Guide for the Few

Rome, Care

Bespoke shoes from Calzoleria Petrocchi

A pair of shoes made entirely by hand on a wooden last shaped to your own feet, with the leather and the welt of your choosing, in the Rome workshop the Petrocchi family has run since 1946.

Calzoleria Petrocchi, Vicolo delle Ceste, 29, 00186 Roma

Finished shoes on the workshop shelf

Why it is on the list

Calzoleria Petrocchi has made shoes by hand in Rome since 1946. Tito Petrocchi founded it on Via Sistina, his nephew Bruno Ridolfi took it over in 1972, and Bruno's daughter Daniela Ridolfi runs it now.1 The City of Rome named it a Maestro dell'Artigianato in 2002, and the Ministry of Culture certified its archive as an Archivio del Novecento of cultural interest.1 The workshop made the shoes for Audrey Hepburn and Mel Ferrer in "War and Peace" and the two-tone pair Robert De Niro wore in "Once Upon a Time in America".2 Every stage is done by hand in the Rome workshop, in natural-tanned Italian and French calf, with soles and heels of leather.3 A bespoke pair starts with your feet traced on paper and the way you stand and walk observed; a wooden last is then shaped by hand to those measurements, and your shoes are made on it.4

It is the wrong call for shoes needed this week: bespoke starts with a last made for you. The same workshop sells ready-made models in standard sizes, from EUR 550 for the Classic loafer.35

How to get it

Call the shop on +39 06 6876289, write to info@calzoleriapetrocchi.it, or use the form on the bespoke page, and ask for a bespoke pair.64 The workshop is at Vicolo delle Ceste 29 and opens Monday to Saturday, 9.30 to 19.00.6 You choose the model, the leather (calf, or crocodile, ostrich, lizard and ray) and a hand-sewn Goodyear, Norwegian or Tyrolean welt; for women's shoes the heel height is yours to set as well.4

Discretion

Outside shop hours, and on Sundays, the workshop sees clients by appointment.6 Its clients have included film and television actors, sports champions and members of the Italian institutions.1

A bespoke derby with a Norwegian welt
A bespoke derby with a Norwegian welt
Cutting leather to a paper pattern at the bench
Cutting leather to a paper pattern at the bench
Sources
  1. La nostra storia | Calzoleria Petrocchi. calzoleriapetrocchi.it, read 25 September 2026.
  2. Le forme famose e i film | Calzoleria Petrocchi. calzoleriapetrocchi.it, read 25 September 2026.
  3. La lavorazione artigianale | Calzoleria Petrocchi. calzoleriapetrocchi.it, read 25 September 2026.
  4. Calzature su misura a Roma | Calzoleria Petrocchi. calzoleriapetrocchi.it, read 25 September 2026.
  5. Calzoleria Petrocchi | Vendita Scarpe su Misura e Moda Pronta, Roma. calzoleriapetrocchi.it, read 25 September 2026.
  6. Contatti | Calzoleria Petrocchi. calzoleriapetrocchi.it, read 25 September 2026.

Last checked 25 September 2026, against the venue's own pages. The next check is due by 25 October 2026.