It’s Day Two of our window shopping spree – and we have already established that the other half does not much like shopping, even the window variety. However, we still have to see shoes and bags, starting at Piazza di Spagna and Valentino.
This season, heels are still high, your feet will still be seeing red – but sugar-sweet colours like pink and citrus green are also part of the picture. Fendi goes for gold with impossibly glamorous, crocheted high heels that would not look out of place on La Lolla – and your inamorato’s brogues get a face-lift, along with his briefcase. Pom-poms are definitely making an impact this season. Just saying.
To get your covert window shopping off to a flying start, begin the day casually with a trip to the sparkling Fontana di Barcaccia at the foot of the Spanish Steps – so handy for Valentino’s window and a leisurely sit in the sun by the fountain. It is the perfect place to park a partner with a gelato or a cigarette while you take in a designer store or two.
Handily, the via Condotti is just a breeze away, with all its designer shops -and shoes and bags aplenty. The via Condotti is also host to the Antico Caffe Greco – a stunning coffee shop and tea room dating from the 18th century and a perfect excuse for the next stage of your window shopping trip.
The cafe is frequently busy, so your other half may be eager to continue, rather than wait for his/her coffee break – and you can keep up with your window shopping schedule.
Note: If you have not yet visited Babingtons, this can be another reason to steer your other half in the direction of Piazza di Spagna’s designer shops for some vital designer shopping.
As you make your way along the via Condotti, you are now heading for Fendi and its glorious flagship store on the Largo Goldoni, off the via del Corso.
If you need to reclaim tax on purchases, you are also now very near the Cash Reclaim Office on the via della Fontanella di Borghese, a street just to the left of the Largo Goldoni as you face Fendi from the via Condotti.
To appease the other half, you can easily walk to the River Tiber and the Castel sant’ Angelo from here – or head to the Piazza Navona for lunch or an early evening aperitif as the sun goes down, content that your covert window shopping trip has gone seamlessly. Buon viaggio et buon appetito!
Click on the images for a larger version of each object of desire.
Want to go to Rome now? Download ROME ALONE and ROME AGAIN free at Amazon Kindle Unlimited or for £2.40 – and set off to the Eternal City for a weekend of surprises, as unhappy housewife Bee and newly-divorced Alzheimer’s expert Dr Neil McCarthy leave from opposite ends of the country for a mini-break full of the unexpected that will change their lives forever. Return to Rome with them three years later and discover the forces at work which they never suspected on their first trip.
ROME ALONE was short-listed for the Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook’s New Novel Centenary Award.
Both books contain sexual content, adult themes and dark humour which some might find upsetting. Also scenes of shopping, gelati, vino rosso, amore and Rome.
Download ROME ALONE
Download ROME AGAIN
All images copyright Angela Meredith 2017
Want to know about more affordable shopping in Rome? I will be blogging about where to get the best buys in shoes and bags in Rome – as well as the Eternal City’s best kept shopping secrets, with streets full of independent shops and something for everyone whatever your budget and taste, including young designers and vintage, leather workshops, antique silver, glassware, toy shops for the children – and much, much more!
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