Rome is an expensive city, so don’t expect to find too many bargains. Nevertheless, window shopping is a joy, especially if you’re roaming around Piazza Di Spagna where you’ll find the luxurious haute boutiques such as Gucci, Valentino and Fendi. Rome also has its fair share of high-street shops too, such as H&M, Tezenis and Aldo. If you venture out abit, towards Testaccio and Trastevere, you’ll find many indoor and outdoor markets selling everything from clothes and bags to books and antiques.
Opening hours
Shops in Rome typically open at 9am-1pm and 3.30-7.30pm (4-8pm in Summer), except on Sundays and Monday mornings, which is somewhat a little later.
Grocery shops also close on Thursday afternoons. Some bookshops and clothes shops (around Campo dei Fiori, for example) open on Sundays, from 10am.
The month you must watch out for is August: Generally, you’ll find no locals/Italians in Rome during August. Why? Because they are all on their sunny holidays, usually on the beach somewhere in the South of Italy. So it’s likely that the smaller businesses in Rome will be closed for approximately two or three weeks.
Where to go for what
The area around Piazza di Spagna is the main area if you want to spend spend spend!
– Prada, Valentino, Gucci, Fendi (Via Borgognona)
– Missoni and Armani (Via Condotti)
The more prestigious antique shops, as well as several smart restaurants, can be found on Via Margutta, Via del Corso and Via del Banbuino.
Markets
The more cheaper and colourful places to buy goods are in the markets, some are situated in the centre of Rome, such as Campo dei Fiori are Open at 7am-1pm, Monday to Saturday. A word of warning – crowded open-air markets are ideal hunting grounds for nimble-fingered pickpockets, so please be careful.
Secondhand clothes shops
“Old is cool”
Stocks of old American jeans from 1960s and 1970s made with indigo material, polo-neck jumpers andPaco Raban-style sunglasses areall is in great demand. Luckily, Rome offers a great choice of second-hand clothes shops. Keep an eye on ‘dead stock’, i.e. old clothes that have never been worn.
Antique shops
Collectors, professionals or amateursshould be able to pick up a bargain in Rome’s second-hand antique shops, art galleries or in the famous Porta Portese flea market held in Rome’s Trastevere district.