Vanita di Filati

Wow, what a different experience I had compared to Tina W. As an American living in Rome, and full-​well knowing the difficulty one can run into trying to find a well-​stocked shop, I was THRILLED to find this shop in my own neighborhood. Not only were both the owners, Patrizia and Maria, extremely kind and helpful, especially considering I have three little kids in tow (two of them four year old girls who wouldn’t stop touching every ball of yarn in sight!!!), and not one complaint. They asked me what I was planning to make and i explained the project, and they immediately showed me the exact kind of yarn I was looking for, and had an insanely great selection of colors. What’s more, most yarn shops in Rome have everything hidden away behind the counter, but this shop has everything out in cubbies, just like in the States. In fact Tina’s review is so odd compared to my experience because I explained to the owners how much I loved that they had things out so we could touch and explore them and she happily nodded and smiled. I was even given permission to take pictures of the entire store and of Patrizia because I plan to write up a really nice blog post about this lovely shop. So, I had a 180° different experience than Tina. I can’t recommend this shop highly enough. Now, perhaps my experience was different because my Italian is fluent and I’ve lived here for 14 years; I have no idea. In any case, I’m giving it 5 stars for selection, and for service. Convenience-​wise, for me it’s awesome b/​c in my neighborhood but if you’re looking for something more central, hit up the shops near Largo Argentina and Campo (like Alfis, Largo Ginnasi 6 or even Lana della Vecchia on Via dei Baullari 31, which I’m not crazy about — brusque service at best and not so much stock to choose from, and definitely one of the «hands off» stores).

Let me see if I can state this clearly enough: STAY FAR, FAR AWAY! I am an American resident in Rome. It’s been a bit of a challenge trying to find good yarn shops to feed my crochet habit — it’s not a hobby that many younger Italians take up, and as a result, online information about yarns and stores is a bit sparse and disorganized. Needless to say, I was thrilled to discover this shop online, with its photos of floor-​to-​ceiling shelves full of beautiful-​looking yarns. I headed for the shop in earnest, hoping to meet a few more crochet/​knitting enthusiasts and, of course, to see that wall of yarn. It was no small task getting there — the neighborhood seems perpetually clogged with cars, and parking is close to impossible. My enthusiasm survived the commute… but ended as soon as I walked into the store. The proprietor and her employee, already quite dour, looked me up-​and-​down and turned a cold shoulder. I explained in my broken Italian that I was a crocheter and that I just wanted to look around and get some ideas for my next project. Then, I went about my business examining the yarns. The women began to speak about me, but since I couldn’t understand exactly what they were saying, I happily continued looking and touching. It wasn’t until my Italian-​speaking husband joined me that I discovered that the proprietor wanted me out of her store before I touched any more of her merchandise. I had read previously about this cultural distaste for handling items in a craft store, but hadn’t found it to be true in other stores. In any event, if either of them had asked me not to touch, I would absolutely have respected their request — no one wants to be the ugly American! The key here is that they didn’t, and instead resorted to inexplicably rude, and strangely xenophobic, chatter. When my husband tried to explain again that I was just trying to get my head around what yarns to tackle next, the proprietor finally made it clear that I ought to leave the store and that my future patronage was of little consequence to her. I left. I will never go back.