La Rinascente Via del Tritone, Rome
La Rinascente on Via del Tritone is the Rome flagship of Italy’s premier high-end department store chain, a brand founded in Milan in 1865 and renamed in 1917 with a word coined by the poet Gabriele D’Annunzio. The store occupies a mid-20th-century building in the heart of Rome’s shopping district, steps from the Trevi Fountain and the Via Veneto, and represents an enduring piece of the city’s postwar commercial and social history. La Rinascente is internationally recognised for its role in promoting Italian design, having launched the Compasso d’Oro award in 1954.
At a glance
- Type
- High-end department store
- Period
- Brand founded 1865; present Rome location mid-20th century
- Style
- Modern commercial architecture
- Location
- Via del Tritone, Rione Trevi, Rome, Italy
Overview
La Rinascente is Italy’s most distinguished department store brand, founded in Milan in 1865 and given its definitive name in 1917 by the poet Gabriele D’Annunzio, meaning “the reborn.” The company played a pivotal role in shaping Italian consumer culture and design consciousness in the postwar decades. The Rome store on Via del Tritone brings together fashion, homeware, beauty, and food in a central location that has served Roman shoppers and visitors for generations.
History
La Rinascente grew from a Milanese dry-goods merchant into a national chain during the early 20th century, opening branches in major Italian cities including Rome. The company’s pioneering decision to launch the Compasso d’Oro design award in 1954 cemented its identity as a promoter of Italian industrial and graphic design rather than merely a retailer. The Rome Via del Tritone store was developed as part of the postwar expansion of the chain, occupying a mid-century building close to the historic centre. In 2011, La Rinascente was acquired by the Thai Central Group, which also owns major European department stores, though the brand identity and Italian character of the stores have been maintained. In 2016, the Milan flagship was named Best Department Store in the World by the Intercontinental Group of Department Stores.
What you see
The Via del Tritone store presents several floors of Italian and international fashion labels, designer accessories, beauty counters, and a homeware section with a strong emphasis on Italian design. Display windows facing the street are regularly changed to reflect seasonal themes or special collaborations. The food hall offers a curated selection of Italian regional products and a café where shoppers can take a break. The building’s position near the Trevi Fountain makes it part of one of Rome’s most visited commercial and tourist corridors.
Cultural significance
La Rinascente occupies a unique position in Italian cultural history as the store that introduced modern retail concepts — open display, seasonal sales, branded shopping bags — to the Italian public, and that used design as a deliberate commercial and cultural strategy from the 1950s onward. The Compasso d’Oro, which it founded and later donated to the ADI (Association for Industrial Design), remains the most prestigious Italian design award.
Practical information
- Address
- Via del Tritone 61, 00187 Rome, Italy
- Hours
- Check the official La Rinascente website for current opening hours
- Admission
- Free entry
- Coordinates
- 41.9027° N, 12.4844° E
Getting there
The store is centrally located near the Trevi Fountain and the Via Veneto. The nearest metro station is Barberini (Line A), about 400 metres away. Several bus lines stop on Via del Tritone and Piazza Barberini. From Termini railway station, take metro line A to Barberini (two stops). The store is also reachable on foot from the Spanish Steps (about 15 minutes).