It’s these long Winters and cold Spring starts that get me thinking about summer vacation shopping. And what better place for shopping with idyllic backdrops than Italy? While this post focuses on Rome, I’ll have more shopping advice for various other Italian cities in the coming months. I’ve now been to Italy twice and will hopefully return again this summer to discover more of the country. They say Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither can it be seen nor shopped in a day. But if you do have time to pry yourself away from the Vatican, Colosseum, and other historical structures and museums, Rome offers some great shopping diversions.
By far, the Spanish Steps has the best shopping in the city. And if you’re a serious shopper, you may want to spend a whole day there. Get done with all your touristy things first, and on the last day or so of your Roman holiday book yourself a room at the Aldrovandi Villa Borghese Hotel. Looking more like a palace than a hotel, the Aldrovandi provides you with a pool, spa, Two Michelin Star restaurant, and a free shuttle to the Spanish Steps.
Once you get to the Spanish Steps, you may be mesmerized by all the fancy shops including, Max Mara, Chanel, Brunello Cucincelli, Etro, to name a few. If you’re lucky enough to arrive in the end of July/beginning of August you may be able to find some good sales as well. We all know the very high-end stores are fun to window shop and maybe buy an item or two at (any more may leave you broke). So you should get them all out of your system before lunch time. Alternatively, don’t waste your time shopping at the outlet shops at the Spanish Steps. I found them overpriced and either just average or overly designed.
After you’ve finished having lunch at one of the alley cafes (we went to Ristorante Da Edy), you still have time to do a little more shopping before aperitivo time at the Hotel de Russie. I recommend hitting the moderately price stores. Happily, there are quite a few of them. One of my favorites is Sermoneta. Their Rome store has two floors of gloves and their price point is fair, so get a much better bang for your buck than say at the Ferragamo store. Domus (Via Belsiana, 52, 00187 Roma RM), which literally means “house” or “home,” carries shoes with classic lines at very reasonable prices. I purchased some tan, perforated smoking slippers there, which I still received compliments on. The Spanish Steps also has a Global Blue Center right by the famous steps so you may claim your VAT refund right there. All-in-all, it is highly convenient and beautiful shopping destination with something for everyone.
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