Smart Shopping in Rome

You will have a blast in Roma. I don't know of any second hand clothing shops but there are lots of places to find inexpensive and even cheap clothing. By the bus stop right outside of Piazza del Popolo there are some great little places to pick up some good deals and there are several markets around Roma in which you can find some good stuff. One of the largest markets is just outside the wall behind San Giovanni. Remember to keep your money close at hand while walking around these markets, they are often very crowded and can be ripe with pick pockets. Also, check out the back streets of Trastevere for little markets and funky shops. Some of them are expensive but some of them are pretty reasonable. Enjoy!

This is probably obvious, but in deciding whether buying clothing in Europe is a bargain, of course you'll want to factor in the euro - dollar exchange rate--add about 40% to 45% to the price in euros to get an apples to apples comparison.

After you do that, some clothing items may not seem like bargains--that is, if you can buy a comparable item in the US. If you can't, then that's different and may be worth the exchange rate difference.

Try Via del Governo Vecchio behind Piazza Navona, they have lots of second hand clothing shops, though I don't know how much of a bargain they would be. The clothing tends to be funky and stylish, lots of leather boots and things like that, you could find some cool piece and tell everyone who asks you about how you bought it in Rome.....

And whatever you do, don't buy the "knock offs" that a lot of street vendors push for sale. Just read an article recently that Italy is really starting to crack down on this practice. If caught buying one, the buyer and seller face huge fines and jail time. Saw fines listed as much as $250,000.00 and up to several years in jail. And the article said that this included tourists.

Thank you all for your responses. Perhaps I'll find a unique shirt or something with which to remember my trip!

Take a look at www.roninrome.com His latest newsletter was Markets in Rome. One had clothing and another one had shoes.

One thing to be aware of in Italy is that their cotton clothing will shrink a great deal more than in the States. No one uses clothes dryers there, they hang them out to dry, but the U.S. fabrics are either woven or treated differently to reduce shrinkage in the dryer. You may want to purchase a size larger than normal for T-shirts, etc...

A lot of Italians shop at outlet stores that basically sell last year's fashions. Search online for the possibilities. Secondhand? Yuk!

One of the best places to buy second hand clothing and almost anything else is The Porta Portese flea market - held each Sunday morning. It's a lot of fun and the things you'll see are quite interesting.
Another very interesting market is Underground , held on Saturday as well as Sunday near Via Veneto on Via Francesco Crispi - A lot of very cool antiques and collectibles for sale in an underground garage - very close to Piazza di Spagna.
Have a Great trip to Roma

Greg