Shopping in Rome

[mimxmom]

Is Rome a good place for shopping? Never been there.....suggestions, please.

[cruisemom42]

I'm not much of a shopper but I've spent a fair amount of time in Rome and can tell you I've walked by plenty of shops. (Although at times I feel like as a city Rome is more about men's fashion than women's fashion, unlike Paris...)

 

On and around Via Condotti you will find the internationally known Italian designers: Fendi, Gucci, Prada, Tod's, Bulgari, etc.

 

Via del Corso has the sort of stores you find in every big city: H&M, Zara, etc. They used to have a nice Benetton (Italian sportswear) but I haven't looked for it in a few years...

 

There are numerous boutique stores in and around the historic center that sell leather goods -- purses, wallets, etc. but be sure that what you're buying is made in Italy -- a lot of it isn't. Mid-price jewelry and accessory stores are also pretty common.

 

Monti is an up and coming area with a lot of artisan stores.

 

There's also everything else from really high end antiques stores to low-end markets (Porta Portese).

 

You probably won't find many great deals except for the fact that the dollar has been doing well against the euro.

 

A few shops I would recommend for the experience:

 

Sermoneta gloves:  Italian leather gloves at all price points. Go for the attention and fun of being properly fitted. (store is at the foot of the Spanish steps).

 

Casali antique prints:  Fine hand-colored antique and reproduction prints of ancient Roman sites and other architectural buildings, natural engravings, etc. In the Piazza della Rotonda (if facing the Pantheon it is in the row of shops on your left, past the Albergo del Senato hotel).  They have another shop in the via dei Coronari, one of the streets known for expensive antiques.

 

Bartolucci hand-made traditional Italian wooden toys:  Get your Pinocchio here or other charming toys for gifts (or souvenirs). On Via dei Pastini between the Pantheon and Trevi fountain.

 

 

 

 

 

[slidergirl]

Besides those well-known, high-end stores on Via Condotti, you will find a few little gems.   Walk a block or two on either side of that street and I've found some nice, reasonably prices jewelry stores.  I'm a sucker for fun office/kitchen stuff, and there was at least one around the area that I bought some pens at.   I've shopped at that Zara store on Via del Corso - at the time, I had no Zara around where I live, so I'd hit that store and the one in Paris when I was in the area.  

 

I think the Benneton store moved a few blocks "in" from VdC.  I found a Napajuri and a Ferrari store in the area on some side streets just off of VdC.  One trip, bought a nice scarf and a fleece sweater at Napajuri and bought a stylin' baseball hat and some luggage tags at the Ferrari store.  Don't forget the Riscante (sorry about spelling) little mall between Trevi and the Pantheon.  There are some cute stores in there.  

 

If you are starting your cruise in Rome or if you are missing some of your cosmetics, the Riscante store has a large selections and there is also a couple of Sephora stores in the area (and one in Termini).   Yes, I shop...

[Host Bonjour]

If you are someone who enjoys purses or totes etc, I'd say check out Furla. It's an Italian brand (obviously) that isn't as on the radar as Fendi, Prada, Gucci is in the U.S. but just as well made and quite stylish, if you're into something nearer the luxury level leather and their designs. They're not cheap, but they won't cost as much as the others either. I bought a Furla in Rome, near the Spanish Steps (not sure if they've moved to another area) and I received another smaller Furla as a thank you gift from Palermo, from a friend. Also nice is Coccinelle, (Italian for lady bug) which I bought only a little accessory bracelet from at in their shop in Verona on Via Mazzetti (the Via Condotti of Verona).

 

What's going on these days with those sort of higher end bags is this: it's becoming more fashionable to carry a bag whose origin or brand is undetectable...or, some people were kind of already doing that anyway and now people are just realizing, that maybe being understated is a thing. What I like about getting things like that on a holiday is it's something utilitarian and so not only will it be a useful spend, but it'll be a functional reminder of a wonderful place. I have tried to do this everywhere I have been, whether it's shoes - OK maybe they don't last forever, but if I get better ones, they do last a good long time...GEOX, also Italian, also Verona, on sale. In London, I got a basic Longchamps canvas Le Plie tote.

 

As Cruisemom42 said, currency fluctuations will be your advantage, and maybe a sale.

 

Only other thing I look for when I travel is original art out on the street. Not from anyone trying to hustle or hassle me, just someone who's somewhere with their small collection of work, maybe they're at their easel, or sketching. I search and search until I find work I connect with and then I buy a small piece that I know I can pack safe in my back so it won't get bent or damaged coming home. I have little beautiful paintings from Venice, Paris, a painted boomerang from Australia, a silk woven tapestry from China (it's not as grand as it sounds but it's pretty) things like that. I was searching in Rome but I couldn't find paint colors I liked. If that doesn't work then I purchase art postcards instead; not the kind with five different scenes of Rome on it, but something altogether different I can either frame or create with in another way.

 

My one regret was getting to go to an Armani outlet...yes, it exists, it was in Modena...but for reasons that are obvious, it's ARMANI (!!) I guess they don't have much that doesn't sell or isn't made well so there wasn't much in the outlet. Just some items from the various Armani lines, A/X, Armani Exchange, Armani....full on. Spectacular. And you would never know this was anything from the outside. Maybe it was Giorgio's gift to Modena.

 

Have fun shopping in Rome, let us know what you come home with!!  (And I'm with Cruisemom, as usual: be cautious of the leather shops, they look inviting but up close, well, I wasn't thrilled with what I saw and then, I was suspicious.)

 

Have fun 🙂  

[bennybear]

I got hooked on Furla  handbags a few years ago.  They are very well made and beautiful.   There is also a brand from Rome that has a shop in Trastevere that are very nice.

My biggest passion Is Italian linens,  I LOVE Frette sheets.   They are pricey but amazing.  I love going in the store and checking them out.  I bought a beautiful duvet set several years ago and it is still like new.   They also have wonderful light weight cashmere blankets.  

I also like Italian linen table runners and actual Linen sheets.  Sorry if I lead anyone astray.  

I also found wonderful rose gold and silver earrings.  My only advice is if you see something you love buy it, because you won’t find it everywhere.

They  also have a stand alone cosmetic store of good quality, Kiko Milano that is worth a look.

Edited August 27, 2019 by bennybear

[Host Bonjour]

Ditto on the Frette linens. I can't think of many times I've touched linens (or seen) that looked or felt so fine. I had a Frette bed skirt once that I found in an outlet...loved it. Definitely worth a splurge and would be a lasting remembrance of the trip because they're the kind of item that would last a long time, especially a cashmere blanket which I never knew about. Wow that must be amazing. 

 

Loro Piana, more incredible knit items, wearable more than blankets, is another amazing shop but they are one you'd probably see on Via Condotti and also not inexpensive, although probably not as widely known as the more mainstream names as Gucci, Fendi, Prada etc. 

 

Also concur on Trastevere, as just an overall great place to get to for great food options, more historical experiences, and yes, probably better, more Italian or artisanal shopping experiences. bennybear makes a great point in grabbing something you see that you like, especially if you are a bit off the beaten path in that it might not be easy to find elsewhere, say if you're shopping in centro storico (city center) on or near Via del Corso or the Condotti or elsewhere popular with visitors.

 

The further I got away from the Grand Canal in Venice, the more interesting and different were the shops and the offerings inside–I saw a magnificent mask unlike any I saw elsewhere that to this day I regret not buying; such great wall art it would have made. I don't attend many masked balls! I wanted a few ordinary things to bring as souvenirs but I wanted other things that weren't typical and that's where I saw them. They didn't expect me to understand Italian either but there was someone there who spoke English, as is usually the case. 😉 

 

And there was a little place that sold home-y/kitchen stuff in the 8th near le grande magasins in Paris that I loved and have fun stuff from that I still use.... and the fridge magnets. I like my magnets but it has to be interesting, if possible. They aren't always. 

[slidergirl]

My best trinket pickups have been my ceramic drawer knobs.  I picked up in Montelupo,  Florence, Vernazza, Orvieto, Montalcino. I couldn't afford big ceramic pieces (well, I did in Montelupo - a rooster pitcher and an oil & vinegar set - and shipped home), so these are my ceramics.  All my kitchen cupboards, drawers and doors have these knobs.  Fun, all different, and they constantly remind me of my trips. 

 

In Paris, I always hit up E. Dehillerin.  A fantastic kitchen wares store.  I could spend thousands in there, just like my Italian ceramics stores.  I love just "window shopping" in there.  I have brought home a few knives from there, a great paring knife, a tomato knife and a cheese knife.  Yes, I checked my carry on when I flew back home. A friend bought some stovetop espresso machines.  

[bennybear]

Ok, inRome now and absolutely loved the gloves  at Sermoneta!  Cruisemom, Thanks for leading me more astray.  I am now not regretting buying more.  Maybe next visit😍

Edited September 13, 2019 by bennybear

[cruisemom42]

8 hours ago, bennybear said:

Ok, inRome now and absolutely loved the gloves  at Sermoneta!  Cruisemom, Thanks for leading me more astray.  I am now not regretting buying more.  Maybe next visit😍

 

Happy to be of service. 

[Host Bonjour]

On 9/12/2019 at 4:37 PM, slidergirl said:

In Paris, I always hit up E. Dehillerin.  A fantastic kitchen wares store.  I could spend thousands in there, just like my Italian ceramics stores.  I love just "window shopping" in there.  I have brought home a few knives from there, a great paring knife, a tomato knife and a cheese knife.  Yes, I checked my carry on when I flew back home. A friend bought some stovetop espresso machines.  

 

I am still not over my Swiss Army knife being confiscated at JFK. I bought in Switzerland, (Rapperswil), and used all the time, but it was confiscated, which I get, because check-in regs were tightened after the Boston Marathon bombing it was in my carry on, obviously I should have known better having zero degrees of separation from the 9/11 experience, and it was only 2003.  
 

On the largest of the tools it was stamped with the name of the town, Rapperswil, on the blade, along with the Victorinox emblem. I've checked other Swiss Army knives and don't tend to see them stamped...but it was just a wonderful reminder of a very lovely Swiss town and my first ever trip to Europe that I did mostly all on my own, by rail. 

 

It was a long trip and it covered a lot of miles and so it began, collecting small but practical things I could use (including art) that would not only be functional, but create permanent memories. I keep thinking of ordering another Swiss Army knife from Switzerland but....it's not the same. I still have memories and photos and a Rapperswil decal. 

 

Loooove the idea of the ceramic cabinet/drawer pulls because yes, all those gorgeous creations can be expensive and/or difficult to transport although as you did, having them shipped works and then, the VAT comes off! (If it crosses the price threshold which, it could if it's worth buying and shipping home 😉 ) I have done this in bulk with Manuel Canovas candles in Paris. Worked out to costing even a little less w/o the VAT, than if I bought them here since I bought quite a few and shipped them home. 

 

Gotta keep that name in mind for gloves. Thanks everyone!!