Gap understands the notion of what makes a flagship to judge from this 14,110 sq ft, two-floor branch that has just opened on Rome’s Via del Corso, one of the Eternal City’s principal shopping streets.

According to GAP Inc, the store “was designed with style and functionality in mind, while embracing the building’s rich history”.

All well and good and you might hope that any retailer moving into a former bank would do all of these things. But there is no denying the appeal of this simple interior with its bold graphics and constant references to 1969, the year of Gap’s foundation, as well as the emphasis placed upon nostalgia and Americana.

Pride of place, however, probably goes to a 1940s mural by Giulio Rosso, which shows men on a scaffold wearing white T-shirts and denim. This was part of the original building and although it is now more than 70 years old, it is bang on brand for Gap.

After being a bank and directly prior to Gap taking ownership of the space, the store was a bookshop and in homage to this heritage, there will also be a ‘book corner’ where a variety of art and style tomes will be on offer.

The US store design has been localised through the use of a palette of materials that includes warm toned woods and marble, while at the heart of the shop there is a floating white staircase composed of stone and white glass with a skylight directly above it.   

Gap does not have many stores in Italy – there is another large branch in Milan that opened in October – but this new flagship looks like a mark of intent.