Must-see shopping in Rome

  • Alberta Gloves

    Centro Storico

    A throwback to a world without logos, this tiny family-run shop has a handmade glove for every conceivable occasion, from elbow-length silk evening gloves…

  • Città del Sole

    Centro Storico

    Città del Sole is a parent’s dream, a treasure-trove of imaginative toys created to stretch the growing mind rather than numb it. From simple musical…

  • Ibiz – Artigianato in Cuoio

    Centro Storico

    In her diminutive family workshop, Elisa Nepi and her team craft beautiful butter-soft leather wallets, bags, belts, keyrings and sandals in elegant…

  • Luna & L’Altra

    Centro Storico

    This minimalist, all-white fashion boutique is one of a number of independent stores on and around Via del Governo Vecchio. In its austere, gallery-like…

  • Abito

    Monti, Esquilino & San Lorenzo

    Wilma Silvestre, founder of local label Le Gallinelle, designs elegant clothes with a difference. You can browse her chic, laid-back styles and buy off…

  • Mondelliani

    Centro Storico

    Eyewear becomes art at this modish boutique on Via del Pellegrino. Known for its avant-garde window displays, often styled by contemporary artists,…

  • Mercato Campagna Amica al Circo Massimo

    Ancient Rome

    This weekly farmers market provides a showcase for regional producers from Lazio and central Italy. Stalls sell all manner of edible fare, including…

  • Galleria Alberto Sordi

    Tridente, Trevi & the Quirinale

    This elegant stained-glass arcade appeared in Alberto Sordi’s 1973 classic film, Polvere di stelle (Stardust), and has since been renamed in his honour…

  • Polvere di Tempo

    Trastevere & Gianicolo

    Polvere di Tempo, or Dust of Time, is an intriguing place to browse and pick up gifts. Take your pick from lovingly crafted hourglasses, globes and pill…

  • Aldo Fefè

    Centro Storico

    In his small, cluttered workshop, master craftsman Aldo Fefè patiently binds books and produces beautifully hand-painted notebooks, boxes, picture frames…

  • Catello d'Auria

    Tridente, Trevi & the Quirinale

    Making leather gloves since 1894, this traditional Roman business retains its walls of original glove drawers, which are filled with examples made from…

  • Kokoro

    Monti, Esquilino & San Lorenzo

    Featuring quality fabrics and and a chic 1970s-influenced aesthetic, the clothing designed by Betty Piccirilli and David Anav is a hit with Roman women of…

  • Etel

    San Giovanni & Testaccio

    A hot find for footwear fiends, Etel stocks a carefully curated collection of fashionable women's shoes by mainly Italian labels. Designs range from…

  • Tebro

    Centro Storico

    Located in the same building the company was founded in, Tebro has been keeping Rome's well heeled in household linens and luxurious nightwear since 1867…

  • La Tradizione

    Vatican City, Borgo & Prati

    With a window bedecked with fresh black truffles, you know you've found a source for Italian foods of the highest order. This traditional shop (note the…

  • Valentina Laganà

    Tridente, Trevi & the Quirinale

    Turin-based jeweller Valentina Laganà is known for her contemporary pieces in brass, silver, copper and bronze. Well priced, her rings, earrings,…

  • Nardecchia

    Centro Storico

    Famed for its antique prints, historic Nardecchia sells everything from 18th-century etchings by Giovanni Battista Piranesi to more affordable 19th…

  • Tod’s

    Tridente, Trevi & the Quirinale

    The trademark of this luxury Italian brand is its rubber-studded loafers – perfect weekend footwear for kicking back at your country estate. There's a…

  • La Rinascente

    Tridente, Trevi & the Quirinale

    Popular La Rinascente is an upmarket department store with five floors of his and hers fashions, a basement exhibition area and a panoramic food hall…

  • I Vippini

    Tridente, Trevi & the Quirinale

    This pretty little boutique sells exquisite designer fashion for bambini, from newborns to teens. It stocks Italian designers in the main, alongside its…

  • Open Door Bookshop

    Trastevere & Gianicolo

    A lovely bookshop crammed with new and secondhand titles, this is a great place to browse and happen upon a classic, with novels and nonfiction in English…

  • Roma Liuteria di Mathias Menanteau

    Monti, Esquilino & San Lorenzo

    A vintage ceramic-tiled wood burner casts a golden glow on this old-fashioned artisanal workshop where French luthier Mathias Menanteau crafts and…

  • Centoventisette

    Monti, Esquilino & San Lorenzo

    Monti's streets are home to a number of clothing ateliers, and this is one of the best of them. The pieces sold here have an elegant simplicity and are…

  • Mandarina Duck

    Tridente, Trevi & the Quirinale

    Now a global brand, this Italian company produces handbags, wallets and suitcases with a distinctive contemporary design. Prices are extremely reasonable…

  • Chiara Baschieri

    Tridente, Trevi & the Quirinale

    An independent Roman designer, Chiara Baschieri sells age-neutral clothing, featuring quality fabrics, from her small boutique located on one of Rome's…

  • Mercato Trionfale

    Vatican City, Borgo & Prati

    A vast indoor market in a modern building. Hundreds of stalls sell clothing, food, housewares and fine fabrics. Depending on your needs, it can be one big…

  • Officina della Carta

    Trastevere & Gianicolo

    A perfect pit stop for presents, this tiny workshop produces attractive hand-painted paper-bound boxes, photo albums, recipe books, notepads, photo frames…

  • Valentino

    Tridente, Trevi & the Quirinale

    Rome's most famous couturier, Valentino Garavani, opened his first store on Via dei Condotti in 1960. The brand now sells its creations from this nearby…

  • Romastore Profumi

    Trastevere & Gianicolo

    An enchanting perfume shop crammed full of deliciously enticing bottles of scent, including lots of small, lesser-known brands that will delight perfume…

  • Mercato Monti Urban Market

    Monti, Esquilino & San Lorenzo

    Vintage clothes, accessories and one-off pieces by local designers: this market in the hip 'hood of Monti is well worth a rummage if you're here on a…

  • Almost Corner Bookshop

    Trastevere & Gianicolo

    A haven crammed with books – every millimetre of wall space contains English-language fiction and nonfiction (including children's) and travel guides.

  • Mercato Nomentano

    Rome

    This covered market established in 1926 is one of northern Rome's magnets for fresh produce, from fruit and veg to artisanal cheeses and local meats.

  • Flamingo Vintage

    Monti, Esquilino & San Lorenzo

    Owner Carlotta has a great eye, and manages to source vintage finds from the 1940s and every subsequent decade to sell in this cute boutique.

  • Borghetto Flaminio Flea Market

    Rome

    Rummage through the vast heaps of used (vintage?) and new clothing, housewares and bric-a-brac at this weekly market.

  • Gente

    Tridente, Trevi & the Quirinale

    Accessory-focused second store of upmarket fashion boutique Gente.

  • Perlei

    Tridente, Trevi & the Quirinale

    A branch of the well-known artisanal jewellery shop that started in Monti.

  • Re(f)use

    Tridente, Trevi & the Quirinale

    Fascinating to browse, this clever boutique showcases unique Carmina Campus pieces – primarily bags and jewellery – made from upcycled objects and…

  • Peperita

    Centro Storico

    This speciality boutique is devoted to the small yet mighty chilli pepper. Founder Rita Salvadori sources 17 types of pepper from her farm in Tuscany,…

  • Capitoline Museums Bookshop

    Ancient Rome

    From scholarly art tomes to lavishly illustrated guides, Latin classics and Italian cookbooks, this small bookshop is a mine of Rome-related literature…

  • Antica Cartotecnica

    Centro Storico

    Founded in the 1930s, this family-run stationery boutique is a must for anyone who yearns for the days of handwritten letters. A dizzying selection of…

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