Saldi: When do Italy's summer sales start and end in 2025?
Retailers in Italy are allowed just two big saldi, or sales, a year – one in the summer and one in the winter.
The practice aims to boost consumption and give vendors a chance to shift stock from the previous season while ensuring an even playing field between competitors.
The custom dates back to the Fascist era, as it was first introduced by a government decree in June 1939.
It was then scrapped for about four decades after the collapse of Benito Mussolini's regime but was brought back in an updated form in 1980.
In 1997, the law was revised to hand autonomy over to individual regions, which is why the length of the summer sales season varies from region to region.
Though Italy's saldi estivi can go on for over two months in some cases, they run for at least a month in all parts of the country, meaning you'll have plenty of time to snap up a bargain regardless of where you live.
Here are this year's official dates for each Italian region:
Abruzzo: July 5th-September 2nd
Basilicata: July 5th-September 4th
Calabria: July 5th-September 2nd
Campania: July 5th-September 2nd
Emilia Romagna: July 5th-September 2nd
Friuli Venezia Giulia: July 5th-September 2nd
Lazio: July 5th-August 16th
Liguria: July 5th-August 19th
Lombardy: July 5th-September 2nd
Marche: July 5th-September 1st
Molise: July 5th-September 2nd
Piedmont: July 5th-August 30th
Puglia: July 5th-September 15th
Sardinia: July 5th-September 2nd
Sicily: July 5th-September 15th
Tuscany: July 5th-September 2nd
Umbria: July 5th-September 2nd
Valle d'Aosta: July 5th-September 30th
Veneto: July 5th-August 31st
You may have noticed that the Trentino-Alto Adige region is missing from the list above.
That's because the autonomous provinces of Trento and Bolzano decide their own sales periods independently from the rest of the country, with start and end dates often varying by municipality (or comune).
The dates for this year's summer sales in each comune in the Bolzano province are available at the following link.
How much of a discount can I expect?
Discounts usually start at around 20 to 30 percent of the original price but can climb as high as 70 percent.
Shops are required to display both original and discounted prices, so you should know exactly how much of a bargain you're getting.
Italian law states that the items on sale must only come from the season just gone, rather than being stock that's been sitting on the shelves for months, though the rule is hard to enforce.
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Saldi: When do Italy's summer sales start and end in 2025?
Retailers in Italy are allowed just two big saldi, or sales, a year – one in the summer and one in the winter. The practice aims to boost consumption and give vendors a chance to shift stock from the previous season while ensuring an even playing field between competitors. The custom dates back to the Fascist era, as it was first introduced by a government decree in June 1939. It was then scrapped for about four decades after the collapse of Benito Mussolini's regime but was brought back in an updated form in 1980. In 1997, the law was revised to hand autonomy over to individual regions, which is why the length of the summer sales season varies from region to region. Though Italy's saldi estivi can go on for over two months in some cases, they run for at least a month in all parts of the country, meaning you'll have plenty of time to snap up a bargain regardless of where you live. Here are this year's official dates for each Italian region: Abruzzo: July 5th-September 2nd Basilicata: July 5th-September 4th Calabria: July 5th-September 2nd Campania: July 5th-September 2nd Emilia Romagna: July 5th-September 2nd Friuli Venezia Giulia: July 5th-September 2nd Lazio: July 5th-August 16th Liguria: July 5th-August 19th Lombardy: July 5th-September 2nd Marche: July 5th-September 1st Molise: July 5th-September 2nd Piedmont: July 5th-August 30th Puglia: July 5th-September 15th Sardinia: July 5th-September 2nd Sicily: July 5th-September 15th Tuscany: July 5th-September 2nd Umbria: July 5th-September 2nd Valle d'Aosta: July 5th-September 30th Veneto: July 5th-August 31st You may have noticed that the Trentino-Alto Adige region is missing from the list above. That's because the autonomous provinces of Trento and Bolzano decide their own sales periods independently from the rest of the country, with start and end dates often varying by municipality (or comune). The dates for this year's summer sales in each comune in the Bolzano province are available at the following link. How much of a discount can I expect? Discounts usually start at around 20 to 30 percent of the original price but can climb as high as 70 percent. Shops are required to display both original and discounted prices, so you should know exactly how much of a bargain you're getting. Italian law states that the items on sale must only come from the season just gone, rather than being stock that's been sitting on the shelves for months, though the rule is hard to enforce.
