Florence
Shopping in Florence can be a unique experience as you wander through its ancient and medieval streets, exploring the city's renowned tradition of crafts and family-run businesses. Few cities of comparable size can boast such a profusion and variety of high-quality goods. Walking around the city you will find shops selling Italian fashion, antiques and jewellery as well as typical Florentine crafts. Tuscany is dwarfed by Florence when it comes to shopping possibilities. However, the rich traditions of many outlying towns and villages boast a variety of local crafts and specialties. These range from ceramics, hand-woven materials to the region's many gastronomic delicacies.
Generally, shops open around 9am and close at 1pm. In the afternoon they re-open from 3:30pm to 7:30pm, though food shops tend to open earlier in the morning and remain closed from 1pm to 5pm. Most shops shut on Monday morning but food stores are closed on Wednesday afternoon.
Almost all shops close on Saturday afternoon in summer, and shops and markets tend to close for two or three weeks around 15th August, the national holiday (ferragosto). |
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Major credit cards are usually accepted in larger shops, but smaller ones prefer cash. Travellers' cheques are widely accepted for payment of goods, though the rate is less favourable than at a bank.
Shopkeepers and market stallholders should by law give you a receipt (ricevuta fiscale). If a purchased item is defective, most shops will change the article or give you a credit note, as long as you show the till receipt. Cash refunds are uncommon. |
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Visitors from non-EU countries can reclaim the 20 per cent sales tax (IVA) on purchases from the same shop exceeding 160. Ask for an invoice (la fattura) when you buy the goods and inform the shop of your intention to reclaim the tax. You will need to show your passport and the shop will fill out and stamp a form which can be taken to the relevant office at the airport.
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The centre of Florence is packed with shops selling everything from designer clothes to second-hand books. It is compact and easy to get around, as many streets are pedestrianized. It is also worth exploring the streets away from the centre around Piazza di Santa Croce, Piazza dei Ciompi and Piazza di Santo Spirito for furniture and gift shops where craftsmen are busy at work. The best time for bargains is during the January and July sales (saldi). |
The city's main chain store is Coin, a popular independent department store. This store stocks mid-range casual clothing, shoes, toiletries, children's clothing and toys, and a huge range of fashion accessories, including hosiery, sunglasses, bags and scarves. It also has an extensive home collection.
Rinascente in Piazza della Repubblica has designer clothing, lingerie, household items and a rooftop bar with direct views of the Duomo.
Principe has classic menswear and women's and children's clothes as well as upmarket home accessories.
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In Florence the big names in Italian fashion include- Gucci, Armani, Ferragamo, Versace, Prada and Roberto Cavalli, which are mostly found in Via de' Tornabuoni. This elegant street is also home to the French designer Yves Saint Laurent and, at the top of the street in Piazza Antinori, is Hermès. Opposite the imposing Palazzo Strozzi is Louis Vuitton, with its impressive collections of footwearm clothing and luggage; Dolce and Gabbana is in Via degli Strozzi nearby and Valentino is in Via dei Tosinghi.
In Via della Vigna Nuova, you'll find La Perla, which specialises in sophisticated lingerie, while younger and more affordable styles can be found at Gioel and Intimissimi.
Luisa Via Roma and Raspini stock top-designer clothing and shoes, while Eredi Chiarini and Matucci have more casual styles. Emilio Pucci , famous for his extravagant 1960's print clothes is in Via di' Tornabuoni.
There are opulent hand-woven fabrics, fine silks and vintage fabrics at Casa dei Tessuti, and embroidered lined can be found at Taf. Those looking for discounts on Italian designer clothing and shoes should venture out to The Mall or Barberino Designer Outlet. Both these outlets are located approximately 30 minutes away from Florence.
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Italy is renowned worldwide for its shoes and, with the local Tuscan tanneries, there is nowhere better than Florence to find footwear for all tastes. Some shops design and make classic shoes by hand in-store, while others stock huge collections of new styles for each season.
At the top end, the refined finishing and elegance of Ferragamo's shoes are sought after by Hollywood stars, and Gucci and Prada are both meccas for admirers of designer Italian shoes. If you prefer more classic styles then head across the Arno to Francesco, a tiny shop that sells simple handmade shoes and sandals, or Quercioli for high quality hand stitched leather shoes for both men and women. The mid-priced range is well represented by Romano, which stocks collections of shoes and boots in good-quality leather. For more casual and sporty styles, try the reasonably priced Peppe Peluso. Alternatively stroll down Via de' Cerretani, which houses many affordable shoe shops including the popular Divarese. |
| Piazza di Santa Croce and the adjoining streets are filled with leather shops and workshops. Inside the cloisters of the church itself is the Scuola del Cuoio, where leather craftsmen work in front of the customers. Classic leather bags and gifts are sold at Bojola, Il Bisonte and Beltrami, and more contemporary styles can be found at Coccinelle and Furla. |
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Peruzzi stocks leather clothing and accessories for men and women. The best place to buy gloves is Madova. For good value bags, belts and leather jackets try the Mercato di San Lorenzo or the market stalls in Via Pellicceria.
For toiletries and beauty products head to a profumeria (perfumery), such as Aline, Profumeria Inglese or Le Vanita', which also has a beauty centre and solarium.
Erboristerie (herbalists) sell a range of natural products. Try the Erboristeria di Palazzo Vecchio for unique handmade perfumes. The Erboristeria Inglese on Via de' Tornabuoni dispenses natural remedies and tisanes, and stocks natural beauty products, perfumes and gifts. Also worth a visit is the Farmacia di Santa Maria Novella, a frescoed apothecary, selling products from the elixirs of the Camaldoli monks to perfumes, herbal remedies and sweets.
Florence has always been noted for its gold and silversmiths. Go to Torrini, whose family has produced jewellery for six centuries, and to Pommellato's stunning shop on Via de' Tornabuoni, for its famous chunky white gold rings with huge semi-precious gems. Bulgari is on the same street, and so is Parenti, which has beautiful Baccarat rings and unique antique jewels. Try Aprosio & Co. for decorative jewellery made from precious metals and tiny glass stones.
The tiny wooden shops on the Ponte Vecchio are all jewellery shops, some with beautiful antiques from Italy and abroad, other with high-quality new Italian gold pieces.
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Florence has always been a centre of artistic excellence. This heritage has translated into a wealth of antiques and fine art shops. The antiques shops are mostly clustered around Via dei Fossi, Via Maggio and Via dei Serragli.
For top quality antiques go to Neri or the nearby Cei. Romanelli has bronze statuary and works encrusted in semi-precious stones, while Ducci has an exquisite selection of handmade boxes, prints and sculpture in marble and wood. |
For lovers of modern art, there is Galleria Tornabuoni, while modern art objects and gifts can be found at Armando Poggi. Ugo Poggi has a selection of household objects, including elegant porcelain.
Ugolini and Mosaico di Pitti create tables and framed pictures using the age-old technique of marble inlay. Arredamenti Castorina has a wonderful selection of picture frames, mouldings, brassware and intricate intarsias. More contemporary styles are at Mirabili, which showcases furniture and interior designers.
Florence is a treasure trove for unusual gifts and souvenirs. Via de' Guicciardini and the area between Piazza di Santa Croce and Piazza della Signoria are good places to look for gifts.
Housed in a converted wine cellar, Signum has postcards, posters and prints, and items such as miniature shop models and tiny packs of cards. Mandragora in Piazza del Duomo has a wide choice of gifts based on famous artworks in the city, while the renowned Pineider has upmarket stationary and office gifts in leather, linen and paper.
For locally made terracotta and decorative glazed ceramics visit Sbigoli Terracotte. |
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La Bottega dei Cristalli has Murano glass kitchenware, chandeliers and decorative objects. Passamaneria Valmar sells decorative key and curtain tassels, tapestries and soft furnishings in silks and wools, while Lisa Corti Home Textile Emporium, tucked away behind the Ponte Vecchio, has hand-printed cotton throws, bedcovers and cushions as well as a range of children's clothes and pottery.
The main bookshops in Florence are Feltrinelli International, which sells publications in various languages, and Edison, which stocks magazines, maps, books in English as well as coffee-table photography books, and also houses a café. Paperback Exchange has an extremely wide selection of new and second-hand books in English.
Typical Florentine crafts include bookbinding and handmade marbled paper, which is used to decorate a variety of gift objects. These are easily available at Giulio Giannini, Il Papiro and Il Torchio, where bookbinding can be seen in action on the balcony workshop.
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Those shopping for food should go to Pegna, a mini-supermarket in the heart of Florence that stocks fresh, as well as vast selection of gourmet foods. The Bottega dell'Olio has shelves of extra virgin Tuscan olive oils, spice-flavoured oils and gifts. For typically British items such as teas and specialty foods go to Old England Stores.
Dolceforte sells chocolate souvenirs in the shape of the Duomo and the statue of David. A huge selection of biscuits and chocolates fills the front half of Alessi, while at the back and in the cellar are fine wines, spirits and liqueurs. Another good place to buy wine is Zanobini, where you can mix with the locals and sample the wines. |
At Procacci in Via de' Tornabuoni, shoppers can stop for a glass of wine and a canapé while choosing between pots of black or white truffles and other delicacies to take away.
Florence's central street market is the Mercato di San Lorenzo, which caters mostly for tourists. Nearby, in Via dell'Ariento, is the covered Mercato Centrale, the city's main food market. The Mercato di Sant'Ambrogio also has fresh fruit and vegetables stalls, as well as clothing and household goods.
Beneath the 16th century Loggia del Porcellino, is the Mercato Nuovo, or Straw Market, which sells leather goods and souvenirs. |
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On Tuesday mornings, there is an enormous market at the Parco delle Cascine with cheap clothing, shoes and food. The Mercato delle Pulci is a flea market, selling antiques and bric-a-brac. Garden enthusiasts might want to check out the Mercato delle Piante held on Thursday mornings under the porticoes of Via Pellicceria, selling flowers, houseplants and herbs.
Occasional markets spring up in Piazza Santa Croce and Piazza Santa Maria Novella, notably the German gift market in the weeks before Christmas and the monthly antiques market in Piazza Santo Spirito.
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