Shopping in Rome

Rome shops by street, not by mall. The luxury grid starts at the Spanish Steps: Via dei Condotti, Via Borgognona, Via Frattina and Via del Babuino, which runs on to Piazza del Popolo. Via del Corso is the long high street towards Piazza Venezia. Monti, on the other side of the centre, trades in vintage and small designers, and the Sunday flea market at Porta Portese in Trastevere is where Romans go for secondhand and everything else. The outlets are out of town, and the big one is Valmontone, about 40 km away, laid out like a village.

Everything here is private except one. A personal shopper meets you at the Spanish Steps and works Condotti and Babuino, then the side streets of Campo Marzio and Monti, either for three hours with a coffee break or for a long day with a lunch stop. Both help non-EU visitors with the tax-free paperwork. The Valmontone day runs eight hours as a small shared group of up to 15, with hotel pickup inside the Aurelian Walls, or privately. Two photo shoots of two and four hours sit alongside, for people who would rather come home with pictures than bags.

Practical. Winter sales start in early January and summer sales in early July; between them the outlet is the cheaper way to the same labels. Non-EU residents can reclaim VAT on larger purchases, so ask the shop for the tax-free form and keep goods and receipts ready for the customs stamp at the airport. Wear shoes that handle the cobbles. The personal shopper tours charge in full inside 72 hours; the Valmontone day is free to cancel until 24 hours before.