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Shopping Districts | Listings by Neighborhood

Updated by Lynda Albertson

They say when in Rome to do as the Romans do—and the Romans love to shop. After all, this is the city that gave us the Gucci “moccasin” loafer, the Fendi bag, and the Valentino dress that Jackie O wore when she became Mrs. Onassis. Stores are generally open from 10 to 1 and from 3:30 or 4 to 7 or 7:30 (with the exception of Monday, when most are closed in the morning). There’s a tendency for shops in central districts to stay open all day, and hours are becoming more flexible throughout the city. Many places close all day Sunday, though this is changing, too, especially in the city center. Some stores also close Saturday afternoon from mid-June through August.

You can stretch your euros by taking advantage of the Tax-Free for Tourists V.A.T. tax refunds, available at most large stores for purchases over €155. Or hit Rome in January and early February or in late July and August, when stores clean house with the justly famous biannual sales. There are so many hole-in-the-wall boutiques selling top-quality merchandise in Rome’s center that even just wandering you’re sure to find something that catches your eye.

Shopping Districts

The city’s most famous shopping district, Piazza di Spagna, is conveniently compact, fanning out at the foot of the Spanish Steps in a galaxy of boutiques selling gorgeous wares with glamorous labels. Here you can prance back and forth from Gucci to Prada to Valentino to Versace with less effort than it takes to pull out your credit card. If your budget is designed for lower altitudes, you also can find great clothes and accessories at less extravagant prices. But here buying is not necessarily the point—window displays can be works of art, and dreaming may be satisfaction enough. Via dei Condotti is the neighborhood’s central axis, but there are shops on every street in the area bordered by Piazza di Spagna on the east, Via del Corso on the west, between Piazza San Silvestro and Via della Croce, and extending along Via del Babuino to Piazza del Popolo. Via Margutta, a few blocks north of the Spanish Steps, is a haven for contemporary art galleries.

Shops along Via Campo Marzio, and adjoining Piazza San Lorenzo in Lucina, stock eclectic, high-quality clothes and accessories—by both big names (Bottega Veneta, Louis Vuitton) and smaller European designers—at slightly lower prices. Running from Piazza Venezia to Piazza del Popolo lies Via del Corso, a main shopping avenue that has more than a mile of clothing, shoes, leather goods, and home furnishings from classic to cutting-edge. Running west from Piazza Navona, Via del Governo Vecchio has numerous women’s boutiques and secondhand-clothing stores.

Via Cola di Rienzo, across the Tiber from Piazza del Popolo and extending to the Vatican, is block after block of boutiques, shoe stores, department stores, and mid-level chain shops, as well as street stalls and upscale food shops. Via dei Coronari, across the Tiber from Castel Sant’Angelo, has quirky antiques and home furnishings. Via Giulia and other surrounding streets are good bets for decorative arts. Should your gift list include religious souvenirs, look for everything from rosaries to Vatican golf balls at the shops between Piazza San Pietro and Borgo Pio. Liturgical vestments and statues of saints make for good window-shopping on Via dei Cestari, near the Pantheon.

Via Nazionale is a good bet for affordable stores along the lines of Benetton, and for shoes, bags, and gloves. The Termini train station has become a good one-stop place for many shopping needs. Its 60-plus shops are open until 10 pm and include a Nike store, the Body Shop, Sephora, Mango (women’s clothes), a UPIM department store, a grocery store, and a three-story bookstore with selections in English. Local designers and smaller designer boutiques also pepper the trendy shopping districts of Monti near the Forum and Trastevere across the Tiber from the historic center.

Listings by Neighborhood

Barberini

Landmark Stores

Antica Farmacia Pesci dal 1552.
Likely Rome’s oldest pharmacy, the Antica Farmacia is run by a family of pharmacists. The shop’s 18th-century furnishings, herbs, and vases evoke Harry Potter’s Diagon Ally; and while they don’t carry Polyjuice Potion, the pharmacists can whip up a just-for-you batch of composite powders, syrups, capsules, gels, and creams to soothe what ails you. | Piazza Trevi 89, Trevi | 00187 | 06/6792210.

Men’s Clothing

Fodor’s Choice | Brioni.
Founded in 1945 and hailed for its impeccable craftsmanship and flawless execution, the Brioni label is known for attracting and keeping the best men’s tailors in Italy where the exacting standards require that custom-made suits are designed from scratch and measured to the millimeter. Past and present clients include Clark Gable, Donald Trump, Barack Obama, and, of course, James Bond. And they say clothing doesn’t make the man? | Via Barberini 79 | 00187 | 06/484517 | www.brioni.it | Via Condotti 21/A, Piazza di Spagna | 00187 | 06/485855.

Corso

Bookstores

Ex Libris.
Founded in 1931 and one of the oldest antiquarian bookshops in Rome, Ex Libris has a distinctive selection of scholarly and collectible books from the 16th to 21th centuries that will make bookworms drool. | Via dell’ Umiltà 77/a | 00187 | 06/6791540 | www.exlibrisroma.it.

Mondadori.
Conveniently located close to the Trevi Fountain and pleasantly air-conditioned, Mondadori has a small English-language department on the ground floor near the caffè. Mondadori remains one of the most prestigious Italian publishers, and carries books of every genre for all readers. | Via San Vincenzo 10 | 00187 | 06/6976501 | www.mondadori.it.

Men’s Clothing

Fratelli Viganò.
If you are a Mad Men wannabe hipster or just maintain a particular fondness for classically styled Italian millinery, this store will have you drooling. Fratelli Viganò was founded in 1873 and has been producing handsome handmade hats ever since. Even if you aren’t planning a tribute to Don Draper, the shop is sure to impress with its artisans’ painstaking attention to detail. | Via Marco Minghetti 7, Spanga | 00187 | 06/6795147.

Music Stores

Remix.
An underground favorite for famous producers and distributors of legendary Roman vinyl labels like Sounds Never Seen, ACV, and many others, Remix specializes in techno. The shop also has a great back catalogue—all at prices that will make new collectors smile. | Via del Fiume 8/9 | 00186 | 06/3216514 | www.re-mix.it.

Stationery

Cartoleria Pantheon dal 1910.
An absolute Aladdin’s cave for scribblers and those inspired by the blank page, the simply sumptuous Cartoleria Pantheon dal 1910 has unique leather journals and fine handmade paper to write a special letter. | Via della Rotonda 15 | 00186 | 06/6875313 | www.pantheon-roma.it.

Monti

Fashion

Hydra.
An avant-garde clothing shop for older teens and twentysomethings who believe clothing should make a statement, Hydra has styles that range from voluptuous Betty Boop retro dresses to indie underground to in-your-face T-shirts that would make your grandmother blush. | Via Urbana 139 | 00184 | 06/48907773.

Vintage Clothing

Le Gallinelle.
Le Gallinelle is a tiny boutique in a former butcher’s shop—hence the large metal hooks. Owner Wilma Silvestri transforms vintage, ethnic, and contemporary fabrics into retro-inspired clothing with a modern edge without smelling like mothballs from your great-aunt Suzie’s closet. | Via del Boschetto 76 | 00184 | 06/48907175 | www.legallinelle.it.

Navona

Accessories

Spazio IF.
In a tiny piazza alongside Rome’s historic Via dei Coronari, designers Irene and Carla Ferrara have created a tantalizing hybrid between fashion paradise and art gallery. Working with unconventional designers and artists who emphasize Sicilian design, the shop has more to say about the style of Sicily and the creativity of the island’s inhabitants than flat caps, puppets, and rich pastries. Perennial favorites include handbags cut by hand in a putia (shop) in Palermo, swimsuits, designer textiles, jewelry, and sportswear. | Via dei Coronari 44a | 00186 | 06/64760639 | www.spazioif.it.

Antiques

Nardecchia.
In the heart of Piazza Navona, in front of Bernini’s Fountain of the Four Rivers, Nardecchia knows there are three major considerations when it comes to antique prints and etchings: value, aesthetics, and rarity. The shop showcases some of its beautiful 19th-century prints, old photographs, and watercolors, giving browsers a hint at what Rome looked like in centuries past. Can’t afford an 18th-century etching? They have refined postcards too. | Piazza Navona 25 | 00186 | 06/6865318 | www.nardecchia.it.

Quattrocolo.
This historic shop dating to 1938 showcases exquisite antique micro-mosaic jewelry painstakingly crafted in the style perfected by the masters at the Vatican mosaic studio. Their small works are beloved by cosmopolitan clientele of the Grand Tour age and offer modern-day shoppers a taste of yesteryear’s grandeur. | Via della Scrofa 48 | 00186 | 06/68801367 | www.quattrocolo.com.

Casual Chic

Vestiti Usati Cinzia.
There’s a fun, unique, and diverse inventory of 1960s- and ‘70s-style apparel and googly sunglasses at Vestiti Usati Cinzia, beloved by private clients, costume designers, and fashion designers and stylists alike. You’ll find lots of flower power, embroidered tops, and psychedelic clothing here, along with trippy boots and dishy bubblegum-pink shoes that Twiggy would have loved. | Via del Governo Vecchio 45 | 00186 | 06/6832945.

Ceramics and Glasswear

IN.OR. dal 1952.
A grand silver and china store occupying the piano nobile of an 18th-century palazzo in the characteristic Campo Marzo area, this shop specializes in work handcrafted by the silversmiths of Pampaloni in Florence and Bellotto of Padua. | Via della Stelletta 23 | 00186 | 06/6878579 | www.inor.it.

Fashion

Le Tartarughe.
Designer Susanna Liso, a Rome native, adds suggestive elements of playful experimentation to her haute couture and ready-to-wear lines, which are much loved by Rome’s aristocracy and intelligentsia. | Via Piè di Marmo 17 | 00186 | 06/6792240 | www.letartarughe.eu.

Moriondo e Gariglio.
In 2009 the Willy Wonka of Roman chocolate factories partnered with Bvlgari and placed 300 pieces of jewelry in their Easter eggs to benefit cancer research. While you may not find diamonds in your bonbons, marrons glacés, or dark-chocolate truffles, you’ll still delight in choosing from more than 80 delicacies. | Via Piè di Marmo 21 | 00186 | 06/6990856 | www.moriondoegariglio.com.

Jewelry

Delfina Delettrez.
When your great grandmother is Adele Fendi, it’s not surprising that creativity runs in your genes. In her early 20s, Delfina Delettrez creates edgy, conceptual collections that daringly merge gold, silver, bone and glass, crystals and diamonds to create gothic, edgy styles worthy of Fritz Lang’s Metropolis or Blade Runner. | Via Governo Vecchio 67 | 00186 | 06/68136362 | www.delfinadelettrez.com.

Men’s Clothing

Davide Cenci.
Cenci’s legendary clothiers will adjust and tailor most anything to fit your body like a glove and have it delivered to your hotel within three days. The label is famous for its sinful cashmere, sailing sportswear, and trench coats, and you will appreciate their customer service and attention to detail. | Via Campo Marzio 1-7 | 00186 | 06/6990681 | www.davidecenci.com.

SBU.
In a city famous for classically sharp suits, it can be a challenge to find hip menswear in Rome, but SBU (Strategic Business Unit) suavely fills the void with a sophisticated range of casual clothing, sportswear, shoes, and upscale accessories. | Via di San Pantaleo 68–69 | 00186 | 06/68802547 | www.sbu.it.

Perfume and Cosmetics

Ai Monasteri.
Among dark-wood paneling, choir-like alcoves, and painted angels you’ll find traditional products made by Italy’s diligent friars and monks following century-old recipes. The Elixir dell’Amore (love potion) is perfect for any well-deserving valentine, or, if it isn’t true love, you can opt for a bottle of the popular Elixir of Happiness. | Corso del Rinascimento 72 | 00186 | 06/68802783 | www.monasteri.it.

Antica Erboristeria Romana.
Complete with hand-labeled wooden drawers holding its more than 200 varieties of herbs, flowers, and tinctures including aper, licorice, and hellbane, Antica Erboristeria Romana has maintained its old-world apothecary feel. | Via Torre Argentina 15 | 00186 | 06/6879493 | www.anticaerboristeriaromana.it.

Stationery

Il Papiro.
Have the e-mail blues? One of Rome’s preferred shops for those who appreciate exquisite writing materials and papermaking techniques that are almost extinct, Il Papiro sells hand-decorated marbleized papers, stationery and card stock, unique lithography, engraving, or delicate watermarked paper, along with wax seals, presses for paper embossing, Venetian glass pens, and ink stamps. | Via del Pantheon 50 | 00186 | 06/6795597 | www.ilpapirofirenze.it.

Toys

Al Sogno.
Carrying an exquisite collection of fanciful puppets, collectible dolls, masks, stuffed animals, and illustrated books, this Navona jewel is crammed top to bottom with beautiful and well-crafted playthings. If you believe that children’s toys don’t have to be high-tech, you will adore reliving some of your best childhood memories here. | Piazza Navona 53 | 00186 | 06/6864198 | www.alsogno.com.

Bartolucci.
Bartolucci attracts shoppers with a life-size Pinocchio pedaling furiously on a wooden bike. Inside is a shop that would have warmed Gepetto’s heart. For more than 60 years and three generations, this family has been making whimsical, handmade curiosities out of pine, including clocks, bookends, bedside lamps, and wall hangings. | Via dei Pastini 98 | 00186 | 06/69190894 | www.bartolucci.com.

Repubblica

Bookstores

Mel Bookstore.
If you like discounts on remainder stock and secondhand books and a treasure trove of marked-down merchandise shop here and then enjoy coffee and dessert in the spacious art deco–style caffè. | Via Nazionale 254–255, Repubblica | 00184 | 06/4885433 | www.melbookstore.it.

Ceramics and Decorative Arts

Il Giardino di Domenico Persiani.
Nestled in a cool courtyard garden under the shade of an expansive oak tree is refreshing open-air terra-cotta shop, just the place for terracotta chubby cherubs, replicas of Bacchus, or your very own Bocca della Verità. With a large selection of handmade Roman masks, busts, flower pots, and vases, there is something here for anyone with a green thumb. | Via Torino 92, Repubblica | 00184 | 06/4883886.

Shopping Malls

Il Forum Termini.
Rome’s handiest central shopping mall this cluster of shops stays open until 10 pm (even on Sunday) and is conveniently located directly inside Rome’s biggest train station, Stazione Termini. In a city not known for its convenient shopping hours, this “shop before you hop/buy before you fly” hub is a good spot for last-minute goodies or a book for your train or airplane ride. There are more than 50 shops, including the ever-popular United Colors of Benetton, L’Occitane, Sephora, and Optimissimo, which has more than 3,000 super-stylish glasses and sunglasses by top Italian designers. There is even a supermarket for your picnic lunch on the train. | Stazione Temini, Repubblica | 00185 | www.grandistazioni.it.

San Lorenzo

Casual Chic

Fodor’s Choice | L’Anatra all’Arancia.
Repetto ballerinas, roomy handbags, and funky dresses make L’Anatra all’Arancia one of the best local secrets of boho San Lorenzo. Its window display showcases innovative designer clothes from Marina Spadafora, Antik Batik, See by Chloé, and Donatella Baroni (the store’s owner and buyer). Leaning towards the alternative with an eclectic selection of handpicked Italian and French labels, Donatella carries sinful perfumes from L’Artisan Parfumeur and beautiful jewelry from the line of Serge Thoraval. | Via Tiburtina 105 | 00185 | 06/4456293.

Spagna

Accessories

Braccialini.
Founded in 1954 by Florentine stylist Carla Braccialini and her husband, Braccialini—currently managed by their sons—makes bags that are authentic works of art in delightful shapes, such as little gold taxis or Santa Fe stagecoaches. | Via Mario De’ Fiori 73 | 00187 | 06/6785750 | shop.braccialini.com.

Furla.
Furla has 15 franchises in Rome alone. Its flagship store, to the left of the Spanish Steps, sells bags like hot cakes. Be prepared to fight your way through crowds of passionate handbag lovers, all anxious to possess one of the delectable bags, wallets, or watch straps in ice-cream colors. | Piazza di Spagna 22, Spagna | 00187 | 06/69200363 | www.furla.com.

La Perla.
La Perla is the go-to for beautifully crafted lingerie and glamorous underwear for that special night, a bridal trousseau, or just to spoil yourself on your Roman holiday. In partnership with Jean Paul Gaultier, the brand has just launched a swimwear line alongside his second lingerie collection. | Via Bocca di Leone 24 | 00187 | 06/69941934 | www.laperla.com.

Mandarina Duck.
Mandarina Duck appeared on the Italian design scene in 1997. Their snappy, colored MD20 bags and luggage in durable synthetic fabrics were soon a hit. Techno-shoppers have begun snapping up their new “unexpected” bag, with a plethora of pockets including two especially for iPads and mobile phones, making it practical in form and design. | Via dei Due Macelli 59/F | 00187 | 06/6786414 | www.mandarinaduck.com.

Schostal.
At the end of the 19th century, when ladies needed petticoats, corsets, bonnets, or white or colored stockings made of cotton thread, wool, or silk, it was inevitable for them to stop at Schostal. A Piazza di Spagna fixture since 1870, the shop still preserves that genteel ambience. Fine-quality shirts come with spare collars and cuffs. Ultraclassic underwear, handkerchiefs, and pure wool and cashmere are available at affordable prices. | Via Fontanella Borghese 29 | 00186 | 06/6791240 | www.schostalroma.com.

Fodor’s Choice | Tod’s.
With just 30 years under its belt, Tod’s has grown from a small family brand into a global powerhouse so wealthy that it has donated €20 million to renovate the Colosseum. Tod’s has gathered a cult following among style mavens worldwide, due in large part to owner Diego Della Valle’s equally famous other possession: Florence’s soccer team. The shoe baron’s trademark is its simple, understated designs. Sure to please are their light and flexible slip-on Gommini driving shoes with rubber-bottomed soles for extra driving-pedal grip. Now you just need a Ferrari. | Via Fontanella di Borghese 56a/c | 00187 | 06/68210066 | www.tods.com.

Antiques

Fratelli Alinari.
The gallery store of the world’s oldest photography firm, Fratelli Alinari was founded by brothers Leopoldo, Giuseppe, and Romualdo Alinari in 1852. Patrons can browse through a vast archive of prints, books, rare collotypes, and finely detailed reproductions of historical images, drawings, and paintings. | Via Alibert 16/a | 00187 | 06/6792923 | www.alinari.it.

Galleria Benucci.
With carved and gilded late Baroque and Empire period furniture and paintings culled from the noble houses of Italy’s past, Galleria Benucci is a treasure trove. | Via del Babuino 150/C | 00187 | 06/36002190 | www.galleriabenucci.it.

Bookstores

Anglo-American Book Co.
A large and friendly English-language bookstore with more than 45,000 books, Anglo-American Book Co. has been a mecca for English-language reading material in Rome for more than 25 years. | Via della Vite 102, Spagna | 00187 | 06/6795222 | www.aab.it.

La Feltrinelli.
As Rome’s biggest bookseller, La Feltrinelli’s main attraction is the Piazza Colonna flagship store. Ensconced in the elegant 19th-century Galleria Alberto Sordi, this mega-bookstore fills three floors with books, music, postcards, holiday items, and small gifts. A great place to explore Italian-style book shopping, there are 12 branches peppered throughout the city. | Piazza Colonna 31/35, Corso | 00187 | 06/69755001 | www.lafeltrinelli.it.

Lion Bookshop.
For 50 years Italy’s oldest English-language bookstore, the Lion has a broad assortment of contemporary and classic fiction and nonfiction titles, as well as books on Rome and Italy in general, plus art, architecture, and cooking. | Via dei Greci 33/36 | 00186 | 06/32654007.

Department Stores

La Rinascente.
Italy’s best-known department store, La Rinascente is where Italian fashion mogul Giorgio Armani got his start as a window dresser. Recently relocated inside the Galleria Alberto Sordi, the store has a phalanx of ready-to-wear designer sportswear and blockbuster handbags and accessories. The upscale clothing and accessories are a hit with the young and well dressed. | Galleria Alberto Sordi, Piazza Colonna | 00187 | 06/6797691 | www.rinascente.it.

Fashion

Dolce & Gabbana.
Dolce and Gabbana met in 1980 when both were assistants at a Milan fashion atelier and opened their first store in 1982. With a modern aesthetic that screams sex appeal, the brand has always thrived on its excesses. The Rome store can be more than a little overwhelming, with its glossy glamazons but at least there is plenty of eye candy, masculine and feminine, with a spring line heavy of stars and sequins as well as enthusiastic fruits, flowers, and veggies. | Piazza di Spagna 94 | 00187 | 06/6782990 | www.dolcegabbana.com.

Fendi.
Fendi has been a fixture of the Roman fashion landscape since “Mamma” Fendi first opened shop with her husband in 1925. With an eye for crazy genius, she hired Karl Lagerfeld, who began working with the group at the start of his career. His furs and runway antics have made him one of the world’s most influential designers of the 20th century and brought international acclaim to Fendi along the way. Recent Lagerfeld triumphs include new collections marrying innovative textures, fabrics (cashmere, felt, and duchesse satin) with exotic skins like crocodile. Keeping up with technology, they even have an iPad case that will surely win a fashionista’s seal of approval. | Largo Carlo Goldoni 419–421 | 00187 | 06/696661 | www.fendi.com.

Giorgio Armani.
One of the most influential designers of Italian haute couture, Giorgio Armani creates fluid silhouettes and dazzling evening gowns with décolletés so deep they’d make a grown man blush, his signature cuts made with the clever-handedness and flawless technique that you only achieve working with tracing paper and Italy’s finest fabrics over the course of a lifetime. His menswear collection uses traditional textiles like wide-ribbed corduroy and stretch jersey in nontraditional ways while staying true to a clean, masculine aesthetic. | Via Condotti 77 | 00187 | 06/6991460 | www.giorgioarmani.com.

Gucci.
As the glamorous fashion label turns 90, the success of the double-G trademark brand is unquestionable. Survival in luxury fashion depends on defining market share, and creative director Frida Giannini has proven she knows the soul of the House of Gucci. Tom Ford may have made Gucci the sexiest brand in the world, but it’s today’s reinterpreted horsebit styles and Jackie Kennedy scarves that keep the design house on top. And while Gucci remains a fashion must for virtually every A-list celebrity, their designs have moved from heart-stopping sexy rock star to something classically subdued and retrospectively feminine. | Via Condotti 8 | 00187 | 06/6790405 | www.gucci.com.

Laura Biagiotti.
For 40 years Laura Biagiotti has been a worldwide ambassador of Italian fashion. Considered the Queen of Cashmere, her soft-as-velvet pullovers have been worn by Sophia Loren and her snow-white cardigans were said to be a favorite of the late Pope John Paul II. | Via Mario de’ Fiori 26 | 00187 | 06/6791205 | www.laurabiagiotti.it.

Marisa Padovan.
The place to go for exclusive, made-to-order lingerie and bathing suits, Marisa Padovan has been sewing for Hollywood starlets like Audrey Hepburn and the well-heeled women of Rome for more than 40 years. Whether you want to purchase a ready-made style trimmed with Swarovski crystals and polished turquoise stones or design your own bespoke bikini or one-piece, their made-to-measure precision will have you looking like Rita Hayworth. | Via delle Carrozze 81 | 00187 | 06/6793946 | www.marisapadovan.it.

Prada.
Not just the devil, but also serious shoppers wear Prada season after season, especially those willing to sell their souls for one of their ubiquitous handbags. If you are looking for that blend of old-world luxury with a touch of fashion-forward finesse, you’ll hit pay dirt here. Recent handbag designs have a bit of a 1960s Jackie Kennedy feel, and whether you like them will hinge largely on whether you find Prada’s signature retro-modernism enchanting. You’ll find the Rome store more service-focused than the New York City branches—a roomy elevator delivers you to a series of thickly carpeted rooms where a flock of discreet assistants will help you pick out dresses, shoes, lingerie, and fashion accessories. | Via Condotti 92/95 | 00187 | 06/6790897 | www.prada.com.

Salvatore Ferragamo.
One of the top-10 most-wanted men’s footwear brands, Salvatore Ferragamo has been providing Hollywood glitterati and discerning clients with unique handmade designs for years. | Via Condotti 65 | 00187 | 06/6781130 | www.ferragamo.com | Via Condotti 73/74 | 00187 | 06/6791565.

Save the Queen! A hot Florentine design house with exotic and creative pieces for women and girls with artistic and eccentric frills, cut-outs, and textures, Save the Queen! has one of the most beautiful shops in the city, with window displays that are works of art themselves. The store is chock-full of baroque-inspired dresses, shirts, and skirts that are ultrafeminine and not the least bit discreet. | Via del Babuino 49, Spagna | 00187 | 06/36003039 | www.savethequeen.com.

Fodor’s Choice | Valentino.
Since taking the Valentino reins a few years ago, creative directors Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli have faced numerous challenges, the most basic being keeping Valentino true to Valentino after the designer’s retirement in 2008. Both served as accessories designers under Valentino for more than a decade and understand exactly how to make the next generation of Hollywood stars swoon. Spagna’s sprawling boutiques showcase designs with a romantic edginess: think kitten heels and or a show-stopping prêt-à-porter evening gown worthy of the Oscars. | Via Condotti 12–15, Spagna | 00187 | 06/69200618 | www.valentino.com | Via del Babuino 61, Spagna | 00187 | 06/36001906.

Versace.
Occupying the ground floor of a noble palazzo with wrought-iron gratings on the windows and mosaic pavement, Versace is as imaginitive as the store is ostentatious. | Via Bocca di Leone 23, 26–27, Spagna | 00187 | 06/6780521 | www.versace.com.

Jewelry

Bulgari.
Bulgari is to Rome what Tiffany’s is to New York and Cartier is to Paris. In the middle of the 19th century the great-grandfather of the current Bulgari brothers began working as a silver jeweler in his native Greece, and is said to have moved to Rome with less than 1,000 lire in his pocket. Today the megabrand emphasizes colorful and playful jewelry as the principal cornerstone of its aesthetic. | Via Condotti 10 | 00187 | 06/6793876 | www.bulgari.com.

Men’s Clothing

Ermenegildo Zegna.
Ermenegildo Zegna, of the unpronounceable name, is a 100-year-old powerhouse of men’s clothing. Believing that construction and fabric are the key, Zegna is the master of both. Most of the luxury brand’s suits cost in the €1,500–€2,500 range, with the top of the line, known as “Couture,” costing considerably more. But don’t despair if your pockets aren’t that deep: their ready-to-wear dress shirts are suit-defining. | Via Condotti 58 | 00187 | 06/69940678 | www.zegna.com.

Music Stores

Messaggerie Musicali.
Central Rome’s largest selection of music, DVDs, and concert tickets is at Messaggerie Musicali. Owned by Mondadori, the store also has a limited book section. | Via del Corso 472 | 00186 | 06/684401 | www.mondadorishop.it.

Shoes

A. Testoni.
Amedeo Testoni was born in 1905 in Bologna, the heart of Italy’s shoemaking territory. In 1929 he opened his first shop and began producing shoes as artistic as the Cubist and Art Deco artwork of the period. His shoes have adorned the art-in-motion feet of Fred Astaire and proved that lightweight shoes could be comfortable and luxurious and still make heads turn. Today the Testoni brand includes an extraordinary women’s collection and a sports line that is relaxed without losing its artistic heritage. The soft, calfskin sneakers are a dream, as are the matching messenger bags. | Via Condotti 80 | 00187 | 06/6788944 | www.testoni.com.

Fausto Santini.
Fausto Santini gives a hint of extravagance in minimally decorated shoes that fashion mavens love. For almost 20 years, Santini has successfully attracted an avant-garde clientele of both men and women who flock to his preppy-hipster/nerdy-chic shoes, which are bright and colorful and sport deconstructed forms in plush, supple leathers that scream to be tried on. TIP A second shop at Via Cavour 106 sells last season’s shoes at a deep discount. | Via Frattina 120 | 00187 | 06/6784114 | www.faustosantini.it.

Stationery

Fodor’s Choice | Pineider.
Pineider has been making exclusive stationery in Italy since 1774; this is where Rome’s aristocratic families have their wedding invitations engraved and their stationery personalized. For stationery and desk accessories, hand-tooled in the best Florentine leather, it has no equal. | Via di Fontanella Borghese 22 | 00187 | 06/6878369 | www.pineider.com.

Trastevere

Bookstores

Almost Corner Bookshop.
This Trastevere bookstore is a well-loved meeting point for English-speaking residents and visitors to this lively neighborhood. Owner Dermot O’Connell, from Kilkenny, Ireland, stocks an inviting selection ranging from translated Italian classics to today’s latest bestsellers. | Via del Moro 45 | 00153 | 06/5836942.

Flea Markets

Porta Portese.
Rome’s biggest flea market is at Porta Portese, which welcomes 100,000 visitors every Sunday from 7 am until 2 pm. Larger than the St.Ouen in Paris, this mecca of flea markets is easily accessible with Tram 8. | Via Portuense and adjacent streets between Porta Portese and Via Ettore Rolli | 00153.

Shoes

Joseph DeBach.
The best kept shoe secret in Rome and open only in the evenings, when Trastevere diners begin to strut their stuff, Joseph DeBach has weird and wonderful creations that are more art than footwear. Entirely handmade from wood, metal, and leather in his small and chaotic studio, his abacus wedge is worthy of a museum. Styles are outrageous “wow” and sometimes finished with hand-painted strings, odd bits of comic books, newspapers, or other unexpected baubles. Individually signed and dated, his shoes are distributed, in very small numbers, in London, Paris, Tokyo, and New York. | Vicolo del Cinque 19 | 00153 | 06/5562756.

Vatican

Department Stores

Coin.
A perfect place for upscale merchandise in a proper department store atmosphere, Coin has convenient locations in the center of Rome. Customers can select from trendy merchandise, including clothing separates, lingerie, and sportswear for men, women, and children. Searching for a pressure-driven espresso machine, a simpler stove-top Bialetti model, or a mezzaluna? You can find these and other high-quality, stylish cookware items that are difficult to find back home. | Via Cola di Rienzo 173 | 00192 | 06/36004298.

Food, Wine, and Delicacies

Castroni.
Opening its flagship shop near the Vatican in 1932, this gastronomic paradise has long been Rome’s port of call for decadent delicacies from around the globe. Jonesing expatriates and study-abroad students pop in for their Fauchon products from Paris, their Twinings teas, or tins of their special smoked Spanish paprika. | Via Cola di Rienzo 196 | 00192 | 06/6874383 | www.castroni.it.

Religious Mementos

Arte Italiana.
Arte Italiana stands out among the religious souvenir shops that line the avenue leading to St. Peter’s Basilica. Whether you’re looking for a unique First Holy Communion gift, rosary bracelets, or Byzantine icons, you will find something meaningful to bestow on your parish back home. The pieces aren’t cheap, but they are of the highest quality and make great mementos to personalize your Vatican experience. | Via della Conciliazione 4f | 00193 | 06/68806373.

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