Shoe shopping in Italy
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Manuela Calzature
This is a small family business with a broad if somewhat conservative range of shoes, including more expensive footwear that the family makes under its own name. Don't judge it by the cheap junk outside, and dare to penetrate inside this musty, narrow store.
reviewed
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B
Tod’s
The trademark of Tod’s is its rubber-studded loafers (the idea was to reduce those pesky driving scuffs), perfect weekend footwear for kicking back at your country estate.
reviewed
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Tod's
The quintessential Italian shoe merchants have been dressing the heels of Florentine families for decades. Their classic, comfy loafers, in all manner of shapes, sizes and colours, are best known for the practical rubber studs on their heels which help reduce driving scuffs.
reviewed
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Borini
Don’t be fooled by the discount, workaday look – those in the know pile into this unglitzy shop, run by the Borinis since 1940, to try on the cool, candy-coloured shoes. Whatever is ‘in’ this season, Borini will have it, at reasonable prices and in a cover-every-eventuality rainbow palette.
reviewed
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E
Calzature Boccanera
This well-known Testaccio shoe store stocks big designer names at big designer prices. You’ll find everything from Clark’s desert boots to Gucci slip-ons, Prada heels and Tod’s loafers, as well as bags, belts and leather luxuries. It’s particularly worth a look at sale time.
reviewed
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F
Zeiss
Milan’s miles of cobblestones and days of drizzle can make the most dedicated heel-wearer weep. Take a cue from locals who don Bikkemberg trainers for day. Patent and metallic options are available for those who refuse to entirely discard glam. There’s also a large range for children and men.
reviewed
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Tolin
A master repairman of all things in leather, Signor Tolin also makes shoes and boots to measure of all descriptions, including orthopaedic ones. Shoes are piled up any old how in the shop window. Two-toned numbers, girl's boots, classic shoes for stepping out - you name it, Signor Tolin can probably do it!
reviewed
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H
Salvatore Ferragamo
Another grand Florentine name, Ferragamo gained fame by custom making shoes for famous feet - think Katherine Hepburn. Men can order made-to-measure shoes and choose the material, from crocodile skin to classic leather. The boutique also turns out clothes and accessories for the more mature and conservative fashion follower.
reviewed
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Bertolini & Borse
You can't go to Italy and come away without buying at least one pair of shoes. So why not do it in style at this legendary store, established in 1923 and located in Turin's most fashionable shopping street? Besides high quality (and sometimes quirky) footwear, it stocks handbags, clothing and accessories to satisfy the most demanding style-fiend.
reviewed
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Hogan
The saving grace of cobblestone-pounding, style-conscious Milanese, Hogan built a global reputation on fancy sneakers that are a dream to wear. Now that flair for casual finery is also found in retro peep-toe platforms and funky orange, brown and green striped bags in buttery leather. Prices are competitive with other Golden Quad designers, around €200.
reviewed
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Stefano Bemer
Men’s footwear doesn’t get better than this. The shop’s brochure justifies the extravagance this way: ‘Quality is remembered long after price is forgotten.’ Combining classic designs with a modern flair, Bemer produces both made-to-measure and prêt-à-porter models. Materials range from English suede to the skins of crocodiles, ostriches, stingrays and, yes, toads.
reviewed
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La Vetrina di Beryl
Barbara Beryl’s name was known to cultists around the world, way before Manolo became a byword for female desire. Stumbling upon this deceptively nondescript shop is like chancing upon the shoeracks at a Vogue Italia photo shoot. Edgier pieces from Prada, Marc Jacobs and Costume National are joined by practically certifi able eccentrics like Paul Harden. There’s a rack or two of clothes too.
reviewed
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Berluti
A custom-made shoe for every man's passing whim: go Zen in profound seaweed-green leather, rock out in deep purple, or warm up in sun-bronzed ochre that's the essence of Italy. There's the occasional misstep, like wing-tips covered with Da Vinci code scribblings - but the streamlined, single-eyelet numbers don't miss a beat. Prices have more than adjusted for inflation since Berluti was founded in 1895.
reviewed
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Giovanna Zanella
Woven, sculpted and crested like lagoon birds, Zanella’s shoes practically demand that red carpets unfurl before you. The Venetian designer makes shoes custom, so the answer is always: yes, you can get those peep-toe numbers in yellow and grey, size 12, extra narrow. Closed last two weeks of August.
reviewed
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Mauro Leoni
You knew there had to be a fun, original, wearable, inexpensive shoe maker in Milan, and Mauro's it. Metallic ballet slippers with an X marking the spot across the toe, 1940s pink wing-tip pumps, red polka-dotted grosgrain heels, and orange T-strap flats, all for less than around €75 - it's enough to make you forget all about that mean old Manolo and standoffish Jimmy Choo, and finally fall in love again.
reviewed
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Gmeiner
London, Paris, Tokyo: Gabriele Gmeiner honed her shoemaking craft in sartorial centres around the globe, and jet-setters now seek out her hidden Venice workshop for ultrasleek Oxfords with hidden ‘bent’ seams and brogues minutely detailed with hand-stitching, all made to measure for men and women. If Gabriele’s not stitching on-site, she’s probably at the women’s prison on Giudecca, where she leads a job-training program in shoe design.
reviewed
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Daniela Ghezzo
A gold chain is pulled across the doorway, but not because Daniela is out: she’s chatting with a customer about shoe preferences while taking foot measurements. In this historic atelier, maestra Ghezzo continues the tradition of custom-making every pair to measure, so you’ll never see your oxblood ankle boots on another art collector, or your charcoal-grey wingtips on a rival titan of industry.
reviewed
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Fausto Santini Outlet
Close to the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, this store is named after Fausto Santini’s father, Giacomo. It sells end-of-line and sale Fausto Santini boots, shoes and bags, and is well worth a look for a bargain for his signature architectural designs in butter-soft leather at a fraction of the retail price. Sizes are limited, however.
reviewed
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Francesco da Firenze
Hand-stitched leather is the cornerstone of this tiny family business specialising in ready-to-wear - and indeed made-to-measure - men's and women's shoes.
reviewed