First trip to Florence TOMORROW (day trip from Milan). Looking for shopping tips (paper, leather, jewelry, Christmas decor) mid range and convenient to the central area. Also typical florentine cafes or neighborhoods for strolling. Thanks!!
Posted by
Tampa, FL, USA
1054 posts
Take a stroll around the Oltarno. The other side of the bridge from the Duomo area. Plenty of great little hole in the wall places for lunch like Il Frantelini.
Posted by
Chicago
1949 posts
Hi Darby--
Mercato Centrale for a few slices of prosciutto, cheese, little jars of millefiori honey, maybe a lampredotto (cow's stomach) sandwich if you're adventurous. Nerbone makes a wonderful boiled beef sandwich with pesto sauce for 3 Euro.
Outside the market, plenty of stalls for scarves, trinkets, etc. Don't buy leather there, though. Go to close-by Massimo Leather on Borgo la Noce near the San Lorenzo Market. High quality, medium prices, the real deal.
Yes, the Oltrarno across the Arno is great, but quiet during the week. If you are there past 6:00 (or for lunch), on your way to Florence SMN station to catch the train back to Milan you can stop at Ciro & Sons on via Giglio for absolutely great Florentian food, great pizza, southern Italian specialties too. Enzo the owner is a trip.
Enjoy Firenze!
Posted by
824 posts
Cross the street in front of the train station and head towards the Hotel Baglioni. Hang a left in Piazza dell' Unita Italiana (in front of the hotel) down Via Sant'Antonino and you'll run smack-dab into the Mercato Centrale. Just don't expect the proces to be great (although they do haggle). Upstairs in the Mercato is a huge food court (DON'T think U.S. shopping mall style - think Italian). Or, Trattoria Lo Stracotto in Piazza di Madonna degli Aldobrandini next to the Medici Chapel (San Lorenzo) is very good.
Posted by
Centennial, CO, USA
1883 posts
There is a wonderful paper shop just outside the Mercado. I am sorry, I don't have an address, or remember the name of the shop, but if you can find the little square (piazza) with restaurants, the paper shop is in that square.
Great typical Florentine papers, cards, calendars, waxes and seals. They also had nice little gift items.
Also, just walking in the Mercado, you should be able to find some wonderful items. Haven't been, but I heard they finally reopened the top floor with some new shopping. I will for sure check on that next year when in Florence again.
Posted by
Chicago
1949 posts
Upstairs at the Mercato Centrale is run by Eataly, the market/food court brainchild of Mario Batali. We have one here in Chicago, which is mobbed, expensive & admittedly high-quality. We visited the Florence version in March of this year. It is everything that downstairs at the Mercato is not--beautiful, high-ceilinged, clean, without odors of any kind, and pricey. For tourists, upstairs is the place for them. For real Florentians trying to get some shopping done, they stay downstairs, which is where I grazed, shopped and grooved on.
They do have nice bathrooms upstairs, however...