Hi Travel friends,
My family and I will be in Florence, Italy in two weeks and would like your advice on the best places to buy leather belts and gelato.
Also, I heard the original Gucci store is in Florence. Is it worth takin the time to visit?
Grazie!
The street markets in Florence have lots of leather goods. Browse the stalls before you choose. Ask prices. They may come down significantly as you walk away. Whatever you choose, you should bargain. Also some of the stalls belong to the shops right behind them, which may have more selections.
Why would you visit Gucci if not to buy...? It's not a comfortable place to wander around and take photos...who knows, there might even be a long line to enter the store..but they have nice belts!!!!
As far as leather goes it depends on what quality you are after.
Many on here think the market stalls are a good place to shop, but there are many different qualities and definitions of leather, and I find lots of ths stalls not to my taste for a special purchase.
People do say the leather school is a good place - I have no experience of that.
My husband bought me a really lovely bag here:
https://www.thebridgefirenze.com/
via Vacchereccia, just off the bottom of the Piazza della Signoria
Despite the name, they are Italian handmade bags, not cheap, but not Gucci type prices.
Tjere is also a really good gelateria and couple of doors down.
I hope you have time to go to Oltrarno. Go across the Ponte Vecchio and you will find:
Beautiful leather gloves at https://www.madova.com/
Quality jackets, shoes, etc at La Pelle on Via Dei Guicciardini (behind Madova) great service too
Incredible gelato at RapaLisi Gelateria Argentina on Corso Umberto 19
We have been to each of these places multiple times — and have never been disappointed.
Enjoy your trip.
Buy leather from actual shops, the stuff in the marketplaces has gone down in quality over the years and lots won’t last very long.
For gelato, look for artisanal shops selling small selections in covered bins.
The shops selling really bright coloured whipped up decorated gelato are ok, but sometimes the gelato is artificially enhanced to make it look pretty.
The artisanal products are fresher and made with natural ingredients.
Try La Carraia Gelateria , just over the Ponte alla Carraia bridge, on the Oltrarno side of the river.
Some Gelaterie in the city center (not in any order):
Badiani on via Tosinghi: https://maps.app.goo.gl/FW3iBDnicyvEUjW6A?g_st=ic
Vivoli: https://maps.app.goo.gl/U3f6EVmGCT1BNuiP9?g_st=ic
Perché No!: https://maps.app.goo.gl/AuzEC3CzSHMdkfao9?g_st=ic
La Carraia: https://maps.app.goo.gl/a52Hc7eBnqETktuq9?g_st=ic
Gelateria della Passera: https://maps.app.goo.gl/TbqqSGDSRTB6PCQg6?g_st=ic
Sbrino: https://maps.app.goo.gl/9MvqsvsobADnuSzP9?g_st=ic
Oh apologies… I suggested the wrong Gelateria in my note about Oltarno. Roberto is correct!
Back in 2015 I did the Venice/Florence/Rome tour, and when we got to Florence several of us wanted to buy leather. Our guide recommended this place https://www.massimoleather.com/. Several of us bought jackets, and he gave us a discount because we were with a RS tour.
For good quality leather, I recommend Papini Leather. The proprietors, Cecilia and Lucia, are wonderful!
www.papinileather.com
For gelato, try Vivoli. There's always a line!
vivoli.it/en/
