548 Best Places to Shop in Italy

It's possible to break the bank at what might be the best salumeria in Florence. Perini sells prosciutto, mixed meats, sauces for pasta, and a wide assortment of antipasti.

The most famous of all Turin chocolates is the wedge-shape gianduiotto, flavored with hazelnuts and first concocted in 1867. The tradition has been continued at this family-run shop, where more than 80 types of chocolates and other sweets are made.

This oleoteca is the place to taste and shop for the costiera's finest extra virgin olive oil as well as quality oro verde from other regions. You'll also find delicacies from all over Italy, including intriguing lemon products—candies, candles, soaps, and even lemon honey.

René Caovilla's shoes are meant for showing off, not walking around town (especially in Venice). The evening shoes here are so glamorous and over-the-top that you might feel compelled to buy a pair and then create an occasion to wear them.

Sculptural works of chocolate, as well as basic bonbons and simpler sweets, have been crafted here since 1909.

Founded in 1858, Rubelli offers the same sumptuous brocades, damasks, and cut velvets used by the world's most prestigious decorators.

This tiny Monti art gallery/boutique/bar has some of the most sophisticated retro-inspired garments in Rome. Its owner, Carlotta Cerulli, sells clothes by her mother, Wilma Silvestri, who cleverly combines vintage and contemporary fabrics for her label Le Gallinelle, creating stylish fashions with a modern edge made for everyday wear.

A Piazza di Spagna fixture since 1870, this was once the go-to shop for corsets, petticoats, stockings, and bonnets. Today, it's the place to stop for essential basics that are increasingly difficult to find, like fine-quality pajamas, underwear, and handkerchiefs made of wool and pure cashmere.

A delightful husband-and-wife team sells exclusive Italian-made crafts, along with maps, fine prints, and paintings by Italian and international artists.

Leatherworkers ply their trade at Scuola del Cuoio (Leather School), a consortium in the former dormitory of the convent of Santa Croce. High-quality, fairly priced jackets, belts, and purses are sold here.

Fine-quality marquetry and inlaid wood, coral, and cameos have been crafted and sold here since 1890.

In business since 1836, this famed shop sells confectionery of all kinds—not just the chocolates in the lavish window displays but also fancy cookies, rum-laced fudges, and magnificent cakes.

If you want to visit a working farm, Tenuta Vannulo is a good bet. It produces award-winning cheeses, yogurts, and ice cream and has a pen of buffaloes. Arrive early to sample the farm's sublime buffalo mozzarella—it's often sold out by midday!

At this atelier-shop, two artists make unusual lamps, vases, paperweights, and other decorative objects from shell, ceramic, glass, wood, and stone.

Founded in the 1920s, Tod's has grown from a small family brand into a global powerhouse so wealthy that its owner, Diego Della Valle, donated €20 million to the Colosseum restoration project. The shoe baron is best known for his simple, classic, understated designs done in butter-soft leather, but his light, flexible Gommini line of driving shoes with rubber-bottomed soles are popular as well. This location sells menswear and men's shoes; womenswear and women's shoes are available at another location on Via dei Condotti.

For a mix of the traditional, rustic Santo Stefano designs with a dash of the fantastical, this ceramics workshop is second to none. Visit the showroom to view a cornucopia of options, from elegant plates and cups to striking and vibrant sculptural pieces. 

This glass artist's workshop features unusual, intricate pieces inspired by nature—birds, butterflies, beetles, and other insects—appreciated by adults and children alike.

A Roman institution for over 50 years, Volpetti sells excellent cured meats and salami from its buzzing deli counter. The food selection also includes genuine buffalo-milk mozzarella, fresh pasta, Roman pecorino, olive oils, balsamic vinegars, and fresh bread. The rich aromas and flavors are captivating from the moment you enter the store—pull up a high stool and order a sampling platter with a glass of wine. It's also a great place for assembling gift baskets, and offers worldwide shipping.

A museum-like shrine (taking photos is discouraged) to Milan's creative fashion sense, the concept store 10 Corso Como was founded by the former fashion editor and publisher Carla Sozzani. The clothing and design establishment also includes a restaurant-café, gallery, bookstore, and small hotel.

At this little atelier on a side street off Via di Ripetta, Elisa Ruggieri and Ilaria Gozzi dream up sustainable jewelry in unconventional shapes (think: square or egg-shaped rings). They like to work with clients to create tailor-made jewelry, customizing pieces with precious and semiprecious stones.

Among the attractive assortment of rather generic gifts, there is a selection of complicated models to be assembled by your favorite puzzle enthusiast. Pieces of precisely laser-cut birch fit together to make 3D objects such as a Triceratops or a functional zodiac clock. They are not unreasonably priced for such spectacular creations.

Panarea native and stylist Giovanna Mandarano captures the vitality of the island with her women's clothing and accessories line that's known for bold prints, flowing fabrics, and lots and lots of color. Though there are now multiple locations throughout Sicily and in Rome, the original Panarea location, which opened in 2006, remains the heart of the collection. This is your go-to boutique for the effortlessly chic style that the island is known for.

This friendly neighborhood enoteca has an excellent array of regional wines plus a selection of craft beer and spirits, chocolate, and other gourmet treats.

This Navona jewel, around since 1945, is crammed top to bottom with artistic, well-crafted puppets, dolls, masks, stuffed animals, and other toys for children of all ages that encourage imaginative (and low-tech) play and learning.

Secreted away in the backstreets near the Arsenale, Alessandro's exquisite ceramic creations (bowls, plates, cups, and serving trays mainly) are decorated with colorful animals, geometric shapes, and some eye-popping erotic figures in a style influenced by art nouveau and illustrator Aubrey Beardsley.

Bursting at the seams with not an inch of space left on its shelves, this tiny little bookshop is a favorite meeting point for English speakers in Trastevere. Irish owner Dermot O'Connell goes out of his way to find what you're looking for, and if he doesn't have it in stock he'll make a special order for you. The shop carries everything from popular best sellers to translated Italian classics, as well as lots of good books about Rome.

The technique of creating wooden objects by "turning" them by hand—not unlike pottery turned on a wheel—requires a master's eye, hand, and experience. Angelo Dalla Venezia makes a glorious assortment of treasures  from eggs to rings to bowls of varying sizes, all showing the innate beauty of the wood itself. Perhaps the most demanding to make are the simple polished balls created perfectly by hand, which show all their intricate veining. You may not actually need one of these little masterpieces, but you will certainly want it to gaze on its seductive simplicity.

A large loom dominates this tiny workshop and showroom where scarves, shawls, throws, and jackets are woven. Anna Maria's work, mostly in mohair, is done in lively hues.