A guide to shoe shops selling authentic Italian footwear in Rome
Buying a pair of real Italian shoes is a must for everyone who visits Italy. Italian shoes are worldwide famous, and the Italian shoes industry goes back to the beginning of the 19th century, a heritage of the many shoes artisans who managed to grow and open shoes factories. From the 70s onwards, Italian shoemakers entered the international market thanks to the excellence of their quality shoes. Regions such as Marche, Veneto, Tuscany and Puglia still count hundreds of shoes factories, small enterprises that reach the best shoe boutiques worldwide. Tradition and style, high quality and excellence of the materials have all been preserved in the centuries and still give a pair of Italian shoes the surplus worldwide.
When you walk around the city of Rome, you’ll find many shoe shops–traveling back home with an original pair of Italian shoes is a must! To recognise the shops that sell original Italian footwear, just have a read on this article that guides you around.
And once you’re wearing a real Italian pair of shoes, your feet will thank you. All the shops listed here are located in central areas that are worth walking through.
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Michele di Loco
Via del Leone, 7
michelediloco.com
MEN’S AND WOMEN’S
Michele di Loco is a shoe store for both men and women with a lot of personality. Michele, the owner, is passionate about selling shoes that combine beauty and style in a harmonious fashion – and everything is ultra comfortable in addition to being effortlessly chic. Think soft, just-worn-in fine leathers, braided sandals, chunky heels that will wear well on Rome’s cobblestone streets. Avant-garde fashionistas and anyone with a love for comfortable footwear will find something in here. This shoes shop is a sophisticated footwear and accessories boutique located on Via del Leone, in the heart of Rome, a glamorous and welcoming place able to satisfy the quest of uniqueness and refinement of each client.
Mauro Leone
Via del Biscione, 8
mauroleone.com
WOMEN’S
A family business, founded in 1961 in Biella, where the headquarters and factory store are still located today. With the ambition of always offering ‘unique’ articles, the philosophy is still to offer products with attention to detail and a strong personality. Raw materials and production always Made in Italy. Starting from simple but cosy points of sale, where advice is still offered with sincerity, the brand has grown over the years to become a true point of reference for original women shoes. Important locations in the main Italian cities have allowed the company to deal with an international and multi-ethnic clientele, thus projecting this small but solid reality into the new millennium.
Marta Ray
Via del Moro, 6 – Via dei Coronari, 150/151
martaray.it
WOMEN’S
Marta Ray stands out with a colourful proposal. The elegant simplicity that defines the brand is combined with a constant selection of raw materials and reinterpretation of shapes. Each bag and shoe is a symphony of precious materials- from soft leather to elegant fabric, Marta Ray elevates the fashion experience through a meticulous selection of high quality materials. To choose a Marta Ray creation is to embrace sensory perfection, where the beauty of the materials blends harmoniously with the design. Marta Ray collaborates with traditional craftsmen from all over the territory, who put passion and expertise into every creation. Every product or purchase is part of a process of engagement with the end customer.
Centodieci
Via Cola di Rienzo, 135 – Via Campo Marzio, 51
centodieci-shop.com
WOMEN’S
Centodieci is a brand that proudly offers 100% made-in-Italy footwear. With over 20 years of experience in the industry, Centodieci stays up-to-date with market trends and is always on the lookout for original and new fashion styles. They carefully select each model to ensure that customers receive the best of Italian craftsmanship in every pair of shoes.
Trancanelli
P.za Cola di Rienzo, 84 – P.za Istria, 22/23
MEN’S AND WOMEN’S
From the mastery of Giovanni Trancanelli, an expert connoisseur of the human soul and skilful craftsman, the Trancanelli brand was born in the second half of the 19th century, giving rise to an important activity in the manufacture and sale of footwear throughout Rome. The first workshop was inaugurated in 1919 in the heart of Testaccio by his son Vincenzo, who continued his father’s activity with such passion that he also influenced subsequent generations. Both men and women shoes are available and won’t disappoint for its unique style and its comfy materials.
Laudadio Shoes
Via di Capo le Case, 58
laudadioshoes.it
MEN’S AND WOMEN’S
The history of Laudadio Shoes stems from a tradition of craftsmanship that has been handed down for generations. It boasts a gold medal at the 1936 Brussels International Exhibition for a splendid boot made in one piece.
In 1950 Ennio Laudadio, the founder, learned the trade and perfected his skills at Petrocchi, creating the ‘spool heel’ for Silvana Mangano, while he was filming the movie ‘Mambo’. In 1961, he opened his own shop in Via Gregoriana, in the heart of Rome, where he designed and produced shoes for numerous personalities from politics, culture and show business. At the same time, he taught his son Mauro the trade. A forerunner of what was to become the future of this trade and of the difficulties in finding labour, in 1984 he opened a shop next to his own, our current store, on Via di Capo le Case, for his sons; he had his creations produced by craftsmen with an all-Italian manufacture, bringing his shoes closer to a wider clientele. Even today, made-to-measure shoes for men are still made.
One of Laudadio Shoes’ main objectives is continuous research into the leathers, colours and shapes of shoes, especially women’s shoes, trying to maintain the right balance between tradition and novelty. Men’s shoes are like jewellery, for those who love tradition and the history of Italian craftsmanship. Laudadio Shoes prides itself on courtesy towards the customer and the ability to give the best advice, given the high level of expertise acquired over time.
Velasca
Via di Campo Marzio, 9 – Via Fabio Massimo, 93
it.velasca.com
MEN’S AND WOMEN’S
Velasca is an Italian artisanal men’s shoe company that recently also produces women’s shoes. It was founded in 2013 on the values of made in Italy. It was born and developed from the dream of two young Milanese men, Jacopo Sebastio and Enrico Casati, to bring the beauty and uniqueness of Italian know-how to the world.
Brugnoli
Via degli Scipioni, 35
brugnolishop
MEN’S
Brugnoli Calzature was born in 1969 thanks to Carlo Brugnoli, who first brought the best footwear from all over the world to Rome, specializing in the classic men’s sector. The brands over the years have been varied, as well as the sales points, fortunately many of these historic brands have been maintained over the years, surviving fifty years of fashion. Today the business is managed by his son Pierluigi, with a lounge in the heart of the meadows quarter who has kept the tradition communicating it in a contemporary way and with great taste. Next to the beloved shoes, there are also accessories, household items and a tailoring service.
Campanile
Via Cola di Rienzo, 182
campanile1858.com
MEN’S
Looking to the future while remaining faithful to tradition. The Campanile brand is more than 160 years old: a long history that started in 1858 from a small workshop in the heart of the Rione Sanità, the old central district of Naples made famous by the greats of Neapolitan comedy and theatre. A story that has been handed down through five generations of the Campanile family.
Happy Feet
Via Gallia 70 B/C
happy-feet.it
KID’S SHOES
In the heart of the city of Rome since 2012, Happy Feet, the children’s footwear shop that takes care of their little feet, offering a vast choice of the best Italian and international brands in the footwear sector, from size 16 to 40. For leisure, for school and sport, for a special occasion. Every moment will be the right one to find the most suitable shoes for your kids needs! In a colourful and fun environment that the children will love, you will find preparation, courtesy and attention to detail.
Oppi & Gi Scarpe Naturali per i tuoi Figli
Via Nemorense, 90A
oppiegiscarpe.com
KID’S SHOES
This store has a great mission: in a time when children only wear sneakers, here all parents who’d like their children to wear natural shoes get support. ‘Natural shoes’ are moulds that follow lines designed to accommodate children’s feet in a natural way according to age group: high and supportive in the first two years of life, flexible sole, semi-rigid heel support; lower but also more reinforced at the ‘critical points’ in the preschool years; more practical and flexible for when they face primary school, without forgetting support and resistance.
All models have an easy opening to allow them to be independent, are weatherproof, breathable and ergonomic to encourage healthy development of the feet and joints. Moreover, they do not lose sight of aesthetics, because the eye also wants to be satisfied! Oppi & Gi shoes are made by the skilful hands of craftsmen using top-quality natural materials and cannot be found in any other shop.
SNEAKER STORES
Here are some multibrand-stores with an unmistakable Italian flair in their selection. If sneakers are your go-to footwear, then you won’t want to overlook the shops listed below. Although sneakers are available worldwide, the choice is so big and the Italian taste in the selection of the coolest pair of sneakers is still a surplus.
Black Box
Via del Gambero 7A
One Block down
Via Margutta 119
Hollypopstore
Via del Vantaggio 46