I’m all set for Italy, but oddly none of the guidebooks list Italian second-hand bookshops. So, where’s the best place in Florence (and perhaps Rome) to find Italian-language books? (Non-fiction, if it helps.)
I lived in Italy for a total of a year (3 months in Vicenza province, 9 months in Milan) plus fairly frequent visits since. To be honest I can’t recall seeing a single second-hand bookshop - the continental Europeans don’t do charity/thirft shops in the same way that Brits do for example - second hand is a bit of an alien concept. Some antique type shops will have some old books but priced accordingly.
One good Italian bookshop is Fetrinelli, you may be able to find some bargains there. I’m not sure how bookshops operate in your area but in Italy they tend to stock books according to publisher then author so if you are looking for something patricular it’s best to save time by asking.
Not a second-hand shop, but I’ll post it nonetheless. You can resort to it if you can’t find a second-hand shop.
In Rome’s Termini train station, there is a pretty big bookstore on the lower level. I’ve bought quite a few books there on my last two trips. They have a decent sized cookbook section, too, which was great for me. A wide range of prices, from expensive to 3 euro bargain books.
This site purports to have a directly of antiquarian booksellers in Italy, though the links to the directories seem to be broken. They have a contact page, though: http://www.tzm.it/alai/
Make that a directORY :smack:
I remember going to some absolutely gigantic (but non-secondhand) bookstores in Rome.
Thanks — this is very useful info.