Italy/Sardinia/Wear it!

All Wrapped Up

Fashionistas unite! In the "oh so" stylish Costa Smeralda, Porto Cervo has it all...at a price. This heady shopping experience, "dressed up" like a fishing village, is actually a mall of all malls. Enter the covered walkways. Pink stuccoed buildings with flowers pouring off balconies.

Down you go, towards the marina. Meandering past shops with the finest names. Loro Piana, with luscious cashmere. Van Cleef & Arpels, with diamond studded bracelets. Missoni's signature patterns. And Prada, Bvlgari, Versace, etc. etc. Standouts to us were the fabulous leather shoes. Iceberg's fur trimmed outerwear. And the treasure-trove of coral jewelry.

The shoppers come in all styles. The jewels & leather goods are able to satisfy everyone. But it's mostly the thin, tan & taut buying the clothes.

You can't help but note the line at the ATM machine. Similar to the ladies' restroom line, during intermission at a Broadway show! And cafés down by the harbor, with more shopping bags than patrons. It's the place to see. Or is it to be seen?

The goods are top notch. It's the consummate shopping experience. But we found the most interesting aspect of all to be the shopping concept itself. It's perfectly orchestrated for the business of selling. Wrapped up in the ultimate visual package, like most everything on this part of Sardinia. The packaging is a bit much. But then, the Costa Smeralda isn't the real world anyway.