Yo Kass answered
The word for 'shoes' in Italian is scarpe. This word actually comes from the Germanic word for 'a pouch of hide'.
The word scarpe is plural and refers to un paio di scarpe or 'a pair of shoes'. To use the single for 'a shoe' you would say una scarpa.
Types of Shoes in Italian
Of course there are a number of types of shoes, and just as in English, Italian will distinguish between moccasini (moccasins) and tacchi (high-heels). In fact, Italians often use the word calzatura (which is the equivalent of 'footwear') when referring to shoes in general.
Confusingly, calzatura is also the word for a 'shoe-shop' and comes from the word calze which means 'stockings'. Because Italians use the word calzatura fairly frequently, scarpe is conventionally reserved to mean low shoes that cover the whole of the foot up to the ankle, rather than being a catch-all term like 'shoes' is in English.
Other useful footwear-related terminology is: stivali which is the word for 'boots', scarponi which literally means 'big shoes' and includes things like hiking boots. Ciabatta is the Italian word for slipper, but may be more commonly known outside Italy as a slipper-shaped type of bread!
The word scarpe is plural and refers to un paio di scarpe or 'a pair of shoes'. To use the single for 'a shoe' you would say una scarpa.
Types of Shoes in Italian
Of course there are a number of types of shoes, and just as in English, Italian will distinguish between moccasini (moccasins) and tacchi (high-heels). In fact, Italians often use the word calzatura (which is the equivalent of 'footwear') when referring to shoes in general.
Confusingly, calzatura is also the word for a 'shoe-shop' and comes from the word calze which means 'stockings'. Because Italians use the word calzatura fairly frequently, scarpe is conventionally reserved to mean low shoes that cover the whole of the foot up to the ankle, rather than being a catch-all term like 'shoes' is in English.
Other useful footwear-related terminology is: stivali which is the word for 'boots', scarponi which literally means 'big shoes' and includes things like hiking boots. Ciabatta is the Italian word for slipper, but may be more commonly known outside Italy as a slipper-shaped type of bread!
