Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
133
for fashion and design. Ferragamo makes its headquarters here in a riverside cas-
tle, and the high-rent Tournabuoni street features showrooms of all the top
designer brands,
including Armani, Gucci, and Prada. But Florence is equally
well known for its many
artisans
carrying on their family craft traditions in jew-
elry, furniture-making, engraving, and bookbinding. Their small workshops can
be found south of the Arno River, primarily in the Oltrarno district.
Leather
is
one of the major products of the city, with high-end stores selling jackets, purses,
and bags in the Santa Croce district, and dozens of street-side stalls selling cheaper
versions in the San Lorenzo area.
A note about hours: In general, Florence's stores are open between 4 and
7:30pm on Mondays; and from 9 or 10am to 1pm and again from 3:30 or 4 until
7pm Tuesdays through Saturdays (though in the summer many shops also open
on Mon mornings). If you're big on shopping, you won't want to visit in August,
when many shopkeepers draw their shutters and take a week or even the entire
month off for vacation.
BOOKS & PAPER GOODS
Enrico Giannini does bookbinding and creates handmade artistic papers at his
shop,
Giulio Giannini & Figlio
(Via Dei Velluit, 29;
%
055-2399657; enrico
giannini@inwind.it),
in the same way that his family did for 150 years before
him. He speaks English well, and can be persuaded to give a near magical demon-
stration on how he creates the swirling colors on his book jackets and wrapping
papers. He not only does custom bookbinding but also sells reasonably priced
boxes, papers, and journals for unique souvenirs. This is the leading shop in
Florence for paper goods, but you may also want to visit close competitor
J Pineider
(Via Cavour, 55R;
%
055-215262),
the oldest
paperie
in the city,
founded in 1774 and still turning out exquisitely crafted paper and paper goods,
from diaries and photo albums to engraved stationery.
One of the larger bookstores with English-language guidebooks, art tomes,
and history texts is
Libreria Feltrinelli
(Via Cerretani, 30/r, near the Duomo, and
Via Cavour, 12R;
%
055-2382652; www.lafeltrinelli.it).
Used English-language
books can be found at
Paperback Exchange
(Via Fiesolana, 31R, southeast of city
center;
%
055-2478154; www.papex.it),
an excellent and cheap place for books
and an unofficial gathering place for expat English-speakers in Florence.
CHEAP NECESSITIES
A good place to stock up on necessities, like forgotten toothbrush, soap, paper,
pen, a rubber duck, or purple tableware, is the
Nine T Nine Cent Paradise,
where,
you guessed it, everything is
€.
99. Sweet! You can find its bright yellow sign at
the intersection of Via Guelfa and Nazionale, as well as at about six other loca-
tions in the city.
ENGRAVING & WOODCARVING
A cluttered cuckoo-clock of a shop, packed with every variety of woodcarving, is
Bartolucci,
which has two centrally located branches
(Via Condotta, 12R;
%
055-
211773; and Via Borgo dei Greci, 11A/R;
%
055-211773; www.bartolucci.com).
Since 1936, the family has been carving wood versions of everything from
Tuscany's own Pinnochio, to half-size motorcycles, model airplanes, picture
frames, and clocks. These make wonderfully unique keepsakes.
