Leather: a material of luxury to some and a matter of cruelty to others. Whatever your outlook may be on pelle (leather) you will not miss out on it’s abundance in the streets of Florence. From the luxurious boutiques to the ordinary market stalls; Florence leaves you with an opportunity to smell the musky scent of leather.
Firenze has an overwhelming supply of leather due to its closeness to the Arno River. This gives Florence an endless supply of water available for tanning the leather. This antique tradition now results in an enormous production of leather goods ranging from jackets, belts, bags, wallets and even leather-bound books. One place I would highly recommend from my experience to buy affordable leather would be the outdoor San Lorenzo Market: selling goods varying in style, color, type and even allowing the customer to bargain his/her way to a good deal. If you’re aiming for some fine quality, luxury leather however, it would be best if you stick to the acclaimed boutiques and stores in Florence like Cellirini.
As happy as you may seem holding a leather bag you purchased for just 20 euros from the street vendor, there may be a chance that that leather is fake. Some of the leather you may find in the market stalls (at San Lorenzo for example) may not be genuine unless you wisely use your senses in the following ways-
Smell – The item should smell musky and clear of any scent of chemicals.
Touch- Genuine leather is less consistent and hence coarse (as the material is hard to handle). Test the edges to see if they are smooth (fake) or rough (real).
Sight- Try to check for a label on the product indicating it is genuine leather! If the product lacks a label it is most likely not real.
So, don’t forget to buy fancy leather souvenirs to take back home while you’re in Florence. I conclude this blog by wishing you happy leather shopping!
[This post was composed by Megha Reddy, a Sophomore studying Public Health]