Turin
The global Slow Food phenomenon began here in Lingotto. Set in a vast converted factory, the Eataly mothership houses a staggering array of sustainable…
Must-see shopping in Italy
Oltrarno
Modern craftsmanship shines out of this loveable boutique, the pride and joy of the Marconi family, whose washable paper bags – tanned just like leather…
Venice
Tired of bemoaning the increasing number of tatty souvenir shops, Venetians Mattia and Filippo decided to open a design-led alternative featuring the work…
Milan
A team of creatives have breathed new life into this formerly abandoned 16th-century monastery. Now an atmospheric design space, it's composed of a bistro…
Venice
Transform any home with these locally woven, strikingly original Venetian linens. Whimsical cushions feature chubby purple rhinoceroses and grumpy scarlet…
Tridente, Trevi & the Quirinale
Opened by designer Cristina Bomba over four decades ago, this gorgeous boutique is now operated by her fashion-designing children Caterina (womenswear)…
Tridente, Trevi & the Quirinale
Rome’s best-known shoe designer, Fausto Santini is famous for his beguilingly simple, architectural shoe designs, realised in boots and shoes made with…
San Polo & Santa Croce
A nonprofit cooperative runs this little shop, selling goods made by inmates of Venice's prisons as part of a social reintegration program. The toiletries…
Monti, Esquilino & San Lorenzo
Sublimely cut and whimsically retro-esque, Tina Sondergaard's handmade creations for women are a hit with the local fashion cognoscenti. Styles change by…
Milan
Brainchild of Sardinian fashion designer Antonio Marras, this eccentric concept store has an almost cinematic feel. Hidden in an ivy-draped courtyard, the…
Vatican City, Borgo & Prati
This family-run deli is a fantasyland of Italian edibles. Whole prosciutto hams hang in profusion. Cheeses, olive oil, dried pasta, balsamic vinegar, wine…
Murano, Burano & the Northern Islands
Nason Moretti has been making modernist magic happen in glass since the 1950s, and the third-generation glass designers are in fine form in this showroom…
Venice
Kids and adults alike are thrilled at the magical, miniature insects, butterflies, shells and birds that Vittorio Costantini fashions out of glass using a…
Murano, Burano & the Northern Islands
Mind-boggling miniatures are the trademarks of this Murano glass-blower, but you’ll also find some dramatic departures: chiselled cobalt-blue vases,…
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Naples
Despite hiding away on the 3rd floor of a nondescript building, Paris, New York and Tokyo know all about this family-run glove factory, whose clients…
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Trastevere & Gianicolo
For homemade biscuits, bite-sized meringues and fruit tarts large and small, there is no finer address in Rome than this vintage biscottificio with…
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Genoa
Even if you're not in the market for designer homewares, it's worth trotting up the noble stairs just to be reminded how splendid a city Genoa can be…
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Northwestern Tuscany
Rev up your taste buds with a shopping spree at Antonio Mattei, Prato's famed biscottificio where the city's signature biscotti di Prato (twice-baked…
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Oltrarno
Tuscan wines, wine accessories and gourmet foods, including truffles, in one of the city's finest wine shops – on the ground floor of one of Florence's…
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Centro Storico
Established in Rome in 1959 by Marcello and Rita Del Giudice and now operated by their children and grandchildren, this business produces leather bags,…
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Capri
First opened in 1906 (yes, that is not a misprint!) and best known for introducing Capri pants in the 1960s – famously worn by Audrey Hepburn, who bought…
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Syracuse
Salvatore Davì is passionate about Sicily and all things artisanal, and his petite emporium only stocks idiosyncratic, high-quality goods with Sicilian…
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Centro Storico
Rome's most celebrated deli showcases a spectacular smörgåsbord of prize products ranging from cured hams and cheeses to conserves, dried pastas, olive…
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Tridente, Trevi & the Quirinale
This multilabel boutique was the first in Rome to bring all the big-name luxury designers – Italian, French and otherwise – under one roof and its vast…
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Tridente, Trevi & the Quirinale
Producing soaps, perfumes, creams, lotions, bathsalts, shampoos and candles made with Sicilian natural ingredients – orange blossom, lime, pomegranate,…
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Naples
Top-notch Tuscan leather and traditional, handcrafted methods translate into coveted, contemporary leather goods at Bottega 21. Block colours and clean,…
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Catania
Nirvana for gourmands, Nelson is a one-stop shop for all things artisanal and Sicilian. Stock the pantry with everything from single-origin olive oils…
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Ceramiche Alessi Di Giacomo Alessi
Central Sicily
Giacomo Alessi is arguably Caltagirone's most famous ceramicist. Not only has his work been exhibited at La Biennale di Venezia, but he received a…
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Venice
This beautiful store selling antiquarian books, first editions, maps, sculptures and engravings is much more than a shop: it's a guardian of Venice’s soul…
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Naples
La Scarabattola's handmade sculptures of magi (wise men), devils and Neapolitan folk figures constitute Jerusalem's official Christmas crèche, and the…
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Milan
One of Milan’s most historic outfits (with a plaque to prove it), Pettinaroli has been furnishing the city’s best desks and purses since 1881 with luxe…
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Turin
A delightfully eccentric collection of handmade objects, light fittings, posters, textiles, cards and calendars fills this bright shop, which is run as a…
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Livorno
Livorno-born Stefano Pilato (b. 1965) is the creative talent behind the sculptures and collages crafted from recycled tools, scrap metal, old hooks and…
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Confetteria Moriondo & Gariglio
Centro Storico
Roman poet Trilussa was so smitten with this chocolate shop – established by the Torinese confectioners to the royal house of Savoy – that he was moved to…
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Siena
Lorenzo Rossi is Siena's best baker, and his panforte (spiced fruit-and-nut cake), ricciarelli (sugar-dusted chewy almond biscuits) and cavallucci (chewy…
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The Veneto
This gorgeous bookshop, housed in an 18th-century noble palace, is one of the most beautiful in Italy, if not the world. Owned by the three Manfrotto…
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Arezzo
A treasure trove of locally grown and produced foodstuffs, this organic market sells fresh meat, fruit and vegetables, olive oil, dried pasta and legumes,…
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Alghero
A cool independent bookshop doubling as a cafe and cultural centre. Most books are in Italian, but in summer it stocks a small range of English-language…
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Lucca
Be it a metallic-gold table bag for wine, a stone to keep your paper bread basket’s contents warm, body-care products made from olive oil or beautiful…
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Southern Tuscany
Showcasing produce from the local farm of the same name, this shop is manna from heaven for self-caterers – look out for top-quality Maremmana beef, honey…
