I have promised my wife a day of shopping in Rome when we visit this fall. Her wish list includes jewelry (especially old fashioned gold charms, not the links that are popular now) and a bit of high quality Italian fabric (she sews wonderfully). Any suggestions or experiences with shops or shopping areas?

Consulting my list of shops in Rome, I think I can help you there:

For fabrics: CASA DEL TESSUTO (Fabric House) this shop offers designer fabrics, cashmeres, men's designer fabrics, pure Italian silks, drapery fabrics and household linens-prices for fabric aren't bad either. Located at VIA TOMACELLI, 8/9, Tel.# 066869381. The shop is located just off the Via del Corso, going northbound towards Piazza del Populo, turn to your left off the Corso unto Tomacelli. I think your wife will really love this store.

As for a wonderful jewelry store-you can hardly do better than PETOCHI 1884-right there on the Piazza di Spagna-this shop's owners supplied the gold for the Italian royal family back around the turn of the last century. They specialize in gold, and Italian goldsmiths are really the best in the world for design, I think.

Another jeweler, from Naples originally, but with a shop in Rome, all handmade pieces, is ILEANA DELLA CORTE, on Via Mario dei Fiori 58. (also near the Via del Corso and Spanish Steps) Tel # 0669380373 Lovely original bracelets and rings, comes out with a new collection every year

And another on the Via dei Condotti-FEDERICO BUCCHELLATI.

You will want to start there at the Spanish Steps Piazza di Spagna (the Bulgari store is located there, after all) and fan out towards Via dei Condotti, and this area. Believe me, in this area, you'll find all that you're looking for.

Here is the website for Federico Buccellati; note that there are other family members with their own shops:

http://www.federicobuccellati.it/

Another marvelous store for fabrics is Bassetti Tessuti on Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, #73. Not far from Piazza Venezia...prepare to spend hours here!

Hmmmm...more places to add to my list. It's not as though I didn't already have enough!

wow - the buccaletti web-site is lovely.

no prices in the catalogue - on the basis that if you have to ask you can't afford it?

Looks like I'll be sticking to my silk scarves as travel mementos.

regards, ann

A few weeks ago in the Sunday NY Times travel section there was a short article about a great fabric store in Rome called Besseti Tessuti. Here is the link
http://travel.nytimes.com/2007/05/06...6foraging.html

Nice article, Sally. Here's the website for Ileana's jewelry, I happen to really like their "collezione."

www.ileanadellacorte.it/Engl/braccialieng.asp

Grazie, Grazie, Grazie! Now I just have to leave enough empty space in our suitcases going over for the fabric, and enough space in the budget for the jewelry! Any experience with Gioie d'Arte for gold and the Il Ghetto quarter (Paganini) for bargain fabrics? Both are recommended in the Eyewitness Rome guide that I just bought.

We will be arriving in Rome on a Saturday; can you tell me what the shops close?

Bookmarking because a girl can never have too much nice Italian jewelry.

Travelinsisters: I can only tell what my guide book says - tha most shops are open 9am to 1pm and 3:30 - 7:30pm (4 - 8 pm in the summer). Some shops in the center city stay open all day from 10 am to 7:30 pm. Most shops are closed on Sunday and Monday morning, except food stores which close on Thursday afternoons in winter and Saturday afternoons in high summer.

Thanks Braunsky. This is just the info I was searching for.

An interesting jewelry shop where I bought wonderful necklaces for Valerie after her scouring of Rome for artisan items and shops throughout our month last fall:
'Materie' at Via del Gesu, 73. M-F 10-8, S 10-2.
I noted her enthusiasm when she visited the shop, and slipped back another day to make some hard choices since I liked nearly every piece in the shop. Best gift response of the last few years.

To quote briefly from a great shopping guide that Valerie used extensively called "The Civilized Shopper's Guide to Rome" (self described as a guide to "stores whose proprietors themselves are specialists and artisans, and whose products are tasteful, well-designed, elegant, of the highest quality, and unusual&quot :
"This playful, sophisticated jewelry boutique specializes in necklaces made by European artists who turn common, often industrial materials into anything-but-common body ornaments."
Beautiful stuff.

Thanks normannoromano and everyone else for the tips. This is all very helpful.

bookmarking!

I am also traveling to Rome in the fall .I noted one of the fabric stores listed in the messages.
Does anyone else know of any reasonably priced fabric shops?