Winter woolies?

You absolutely can buy winter clothing in Italy if you need to. Keep in mind that sizes in Italy are different than American clothing sizes . One thing you might want to do (since you do not need winter clothes at home) is to buy what you need then before leaving Italy, donate the clothes you wouldn't use at home to a charity that provides clothing for the poor. That is a nice parting gift to the Italian people for the warm welcome they will surely give you.

You can buy what you need in Italy; too bad you're not going in January, mega-sales during the whole month (also in July). Keep it in mind for future trips!

Remember that a selection of light layers that can work together is more flexible than one heavy layer. This can include a t-shirt, long-sleeved shirt, mid-weight sweater, scarf, and rain jacket, all worn together or not.

Uniqlo is a Japanese company currently getting a foothold in the USA. one of their signature garment concepts is a down coat that folds up into what seems like an impossibly small pouch. Their normal prices are pretty good (think somewhere between Gap and Old Navy) and at the end of the season, they tend to price aggressively to clear out back stock. I'd keep an eye out for their winter coat clearance sales:

http://www.uniqlo.com/us/women/featured/sale.html

http://www.uniqlo.com/us/men/featured/sale.html

I hear you. I have a warmish winter coat that I only wear when I travel to Europe. If you're going to be outside a lot, think about thermals. You can wear them under your regular clothes (tops and bottoms) or instead of them. They are extremely light-weight, can be hand-washed and dry overnight, don't take up much luggage space either. If you aren't planning on keeping the coats after this trip, see if you can get anything second-hand, maybe even something like Craig's list. To keep my feet warm, I wear a very thick pair of wool socks over my regular ones. They are a nice comfy cushion too when there's a lot of walking. A light windbreaker under a coat is wonderful on windy days. A sturdy rain poncho is my choice for ease of packing, toting around and keeping me and my backpack dry.

You can get hats, gloves and scarves in Italy. I spent about €30 on a good pair of leather gloves at a market in Florence and I use them for driving at home in the winter, when the temps go down to the 50s. Other than that, I don't think prices for clothes in Italy, even on sale, will be cheaper than regular prices in the U.S. There should be winter close-out sales now in the U.S. If there aren't any suitable clothes in your area, do some web shopping. . . Macy's, Sears, Penney's, etc. Or be prepared to spend a lot of time and money shopping when you get to Italy. Generally the shops in the historic centers where you'll be touring will be the most expensive. The bargains are likely to be much farther out, where most Italians live.

I just looked at the link Selkie posted. The coats look great and so do the prices. Also consider a vest or jacket - Italy (unless you're going skiing in the mountains) doesn't get all that cold.

There are also some outlets in Italy, usually outside of the major city areas, sometimes difficult to reach unless you have a car.

Thanks for the informative answers .. I am from Australia, so the cost of postage fro the USA will be expensive, but I will check the link out ......

Uniqlo also has an Australian presence if you were interested in them:

http://www.uniqlo.com/au/

Macramp. Also look at macpac and kathmandu online. You can often get fleece and down jackets on special. And as someone else has said uniqlo are now in Australia. Big store in Sydney and stores in Melbourne And you can purchase online

Like the others have said you can defiantly buy winter clothes in Italy. I was there 2 years ago in december and it was snowing, so fear not - they will have warm clothes! If you want to be sure to get the right clothing, hats and gloves you can check out shopnfly.com or do some pre-travel shopping ;) It might help you calm down and be sure that you will handle the winter ;)