Description: Via del Corso is one of the biggest streets for shopping in Rome. The Via del Corso connections the north gate to the city, Porta del Popolo, past the National Monument to Victor Emmanuel II and into the heart of the city at the base of the Palatine Hill. The street is about 1 and a half kilometres long so it is quite a way to walk down. Although this is a main street for shopping, many tourist attractions are accessible from this location such as the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps, which are within walking distance.
Via del Corso dates all the way back to 220 BC when the road was originally built. Over the years, the road has been used for many different things including a racetrack for the Roman Carnival in the fifteenth century while in the seventeenth century, the road was known for unfashionable buildings and churches which were beginning to be run down. Pope Alexander VII had the Arco di Portogallo demolished so that the street would be wider. He wanted the street to impress visitors to Rome so added things like a fountain and prettier churches.
Before even heading to this area of Rome, you will need to remember that shopping hours are different here. Shops are generally open from roughly 9:30am until 1pm and then again from 3.30pm until 7.30pm. At least during the times when shops are closed, there are plenty of cafes and restaurants open so this could be a good way to spend a couple of hours or you could even head to one of the close by tourist attractions while you take a shopping break.
Via del Corso is the equivalent of our high street. Unless you venture off onto one of the smaller streets nearby, you won’t find expensive designers but instead you will find many well-known shops like the Gap, Miss Sixty, Nike etc. and many of the shops are aimed at a younger audience. The clothing shops I found here generally seemed to be aimed at teenagers up to younger adults but there wasn’t much for older generations. The clothes shops were very fashionable and cool looking and prices were a lot cheaper than what they would be here in the UK. If cheaper clothes is what you’re after then this is the place to be.
Also along this street are many tourist souvenir shops. I was surprised at just how many there were but honestly, none of them seemed different t any of the others. If you want to buy some cheap, tacky items then this is probably the best place to be. As the shops aren’t right next to tourist attractions, the prices here are much more reasonable and due to competition, the prices are kept quite low. After looking round a couple of these shops, they quickly got boring so we didn’t bother for very long.
Also along the via del Corso are many other shops and boutiques. I was glad to see that there were plenty of book shops and place selling music and dvds. This street really has something for everything. One of the most interesting things for me was the jewellery shops. Although some of these did seem ridiculously expensive, some were very reasonably priced. The jewellery available in Rome was stunning and I wished that I had more money so that I could buy something… or that my boyfriend could buy me something. The via del Corso has a great variety of shops and a long time can be spent looking through them. Luckily, as shopping is quite tiring, there are plenty of restaurants nearby where you can grab a bite to eat or just sit and have a drink. We didn’t do this though as we didn’t stay in this area very long.
The via del Corso is an amazing shopping area to visit and a must do while in Rome.
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