Shopping the Tridente in Rome

Piazza del Popolo forms the base of Rome’s Tridente. From there, Via di Ripetta reaches Via della Scrofa, Via del Babuino leads to Piazza di Spagna and Via del Corso runs toward Piazza Venezia. The three spokes give a useful frame for central shopping, while smaller streets branch toward different kinds of boutiques and ateliers.^[1,2]

Between Piazza del Popolo and Piazza Venezia, Via del Corso is the Tridente’s broad shopping spine. Via del Corso has major labels, single-brand stores and lower-priced shops. About halfway along, Galleria Alberto Sordi adds an Art Nouveau landmark to the retail setting.^[3,4]

The side streets shift the emphasis toward luxury fashion and atelier displays. Via dei Condotti, Via Borgognona, Via della Vite, Via Frattina, Via delle Carrozze and Via Vittoria are among the streets Turismo Roma associates with high-fashion boutiques and artisanal production. Choose this cluster for a closer look at specialist storefronts, then return to Via del Corso for its wider range.^[1,2,3,4]

The Tridente’s street plan took shape between the fifteenth and seventeenth centuries as Rome connected Porta del Popolo with its major basilicas. Artists and architects including Antonio da Sangallo, Raphael, Domenico Fontana, Bernini and Valadier helped shape its streets and squares. That history remains part of the setting around the shops.^[1,2]

Between Piazza di Spagna and Via del Corso, historic homes associated with artists including Keats, Shelley, Goethe and De Chirico now serve as house museums. They offer a cultural counterpoint to the district’s boutiques: pair a museum that interests you with one of the shopping streets, and check that venue’s visitor information when planning a separate stop.^[1,2]