Leather Shopping in Florence
Despite our few visits to Florence, we (somewhat) haven’t taken advantage of the excellent leather goods markets and shops sprinkled throughout the city. Known as great leather craftsmen, Florentines, or perhaps all Italians, proudly display their fine leather goods whether it be shoes or jackets! For my family, certain people were really excited to shop! Hint hint, it was my mom and Mary Frances!
How to Research
For research, I cannot take any credit. According to my mom, she did “light research” on the leather market and the best places to buy… I don’t believe her.
For Mary Frances and I, we knew that my mom probably spent way too much time researching so we would follow her lead! Plus, I had done some of my own and found the following spots:
- Gloves
- General leather shops
- Hip and Trendy: BenHeart
The Start
While we had a lazy morning and thus a late start to the day, we ventured into downtown in search of leather. Thankfully, my mom was feeling much better so she was in a great mood to shop!
The School of Leather
Located off the downtown track, the official school of leather is located inside a convent. While it is a beautiful scenery, we were disappointed to not see any students hard at work! Inside the shop, we were greeted with the lovely leather smell, plus overwhelming amounts of leather goods!
For the most part, there were very traditional leather goods. From belts to purses to jackets, the school produced an abundance of items! They appeared more traditional, but I really had no idea… Compared to some shops, they still had price tags on them so it scared me away from quite a few!
Unsurprisingly, the prices or traditional looks did not stop my mom - or MF! Both of them still found great Christmas presents for people!
Pit Stop at Trattoria Pallottino
From the school of leather, we were forced back through the main tourist lands so we instantly started walking through random alleyways to avoid the crowds crush. Today, I think there was an extra mass of people due to a pink running race. I really am not sure why it was extra crowded! While in the random alleys, we were using the tried and true TripAdvisor method to find our lunch!
As I stopped and debated getting a gelato, we spotted a hole in the wall Trattoria. As MF wanted pasta as her last Italian meal, we went inside the homey restaurant. MF ordered the classic pici bolognese while I went for the daily special of gnocchi romana style. Mine was very similar to cheesy potatoes - just polenta and it wasn’t as heavy! MF’s dish was also really great! My dad thoroughly enjoyed his dish - perhaps because it was so light!
(More) Gloves
Beginning two years ago, Mary Frances and I strolled through Florence and stumbled into SEL??? Since that visit, she has visited many glove shops in Europe but this still remains her favorite! I should mention she has 4-5 pairs of gloves now and has convinced at least 5 people to buy them!
For this visit, the original aim was a pair of black gloves. However, as she entered the shop, she discovered a lovely creme pair! Now, my mom couldn’t resist the temptation either so she also want to “just try on” gloves. Shortly after, she found a perfect pair of leopard print gloves…. for Florida…
BenHeart
As I mentioned earlier, my mom researched top places for fine leather goods. She discovered BenHeart through a few travel forums and it was verified through thegirlinflorence.com! On their website, it describes the history of the trendy leather shop. Little under 10 years ago, the owner had a heart attack at the young age of 29. Quitting the fashion industry, he opened his own shop and now has locations in Europe.
Since my mom had purchased her leather jacket not even two days ago, the staff were very shocked to see her back here! Initially, our goal was a Christmas present for the boys of the family. Since none of them read this blog, I can say it! You can chose the leather pattern and the buckle. Using my waist and dad’s waist, they would make the belts right on the spot!
Surprise!
As I wandered through the shop, I found myself trying on a few leather jackets. Before I knew it, the kind employees were helping me try on a few jackets that suited my young age! Within 10 minutes, I purchased a fine leather jacket!
As we stood waiting for the belts to finish, a few jackets also caught Mary Frances’ eye! Thanks to our family spending loads of money, we were able to get some discounts and fun canvas bags! Leaving the store, I had a very nice brown / chocolate leather jacket and Mary Frances had a cozy black jacket!
Ciao!
Because of Mary Frances’ new job, she could not stay for an additional two days and had to fly back to London. Because flights were more expensive, we purchased a flight from Bologna. As it is a quick 30 minute train journey, it works really well! Plus, Mary Frances only had a backpack for the weekend - plus a shiny new leather jacket!
Still, it was very sad to see her go! In typical MF fashion, we arrived at the train station just as the train pulled in and she went on her merry way!
Drowning my Sorrows
After saying goodbye to my lovely wife, I drowned my sorrows in the best possible way - gelato!! We went to a highly recommended spot, Perche No!, and I ordered a chocolate and pistachio. MF would have been proud as I am clearly growing up from my “only chocolate days!”
Just Say No
To rest our weary feet, we stopped at the famous Cafe Gilli in the Piazza della Repubblica. While I wouldn’t typically go to these cafes, Cafe Gilli is recommended since it is very historic. Other than that, I would say AVOID! For example, a coke was 8 euros. Enough said!
Quieter Overlook
Rather than go to the very popular Piazza Michelangelo, we decided to go to a much quieter overlook at the San Salvatore al Monte church. Located a mere 100 meters away from the piazza, the church doesn’t have as many people and allowed us to relax and enjoy the sunset!
Pizza Date at l’Pizzacchiere Firenze
Instead of Mary Frances, my mom and I decided to venture back down into the city for a pizza date after my dad bailed. Boy, did he miss out on a fantastic meal! Initially, before we left, we decided on pizza but it took many takes to find the place because it was literally a hole in the wall! Thankfully, we grabbed a table and I knew we were in for a treat!
Created in a pizza oven out back and within view, our ham and Tuscan sausage pizza was really tasty!! The dough and crust was very tasty and we could taste the wood fire! It was really good!
The UnChartered Summary
Each visit in Florence can be completely different from the last one! Because we went leather shopping while strolling through the city, we had a much different experience!
- BenHeart is a fantastic authentic leather shop in the heart of Florence. While we did spend a ton of money, the customer service was great and I would easily buy there again!
- In Florence, there are plenty of leather shops! From the school to random stores in the city, there are fine leather goods from artisan craftsman!
- Pizza at l’Pizzacchiere Firenze if you’re looking for a place near Piazza Michelangelo!
- Avoid the popular tourist spot like Cafe Gilli and find the hole in the wall joins like our Pizza place - it will make your Florence trip!