The Open Door Bookshop has been a Roman institution for 40 years for good reason.
The small shop is one of the best places to find used English language books in Rome.
And it is not only English language texts – the Open Door Bookshop has a selection of books in French and Italian as well.
Walking inside, you will see that every available nook and cranny has been stuffed with books.
The Trastevere bookstore naturally has plenty of books about Rome.
But if you are fully stocked up on historical tomes and travel guides, you can also browse the selection of cookbooks, memoirs, fiction, drama, and nonfiction.
With selves and baskets full of used books, the Open Door Bookshop is the perfect place to browse without any end goal in mind.
The Open Door Bookshop is the kind of store that makes me love Italy. It is filled with treasures, and truly a part of the little neighborhood in which it is located.
The bonus of the titles in multiple languages means that I can find a variety of books in English and Italian, if I feel like practicing.
The hunt for the title is half the fun, because you never know what you’ll find and fall in love with.
While the shop is not very large, I would stop in when you have plenty of time to browse slowly. The owners can also check the catalogue if you are looking for something specific.
The prices are fair and always written inside the front cover in pencil.
The Open Door Bookshop
Via della Lungaretta, 23
00153 Rome (Trastevere)
+39 06 589 6478
Buona sera Natalie. Thanks for the tip on the book store. What’s not to like?? Love Trastevere, books, antiques and the thrill of the hunt. Plus I am always searching for a good dual language book to improve my Italian. Will definitely take a look when I am there this fall.
N.B. Try and stay cool in the sweltering heat…..
Thanks, Lisa! I hope you find what you are looking for in the shop. It is lovely and reading is a great way to practice.
Hi Natalie
I haven’t visited yet, but it looks very interesting and my wife is a real bookworm. Can you help me? I am particularly interested in ‘ROMA foto d’epoca e panoramiche di oggi’ a three volume set of books that I found in our apartment. It is in Italian, which is Double Dutch to me, but the photos are fantastico especially the panoramic photos.
So, do you know this wonderful series, and do you have an English version?
I think that the pictures are by Giancario Casotta and published by Entopia in 2004. There are also ye olde pictures from Archivi Alinari do Firenze.
Can you please help me? I don’t have a lot of money but I have read that your prices are very reasonable. Which is a blessing. My wife and I are staying in Trastevere for another week or so.