Maximo shopping mall - with Rome's first Primark store - opens today.

Rome police are to control the numbers of people entering the city centre today as consumers seek to combine Black Friday sales with their Christmas shopping, according to reports in local media.

Police are set to concentrate on the main shopping streets in the city centre, as they have done over the last two weekends, where Black Friday discount offers are expected to attract an influx of shoppers today.

Maximo and Primark open in Rome

Black Friday in Rome coincides with the long-awaited inauguration of Maximo, the capital's third-largest shopping mall, including the city's first Primark store, which opens today.

• Covid-19: Rome combats weekend crowds in centre

The 5,000-sqm Primark store will be one of 170 shops in the new three-storey shopping centre, located south of the city's EUR district, between Via Laurentina and Via di Tor Pagnotta.

However customers should note that, along with other shopping malls in Italy, Maximo will be closed at weekends in line with rules to prevent the spread of covid-19.

Rome embraces Black Friday sales

Black Friday, the American custom dedicated to shopping at hugely-discounted prices the day after Thanksgiving, is rapidly catching on in Italy in recent years.

• Primark to open Rome store on 27 November

Black Friday, which this year falls on 27 November 2020, sees a growing number of Roman stores and online shops offering discounts in the lead up to Christmas.

• Christmas without Amazon: Italy's shops urge people to buy local

The Monday following Black Friday - on 30 November 2020 - is Cyber Monday, a day dedicated to discounts in the technology sector.

The post-Christmas sales in Rome and the Lazio Region are scheduled on 5 January 2021.