Bookshops in Rome

English-language books, ancient maps, and Rome's best independent shops.

English-language bookshops

The Almost Corner Bookshop in Trastevere and the Anglo-American Book Co. near the Spanish Steps are the two long-established English-language independents. Both carry good Roman history and travel sections alongside general fiction, and both are the kind of places where staff actually know what's on the shelves.

Italian independents

Libreria Trastevere and several small shops on the streets around Campo de' Fiori carry a strong mix of Italian literature, art books and architecture titles. The Libreria Fahrenheit 451 near Campo de' Fiori is worth a browse specifically for its design and film sections.

Secondhand and prints

Largo della Fontanella di Borghese runs a morning print and book market with genuine antique prints, maps of Rome, and old illustrated volumes mixed among tourist-grade reproductions — worth arriving early to separate the finds from the fillers.

Signed and rare editions

Several of Rome's older bookshops maintain a rare and antiquarian book section alongside general stock — worth asking specifically if you're a collector.

Reading events and literary culture

A number of independent Roman bookshops host regular author readings and book clubs, some in English aimed at the city's international community.