Galignani

This is a grand institution, claiming to be the first store in Europe to offer English-language books. Today more than half of its 50,000 books are in English. With dark wood walls, it retains a quiet Grand Tour ambience that Henry James would recognize. Impressive range, too: history books, guidebooks, beautiful books on the arts and art catalogues. English selections have their own section, but you’ll find translations scattered throughout. It also has a thriving collection of French-language books. A trip to Galignani is worth it, if not purely to absorb a bit of history—the shop has withstood empires, revolutions and wars. A great haven on rainy days.