L'Armadio di Coco Luxury Vintage
Venice
Jam-packed with pre-loved designer treasures from yesteryear, this tiny shop is the place to come for classic Chanel dresses, exquisite cashmere coats and…
Must-see shopping in Italy
Tridente, Trevi & the Quirinale
This pretty little boutique sells exquisite designer fashion for bambini, from newborns to teens. It stocks Italian designers in the main, alongside its…
Monterosso
In business since 1982, this tiny shop sells the works of a local group of artists working in terracotta, porcelain and stoneware. The high-quality one-of…
Matera
Massimo Casiello, an artisan woodturner, sells his beautiful creations including bowls, lamps, fountain pens, clocks and jewellery. All sorts of other…
Trastevere & Gianicolo
A lovely bookshop crammed with new and secondhand titles, this is a great place to browse and happen upon a classic, with novels and nonfiction in English…
Roma Liuteria di Mathias Menanteau
Monti, Esquilino & San Lorenzo
A vintage ceramic-tiled wood burner casts a golden glow on this old-fashioned artisanal workshop where French luthier Mathias Menanteau crafts and…
Mercato dell'Artigianato e Antiquariato
Como
A monthly antique market fills the piazza in front of the Basilica di San Fedele on the first Saturday of each month; on subsequent Saturdays, the market…
Matera
With walls and deli cabinets bursting with preserves, pasta, cheeses, sweetmeats and smallgoods, this is the place to stock up on Matera's prodotti tipici…
Bellagio
Lili Barone and Gabriel Kantor turn out exquisite etchings, engravings and other design products from their studio high in Bellagio's old town. Opening…
Friuli Venezia Giulia
Regional fruit, vegetables and flowers are all on sale at Gorizia's historic covered market, including the Rose of Gorizia, a vibrant red chicory…
Monti, Esquilino & San Lorenzo
Monti's streets are home to a number of clothing ateliers, and this is one of the best of them. The pieces sold here have an elegant simplicity and are…
Verona
One of only two supermarkets in the historical centre, this quite upmarket food store sells high-quality groceries in the historic old fish-market…
Tridente, Trevi & the Quirinale
Now a global brand, this Italian company produces handbags, wallets and suitcases with a distinctive contemporary design. Prices are extremely reasonable…
Tridente, Trevi & the Quirinale
An independent Roman designer, Chiara Baschieri sells age-neutral clothing, featuring quality fabrics, from her small boutique located on one of Rome's…
Milan
Rocking a range of mod-vintage styles from the 1950s and '60s, this cult eyewear brand from Abruzzo crafts beautiful made-in-Italy frames that you won't…
Palermo
This hole-in-the-wall gallery showcases the work of talented local artist Loredana Lo Verde, whose main studio is a short walk away.
Bay of Naples
One of the best shops at the Mercato di Pugliano. Ask politely to check out the rare stock upstairs, often borrowed by international designers for study…
Vatican City, Borgo & Prati
A vast indoor market in a modern building. Hundreds of stalls sell clothing, food, housewares and fine fabrics. Depending on your needs, it can be one big…
Milan
Stocked to the rafters with classic vinyl, and used and new CDs, this tiny shop is heaven for music aficionados searching out that hard-to-find '70s…
Trastevere & Gianicolo
A perfect pit stop for presents, this tiny workshop produces attractive hand-painted paper-bound boxes, photo albums, recipe books, notepads, photo frames…
Calabria
You can visit the studio and shop of Domenico Caruso to see how San Giovanni in Fiore's famous Armenian-style hand-loomed carpets and tapestry are woven…
Tridente, Trevi & the Quirinale
Rome's most famous couturier, Valentino Garavani, opened his first store on Via dei Condotti in 1960. The brand now sells its creations from this nearby…
Trastevere & Gianicolo
An enchanting perfume shop crammed full of deliciously enticing bottles of scent, including lots of small, lesser-known brands that will delight perfume…
Treviso
If you are in the market for local produce, this superb food emporium has the lot, from dried mushrooms to pickled radicchio, and Veneto wines to local…
Monti, Esquilino & San Lorenzo
Vintage clothes, accessories and one-off pieces by local designers: this market in the hip 'hood of Monti is well worth a rummage if you're here on a…
Le Maioliche di Riccardo Varsallona
Central Sicily
This reliably creative and innovative local ceramicist produces some interesting designs as well as the more traditional testa di Moro (Moor's head).
Verona
Wonderful old-style Veneto deli bedecked in hams and salamis and packed with everything from wines and olive oils to splayed codfish and multicoloured…
Siena
The helpful and enthusiastic staff at this shop sell running and walking gear and also organise urban running tours.
Trastevere & Gianicolo
A haven crammed with books – every millimetre of wall space contains English-language fiction and nonfiction (including children's) and travel guides.
Northwestern Tuscany
This multibrand fashion queen and trendsetter dresses men and women; find her boutiques almost opposite each other on chic shopping strip Via Garibaldi.
Ischia
A fabulous modern chocolatier, combining ranks of sweet chocolate treats with sumptuous artisanal ice cream. The prettily wrapped boxes make good gifts.
Verona
Exquisite perfumes beautifully bottled in Murano glass are the sole speciality of this fragrant boutique. Expect to pay €80 to €120 per fragrance.
Rome
This covered market established in 1926 is one of northern Rome's magnets for fresh produce, from fruit and veg to artisanal cheeses and local meats.
Northwestern Tuscany
The studio of fashion designer Paolo Milani is a riot of bold vibrant prints and a wild mix of textures covering the whole sombre-to-sequin spectrum.
Bologna
This three-level bookshop houses Eataly's gourmet market and restaurant along with thousands of books, including many in English, French and German.
Verona
Behind the delightful art nouveau shopfront you'll find a gourmet cave crammed with bottles, jars and tins of tasty stuff. Truffle crisp, anyone?
Matera
Dacia Capriotti sells her own handmade, delightful pottery from this small shopfront on the border between Matera's new town and Sasso Barisano.
Matera
Alongside a great selection of wines from the Matera area (and further afield in Italy) you'll find top-notch oils, conserves and confectionery.
Monti, Esquilino & San Lorenzo
Owner Carlotta has a great eye, and manages to source vintage finds from the 1940s and every subsequent decade to sell in this cute boutique.
Eastern Sardinia
For tastings and sales of the region's fine local Cannonau (and other Sardinian varietals), stop in at this wine shop in the heart of town.
