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International Mare Bookshop
Ahoy there. Specialising in everything mare (sea) related, this friendly bookshop has maritime books in Italian, English and French, nautical charts, binoculars, pirate flags, model yachts, posters, Lonely Planet guidebooks, videos and CD-ROMs. The corner bar is an added bonus.
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Jam Store
This is like a Roman version of US clothing and homewares store Urban Outfitters, with a range of funky clothing and other stuff - the kind of thing that might appeal to Paris Hilton, skate kids and Japanese dudes. Labels include Paul Smith and Hello Kitty.
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Joseph Debach
Here you'll find shoes with teeth and tongues, covered in cartoon collage, or with abacus and wheel heels. Created by Libyan designer Joseph DeBach, they're not necessarily that wearable, but they are works of art. They would look great on the mantelpiece: file under weird and wonderful.
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Josephine De Huertas & Co
For strappy heels and wow-factor floaty dresses, try this elegant boutique. It stocks Italian designers, including Missoni and Alberta Ferretti, and international designers from Paul & Joe to Anya Hindmarch. There's another store around the corner at Via di Parione 19.
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L'olfattorio
Those with a nose will adore this place. It's like a bar, but with perfume instead of drinks. The bartender will guide you through smelling different combinations of scents to work out your ideal fragrance. Exclusive handmade French perfumes are available to buy. Smellings are free but bookings are appreciated.
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La Bottega del Cioccolato
Walking in here is like entering a chocolate box. It's a magical world of scarlet walls and old-fashioned glass cabinets set into black wood, with irresistible smells wafting in from the kitchen and rows of lovingly homemade chocolates. Chocoholics beware: you could be lost.
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La Chiave
La Chiave is one of Rome's best shops for ethnic bits and pieces (ceramics, furniture, hammocks, paper lanterns and so on). Just off Largo di Torre Argentina, it's reasonably priced and ideal if you're on a gift hunt.
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La Cicogna
Dress your little darlings in designer togs - DKNY, D&G, Missoni and so on - and hang the expense. Let's just hope they don't like puddles and mud. There's a second branch at Via Cola di Rienzo 268 (06 689 65 57).
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La Coppola Storta Hats
No one actually wears these flat caps (think Robert de Niro in the flashback bits of The Godfather ) in Sicily anymore, but damn are they cool, and here you can get them in every imaginable colour and variety. You can even get them for your dog. There's another branch at Via del Piè di Marmo 4 (06 679 58 01).
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La Corona
A tie-filled, cupboard-sized emporium, La Corona can be relied on for classic sober designs, the latest fads, and colourful numbers ranging from garish to great.
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La Cravatta Su Misura
With ties draped over the wooden furniture, this inviting shop resembles the study of an absent-minded professor. But don't be fooled: these guys know their ties. Only the finest Italian silks and English wools are used in the neckwear they make to their customers' specifications. At a push they'll have a tie ready in a few hours.
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La Grande Officina
Under dusty workshop lamps, husband-and-wife team Giancarlo Genco and Daniela Ronchetti turn everything from old clock parts and Japanese fans into edgy geometric jewellery.
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La Perla
Give your life an injection of va va voom with lingerie from La Perla, Italy's most famous lingerie brand. Luxurious lace-trimmed silk bras, negligees that you'll want to dive into and stiletto-heeled fluffy slippers - it's time to indulge your inner movie star.
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La Procure
This French bookshop nestles next to France's church in Rome, the Chiesa di San Luigi dei Francesi. Browse the literature, fiction, nonfiction, general-interest and children's books before popping into the church to see the paintings by Caravaggio.
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La Rinascente
La Rinascente isn't going to rock your world, but it's a stately upmarket department store, selling fashionable if not cutting-edge clothing, accessories and big-name cosmetics, all amid Art Nouveau interiors. There's a second store at Piazza Fiume (06 841 60 81).
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Le Gallinelle
With a tiled floor and marble counter, this well-known boutique used to be a butcher's shop. The only reminders are the hooks onto which the new and vintage women's clothes are hung, all cool, retro and stylish.
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Le Terre Di At
Local ceramicist Angela Torcivia has a knack with the wheel, spinning out stunning minimalist pieces such as richly hued bijoux and bottle-stoppers, and smoky Raku (Japanese pottery) lamps and bowls.
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Lei
Lei is the place for girls who like a bit of high-class frivolity at not-too-outrageous prices. The racks are filled with pretty party frocks, unusual tops and T-shirts, and there are delicious-looking shoes from brands as diverse as Camper and Katherine Hamnett. There's another branch at Via Nazionale 88 (06 482 17 00).
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Libreria Babele
Rome's only gay-and-lesbian bookshop, Libreria Babele has helpful staff and a well-stocked selection of books, magazines and videos, some of which are in English, as well as other essentials such as butch Barbie dolls. To discover Rome's pinker side, head here.
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Libreria del Viaggiatore
If Rome is only a stop on your Grand Tour, this beguiling bookshop is a must. Small but world-encompassing, it's crammed with guides and travel literature in various languages and has a huge range of maps, including hiking maps.
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Libreria l'Argonauta
Off the main tourist trail, this travel bookshop is a lovely place to browse. The serene atmosphere and shelves of travel literature can easily spark off daydreams of far-off places: palm-lined beaches or neon cityscapes. Staff are friendly and happy to let you drift around the world in peace.
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Libreria Sorgente
If you're in need of literature and nonfiction books in Spanish or Portuguese, check out Libreria Sorgente, next door to the Spanish Istituto Cervantes.
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Lion Bookshop
This fabulous, long-running, peaceful English bookshop has English-speaking staff and is well stocked with classics, travel guides and the latest hot reads. There's a particularly good children's section.
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Loco
Shoe fetishists should hotfoot it to Loco. More a trendsetter than fashion follower, it's small but big in attitude, with an interesting mix of original shoes by international and Italian designers.
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Louis Vuitton
Forget handbags. The star turn at Rome's latest Louis Vuitton store is a show-stopping, plasma-screen staircase. Based on a concept by New York-based architect Peter Marino (and looking like it's straight off a Madonna concert set),this visual tour de force transforms itself from psychedelic snake to technicolour torrent in seconds. For the full effect, head in after hours when the stairs are free of clutter and at their hi-tech best.
