Rome

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Shopping tips and trends

The days when Rome‘s shopping districts were a succession of family-owned businesses – whether those families were greengrocers or haute couture Fendis – are a thing of the past, and the busy retail artery here, as in all western cities, is increasingly dominated by chains.

The visitor can take comfort, however, in the fact that the majority of the chains are Italian and thus – excepting such internationally known stalwarts as Benetton, Diesel and Stefanel – a breath of fresh air in their way.

Moreover, the chain/one-off ratio here remains more healthily tipped towards the latter than elsewhere, especially once you venture off the well-beaten track. Choose your area, choose your route, and you’ll find that shopping in the Eternal City can still have its own very Roman flavour.

Once, this flavour included shop assistants who seemed hell-bent on either ignoring or intimidating customers. Nowadays things have improved, but it wouldn’t hurt to perfect the lines mi può aiutare, per favore? (‘can you help me please?’) and volevo solo dare un’ occhiata (‘I’m just looking’); that way, you’re ready for any eventuality.

 

Where to go
The flagship stores of all the major Italian fashion names congregate in one of the world’s great window-shopping areas, on and around via Condotti, at the foot of the Spanish Steps. So well-known, concentrated and easily found are they, we have not listed them in this guide: just follow impeccably dressed matrons and Japanese tour groups and you’ll discover them all. Then when so much glamour gets too much for you, nip down via Maria de’ Fiori or via Bocca di Leone where some great unfamous names survive; or along eternally hip via del Babuino with its gracious antiques shops to the great, elegant breathing space of piazza del Popolo at its far end.

 

The major arteries are best avoided, although even dreary via Nazionale and via del Corso have occasional gems among the cheap and not-so-cheerful dross. East of the Vatican, via Cola di Rienzo offers a smarter high-street experience with a mixture of Italian and international names for a range of budgets (Diesel and Sisley, plus Miss Sixty and Onyx, home-grown chains for demanding teenagers and older girls who can’t quite bear to leave adolescence behind) as well as some top food shopping at Castroni.

 

Cobbled side streets are infinitely more rewarding. Around campo de’ Fiori and across the Tiber into Trastevere, the smell of coffee mingles with sawdust as you pass workshops where furniture is being made or restored. Around piazza Navona, wood-panelled herbalists and antiques stores mingle with the chic independent designers of via del Governo Vecchio.

 

A stone’s throw from via Nazionale, Monti is bustling with hip independent design, plus a couple of good vintage stores.

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