Oltrarno
Tuscan wines, wine accessories and gourmet foods, including truffles, in one of the city's finest wine shops – on the ground floor of one of Florence's…
Must-see shopping in Mediterranean Europe
Centro Storico
Established in Rome in 1959 by Marcello and Rita Del Giudice and now operated by their children and grandchildren, this business produces leather bags,…
Capri
First opened in 1906 (yes, that is not a misprint!) and best known for introducing Capri pants in the 1960s – famously worn by Audrey Hepburn, who bought…
Syracuse
Salvatore Davì is passionate about Sicily and all things artisanal, and his petite emporium only stocks idiosyncratic, high-quality goods with Sicilian…
Centro Storico
Rome's most celebrated deli showcases a spectacular smörgåsbord of prize products ranging from cured hams and cheeses to conserves, dried pastas, olive…
Tridente, Trevi & the Quirinale
This multilabel boutique was the first in Rome to bring all the big-name luxury designers – Italian, French and otherwise – under one roof and its vast…
Santa Cruz de la Palma
An excellent deli which specialises in local and national Spanish cheese, gourmet olives, preserves, coffee and other goodies like anchovies and smoked…
Acropolis Area
Specialising in Greek avant-garde rock and obscure sounds, this is one of Athens' top record shops. It stocks a wide range of music genres on vinyl and CD…
Tridente, Trevi & the Quirinale
Producing soaps, perfumes, creams, lotions, bathsalts, shampoos and candles made with Sicilian natural ingredients – orange blossom, lime, pomegranate,…
Naples
Top-notch Tuscan leather and traditional, handcrafted methods translate into coveted, contemporary leather goods at Bottega 21. Block colours and clean,…
Beyoğlu
A leader in Turkey's contemporary-design movement, Özlem Tuna produces super-stylish homewares and jewellery and sells them from her retail space near the…
Catania
Nirvana for gourmands, Nelson is a one-stop shop for all things artisanal and Sicilian. Stock the pantry with everything from single-origin olive oils…
La Rambla & Barri Gòtic
Dedicated to artisan cheeses from across Spain, this small shop is run by the oh-so-knowledgeable Katherine McLaughlin. The antithesis of mass production,…
Ceramiche Alessi Di Giacomo Alessi
Central Sicily
Giacomo Alessi is arguably Caltagirone's most famous ceramicist. Not only has his work been exhibited at La Biennale di Venezia, but he received a…
Venice
This beautiful store selling antiquarian books, first editions, maps, sculptures and engravings is much more than a shop: it's a guardian of Venice’s soul…
Western Anatolia
The workshop belonging to the İznik Foundation, an organisation working to revive the craft of İznik tile-making, is a great place to start looking for…
Naples
La Scarabattola's handmade sculptures of magi (wise men), devils and Neapolitan folk figures constitute Jerusalem's official Christmas crèche, and the…
Livorno
Livorno-born Stefano Pilato (b. 1965) is the creative talent behind the sculptures and collages crafted from recycled tools, scrap metal, old hooks and…
Milan
One of Milan’s most historic outfits (with a plaque to prove it), Pettinaroli has been furnishing the city’s best desks and purses since 1881 with luxe…
Turin
A delightfully eccentric collection of handmade objects, light fittings, posters, textiles, cards and calendars fills this bright shop, which is run as a…
Athens
Billing itself as Greece's first activist bookshop, the Free Thinking Zone specialises in books on LGBT issues, refugees, violence in society and so on…
Thessaloniki
Architect Evangelia and set designer Athanasia, two wonderfully creative and warm women, started this little shop that makes and sells the most original…
Confetteria Moriondo & Gariglio
Centro Storico
Roman poet Trilussa was so smitten with this chocolate shop – established by the Torinese confectioners to the royal house of Savoy – that he was moved to…
Athens
Meaning 'raft', Shedia is Greece's version of street-vendor magazines such as the Big Issue. Unsold copies are now being upcycled into an appealing range…
Fira
The shark-head installation piece outside is sure to catch your attention. This is the main exhibition space of Yorgos Kypris, an internationally…
Barcelona
Javier Blanco and Elisabet Vallecillo, who have made waves at Madrid's Cibeles Fashion Week, showcase their Barcelona-made women's designs at this…
The Bosphorus Suburbs
Olive Farm is based in Datça, a Turkish region renowned for its olives. The company grows its own organic olives and uses them to produce a huge range of…
Iraklio Province
Southern Iraklio Province's one must-stop shop, this family-run business in the tiny village of Kouses will woo you with Cretan spices and teas from its…
Siena
Lorenzo Rossi is Siena's best baker, and his panforte (spiced fruit-and-nut cake), ricciarelli (sugar-dusted chewy almond biscuits) and cavallucci (chewy…
The Veneto
This gorgeous bookshop, housed in an 18th-century noble palace, is one of the most beautiful in Italy, if not the world. Owned by the three Manfrotto…
Arezzo
A treasure trove of locally grown and produced foodstuffs, this organic market sells fresh meat, fruit and vegetables, olive oil, dried pasta and legumes,…
Ayvalık
A social enterprise helping unemployed women earn a living by creating fashionable items from throwaway materials, the 'Garbage Lady' saves at least six…
Alghero
A cool independent bookshop doubling as a cafe and cultural centre. Most books are in Italian, but in summer it stocks a small range of English-language…
Lucca
Be it a metallic-gold table bag for wine, a stone to keep your paper bread basket’s contents warm, body-care products made from olive oil or beautiful…
El Centro & El Arenal
If you're looking to take some Spanish olive oil home, super-enthusiastic Andrés García is the person to help you. At his well-stocked shop, he'll talk…
Southern Tuscany
Showcasing produce from the local farm of the same name, this shop is manna from heaven for self-caterers – look out for top-quality Maremmana beef, honey…
Murcia Province
It's quite a surprise to go through the door here, and gradually descend into an enormous concrete structure replete with all kinds of handicrafts, from…
La Laguna
The shoes at Pisaverde are quite a sight, with each pair uniquely fashioned and handcrafted with bold and brightly coloured leather and all manner of…
Naples
One-time favourite of Luchino Visconti and Aristotle Onassis, this pocket-sized, vintage boutique is the place for prêt-à-porter and made-to-measure silk…
Urbino
The best spot in town for local products, with an encyclopeadic selection of casciotta d'Urbina cheeses, salumi, biscotti (biscuits), wines, craft beers,…
