Hi,
This is my time visiting Rome. Apart from the seeing the Collosium and The Vatican, what are the other attractions in Rome to see?
Since Italian fashion is regarded very highly, I was wondering if someone can recommend stores for clothes for my daughter (college student) i.e clothes shopping that won't break the bank.
Thank you for any advice and pointers in advance.
S
As mentioned in my reply to your other question - buy a guide book and do some online research. I could also pretty much guarantee that the average age of folks providing feedback on here is well above college student age. So unless your daughter is interested in info on shoes with arch support and wrinkle-free clothing, she should probably seek fashion advice elsewhere.
Fashionable clothes? Go to Via Condotti, which starts from Piazza di Spagna (Spanish Steps).
Will they break the bank? It depends on the size of your bank (account).
My college-age daughter and I spent five days in Rome earlier this month. We did some shopping on Via del Corso, where you will find quite a variety of stores . There won't be the Italian designer shops like on Via Condotti, but you will find affordable stores such as Zara, H&M, Mango, Sephora, etc. Another fun thing to do is go to a market. We went to the one outside the Aurelian Wall by Saint John Lateran Basilica and had a lot of fun perusing the wide variety of vendors. I picked up a maxi skirt for 10 Euros, while my daughter found very inexpensive accessories. We found the info for this on the Ron in Rome sight. Do go early as they close around 1pm.
I like to do a fair amount of research before I go, then make a list of the most important sights to me. For the churches I would write down what was interesting to see in each particular one. Then I find them on a map and group several sights together. For example, on the day we started at the market we also went to Saint John Lateran, then walked from there to the Colosseum and forum.
Hi Castellan,
I'm also a college student who loves shopping in Europe, but doesn't have a very big bank to break. :) I just got back from Rome and really enjoyed going to the street market by St. John Lateran. You can find all sorts of trendy clothing (a lot of it with a Boho vibe, if your daughter is into that), statement jewelry, knockoff bags/wallets, etc. for low prices, and you can always haggle with the vendors to lower the prices even further (especially if you are a young, pretty female!). If you start to walk away and pretend like you're not interested, they will pursue you and keep dropping their prices. I was able to snag a pair of aviator sunglasses for 3 euros and a collar-style necklace for 5 euros.
I also like shopping on the Via del Corso (near the Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain) and the Via Ottaviano (by the Vatican). These streets have the typical, young-adult-centered chain stores that you see in every large European, American, and Canadian city, like H+M and Zara. I know chain stores get kind of a bad rap, but they do offer a more affordable version of European fashion. One chain store that's based in Italy that you won't find in North America is Calzedonia. In the summer this store is full of every color of bikini, and in the fall/winter it's full of uniquely-patterned tights. I picked up a whole bunch of cute printed tights at the Calzedonia in Salzburg, Austria during a semester abroad and got tons of compliments back home from friends, because they hadn't seen designs like that in the US. This store is all over the place in Rome, you can't throw a rock without hitting one! :) Calzedonia's sister store is Tezenis, which has more lingerie, nightwear, and workout wear.
Hope that helps! :) Have a wonderful trip!
Earlier this year while we were in Rome, my grilfriend stopped in a lot of small boutiques to see the clothes and prices. We are in our early 30s. She found sevearl stores that were good prices and bought several tops and pants over there. I couldn't exactly tell you where they were between our hotel by Termimi and the Pantheon. As your walking around the city and pass small places, if you like the clothes in the window, walk in and take a peak at the styles and prices they have.
The Italian stores "List" and "Class" are pretty reasonable. Save all of your receipts and do not take the price tags off so you can get your VAT refund if you spend enough. COIN is nice, too, moderately priced, several locations. Otherwise it's boutiques. Stay off Via Condotti and try Cola di Rienzo in Prati, Via Nazionale, Via Tritone, and side streets. I like the area behind the Galleria (which is on Via del Corso). There are several streets between the Galleria and the Spanish Steps that have promising shops that are not designer.
For me, shopping takes time that I'm not always willing to devote, and adds weight to the luggage that I'm handling myself in a variety of situations. But if you see something you like at a decent price, then conventional wisdom says to buy it, instead of hoping to find it again later.
