They both happen to be great cities for LV shopping [emoji4] Esp since they have 3 boutiques in each of them. All within walking distance from each other so if one boutique doesn’t have them, you can always ask the SA to check the other boutiques and you can walk right over there.
That being said the ones I prefer to shop at in Milan is the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, it’s right next to the Duomo and it’s a beautiful locale. Friendly SAs.
In Rome, I’d def recommend going to the one on Piazza di San Lorenzo. Beautiful displays, it’s large and has the best selection.
Must have your passport with you. FYI my SA just told me the other day after I witnessed an American causing a scene at the boutique that LV boutiques in Europe recently implemented a restriction on accepting AmEx if it’s a chip and signature, which is mostly US cards. It has to be a Chip & Pin, so in any case, i’d definitely recommend you take a Visa or MasterCard with you to be on the safe side. They said managers will make certain exceptions for US clients that have LV history but its at their discretion. Again, I don’t know how much every boutique is now enforcing this. It’s only LV, other designer boutiques have no AmEx issues.
The tax refund the SA will give to you and explain briefly. The paperwork is given to you in a brochure/pamphlet that has all the info. If it’s your first time, you’ll have to read it, it’s all there in simple steps. Just remember that you have to get a customs stamp on the form at the airport that you fly out of when you leave Europe. Also important please go to the airport at least 1.5hrs ON top of the recommended 3hr airport arrival time. Especially since Milan and Rome airports have long lines for the tax refund process. They are also notorious for actually making you take your items out of the bag to check.