Shopping and markets in Italy

Walking along the Via del Giovane is not just to immerse yourself in a route with strong religious ties, but also to let yourself be embraced by sumptuous age-old beech and chestnut forests and then open your eyes to the horizon over the vast hills of the Pollino National Park. We are in the part of the Pollino overlooking the Tyrrhenian coast, composed of hills above the Crati valley, dotted with ancient churches, sanctuaries and monasteries. The 49-kilometre route is certified by the Italian Touring Club and is part of the longer Trail of St Francis of Paola (247 km), the hermit saint and founder of the Order of Minims. For Francis, it was a journey marked by restlessness, during which he felt the fire of a vocation and the desire to dedicate his life to religion but at the same time the uncertainty of not knowing how to do it. The first stage, that of enlightenment, is the small ancient inland town of San Marco Argentano, at about 420 metres above sea level. From here you reach Cerzeto, a municipality of Italo-Albanian ethnicity, language and culture, and then head towards the Tyrrhenian Sea, crossing the coastal chain until the extremely striking arrival at the Sanctuary of San Francesco di Paola. The route is almost entirely on a dirt track, with no hazardous points.

With the Christmas season approaching, it's time to start planning when and where to go to see the Christmas markets. Surrounded by colourful lights and festively decorated fir trees, Christmas villages are a popular destination for your Christmas holidays in Italy. As early as the end of November, Christmas market stalls start to appear in cities from north to south. Here are the 10 most beautiful Christmas markets in Italy, arranged from north to south of the peninsula.

Rome is certainly one of the focal cities of Italian shopping tourism. Travelers love taking advantage of its innumerable shops and boutiques in between discoveries of magnificent monuments and cultural experiences. One of the Eternal City's most lusted-after areas is the so-called “Trident,” formed by Via dei Condotti, Via Borgognona, Via Frattina and by the adjacent Spanish Steps: the Trident is perhaps the most high-end destination for Roman shopping, with a concentration of renowned jewelers and important Italian and international flagships and ateliers.

Versilia, a zone both fun and cultured, is known to many for its gossip pages. Yet this stretch of land (in the Province of Lucca), that runs past the slopes of the Apuan Alps and the Park of San Rossore, is famous for its beaches. Lying between the cities of Forte dei Marmi and Viareggio, its long, fine-sand beaches and coastal dunes – particularly from Viareggio to Torre del Lago – are typical traits of the Versiliese littoral. The resort localities that dot the coastline include the exclusive Forte dei Marmi, sunny Viareggio, Marina di Pietrasanta and Lido di Camaiore.

The artisans of taste, in the historic centre of Florence. If you want to spend a day experiencing typical Tuscan “flavours”, enjoying a simple yet traditional lunch, don’t miss Mercato Centrale, or Mercato di San Lorenzo. This impressive iron, cast iron and glass structure was built in the 19th century, when Florence was the capital of Italy, based on a design by Giuseppe Mengoni, creator of the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II shopping arcade. The market opened in 1874 with an International Agricultural Exhibition. Today, it is the go-to place for residents and tourists looking for delicious and rewarding food and wine experiences. Open daily, it has an indoor building housing the market and an outdoor space with street vendors. On the ground floor, you will find “a little bit of everything”: fruit, vegetables, meat and fish, with the opportunity to taste the food on offer at the various refreshment stations. On the first floor are the “delicatessen” shops and restaurants offering local, national and international specialities, from Lampredotto accompanied by a glass of Chianti Classico to fried fish, from Chinese dumplings to French pastries.