Rome Shopping

  1. Omero & Cecilia

    Another splendid example in this street of vintage shops. A tunnel of a place, stashed full of a great array of leather bags, shoes, cool scarves, coats and dresses, this is a browser's heaven.

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  2. Only Hearts

    Only Hearts sells sexy whispers of underwear in delicate shades, with some retro styling, and some clothes and shoes to complement the fluttery smalls. There's a branch at Via Vittoria 76.

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  3. Original Fans Lazio Sportswear

    Ever since Lazio won Serie A in 2000, Rome's first (or second, depending on your allegiances) football team has done little except negotiate with banks to stave off financial disaster, at the expense of on-pitch success. Fans can show their support by buying shirts, scarves, hats and tickets here.

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  4. Outlet Gente

    If your credit card doesn't cut it at the main Gente store, try your luck in its basement outlet, where anything from Prada loafers to Chloe threads are subject to democratic mark-downs of up to 50%.

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  5. Pandora

    Truly a box of a shop, this has a twisted-glass-framed doorway on Trastevere's main piazza and sells a mix of ceramics, Murano glassware, African masks and handcrafted jewellery.

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  6. Pollicina

    If you like to announce your arrival from a distance, the jewellery at Pollicina is for you. The big, brash costume jewellery is beautifully handcrafted using coloured crystals, resin and coral. To get into the small shop-cum-showroom, ring the buzzer by the side of the door.

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  7. Polvere Di Tempo

    This intriguing shop is ideal for fun adult toys (no, not those sort) that look good but don't have much purpose. In theory, you could use the lovingly crafted hourglasses, globes and pill boxes, all based on 16th- to 18th-century designs, but as often as not they'll end up as attractive shelf fodder. The leather-bound books are more practical and equally appealing.

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  8. Ponte Milvio

    The scene of a famous battle in AD 312, the 2nd-century-BC Ponte Milvio is now the scene of a colourful monthly market. On the first Sunday of every month stalls spring up along the Lungotevere Capoprati (between the Ponte Milvio and Ponte Duca d'Aosta) laden with antiques and collectable clobber. As at all markets, the fun's as much in the looking as in the buying.

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  9. Porta Portese

    Rome's biggest and busiest weekly flea market is held in the area extending south from Porta Portese, an ancient Roman gate on the River Tiber. There are fewer antiques these days, and much more mass-produced tat, but it's still great fun, with thousands of stalls pushing everything from bags to bikes and clothes to furniture. You have to bargain, or else it's boring. It gets incredibly crowded so watch out for pickpockets.

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  10. Posto Italiano

    Posto Italiano provides a showcase for a number of emerging Italian designers while also stocking more established brands. Sexy, feline sandals share shelf space with coloured clogs and Clarks desert boots.

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  12. Radiation Records

    Off-the-radar Radiation stocks vinyl, CDs and DVDs spanning ska and funk, to rock steady, garage and local indie acts such as the Intellectuals. Occasional in-store gigs have seen the likes of punk chick Penelope Houston rock the shop.

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  13. Rainbow Belts

    Whether your style is rhinestone-studded, python-skinned, large and black or chainlinked, this small shop - a forest of leather straps, all made in Florence - will have a cintura (belt) to suit you.

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  14. Rinascita

    Adjoining the bookshop of the same name, long-running Rinascita is best known for its contemporary and world music. However, you'll also find jazz, blues, classical and electronic CDs as well as videos, DVDs and an in-store ticket agency.

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  15. Roma-Store

    With no sign, Roma-Store is an enchanting perfume shop crammed full of deliciously enticing bottles of scent, including lots of unusual brands as well as English Floris, Italian Aqua di Parma and French Etat Libre d'Orange.

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  16. Scala Quattorodici

    You could easily walk past this low-key façade. But pause and peer and you will see some exquisite, hand-stitched off-the-peg and tailor-made outfits. It's ideal for the woman who wants timeless elegance (think Jean Seberg and Audrey Hepburn) that's still a little unusual.

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  17. Sciù Scià

    Not much bigger than the shoe boxes cluttering its interior, Sciù Scià sells its own range of handmade ladies' shoes and multicoloured suede bags. The vibe is sensible yet chic, ranging from classic pumps to comfortable sandals.

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  18. Sermoneta

    Put your hands in a pair of Giorgio Sermoneta's gloves and you might find you don't want to take them out again. At Rome's most famous glove-seller's, there's a kaleidoscopic range of top-quality coloured and textured leather and suede gloves with linings in silk and cashmere.

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  19. Sisters

    Interior-design emporium Sisters is as much a gallery as a shop, with marble busts juxtaposed against black-and-white chess-patterned sofas. Think Andy Warhol meets Gian Lorenzo Bernini and you'll get the picture. And the price.

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  20. Soul Food

    A trainspotter's delight, this cool, retro shop is filled with rare vinyl records - Italian and imports - as well as band T-shirts to suit every taste.

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  21. Spazia Bio

    Inside the enlightened Città dell'Altra Economia (City of the Other Economy), Spazio Bio stocks organic, fair-trade food and wine.

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  23. Stazione Termini

    It mightn't make retail hot lists, but Rome's central station is undisputedly handy, with more than 100 outlets spanning ubiquitous chains such as The Body Shop and Benetton, to a multilevel bookshop, late-night pharmacy (platform 1; h - ) and three supermarkets - the best of the lot being basement Conad (h -midnight).

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  24. Stilo Fetti

    An old-fashioned shop where assistants wear ties and know the exact location of every item, Stilo Fetti is a throwback to the days when people wrote with pen and ink. Here you'll find racks of fountain pens and sleek leather briefcases.

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  25. Super

    Lauded by French Vogue and Japanese Elle, minimalist, unisex Super ditches big-name bores for hard-to-find threads from Italian innovators February and Mario's, and progressive foreigners such as London's Poetic Licence and Anglo-French label April 77. The retro furniture's for sale, as is the cool collection of quirky designer novelties.

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  26. Suzuganaru

    Suzuganaru's men's and women's boutiques sit side by side, selling quirky, individual clothes you won't find anywhere else. Some of the women's clothes are made in the shop, and there are little dresses in unusual prints, light-as-air chiffon pieces, and accessories such as bright lacquer bangles. Next door the men's clothes are lower key but equally hip.

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  27. Tad

    TAD is a conceptual department store that sells an entire lifestyle. Here you can buy designer clothes by Chloë, Marc Jacobs and Balenciaga, have a haircut, buy scent and flowers, and then furnish your apartment with designer furniture - from wooden daybeds to silk cushions and Perspex dining chairs. Don't forget to pick up hip soundtracks to your perfect life from the CD rack.

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