Contanti is king

Valentino on Milan's Via Montenapoleone, hallowed ground for high fashion

Mi fai sconto? you ask the vendor. Can you give me a discount? Pago contanti, I'll pay cash.

Now, this time-honored Italian tradition doesn't work where prices are clearly stated and there's nothing for merchant to gain by dropping the public price. But when it's a designer dress, or a piece of designer jewelry, then it's a different story. No credit card fees, nothing to declare.

Ah, but Italy's government is cracking down on tax evasion. It briefly banned 1,000-euro notes, then relented. Now the limit applies only to Italian citizens, leaving the big spenders alone. And who are they? Not us, not 'Merkins, nope. The big money's being spent by Chinese, Russian and Brazilian tourists, flush with cash and eager to buy designer labels in Rome, Milan and Venice.

Reuters reports on the problem here

Milano: Golden Arches

MILAN, Italy--The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, an elegant covered shopping mall with two intersecting, vaulted arcades, was built in the 19th century as a showcase of glass and wrought iron architecture. You enter from the Piazza del Duomo through a triumphal arch dedicated to the first king of the newly united Italy. (Tragically, the architect fell to his death while inspecting the stained glass dome two days before the king himself arrived to dedicate the complex.) Today its fancy jewelers and designers include Prada; its cafés include Biffi and McDonald's.

Yes, and a very tasteful Mickey D it is, too, where visitors and locals alike line up for their Big Mac value meal: only 6.90 euros, about $11. Even more surprising: in a country that has never recognized its upstart imitator of its coffee culture (that would be Starbucks, folks), there's also a big line at the McCafe inside.

Milano: You Know You're Not in Seattle Anymore

MILAN, Italy--You come up the escalator at the subway station, into the vast piazza (bigger than three Qwest Fields), and dead ahead is the shimmering pink marble façade of the Duomo itself. Holy Something!

It can hold as many worshippers as descend on The Safe. It's the second highest church nave in Europe, as high as St. Peter's and only a couple of feet short of Beauvais (in France, never finished). Jaw-dropping, as you realize that it's getting the full brunt of the late afternoon sunlight.

You turn and face the sun, and there, across the piazza from the House of God, is the House of Mammon, or at least Eros: a giant, four-story billboard for Lovable bras & panties. The locals don't seem to notice, let alone care. Maybe they think the Saints have a sense of humor.