WTF in Italy

@Bogeyman - I bumped into Monica Belucci and passed on your message. She was upset, but willing to be comforted. I did what a man needs to do.

As it happened, I only picked up a few basics, as I was mostly in the countryside and only had a few small supermarkets to hunt in.

Lots of Proraso shaving foams available, but not a huge amount of creams and soaps to choose from. In the end I grabbed a tube of red and a tube of blue cream. Crazy not to when it was 2.40 euros a pop. Tempted to buy more, but given I already have about a dozen creams to work through, it does not seem logical to have a back up of a cream that I haven't yet even started to use. Armed with the Proraso boar brush that I picked up, I am feeling at capacity for shaving goods at the moment. It's quite possible that I could get a better shave than I currently get with a 37c, but right now, I'm such a happy shaver.
 
I was there a few weeks ago, was very disappointed overall. poraso green was common, as well as omega boars. The poraso foam was much more popular though. I found some prep, Figero and floid for very cheap which was good but not much else. Chemists don't really do shaving gear, supermarkets just the basic foams. They seem to have small scale beauty shops a bit like superdrug and they were the best.
 
I wish I had joined this forum earlier....I could have provided some good advices, as I live in Italy.
If anyone needs help/insights on what to buy and where (especially in Milan, but also in the rest of Italy), or information on italian shaving products, feel free to ask and I'll be glad to help.
 
Petrvs said:
I wish I had joined this forum earlier....I could have provided some good advices, as I live in Italy.
If anyone needs help/insights on what to buy and where (especially in Milan, but also in the rest of Italy), or information on italian shaving products, feel free to ask and I'll be glad to help.
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Can you get me Monica Belucci's cell phone #? :p :D ;)

Seriously, what would help would be a list of Italian vendors that will ship their products abroad, please.
 
sorry Bogeyman, don't have Monica's phone number...though I always think of calling her for her birthday, which happens to be the same as mine's (no joke) :D

As for the vendors, many of them unfortunately have average to very poor web sites, mostly in Italian, and they don't make any references to shipping abroad.
Anyway, I know for sure that some can be contacted by phone/email and can arrange to ship products within Europe (not sure if also elsewhere).
I'll investigate and I'll let you know.

EDIT: it occurred to me that one vendor who ships worldwide is Saponificio Varesino, though they sell mostly their products (their shaving soaps, though high-end when it comes to price, are excellent).
As for other vendors, I'd better contact them directly and ask.
 
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I was there a few weeks ago as well and was disappointed with the selection:supermarkets just Prorasso and Palmolive really. I managed to get hold of that Figaro soap as Redrain, an Italian member here, recommended Tcheon Fung Sing (TFS) soap and it is re-labelled TFS Red. It smells of Marzipan and am very happy with it. I did not see Omega or any high end artisan stuff anywhere though and Floid was no cheaper than here at a rather steep €15.
 
Based on a recent trip to Bologna: there is a chain of Italian beauty shops called Tigota, and they stocked some but not all of the Proraso range, and also Prep cream. I know that some Italian cities have a "Casa dei Rasoi" (House of Razors) that will stock some DE razors, straights, and a slightly wider range of creams and soaps. The one in Bologna had a range of Antica Barbiera as well as Mondial, and Cella both in the cream and the big block.

Beyond that, it's worth keeping a look out for souvenir or hardware shops, as sometimes they will stock a few shaving sundries. I didn't look in any barbers shops, but ones that offer a shave might sell some products as well.

Pharmacies don't stock anything, but supermarkets had a reasonable selection of Proraso and Noxzema (in cans).

I expected to be able to pick up a stock of Proraso Blu on my trip, but couldn't see it anywhere. I ended up ordering it from the Italian website of a well-known internet retailer.
 
Les Dupondt said:
Based on a recent trip to Bologna: there is a chain of Italian beauty shops called Tigota, and they stocked some but not all of the Proraso range, and also Prep cream. I know that some Italian cities have a "Casa dei Rasoi" (House of Razors) that will stock some DE razors, straights, and a slightly wider range of creams and soaps. The one in Bologna had a range of Antica Barbiera as well as Mondial, and Cella both in the cream and the big block.

Beyond that, it's worth keeping a look out for souvenir or hardware shops, as sometimes they will stock a few shaving sundries. I didn't look in any barbers shops, but ones that offer a shave might sell some products as well.

Pharmacies don't stock anything, but supermarkets had a reasonable selection of Proraso and Noxzema (in cans).

I expected to be able to pick up a stock of Proraso Blu on my trip, but couldn't see it anywhere. I ended up ordering it from the Italian website of a well-known internet retailer.
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Hi Les,
Interesting that you recently visited Bologna; I've been thinking of going there for a long weekend. How was your trip, especially at this time of year? Warm enough? How would you rate it as a holiday for a couple of days? Is it an interesting city to walk around? Would you go again?
 
fancontroller said:
Hi Les,
Interesting that you recently visited Bologna; I've been thinking of going there for a long weekend. How was your trip, especially at this time of year? Warm enough? How would you rate it as a holiday for a couple of days? Is it an interesting city to walk around? Would you go again?
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We were there about six weeks ago, when it was pleasantly warm, but I imagine it's cooler now.

It's a compact city, easy to walk around. The streets around the Piazza Maggiore were the most interesting as they're full of food shops and stalls - Bologna is renowned for its gastronomy, and a visit to Simoni to sample a plate of their cured meats is a must.

If you want to look for shaving stuff, try the Casa dei Rasoi on Via delle Lame - not a treasure trove by any means, but they have some different stuff.

I think it's ideal for a long wekend, but probably not enough sights to keep you going for a whole week. That said, Bologna is a major part of the Italian railway network so it would serve as a good base to go to places like Ravenna, Verona, Modena and Florence. Hope that helps.
 
I don't think it has been mentioned in this thread, but one thing worth getting here in Italy is the Denim Classic AS...available basicly in each and every supermarket, at around 3.5 euros is a great deal for those who like alcohol based splashes with classic fragrance.
 
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