548 Best Places to Shop in Italy

Just down the road from the Casa Rossa, Anacapri's branch of the island's bookstore and imprint carries luscious tomes on local history.

La Conchiglia offers the largest selection of books on Capri and publishes many sumptuous tomes through its own imprint. There's also a branch in Anacapri.

Margherita Rossetto has been creating unique, deliciously appealing faience-style majolica since 1989. Pieces include figures of animals, flowers, and fruit as well as abstract designs on a white background. She also fashions handmade greeting cards that are one-of-a-kind works of art in themselves. If you love cats you will enjoy her whimsical designs starring her own distinctive if highly stylized cat.

This tiny shop is overflowing with masks of all types, all handmade by the owner-artisan (you can often watch him making them). There's an excellent selection of styles at competitive prices.

A Venetian institution shows off its shoes in five large windows in two neighboring shops. You'll find the house collection plus a dozen lesser-known designers, as well as luxury sportswear.

Capri's main shopping streets—the Via Vittorio Emanuele and Via Camerelle, down the road from the island's main square, La Piazzetta—are crammed with world-famous names (Gucci, Prada, Dolce & Gabbana, Ferragamo, Hermès). But if you're overwhelmed by the choice and are looking for something stylish but distinctively Capri—in an astonishing range of colors—check out the bright prints on artisan-tailored clothes, bags, and shoes by Neapolitan Livio De Simone and other designers at La Parisienne. This is also a good place to purchase copies of the original Capri pants.

La Perla was founded in Bologna in 1954 and is now the global go-to for beautifully crafted lingerie and glamorous underwear for that special night, a bridal trousseau, or just to spoil yourself on your Roman holiday. If you like decadent finery that is both stylish and romantic, with plenty of well-placed frills, you will find something here to make you feel like a goddess. There are silk boxers for gents, too.

A broad assortment of writing materials, bound journals and albums, book covers, medieval sketchbooks, and handmade marble paper are made in a nearby laboratory. New products are introduced often so that no two visits to the store are ever the same.

The flagship location of this always bustling and very central department store—adjacent to both the Duomo and the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II—carries a wide range of Italian and international brands (both high-end and casual) for men, women, and children. There's also a fine selection of beauty and home products.

The store's Scuotto family creates Nativity scenes in both classic Neapolitan and contemporary styles, donating the Presepe Favoloso to the Basilica di Santa Maria in Sanità in 2021. Past customers include the Spanish royal family.

For an interesting jumble of stalls hawking vintage jewelry, furniture, artwork, and other collectibles, check out this colorful flea market held on the first and third Sunday of every month (except for August). It's open from 9 am until sunset.

Named after the nonna of the current generation that runs this specialty food shop dating from 1936, this place on the main axis of Nuoro's old town offers an enticing array of jams, wines, pastas, cheeses, hams, and bread—in short all the great food and drink that this part of the island is famous for. You can sample the various wares, too, in the adjacent bar/bistro.

Originally from Rome but now based in Milan, Laura Urbinati is a fashion designer whose swimwear has appeared on the pages of Vogue, Elle, W, and other magazines. At her namesake shop on a street just off Piazza del Popolo, you'll find colorful silk tops, pants, dresses, and skirts with bold prints and patterns in addition to the swimwear she's famous for.

If you're looking to purchase some traditional Italian pottery, Le 4 Stagioni has a colorful selection of glazed pots, plates, and charming ceramic-flower wall ornaments made by artisans in Sicily and Puglia. All can be shipped internationally if you can't quite fit the gorgeous bowls and platters in your suitcase.

Held every Tuesday morning, this market includes stalls selling food, bargain clothing, and gadgets. It's an easy walk from the Centro Storico.

A familiar face at the city's fashion shows, designer Susanna Liso, a Rome native, mixes raw silks or cashmere and fine merino wool to create captivating, enveloping garments that sometimes feature seductive or playful elements. Both her haute-couture and ready-to-wear lines are much loved by Rome's elite.

On Castellina's main street, Aleandro and Gilles stock an ample and well-chosen supply of local wines produced by small estates. On request, they can also organize visits to nearby wineries.

One of Venice's oldest, and certainly most renowned, bookbinders is in the expert hands of Anselmo Polliero, the third generation of his family to create beautiful leather-bound blank books, desk accessories, picture frames, and more. He also prints serigraphs of Venetian views, and prints designs on paper using antique woodcut blocks.

Neapolitan artist Lello Esposito has his workshop here, just across the courtyard from what is more of a museum than a store. Renowned for his renderings of a popular puppet named Pulcinella (the prototype for Punch of Punch & Judy), you can see a statue of his creation at the top of Vico del Fico al Purgatorio, just off Via dei Tribunali. Lello also has an atelier in Brooklyn and has created works for Obama.

Vincenzo and his son Nicholas use both coral and lava to make distinguished jewelry. For those famous Sorrentine cameos, head to the mezzanine floor.

For antique wonders or eclectic creations in gold, precious stones, and silver, make yourself at home on one of the velvet chairs inside Leonardo Gaito (operating since 1864) and get ready to be regaled with some fabulous Neapolitan-style jewels.

One of the best parts of Libraccio (part of the IBS chain of bookstores) is the wide variety of European cinema and music selections. Another perk is the discount the store dishes out on its stock of remainders and secondhand books. The shop also has a modest selection of English-language paperbacks and hardcovers.

The antique wooden cabinets and tables at this old-fashioned bookstore are laden with volumes about art, local history, and esoterica. Another branch, Libreria Colonnese Books&More at Via San Biagio dei Librai 100, has more modern titles.

Genial proprietor and bibliophile Franco Cioncolini presides at this small shop specializing in old books, old prints, and the occasional contemporary painting.

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.

A small store with many books about Neapolitan art and history, this place stocks a few English titles and has a wide selection of music CDs.

One of Florence's best art-book shops has an outstanding selection.

Founded in 1933, Libreria Toletta is the city's oldest bookshop and a linchpin in the city's literary history. The shop offers a varied selection of English books and numerous volumes about the city of Venice in addition to their vast literary, art, and architecture offerings in Italian. Their staff is friendly and knowledgeable. (Note: "Libreria" means bookstore; "biblioteca" means library.)

The zesty local lemon liqueur, limoncello, is made and sold here, as are exquisite chocolates, baked goods like panettone and Neapolitan-style roasted coffee. Not only can you observe the production process in the back of the tiny white shop, but you can also watch the owners paint designs on the pretty bottles.