Shoes, glorious shoes!
Let’s come clean, I am infatuated with sandals–strappy, thongs, wedges, flat, glittery, plain, cork, rubber, leather, cloth, it doesn’t matter as long as my feet feel naked and I am in the sun. The singular requirement? A bright colored pedicure.
Living in Italy means I probably have a better chance than most to add to my on-going collection, and being in Rome means I can customize my sandals as if I were in Capri. For more than a year, I’ve being haunting di San Giacomo sandals , a shop just around the corner from Piazza Navona. And I finally had time to sit down with Veronica and Stefano to pick out my perfect pair.
di San Giacomo sandals are a work of art- a mix of hand-made and made-to-measure. Veronica’s husband Claudia designs and makes all jewelry pieces, while Veronica customizes colors and styles, and, along witth calzolaio Stefano, she makes the sandals while you debate whether or not your should buy another pair. The entire process takes about 20 minutes, minus the conversational chatter.
Step 1: I Got Sole: Veronica makes sure my feet fit perfectly in the sole of choice. At present, she has 4 choices: flat, slight heel, wedge and kitten. I choose traditional.
Step 2: Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend– I run rampant through the hand-made jewelry, colorful leathers and chains. Note: style of sole dictates design.
Step 3: Measure Up. Stefano and Veronica measure and fit the thongs to the sole and foot.
Step 4: Hammer Time. The leathers are hammered into the soles and reinforced.
Step 5: Fit me baby one more time. Veronica and Stefano make sure everything is in place and comfortable.
*You know this goes hand in hand with Bikini Etiquette
To customize your own di San Giacomo sandals, skip over to
Via di Tor Millina, 10/11 (Piazza Navona) or Via di Santa Dorotea, 17 (Trastevere), 06-96847938