Rome isn’t such a great shopping city as Milan, but you’ll find all the big names in the fashion world as well as smaller boutiques, and all manner of gifts and speciality products.
Designer shopping
For designer labels the best area is between the Spanish Steps (Piazza di Spagna) and Via del Corso. Via dei Condotti, directly opposite the Spanish Steps, is home to many of the biggest names in fashion and jewellery. Along the network of picturesque streets in either direction are scores of other shops where your credit card will take a battering.
Armani – Via dei Condotti 77
Gucci – Via dei Condotti 8
Hermes – Via dei Condotti 67
Prada – Via dei Condotti 92
Valentino – Via dei Condotti 13, Via Bocca di Leone 15
Versace – Via Borgognona 24/25, Via Bocca di Leone 26/27
Clothing – high street and boutiques
For high street clothes shopping and cheap and cheerful fashion, try Via del Corso, Via Nazionale or the area between Ottaviano Metro and the Vatican. Interesting boutiques with more striking fashions can be found along Via del Governo Vecchio, in the Centro Storico.
Souvenirs
Souvenirs can be found all over Rome at street stalls and in crowded shops. For kitsch gifts, the Vatican is the best area, with ranks of glow-in-the-dark Madonnas and holographic Pope cards. Shops around Piazza Navona sell high-priced ceramics, and will organise shipping. Countless little shops all around the centre will sell you exciting pasta, sauces, and culinary specialities from all around Italy.
Antiques
Antiques are big business in Rome, and obviously you should be sure of what you’re buying. The best streets for antique shopping are Via dei Coronari, in the Centro Storico, and Via del Babuino (between Piazza del Popolo and the Spanish Steps).
Books
See our special page for English-language bookshops. For a good selection of books in Italian, the branch of Feltrinelli at Largo Argentina is conveniently-placed for tourists.
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