Shopping

We love everything about Italy. Well, except for Berlusconi. Its fashion, its food, the ancient buildings and the savoir-vivre… they all have a very high content of style and good taste. When it comes to paper and paper-related products it is no exception.

Fabriano, a cozy boutique located in Via del Babuino, between the Spanish steps and People’s Square, carries the most stylish and minimalist collection of everything that can be made out of paper: squared blocks of notes, coloring books, agendas, notepads, drawing pads, beautiful RSVP books and, of course, folders and business cards holders.

My personal favorite: whenever I get invited to a nice dinner, I bring along a bottle of good wine and this special adhesive sheet that allows the labels from wine and beer bottles to be removed and collected. It works great when the drink is exceptional. Or when the occasion is memorable.

Fabriano’s boutique is like a museum for paper. When I visited, they had this magnificent haute-couture nightdress made entirely with colored paper done by a Mexican illustrator who combined the beauty of fashion and the simplicity of paper.

They also have a store in Rome – Fiumicino airport. It comes very handy when you need a nice stylish souvenir from Italy to take to your relatives but want to avoid the poorly made key chains and magnets.

Furla is one of my favorite brand/designers and since we have some stores in Rome, I do go window shopping at times. My favorite store is the one located at Piazza di Spagna.

I go there and look at the purses, wallets and key chains, and then once I make my decision on what I would like, I save a bit of money and so I have an excuse to go back and buy the item. Mainly I love their bags and am so excited about their new collections for this summer… it is so bright!

When I went to visit some of my friends in the States I got them key chains from here since they make a great gift (and doubles as souvenir) – cute and elegant!

La Botteguccia di Gilla used to be called something else but now it’s new and improved with new management and owners. If you love quality jewelry like me this is the store to go to, all their items are 925 silver plus you get to see different gems from amber to pearl to coral in very interesting arrangements from simple to more creative.

You can either buy for yourself or as great classy gifts to bring back. The store is very tiny but it is definitely worth it, make sure to check out their own production section as you will find great innovative pieces.

The service is very friendly and you are always greeted with a smile and most of the sales girls are multi lingual. I have to admit that I actually come here more now with the new team than I did before and always leave with a bag in hand!

Via Sistina, were La Botteguccia di Gilla is located, is a street filled with shops and a theatre, so it is conveniently located in the heart of Rome and reachable either by METRO A-Barberini stop via the Spanish Steps. At the middle of the street you, at Via Sistina 22, can find a tiny jewelry store called Cotton Club. It’s right in front of the Sistina Theatre.

This is a historical market that has its origins in the early 1970′s. It is located near a wonderful Church: The Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano. I like coming here because of the variety of things that you can find and great deals on clothes that are made with good quality material. If you are in the market for some leather jackets at a reasonable price here is the place to go and remember to negotiate a little for a better price!

Here you can buy fishing equipment, clothes from all seasons all for really low prices.

To reach the Mercatino you can take the Metro A and get off at S.Giovanni.

This is the most famous flea market in Rome; it is an enormous market that extends from Portuense to Via Ippolito Nievo (a parallel of Trastevere).

Here you can find absolutely everything, from clothes to bicycles to furniture. You can find anything that you (don’t) need, from second-hand painting to antique books published in the 19th century in the about 4000 stands that it holds. Here you can actually barter for a better price too.

Make sure to go early before it gets too crowded. I like to go once a month to bargain shop on a nice Sunday morning. And you can find entertainment as well as performing artists in the street.

To reach it you can take Metro B to Marconi then the 170 bus or Metro B to Piramide and then take the 280 bus.