ROME — Not least of the glory that is Rome is the adventure of browsing along the Via Condotti, heart of the city’s swankiest shopping. Packed with such glittering names as Bulgari, Gucci, Valentino and Ferragamo, the Via Condotti offers a fascinating street spectacle of sights, sounds and smells, even if you don’t spend a dime.
Unrolling from the foot of the Piazza di Spagna’s famed Spanish Steps, in the shadow of the lovely 16th century church of the Trinita dei Monti, the Via Condotti, with its wrought-iron street lamps and wealthy clientele, is the chic nucleus of Rome’s most fashionable shopping neighborhood. Roughly five blocks square, this area is bounded by the quiet Via Della Croce on the north, the trendy Via Frattina on the south, the vibrant, tourist-packed Piazza di Spagna on the east and the bustling Via del Corso on the west.
Many of them closed to traffic, the narrow streets within this district are a pleasure to stroll, lined with ornate, pastel-hued buildings, bright shop fronts, numerous cafes and elegant potted trees, all of this subtly perfumed with leather, coffee and the unmistakable scent of money. Some of the stars within this area include the Via Borgognona, Via Mario de Fiore and Via Bocca di Leone.
Shopping used to be even more glorious here before the downward spiral of the U.S. dollar, but even now the careful shopper will find some “Made in Italy” merchandise for at least 30 percent less than at home. Prices quoted here are based on an exchange rate of 1,300 lire to U.S. $1.
For instance, on the Via Borgognona, Fendi fans will find substantial savings at the five Fendi shops clustered on this street. Although Fendi furs, at No. 39 Via Borgognona, may start at about $5,000 for a Persian lamb coat, and Fendi ready-to-wear at No. 39 Via Borgognona, designed by Karl Lagerfeld, is fairly expensive, prices are lower than in the United States. Fendi accessories at Nos. 36 and 41 include change purses and key rings for about $27, large signature canvas French purses at about $70, a large handbag in camel and brown vinylized canvas with the Fendi “F” logo for about $175 and spacious vinylized canvas signature tote bags for about $105. Fendi luggage lovers will find everything in the line at No. 38 Via Borgognona, while shoe fanciers should head to No. 4E. Friendly, uniformed salespeople are even willing to crisscross the street, from Fendi shop to Fendi shop, in search of merchandise you think you saw at home but can’t seem to find here.
Also on the Via Borgognona, look for Gianni Versace’s sleek, black-tiled shop at No. 41, where men’s and women’s accessories include black suede pumps at about $240; Gianfranco Ferre’s men’s store at No. 6, where sweaters start at about $270; and Carlo Palazzi’s exquisite, art-filled men’s store at No. 7C, where suits start at about $550 and shirts of his own design and make start at about $75.
Among the brightest stars on the Via Condotti itself are Gucci, whose creamy marble palazzo at No. 76 is packed with glossy offerings including the famous bit-detailed loafer, in black alligator, for about $5,000; men’s shirts from about $107; luxurious calf briefcases with brass fittings for about $600; and Italy’s answer to the Hermes scarf in luscious silk prints from about $100. At No. 8, a smaller Gucci shop, men’s ties cost about $45.
Another famous name on the street is Bulgari, at No. 10, the pre-eminent Roman jeweler known for its clean-lined designs with cabochon stones. Among the five-figure items within its majestic premises, one also may find great- looking stainless steel and 18-karat gold watches for about $950 and sculptured black and bronze-toned pens for about $160.
Valentino, Rome’s most famous couturier, has a men’s store at 13 Via Condotti, where a tawny alpaca coat recently was tagged at $1,350 and ties go for about $45. His elegant women’s shop is a block away at 15 Via Bocca di Leone, where a fox-trimmed tweed fall suit was marked at about $2,300 and an alligator-trimmed suede bag went for about $800.
Other shops of note around the Via Condotti include Giuse Handbags, at 20 Via Mario de Fiore, where good-looking leather replicas of Chanel’s quilted styles go for about $215 and facsimiles of Hermes Kelly bags are tagged at about $270; Bozart, at 4 Via Bocca di Leone, for terrific costume jewelry; Giorgio Armani, just north of the Piazza di Spagna, at 102 Via del Babuino; and Mario Valentino at 58 Via Frattina.
When it’s time to take a break, don’t miss the venerable Caffe Antico Greco, an 18th century landmark on the Via Condotti at No. 86. Here, for the price of a coffee, you can sit where artists and writers including Goethe, Oscar Wilde and Mark Twain whiled away the hours, look at paintings and sketches of and by the famous and near-famous and let the tuxedoed waiters scurry around you until you’ve regained your strength.
On the Piazza di Spagna itself, one can find a Genny shop, with stylish Milanese-designed clothes for career women; at the foot of the Spanish Steps, next to the Keats-Shelley Memorial House, a museum for English Romantic devotees in the house where John Keats died. Also among the shops rimming the piazza are ones for Milan-based Krizia, where a witty panda motif women’s sweater was priced at about $885; Etienne Aigner leather goods, and 78 Uomo, which has Missoni sweaters for men. A host of newspaper kiosks, flower stalls, souvenir shops, drugstores and bookshops also can be found here. For those in need of cash, American Express is conveniently at No. 38, Piazza di Spagna, close to the Spanish Steps.
Some of the bigger stores have continuous shopping hours or “orario continuato,” between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. However, many still adhere to the traditional Italian business hours, which usually run from about 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and then resume from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. Few stores have Sunday hours and almost all are closed for business on Mondays until 3:30 p.m.
