548 Best Places to Shop in Italy

A well-known and respected family of coral craftsmen has run this shop since 1930.

This new salon near the Rialto market offers all the usual services—haircut and styling, color, hair repair treatments, and more, for men as well as women. What is exceptional, though, is that unlike almost all hair salons, they are open on Mondays. If your schedule doesn't leave you time to wait till Tuesday, they're ready to do whatever you need.

If you can't make it to Venice to shop for its famous handblown glassware, your next best option is to visit Murano Più, where items include vases, tableware, chandeliers, and jewelry. Each piece is handcrafted by a master glassblower using ancient techniques kept alive by artisans since 1291.

You could almost miss this extraordinary little shop tucked under the Sotoportego del Casin dei Nobili on the edge of Campo San Barnaba. Shoes, hats, handbags, and tote bags fill the tiny space literally up to the ceiling. You will be entranced by the imagination and skill of the artisans whose work Nadia (and before her, her mother) has been selling here for 40 years. Vibrant colors and first-class materials combine in items that are true originals. Most remarkable are the shoes and handbags made of narrow strips of leather that have been woven into designs copied from the facades of palaces.

Since the 1950s, the Nardecchia family has been in the business of selling beautiful 19th-century prints, old photographs, and watercolors that depict Rome in centuries past. Can't afford an 18th-century etching? The store has beautiful postcards, too.

The largest costume-rental showroom in town has outfitted many a period film (including Casanova). They have nearly 7,000 choices ranging from the historical to the fantastic, including thematic costumes ideal for group masquerades.

The wearability and lovely style of these children's clothes in soft and extra-fine materials will have the little ones dressed in true made-in-Italy fashion.

This massive covered market is an excellent place to wander thanks to its Italian, Asian, and African specialties. Many of Rome's top restaurants get their main ingredients here.

The club set heads to perky Oblomova for vintage and handmade clothing and accessories, as well as for books, vinyl, CDs, and even cassettes.

The two women who run Oreria create divine designs using silver and semiprecious stones.

Gold jewelry and other beauteous objects are priced according to the level of craftsmanship and the value of gold bullion that day.

This fiercely independent bookstore with neon signs and bursting shelves stocks English-language best sellers as well as vintage postcards and used Italian books. It also regularly hosts chats with authors and has a particularly charming children's book section focused on all things Rome.

This bakery's oven has been functioning since 1938, fired up with dried local Mediterranean maquis. It's also a grocery store and an ideal place to grab a sandwich.

This place has been producing some of Bologna's finest pastas, cakes, and other delicacies since 1868. There's a second branch at Via Drapperie 6.

Stop in here for exquisite (and exquisitely crafted) leather picture frames, jewelry boxes, and desk accessories.

Look for Florentine antiques with an emphasis on Medici-era objects from the 15th and 16th centuries at Paolo Paoletti.

The finely crafted gold and silver jewelry here is simultaneously classical and contemporary. There is also a branch near the Duomo.

As the largest shopping mall in Messina province, Parco Corolla offers a nice selection of Italian fashion stores, including children's clothing, accessories, perfume, and jewelry. In addition, a shopping district surrounds the mall with many other diverse stores, including a food hall and a cinema.

For a broad selection of scrumptious pastries, visit this favorite haunt of Lucca's senior citizens, who frequently stop in after Sunday Mass.

Patrizia Pepe first emerged on the scene in Florence in 1993 with an aesthetic that's both minimalist and bold. Jackets with oversize lapels, playful pleats, mesmerizing mesh, and the occasional feathered poof set the designs apart. Spending time in the shop of this relative newcomer to the Italian fashion scene gives you the opportunity to pick up an item or two before the brand becomes the next fast-tracked craze.

The Florentine designer has clothes for those with a tiny streak of rebelliousness. Sizes run small.

Artisan Barbara Calabresi hand dyes yarns and silk with vegetable dyes from the island's flora (chamomile, artichokes, pomegranates); she weaves the thread into fabric, then designs and produces clothing and housewares (tablecloths, bedspreads, and rugs) from the cloth. Shop her charming boutique, or sign up for one of her special courses where you can learn how to dye and weave on a “nomadic” loom. All classes are suitable for beginners. Barbara has also added botanical printing (transferring the pigments of leaves and flowers onto fabric) to her skill set and clothing line. The shop is open only by appointment.

At Baci Perugina’s original home, you’ll find these iconic chocolates in all shapes and sizes, along with chocolate bars and candies.

Look for designer clothes, shoes, belts, and handbags, and fancy gifts like wallets and silk scarves at Pescetto.

You can pick up meats, cheeses, produce, local truffles, and porcini mushrooms at the small morning market in the square.

A weekly flea market takes place Saturday morning in Piazza della Vittoria.

Specializing in timeless styles for the youngest Romans (ages 0–16) since 1932, Piccadilly is bursting with Liberty-print floral frocks, bloomers, scalloped collars, and dress shorts with suspenders. It's known for its special occasion–worthy clothes and impeccable tailoring.

Vintage aficionados, university students, musicians, and the occasional costume designer looking for something a little offbeat all love browsing through the racks of this hip vintage clothing emporium. The clothes fly off the racks quite quickly thanks to its eclectic selection of 1970s, ’80s, and ’90s apparel and shoes at hard-to-beat prices. The shop has another location on Via dei Serpenti in Monti.

This outfit has been making exclusive stationery since 1774. The first Rome shop opened at the request of the royal household, and this is where the city's aristocratic families still come for engraved wedding invitations and timeless visiting cards. It also sells desk accessories, wallets, and briefcases made using the best Florentine leather.

Although it has shops throughout the world, Pineider started out in Florence in 1774 and still does its printing here. Stationery and business cards are the mainstay, but the stores also sell colorful pens and fine-leather bags and desk accessories.