We’ve all seen them – those fabulous women in spike heels – thin and bellissima, navigating the cobblestones as if floating on clouds, or mounted on a moped like masters of the machine with cigarette smoke trailing; their short, tight skirts and don’t-mess-with-me looks etched in our brains. They are to be awed, to be worshipped, but not, alas, to be emulated.

Italy is internationally renowned for its amazing shoes, and stunning women in those amazing shoes, but fellow travelers: don’t try this at home!! While the natives can certainly pull it off, the ubiquitous American or British ladies always seem to be in a lot of pain (and usually quite drunk – you’d have to be) trying to do as the Romans and survive a night on the Roman cobblestones [called Sampietrini] in such fabulous scarpe (ok, we might have even experienced this once or twice first hand).

Here’s the truth, girls – no matter how amazing these shoes look, they are not comfortable in any way, especially when the heel is stuck between two paving stones. Italians are raised with them; trained from a very young age to handle the pain with what looks like grace, much like Chinese girls who used to have their feet bound. To the un-initiated however, the Italian shoe experience is not only excruciating, but can be downright dangerous (especially after you’ve downed several bellinis). And you do NOT want to find yourself in an Italian emergency room at 1:00 in the morning, and oh man, do we have stories…

In some ways though, the American version of the cardinal footwear sin is much worse: you may even be on of those enthusiastic travelers who believe they can traverse Rome (without any rational idea of how much ground there is to cover) in flip flops, crocs or any similar apparel as may be appropriate for the beach or local shopping mall. They will not get you through even half a day on Rome’s rough-and-tumble streets without serious pain at best or enduring injury at worse. On sunny summer days, you can stroll through Piazza Navona or St. Peter’s Square and hear the exclamations and indignations of the footwear damned, and remember their horrible cries. 

If you think you are going to come to Rome without doing some major trekking, you are seriously deluded. Even the high-end traveler can only take a hired car so deep into these narrow streets –forget about the nine-plus miles through the Vatican Museum. So what to wear? If you look around Rome and spot someone walking long distances comfortably, it’s usually a nun. What do nuns wear? Ugly, comfy shoes – usually just the ticket to survive these streets for anything over an hour. 

Forget about high fashion – and forget about trying to look Italian because even after years here, most Roman transplants can’t cultivate their look enough to blend the natives. Go with cushion and support. That means: good sneakers (trainers or runners for you Brits and Aussies out there); leather walking shoes; or in warmer months, sandals that offer a cushioned insole and some degree of ankle support such as Birkenstocks, Clark’s – you get the picture. 

But what if you are already in Rome, reading this and thinking – boy, I wish I’d seen this website before I left home. Don’t panic! In recent years, Italy has discovered sneakers, and Foot Lockers are now located all over the city – you’ll notice the price is about three times what you’d pay at home, but hey, a few extra Euros is well spent to avoid those nasty blisters (or falls). 

If sneakers are just not your style, there are several purveyors of other comfortable footwear in the city as well, and sometimes you can even catch a sale (especially in summer when comfy sandals are a must). A selection of stores is listed below: happy walking!!

Foot Locker stores in Rome’s center:

Via Del Corso, 40. Tel. 06 36.00.20.63 (South of Piazza del Popolo)

Via Ottaviano, 1. Tel. 06 39745729 (Prati, north of the Vatican)

Viale Guglielmo Marconi , 171 Tel. 06 55.36.34.88 (Near Trastevere Station)

Stores selling comfortable shoes:

Sabò. Via C. Battisti, 136. Tel. 06 67.83.460 (Piazza Venezia)

Mephisto Shop. Via Sistina, 135. Tel. 06 48.20.565 (Between Piazza Barberini and Spanish Steps) 

NaturalLook. Via del Vantaggio, 21. Tel. 06 321.92.96 

Sorropago. Viale Di Trastevere,38. Tel. 06 58.15.657 (Trastevere)

Calzatura Campo Marzio. Via Campo Marzio, 31. Tel 06 68.30.01.31 (Near Parliament)