Apart from being in love with Florence, one of the highlights of the trip was definitely my visit to the Prada & Miu Miu outlet – Space. From getting there to shopping like a mad woman, I am pretty sure it was one of the most exciting days of my life! Seriously, it was a candy shop…a candy shop full of Prada bags. So in case any of you are interested in doing a little shopping of your own at Space in Montevarchi, here are some tips to help you along the way.
Space is not actually in Florence, it’s located in a small town of Montevarchi, 20-30 minutes away by train. We took the 9am train from Santa Maria Novella (direction to Rome), and then a cab from Montevarchi train station to the outlet. The cab should cost you around 12 EUR each way, cheaper if you share the ride with fellow bargain hunters.
Now this part is very important. Though the doors don’t actually open until 9:30am or 10:30am (see store hours above), once you get to the outlet, before you do anything, make sure to get a number from the machine next to the entrance. It doesn’t matter if you are number 1 or number 21, since it seems that they let around 100 people at a time (or at least that’s what the sign said), as long as you have one of those little pieces of paper, you’ll be able to get in and shop (but then again, it doesn’t hurt to ensure that you get one of the lower digits). Once you have your number, you can sit down at Space Cafe and work on your shopping strategy relax.
So initially, I had strict instructions for le boyfriend on the items that I might want and he needs to grab for me (I don’t mess around), but it turned out that shopping at Space Montevarchi isn’t chaotic at all – no hair pulling in sight. Selection of shoes, clothes, bags and other accessories is quite extensive (much MUCH better than at Foxtown or Woodbury), so unless you’re looking for a specific item, there’s no need to lose your mind and be all shaky and psychotic.
The store is broken up into sections, and you are not allowed to carry items from one section to another. What you need to do is approach a sales associate, hand the most-wanted items over and tell them your number (remember the number you had to get at the beginning?). Now, they will tell you that you’ll have to purchase those items, so make sure you are 99% sure you want to buy them. Though if you change your mind at the end, I doubt they’d make you buy them – my cashier actually asked me if I’m taking all of my items and let me contemplate them for a minute.
Once you’re done shopping, make sure to fill out a tax free form from the cashier to get the portion of the tax refunded to you (you can either mail it out or get it on the spot at designated locations). You can also ask the cashier to call you a cab to get back to the Montevarchi train station.
All that’s left to do now, is get back to your hotel room and roll around in your new purchases! You went, you saw, you shopped, and hopefully without too much damage to your credit card! Congrats!
And here’s some of my loot!
I wish I knew about these when I went!! Awesome finds! Both beautiful!!
Oh my oh my, those velvet peeptoe pumps are just…..breathtaking! *I’m hyperventilating!*
Thanks for the detailed instructions, Nelia! I’ll make sure I print out this post when I go to Italy (and when will that be?? LOL )
Great finds!! Must try this trip next time I’m in Rome (maybe on a layover…I’ll snatch a fellow flight attendant to go with me). Love the heels!!
Thanks, ladies!
Kristy, grab CL and head on over to Tuscany…romance AND shopping? What could be better?
Mon, you absolutely should…in fact, I am shocked that you still haven’t made the trek! Oh, and while you’re at it, check out The Mall nearby (brands like YSL and Gucci, and much more) at amazing prices. Oh, and don’t forget to take me with ya!
you should go to the Space in hong kong too (hahaha, just because u may have a reason to visit me next yr)!! anywayz,i wanted EVERYTHING when i was there.i almost fainted in that store after looking at the price tags!!why toronto doesnt have sth like that?!
A good suggestion would be not the wear a white shirt and black pants. Otherwise you’ll look like one of the staff and get harassed every few minutes.
LOVE your buys Nelia! I’ll have to check Space out next time I’m in Florence…last time I was there I chose to go to The Mall instead and did fairly well at the Gucci outlet. Did you make it there as well?
hi…leaving for florence monday! and im so excited to go to space…what are the prices like? And, do any of the florence outlets carry proenza schouler? thanks!!!!
I am so jealous! You’ll have the best time, I’m sure!
Don’t think there’s PS outlets in Florence. They mostly carry Italian-made brands.
Prices are fantastic! At least 40% off retail. Some more. Selection is better than any other Space I’ve visited. You won’t be disappointed. Share pics of your loot with us when you come back!
Bon voyage!
Thanks for posting this- I’m going next month and am sooo excited about space!!! Were there a lot of Miu Miu bags ( I guess not the popular bow or Matelasse bags) ?
Glad to help, Petrina! There were lots of Miu Miu bags. Did not see too many Matelasse or bow, but many clutches and other bags. Good luck!
Thank you for the exciting and helpful post! I’ll be flying to Florence next week with my husband, and I can’t wait to visit “Space”! It’s a bit obvious question, but do they accept Amex / Visa credit cards?
Hi Eriko!
Yes, they do accept Visa…not 100% sure about Amex, but I think le boyfriend used his there. Have a great trip!!!
[...] for a while now – always stopping by to look at it at Holts, and always hoping to find it at Space in Woodbury or Florence…or wherever else on sale. Well, after my June trip to NYC, I finally [...]
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Hi! Can I check with you if all the bags come with a Prada/MiuMiu dustcover and also the SLG comes with the boxes? Do they also give the certificate of authenticity card?
Thanks!
Hey Ryan!
All of my purchases came with dustbags and authenticity cards. I am not sure what SLG stands for. If you want to clarify, I’ll try to help you out.
Cheers,
Nelia
Hey Neila!
Thanks for the reply! SLG stands for small leather goods. Can I also find out if there is a limit to how many items you can purchase at the SPACE outlet? Besides that, is there a time limit to how long we can stay in the store?
Awesome purchases by the way! You look really happy! Lol.
Regards,
Ryan
Nelia I mean.
Sorry! My bad!
Hi Ryan,
There was no time limit, and no item limit (as far as I could tell). You can’t carry items from one section of the store to the other, but other than that – it’s very civilized, and there’s usually plenty of stock. Best SPACE outlet I’ve ever been to.
Hope this helps.
Nelia
Hi!Very nice post!! I’m going to visit Tuscany in two weeks and of course i’m planning to visit the Space! Could you please tell me how much the handbags cost?Im interested in both ,leather and nylon ones.
Hi Marilou!
Prices range from EUR 50 for coin purses to around EUR 440 for larger leather purses. Keep in mind, that this was 2 years ago. I will update pricing and info sometime this summer.
Cheers,
Nelia
Amazing prices..i’m definitely going to buy one!Thanks for your reply!
[...] – Space and The Mall Designer Outlets. And since I know that a lot of you found my Space (Prada and Miu Miu) Outlet post helpful, here’s another handy guide to shopping at The Mall near [...]
Hi.. May I know if we need to purchase the train tickets from Santa Maria Novella to Montevarchi in advance? Is cab easily assessible at Montevarchi station? Thank you!
I’m heading to Florence in December for only 1.5 days and don’t know whether I should go. How much did you get the shoes for? I’m a shoes girl- is everything amazingly cheap and comes in a range of sizes?
Thanks for your hel!
Hi Linda! 1.5 days for Florence isn’t really enough if you still want to spend time exploring the city (which is really beautiful). If you are a die-hard shopaholic, however, then you can spend that 0.5 days at the outlets. The assortment was CRAZY GOOD the last 2 times I was there, but I heard it depends on the time of the year and other factors. There was a good variety of shoes + sizes, LOTS of bags and accessories, and clothes too. If you are a die-hard Prada addict, then SPACE is the way to go. If you’d like a bunch of other brands, then check out my post on The Mall…there’s a Prada outlet within walking distance too, and there’s a direct shuttle to/from Florence. http://styleblog.ca/2012/06/12/shopping-the-mall-outlet-near-florence/
Good luck! And make sure to share with us what you end up buying! xx