Milan

Why it matters: open since 1975, this is one of Europe’s longest-running feminist bookshops, run collectively by more than 40 women through the Circolo cooperativo delle donne Sibilla Aleramo. The shelves hold work from over 3,000 women authors and 10,000+ titles, including out-of-print feminist texts you won’t find elsewhere, and the shop still publishes its own quarterly journal, Via Dogana, and hosts regular talks and discussions. Browse the fondo librario of rare, out-of-circulation feminist writing, and check the schedule for an evening incontro if you’re around – visitors are genuinely welcome to sit in.

Why it matters: run by Vesti Solidale, a social cooperative active since 1998, SHARE turns donated clothing into jobs for people who need a way back in – ex-prisoners, people with disabilities, political refugees and single mothers make up its roughly 100 employees, who together process about 4,000 tonnes of used clothing a year. It’s also a genuinely good secondhand shop: curated Italian and international pieces, including branded finds, none priced over 12.50 euros. Dig through the racks on Via Padova – Milan’s most multicultural street – then grab lunch at one of the neighborhood’s countless ethnic kitchens nearby.