Day Fifty-Five - Rome

We decided to roam the streets today and check out the shopping. Our guide book told us there are two major streets for shopping. Firstly, near the Vatican where we are staying is Via Cola di Rienzo where there are many fashion shops where the prices can be top of the range and also reasonable. It is where many Italians shop for their clothes. Secondly, there is the long street of Via dei Condotti near the Piazza di Spagna, the place of the Spanish steps, in central Rome. This is probably equivalent to New York’s Fifth Avenue and has all the designer shops such as Valentino, Gucci, Bulgari, Prada, Dior, Amarni and Yves St Laurent.
There are very few large department stores but rather small specialist shops in categories such as shirts and ties, coats, gloves, lingerie, shoes, watches, and sporting wear shops.
We set out at the later time of ten thirty and walked about twenty minutes to get to Via Cola di Rienzo. There was one small department store called Coin which was recommended in the guide book. We found a great shirt for Henk and he will look particularly Italian when he wears it!
From this street we walked into the city centre past the Piazza Popolo where there was a large number of uniformed people practising for a parade. We couldn’t make out what it was about except it wasn’t the armed forces. They looked more like forestry workers but they did have guns on their belts. The Italians do seem to like their guns and uniforms!
We had lunch at a sidewalk café near the designer shops watching the very well-dressed Italians parading past with their designer bags. There was not a plastic bag in sight but large tasteful paper bags with the designer name printed on the side and cords or ribbon for handles.
We had fun looking into the designer windows and noting the prices. I particularly liked the Yves St Laurent green dress for seven thousand eight hundred Euros. It made my little black flat shoes I bought later in the day for thirty-nine Euros a very good bargain!
After walking into the city from our apartment which was a fair way we decided to catch the train back to Ottavania and walk the short distance. We used to get off at the Lepanto station as recommended by the agent but it is far easier to go one more stop at Ottavania as it’s a straight walk.
Dinner was at the restaurant, “Nuova Fiorentina“ where we had dinner last night. It’s close by and the food is excellent and many Italians eat there. We arrived at seven thirty and were finished by eight thirty. As we left the Italians were arriving. They eat much later than Australians.
Photos: Scooters everywhere on the way to Via Cola di Rienzo; Me with my very expensive Yves St Laurent dress; Valentino shop window; Philosophy di Alberta Ferretti shop window.