You’ve had an amazing time in Italy, and now you’re looking for souvenirs to match. In the days of the original Grand Tour, a trip to the Bel Paese meant returning with custom-painted artwork, or perhaps a priceless marble statue. While today’s souvenirs are easier to carry on a plane, many feel mass-produced and cliché. That's why you should shop at locally owned businesses—plus, as the nation struggles with the impact of ever-growing tourist numbers, it's a respectful and responsible way to travel. Whether it’s food, fashion, or hand-crafted goods you’re after, here’s what to buy in Italy’s major cities.
Rome
Away from well-known shopping areas like Via Condotti and Via del Corso, you’ll find fantastic independent stores in the Italian capital. Surrealist jewellery designer Delfina Delettrez opened her first shop here in a former pharmacy, while perfumer Laura Bosetti Tonatto has created 39 fragrances (including one for Queen Elizabeth) at her shop, Essenzialmente Laura. For handmade ties, go to Talarico, and choose from four styles in fabrics including standard silk, linen, wool, and jersey knit.
Delfina Delettrez, Via del Governo Vecchio 67, +39 06 6813 4105
Essenzialmente Laura, Via dei Coronari 57, +39 06 6864 224
Talarico, Via dei Coronari 51, +39 06 6813 1717
Milan
Expect to find more than just excellent clothes in the Italian fashion capital. 10 Corso Como should be your first stop here: the boutique-restaurant-gallery-hotel hybrid offers the most fashionable options for what to wear, what to read, and what to furnish your home with each season. Other stores of interest include Zani del Frà for leather bags, Massimo Alba for menswear, and Francesco Malia for hand-crafted umbrellas. For discounts of up to 70 percent on brands like Fendi and D&G, head to the legendary Il Salvagente outlet store near Linate airport.
10 Corso Como, Corso Como 10, +39 02 2900 2674
Zani del Frà, Via Roncaglia 14, +39 02 4801 2712
Massimo Alba, Via Brera 8, +39 02 7209 3420
Francesco Malia, Via Ripamonti 194, +39 02 5521 9333
Il Salvagente, Via F.lli Bronzetti 16, +39 02 7611 0328
Venice
Artisans provide a reprieve from the tourist traps flooding the floating city. Find renowned Venetian paper goods like journals from printer Paolo Atti and hand-marbled stationery at Paolo Pelosin’s workshop, Il Pavone. If you want a Venetian mask, make your way to L’Arlecchino, where Marilisa del Cason blends traditional techniques with modern materials. If you’re looking for something more off-the-beaten track, responsible tourism initiative Venezia Autentica has a huge list of artisans, and offers shoppers a discount card to use at its favorite stores.
Paolo Olbi, Dorsoduro 3253/A; +39 041 523 7655
Il Pavone, Campiello dei Meloni 1478; +39 041 522 4296; no website
L’Arlecchino, Ruga Vecchia S. Giovanni 789; +39 041 5208220
Florence
Florence is perhaps best known for its cosmetics, a tradition that dates back hundreds of years to when monks and monasteries ran the “farmacie.” Santa Maria Novella is famous for being the world’s oldest pharmacy, but the Farmacia SS Annunziata, founded in 1561, is also worth a stop. Aside from cosmetic stores, check out Signum, which works with local artisans to collate items like old maps, kaleidoscopes, fountain pens, wax seals, and hand-bound journals. Finally, for Tuscan olive oil, head to Olivia—part restaurant, part shop, it stocks products from the Gonnelli oil press that dates back to 1585.
Farmacia SS Annunziata, Via dei Servi 80R, +39 055 210738
Signum, Lungarno Archibusieri 14R, +39 055 289393
Simone Taddei, Via Santa Margherita 11R, +39 055 239 8960, no website
Olivia, Piazza Pitti 14R, +39 055 267 0359
Bologna
Bologna boasts some of the best food stores in Italy—no surprise given the city’s nickname, La Grassa, translates to “the fat.” You’ll find most of what you need in the medieval Quadrilatero area. Drogheria Gilberto stocks regional groceries like balsamic vinegar and traditional Bolognese cookies, while Enoteca Italiana is both a wine store and bar that sells hundreds of bottles from a lovingly curated collection. Le Sfogline is a one-stop for fresh pasta, and its tagliatelle will survive a flight if you ask for an extra cardboard pasta tray when buying.
Drogheria Gilberto, Via Drapperie 5, +39 051 223925
Enoteca Italiana, Via Marsala 2, +39 051 235989
Le Sfogline, Via Belvedere 7B, +39 051 220558
La Calzoleria Max & Gio, Via dell’Inferno 22A, +39 051 263856
