7 Best Places to Shop in The Veneto and Friuli–Venezia Giulia, Italy

Head to this bonkers emporium for an entertaining and eye-popping perusal of 20th-century antiques and ephemera, from vintage stereo equipment and funky furniture to quirky artworks and designer handbags.

Under the Salone there's an impressive food market where shops sell choice salami and cured meats, local cheeses, wines, coffee, and tea. With the adjacent Piazza delle Erbe fruit and vegetable market, you can pick up all the makings of a fine picnic. On weekends and public holidays, the buzzy piazza is often filled with a cornucopia of street food options, as well as wine and beer stalls, many run by the makers themselves.

Opened in 1947, De Rossi is a Veronese institution producing oven-hot bread, cakes, pastries, biscotti, and other specialties like fresh pasta.

All bibliophiles should make a beeline to this small bookshop with its fascinating selection of secondhand volumes spanning many subjects. Have a rummage to unearth paperbacks with alluringly designed covers, collectibles, first editions, and intriguing art books. They also have a selection of overpriced vinyl records and CDs.

Opened in 1981, the fascinating Rigatteria is crammed with antiques, paintings, and a cornucopia of printed matter, including books, newspapers, and magazines, many documenting Triestina life over the decades.

The area around the Gothic church of Sant'Anastasia has a smattering of antiques shops, some catering to serious collectors. Head to San Zeno on the first Sunday of the month for the Mercato dell'Antiquariato fair on the piazza.

Owned by antiques dealer Pietro Maria Zotti—who has worked for more than 40 years in the trade—this always-changing shop has fascinating finds from Venetian artworks to stylish mid-century furniture, plus lots of smaller, more affordable items, including books, prints, jewelry, militaria, and coins.