2025 winter sales start and end?
Here’s when the 2025 sales officially begin and end in each Italian region:
- Abruzzo: January 4th-March 4th
- Basilicata: January 4th-March 4th
- Bolzano province: January 8th-February 5th
- Calabria: January 4th-March 4th
- Campania: January 4th-March 4th
- Emilia Romagna: January 4th-March 4th
- Friuli Venezia Giulia: January 4th-March 15th
- Lazio: January 4th-February 15th
- Liguria: January 4th-February 17th
- Lombardy: January 4th-March 15th
- Marche: January 4th-March 1st
- Molise: January 4th-March 4th
- Piedmont: January 4th-March 1st
- Puglia: January 4th-February 28th
- Sardinia: January 4th-March 4th
- Sicily: January 4th-March 15th
- Tuscany: January 4th-March 4th
- Trento province: January 4th-March 4th
- Umbria: January 4th-March 4th
- Valle d'Aosta: January 4th-March 31st
- Veneto: January 4th-February 28th
Italian law states that the items on sale must come only from the season just gone (as opposed to things that have been sitting on the shelves for months), though the rule is hard to enforce.
When it comes to fashion, this means you’ll mainly find stock from autumn collections on sale.
Discounts usually start at around 20-30 percent and climb as high as 70 percent.
Shops are required to display both the original and discounted prices, so you know exactly how much of a bargain you're getting.
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