Italy: Apple to open flagship store in central Rome

Rome: The Apple flagship store in central Rome is expected to open imminently, with the American technology giant covering the windows of its building on Via del Corso with signs saying “Stiamo arrivando” (We’re on our way).

The massive new venue – set to become one of the most important Apple stores in the world – will be added to Apple’s two official sales outlets at Rome shopping centres Porta di Roma and Euroma2, but led to the recent closure of its store at the RomaEst mall.

However the US multinational company has pledged to transfer its employees from RomaEst, adding them to the additional 120 people it plans to hire for its new base in the heart of Rome’s historic centre.

The exact address of the venue – to be known as “Apple Via del Corso” (minus the word “Store”) is Palazzo Marignoli, about halfway along Via del Corso, at number 184 to be precise.

The historic building has been completely redesigned by Foster + Partners, the British architectural firm also behind the revamp of Apple’s other Italian flagship store, Piazza Liberty in Milan.

Rome’s new Apple outlet is characterised by marble, large open spaces and high arches, and the renovation work was carried out with the approval of city’s heritage authorities.

The Via del Corso venue is reportedly destined to become one of the most important Apple sales outlets in Europe and the world, on a par with other prestigious Apple Stores such as the Carnegie Library in Washington DC, Champs Élysées in Paris and Covent Garden in London.

The new Rome store will not only sell Apple products and offer customer assistance – reports Il Messaggero – it will also be a cultural space, holding both technology workshops and live music events, similar to Milan’s Piazza Liberty which held performances by artists such as Ludovico Einaudi in 2019.

“With this important new store, we will move our talented teams and activities from RomaEst to the centre of Rome, where we will significantly increase our service capacity and offer free and world-class ‘Today at Apple’ sessions,” Deirdre O’Brien, Apple’s senior vice president of Retail + People, said last year.

Apple currently has 2,100 employees in Italy, a figure that has grown by almost 50 per cent since 2015.