I lived in Italy for three years and that is where I learned to quilt. The lady who taught me was Croatian who moved there from Cyprus. She had a decent stash but I wanted to buy my own. Being Canadian and used to LQS I was looking for one in Italy. I found one, an hour away and it was more of an expensive boutique for us quilting foreigners. Everything was very expensive. So my friend and I hit small shops that sell fabrics to locals and when we found cotton or a blen we bought it. We also went to big outdoor markets where you can haggle for the price. We made due with fabric just fine but all other things were problematic - rotary cutters, mats, and freezer paper. Freezer paper for appliqué was worth it's weight in gold.