As a teenager alone in Rome with little surveillance, it seemed inevitable when I first arrived that I would shop. A lot. And while the majority of the things I’ve bought have been clothes, some of my quality finds were from Ciuffetti Giuseppe, a leather specialty shop in the neighborhood of Trastevere. I first discovered the mom-and-pop shop that has been in an Italian family for generations when I came to Rome last year with my dad. I bought a leather bag that the family made, while my dad bought a belt that was made and tailored in front of him. This year I arrived equipped with my brother’s belt measurements so that he too could have a custom Italian belt for a price better than any you can get for authentic leather in the United States. The couple who owns the shop is amicable and sincere, and I consider the place an ultimate hidden gem of Rome!
From Roma with love, Kate

(Katherine Schick is a high school student from Watertown, Mass., who is spending a month with a host family in Rome while studying Italian and documenting her travels for the Headliners of Summer newsroom with her “Postcards from Italy” series.)

–Aug. 28, 2023–