Today

The eternal city of Rome boasts a number of desirable high street shopping areas and designer boutiques.

Clothing and fashion
The best area for shopping or window-shopping is between Via del Corso and Via del Babuino in the vicinity of the Spanish Steps. Many high fashion shops and haute couture boutiques are in this area. Via Condotti is home to the likes of Armani, Prada, Gucci, Ferragamo, Bulgari Jewelers, Cartier Jewelers, Swatch and La Perla, while Piazza di Spagna offers shoppers Missoni, Dolce & Gabbana and Krizia. Fendi, Versace for Men, Fratelli Rossetti shoes and Diego della Valle Shoes can be found in Via Borgognona.

Battistoni, one of the most famous shops in Rome offering classic clothing for men and women, is in a small courtyard off the Via Condotti. Be sure to check out many of the side streets off the Via Condotti such as Via delle Carrozze, Via della Croce and Via Frattina for more shops.

On a side street off the Via del Corso (approaching Piazza Venezia) at 7 Via Minghetti is Fratelli Vigano' men's shop which dates back to 1873. The store has a collection of hats worn by famous people such as Mussolini and Trilussa.

Lower cost clothing shops
There are, of course, cheaper shopping areas to visit. One is near the Vatican centered on Via Cola di Rienzo and Via Ottaviano where there are several department stores along with the smaller shops, all selling jeans, shoes, children's clothing and much more.

Antiques
Some wonderful (and expensive) antique shops are located in Via Giulia, the street behind Palazzo Farnese. This street, situated between the Palazzo and the Tiber River, is filled with shops containing extensive selections of antique furniture and art, making it one of the most fascinating streets in Rome.

Via del Babuino and Via Margutta (near the Spanish Steps), is an area in which, until the 1960's, many painters had their studios and workshops. It is now home to many art galleries. The new Japanese-style store, TAD, has recently opened a store in Via del Babuino offering a "minimalist" restaurant and hair salon.

The Alinari Gallery at 16A Via Alibert specializes in copies of photos of Rome and Italy as well as specialized copies of art from earlier periods. Their historical photo collection is fascinating.

Other shopping areas
There are many artisan shops and boutiques around the Pantheon, Campo de'Fiori and Piazza Navona. In December, there is a special Christmas Market near Piazza Navona. Many of the shops on Via dei Sedari, Via del Teatro Valle and Via dei Cestari specialize in making wicker baskets and chairs along with linens and fabrics.

Generally stroll Via della Maddalena, Via della Stelletta, Largo Argentina and Via delle Botteghe Oscure for some old fashioned, traditional Roman shops.

Bookstores
Feltrinelli, one of the leading Italian bookstores, has a major store located at Largo Argentina offering more than 70.000 titles. It has recently added a new, separate section for CDs and multimedia items. Feltrinelli is a chain with locations at the newly restored Galleria Colonna, at Via Emanuele Orlando (near the Piazza della Repubblica), and at Via del Babuino. They carry a good selection of foreign language books.

For those late night persons who would like to sample a little different Roma di Notte (Roma by night), there is the Arion bookstore at 42 Via Veneto which is open all night. It offers the night wanderer a cafe where one can sit and enjoy browsing through a good book while sipping a cappuccino.

The Giannino Stoppani Mel Children's Bookstore at 59 Piazza Santi Apostoli, has a very good selection of children's books. The main Mel Bookstore is located in Via Nazionale and stocks all types of books.

Bibli at 28 via dei Finearoli in the heart of Trastevere is a bookstore, cultural center, Internet cafe and cafeteria. Simple meals, brunch, or just a cup of coffee are available indoors or outdoors. It is open from 11am to midnight Tuesday through Sunday and 5.30pm to midnight on Monday.

Rotondi at 82 Via Merulana, is a unique bookstore that has recently been designated an "Historical Shop of Rome." It is a small shop but has a good selection of books on esoterica, astrology and oriental religions. It also stocks some rare books.

For books in English there are three bookstores in the center of the city - the English Bookstore located at 248 Via Ripetta, the Anglo-American Bookstore at 102 Via della Vite, and the Lion Bookstore at 33 Via dei Greci which also offers a cup of tea or coffee.

For books in French there is La Procure at 23 Via di SanLuigi dei Francesi. A German nookstore, Herder, is near Piazza del Parlamento at 117 Piazza Montecitorio.

Hours
Store hours vary by the type of store. In general, shops are open from 9 am (9.30am in the center city) to 1pm and reopen from 4pm to 7.30pm.

However, there are exceptions:
1) Clothing stores follow the general hours but are closed on Sunday and Monday morning.
2) Food stores (bakeries, butchers, green grocers) open from 8am to 1pm and reopen from 5pm to 7.30pm. These shops are closed on Sunday and Thursday afternoon (except during the summer when they are closed on Saturday afternoon and Sunday)
3) Outdoor fresh vegetable markets such as at Campo de' Fiori, open from 7am to 2pm Monday through Saturday.
4) Supermarkets (Supermercati) are generally open all day from 8am to 8pm and many are open on Sunday.