What's new

Anything to look for in Italy?

A friend of mine is in Italy for the weekend -- is there anything he would find in a standard drug store that I should ask for? I don't want to send him off his course, so I'm really just wondering if there's anything easy.
 
Well I would ask for a Proraso cream and a Proraso aftershave balm!!

Summer is coming and the menthol feeling is a must:thumbup1:
 
I would definitely look for Proraso shaving cream and their after shave balsem and splash.
From what I've heard the shaving cream sells for a couple of euro's (2-3?) in supermarkets, shouldn't be hard to find.

Floid aftershave is also Italian, you can also look for that but just be sure you bring home the Proraso products mentioned; you will not regret that!
 
Well.. the title tells most of the story.

My bride is going to Milano on a professional travel, and will be visiting L'Università degli Studi di Milano and all that beautiful city. I was thinking of asking her to buy some traditional Italian shaving soaps and creams.

I would like to get some Italian shaving soaps and creams. I think that the Proraso product line is easy to find, as well as Figaro, am I correct?

Some other things may be harder to find. I would like to get some Valobra soaps/sticks, and some Cella shaving cream (the one in the small red tub).

Of course that P.160 and Cella blocks were a valuable addition to the list, but they are hard to find (P.160 is nearly impossible) and they weight 1Kg each... which I think is not suitable for airplane traveling... but who knows? :p

Where can we get these items in the city of Milan? Anyone knows any recommendable stores that sell these products?

Any help will be appreciated!
 
I wish I could help you, with specifics. I will say that when ever I was in a foreign country, it never seemed that much different from home in regards to the society and shopping centers. I would ask your wife to try to go into a nice shopping center, like ours in the usa, and just find the mens section of a cosmetic department. They will have something you would like.
 
Hello Oversaturn,

Proraso products - except maybe the after shave splash - are everywhere and cheap.

Valobra is a quality brand you are more likely to find in elegant shops. There is a cutlery shop in the center of Milan where you can find it, among other things if you're interested:

http://o-lorenzi.it/ENG/home/index.asp

P.160, Cella and Floid are used by barbers, therefore you'll find them in shops which sell to barbershops. Not too far from the center of Milan there is one:

http://www.desimonecosmesi.it/dovesiamo.html

The street is named Via Alserio, which it's off Via Farini (a major street). I'm sure they sell Floid and Proraso. I don't think they have Cella. I've mailed them a request. I remember there is another similar shop nearby, which sells Cella, but I don't remember the exact location. When is your wife coming? If I happen to hang around there before then, I could try to locate the second shop.

Happy shaving ;-)

EDIT: Forgot to mention: of course these are all items to put in checked in bags. Floid maybe is likely sold by Limoni, a chain of perfumeries. There is one near the Cathedral, in Piazza Fontana, for a quick check.

EDIT2: Well, I have been carried away by enthusiasm... Maybe looking for those shops targeting barbers is too much an hassle for a foreigner. I guess that some Valobra soaps from the shop I've mentioned will offer the best italian souvenirs, unless you want to stock on Proraso tubes.
 
Last edited:
Hello Oversaturn,

Proraso products - except maybe the after shave splash - are everywhere and cheap.

Valobra is a quality brand you are more likely to find in elegant shops. There is a cutlery shop in the center of Milan where you can find it, among other things if you're interested:

http://o-lorenzi.it/ENG/home/index.asp

P.160, Cella and Floid are used by barbers, therefore you'll find them in shops which sell to barbershops. Not too far from the center of Milan there is one:

http://www.desimonecosmesi.it/dovesiamo.html

The street is named Via Alserio, which it's off Via Farini (a major street). I'm sure they sell Floid and Proraso. I don't think they have Cella. I've mailed them a request. I remember there is another similar shop nearby, which sells Cella, but I don't remember the exact location. When is your wife coming? If I happen to hang around there before then, I could try to locate the second shop.

Happy shaving ;-)

EDIT: Forgot to mention: of course these are all items to put in checked in bags. Floid maybe is likely sold by Limoni, a chain of perfumeries. There is one near the Cathedral, in Piazza Fontana, for a quick check.

EDIT2: Well, I have been carried away by enthusiasm... Maybe looking for those shops targeting barbers is too much an hassle for a foreigner. I guess that some Valobra soaps from the shop I've mentioned will offer the best italian souvenirs, unless you want to stock on Proraso tubes.

Great tip, spremino! That store (O. Lorenzi) is well worth a try. The Valobra soap will certainly be a valuable souvenir. Thanks!
 
Great tip, spremino! That store (O. Lorenzi) is well worth a try. The Valobra soap will certainly be a valuable souvenir. Thanks!

You are welcome. Maybe they sell Bolzano blades too, which are a niche product.

There are also other Italian superstore classics your wife is likely to stumble upon and maybe worth a try (I don't know whether they are easy to find in other countries): Prep, Denim, I Coloniali, Pino Silvestre, Malizia. Toiletries: I Provenzali, Spuma di Sciampagna (nice powdery fragrance).

Here is a minimal Italian dictionary for shavers:
cream = cream
soap = sapone
soap bar = saponetta
hard soap = sapone duro
soft soap = sapone morbido
shaving cream = crema da barba
Brand shaving cream = crema da barba Brand
shaving soap = sapone da barba
Brand shaving soap = sapone da barba Brand
blades = lamette
Brand blades = lamette Brand
after shave = dopobarba
Brand aftershave = dopobarba Brand
after shave balm = "balsamo dopobarba" or "crema dopobarba"
Brand after shave balm = balsamo dopobarba Brand

Happy Italian shaving ;-)
 
Last edited:
Other italian brands: Collistar (you find it in perfumeries), Palmolive shaving cream has an Italian version (very easy to find).

Toiletries: Felce Azzurra (nice fragrance), Mantovani (a soap with a nice fragrance).
 
Last edited:
In my country (Portugal), of all those brands, only Denim and Palmolive are easy to find, they are everywhere.
Ah, and Omega - you can find it here, both the brushes and the cream.

Bolzano blades are also a nice addition to the list, if she can find them. Grazie per tutti!!
 
For future reference, the De Simone Cosmesi shop:

http://www.desimonecosmesi.it/dovesiamo.html

has answered my mail about shaving soap, and they stock Cella soap, not P160.

Thank you very much for all your help! You have been a great help!

Also for future reference, I have contacted Valobra by email, asking where could I buy their products in the city of Milan.

They answered, and gave me a list of perfumeries that sell Valobra shaving soaps:

• AMD - Piazzetta Umberto Giordano, 4 - Tel. 02.76000063
• M & G 1952 - Via Amedei , 11 - Tel. 02. 02.86450195
• Profumeria Casolari - Corso Giacomo Matteotti, 2 ang. Via Pietro Verri 2 - Tel. 02.76021937
• Profumeria Preattoni - Via della Spiga, 52 - Tel. 02.76001059
• Profumeria Fiore - Via Alfonso Lamarmora, 31 - Tel. 02. 5511985
• Profumeria Leali - Via Giovanni Battista Sammartini, 15- Tel. 02.66980780

Acqua & Sapone (Viale Zara, 9) is another shop that sells Valobra.
 
Thank you very much for all your help! You have been a great help!

You are welcome. After having received so much from this community, it is nice to have a chance to give back.

Among the perfumeries you have mentioned, the following ones are near the Cathedral (Duomo di Milano), therefore readily reachable by everyone who is hanging in Milan as a tourist:

• AMD - Piazzetta Umberto Giordano, 4 - Tel. 02.76000063
• Profumeria Casolari - Corso Giacomo Matteotti, 2 ang. Via Pietro Verri 2 - Tel. 02.76021937
• Profumeria Preattoni - Via della Spiga, 52 - Tel. 02.76001059

I've also found a couple of shops for barbers near the Cathedral. If you are interested in getting some Floid, Cella, P.160 or some other barbershop items along with Valobra, give me a bump and I'll try to know whether your wife can get them too there.

As a side note, I know your wife will not be interested, but Milan hosts a museum dedicated to razors too. Shame on me for never having visited it! It's not generally open to the public, however, you have to book your visit in advance. I'll gather more information later.

EDIT: Information gathered. Here is the link with the address:

http://www.lorenzi.it/

Here is the info about the museum:

http://www.lorenzi.it/ing_coll.html
 
Last edited:
You are welcome. After having received so much from this community, it is nice to have a chance to give back.

Among the perfumeries you have mentioned, the following ones are near the Cathedral (Duomo di Milano), therefore readily reachable by everyone who is hanging in Milan as a tourist:

• AMD - Piazzetta Umberto Giordano, 4 - Tel. 02.76000063
• Profumeria Casolari - Corso Giacomo Matteotti, 2 ang. Via Pietro Verri 2 - Tel. 02.76021937
• Profumeria Preattoni - Via della Spiga, 52 - Tel. 02.76001059

I've also found a couple of shops for barbers near the Cathedral. If you are interested in getting some Floid, Cella, P.160 or some other barbershop items along with Valobra, give me a bump and I'll try to know whether your wife can get them too there.

As a side note, I know your wife will not be interested, but Milan hosts a museum dedicated to razors too. Shame on me for never having visited it! It's not generally open to the public, however, you have to book your visit in advance. I'll gather more information later.

EDIT: Information gathered. Here is the link with the address:

http://www.lorenzi.it/

Here is the info about the museum:

http://www.lorenzi.it/ing_coll.html

Thanks for all your information. She will be near the Duomo and also near of the Università Degli Studi Di Milano. For what I can see in the google map, those perfumeries will be easy to reach.

If I was going to Milan, of course I wouldn't miss those shops for barbers to get some Cella (and P.160, if still available, since it is a discontinued product). But it is my wife that goes, and i think that should not be as amusing for her as it would for me!! :tongue_sm

That museum sure looks nice!

Who knows, maybe in the near future I can go to Milano to visit those shops, and the museum!
Once again, thank you very much for all the useful information!

EDIT: Is Figaro shaving cream easy to find in supermarkets, drugstores, pharmacies...?
 
Last edited:
Top Bottom