Rome

For people who put Valentino, Bulgari, and Fendi right up there with the Forum, the Capitoline Museum and the Baths of Caracalla, there has never been any doubt. After all, visiting shopaholics have always thought a trip to Rome incomplete without a visit to Gucci. Today, things may have changed – after all, the famous double-Gs can now be found in boutiques around the world – but nearly everybody still loves to satisfy their acquisitional desires in the Eternal City. This is not only because you find so many of the world's most famous designers and finest craftsmen here but also because shopping and sightseeing are hard to separate from one another. Many stores occupy scenic locations in beautiful squares, often enough next to Renaissance monuments and Baroque fountains.

Shopping in Rome can be a thrilling experience even when your pocketbook calls for mere window gazing. The Italian flair for transforming display windows into whimsical theatrical tableaus makes ordinary window-shopping an aesthetic experience. So even if you're not buying, it's worth a stroll through the Piazza di Spagna or along the Via Bocca dei Leone to take in the window displays and the spectacle of Romans on the hunt for that perfect pair of shoes. When you explore the fashion golden triangle that fans down from the Spanish Steps, you'll find that you don't have to spend a single euro to have fun. The atmosphere is almost carnival-like. Street vendors hawk fake Vuittons and fresh coconuts or chestnuts (depending on the season) on almost every corner as shoppers stroll happily from store to store, or stop to sip a cappuccino at one of the many sidewalk cafés that crowd the narrow streets. An oasis sheltered from the grandeur of classical Rome, this area is a network of pedestrian-friendly streets, with people, not cars, given the right of way.

The best known of Rome's gilded shopping throughfares is the Via Condotti, and for good reason. This is Rome's "shopping mall" – one lined with Bulgari diamonds, Pratesi linens and Bises silks. Rome has been perfecting luxury ever since the days of the Caesars, so it's little wonder that this is the city that gave us the timelessly elegant Gucci "moccasin" loafer, Fendi bag and the Valentino dress Jackie Onasis wore on her wedding day. Spend any serious time around here and, sooner or later, you too will probably be seduced into handing over some of your hard-earned euros to the Eternal City's merchants. The good news is that although a Valentino ensemble can certainly set his gran signoras back many thousands of euros, glam girls can happily find similar Roman taste and styling at more affordable prices around town. Boutique fashions may be slightly less expensive in Rome than in the United States, although since the euro was introduced, Romans have seen many of their favourite stores mark up prices by as much as 50%. If you're a bargain shopper, know that the notice prezzi fissi (fixed prices) means just that: in shops displaying this sign it's a waste of time to bargain unless you're buying a sizable quantity of goods or a particularly costly object. Always bargain, however, at outdoor markets (except food markets) and when buying from street vendors.