Bookstore Hopping Through Italy: Rome, Florence & Milan

If there is one thing I was absolutely going to do while traveling through Italy, it was to find bookstores.

Some people come home from Italy with leather bags, bottles of wine, or olive oil. Apparently, I come home with books and bookmarks.

And honestly? I wouldn’t have it any other way.

There is something so special about visiting a bookstore in another country. Even when you’re looking at books you’ve seen a hundred times before, they somehow feel different. Maybe it’s the building they’re in, the language surrounding you, or simply knowing that the book sitting on your shelf at home will always remind you of exactly where you were when you bought it.

So, naturally, bookstore hopping became part of our trip through Italy.

Rome: When Plan A Doesn’t Work Out

Our first bookstore mission was supposed to be Mondadori Point.

Except there was one tiny problem.

It was August 15th — Ferragosto.

If you’re visiting Italy in August, this is something you definitely need to know about. August 15 is a major Italian holiday, and plenty of businesses close for the day. We learned that firsthand when we made our way to Mondadori only to discover that it was closed.

Not exactly how I pictured the beginning of my Italian bookstore adventure.

Otherwise Bookshop

Our next stop was Otherwise Bookshop, an independent English-language bookstore tucked away on Via del Governo Vecchio, just a short walk from Piazza Navona. The location alone makes it worth visiting. You’re already surrounded by those gorgeous little Roman streets, historic buildings, restaurants, and shops, and then suddenly there is this cozy little bookstore waiting for you.

This one felt completely different from a giant chain bookstore.

It’s small, cozy, and intimate, with shelves filled with English-language books ranging from contemporary fiction and classics to nonfiction, poetry, children’s books, and independent titles.

Basically: dangerous territory for me.

This is where I bought Intermezzo by Sally Rooney and, because apparently this became the theme of my Italian bookstore tour, a bookmark.

I love buying bookmarks when I travel because they’re probably one of the easiest souvenirs to bring home. They’re inexpensive, take up zero room in your suitcase, and every time you use one, you’re reminded of the place where you bought it.

And a bookmark from a tiny bookstore near Piazza Navona? That’s my kind of souvenir.

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Altroquando: The Bookstore Across the Street

One of the cutest parts about Otherwise is that there is another bookstore directly across the street: Altroquando, the Italian bookstore connected to Otherwise. In fact, Otherwise was created in collaboration with Altroquando and publisher Edizioni E/O.

So obviously, we had to go inside that one too.

At this point, bookstore hopping had officially become part of the itinerary.

There was something I loved about going from the English-language bookstore to the Italian bookstore right across the street. It made the whole area feel like this tiny little book-lover’s corner of Rome.

And that’s one of the things I loved most about bookstores in Italy. They didn’t always feel like somewhere you went simply to buy something. They felt like part of the neighborhood and part of the city itself.

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Florence: Giunti Odeon

Then came Florence.

And this bookstore was on an entirely different level.

Giunti Odeon isn’t really just a bookstore. It’s a bookstore inside a historic cinema and theater in the heart of Florence, near Piazza Strozzi. The Odeon has been part of Florence’s cultural life since 1922, and in 2023 the historic space reopened as Giunti Odeon — a bookstore during the day and a cinema at night.

I mean… come on. Books inside an old Italian cinema? This might be one of the prettiest bookstore concepts I’ve ever seen.

The architecture is still very much part of the experience. You’re browsing shelves of books while surrounded by the details of this beautiful old theater, with the screen still there and the gallery above you. It feels grand without losing that cozy feeling you want from a bookstore.

It’s the kind of place where you almost forget you’re shopping. You just want to wander around and look at everything. And obviously, I couldn’t leave empty-handed.

I bought Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in Italian, which might be one of my favorite souvenirs from the entire trip.

I love the idea of having a familiar book in another language, especially one as nostalgic as Harry Potter. I may not be casually sitting down and flying through hundreds of pages of Harry Potter in Italian anytime soon, but that’s almost beside the point. It’s a little piece of Florence sitting on my bookshelf now.

I also bought 1984 by George Orwell, in English, with sprayed edges, because apparently I have absolutely no self-control when a classic comes in a pretty edition.

And, of course… Another bookmark. At this point, the bookmarks were becoming their own collection.

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Milan: Rizzoli

Our final bookstore stop was Rizzoli Milano, located inside the absolutely stunning Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II.

If you’re going to put a bookstore somewhere in Milan, putting it inside one of the city’s most iconic buildings feels pretty hard to beat.

Rizzoli has been part of Milan since 1949, and its historic Galleria location was recently renovated while preserving details like its vaulted ceilings, cast-iron columns, octagonal skylights, and signature architectural elements. The bookstore spans two floors and includes everything from fiction and international titles to art, design, travel, stationery, and books celebrating Milan itself. The entire store feels polished and elegant — very Milan.

And then you step outside and you’re standing beneath the glass dome and gorgeous architecture of the Galleria, just steps from the Duomo.

I didn’t buy a book at Rizzoli, which I’m considering a small miracle. But I did buy one last bookmark. Because obviously.

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Books I brought home from Italy:

Intermezzo by Sally Rooney — Otherwise Bookshop, Rome
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire — Italian edition from Giunti Odeon, Florence
1984 by George Orwell — sprayed-edge English edition from Giunti Odeon, Florence
And several bookmarks that now make me want to go back to Italy every time I open a book.

If you’re a reader traveling through Italy, add bookstores to your itinerary. Even if you don’t buy anything — although I clearly cannot relate — they’re worth visiting for the atmosphere alone.

And leave a little extra room in your suitcase.

Trust me.