Florence and its surroundings are home to the largest leather production in Italy. Here, you’ll find plenty of boutiques to buy unique leather goods, such as wallets, jackets, bags and belts. The Florentine tradition of working leather is antique and still today, you can buy beautiful products made by artisans.
One of the coolest stores in Florence, especially for young buyers, is Benheart. The high-quality of the leather goods, shoes, accessories and jackets is the reason why it became so popular and opened other stores in Rome, Verona, Milan and Tokyo.
Via della Vigna Nuova 97r, Florence, Italy, +39 0552399483
Located in the old city centre of Florence, Cellerini is one of the most famous and elegant leather shops in town. Here, you’ll find excellent leather products made by local artisans in the adjacent laboratory. You can tell them exactly what you want and choose the color of your preference, and they’ll custom-create the leather good just for you in a few days.
Maybe the oldest and the most known leather store in Florence, Misuri is located in Piazza Santa Croce, which, historically, is the hub of the leather production in town. The craftsmanship is excellent, and you can find a lot of things to buy for you or your friends.
Piazza di Santa Croce 30r, Florence, Italy, +39 055240995
Just in front of the majestic Pitti Palace, Casini is famous not only for its wide selection of leather jackets for both women and men, but also for the beautiful bags designed by owner Jennifer Tattanelli and inspired by her great-grandmother. If you want to buy unique pieces of art created with Italian leather, this is the place to go.
Stefano Bemer is the paradise for shoe lovers. This classy boutique, located in the San Niccolò neighbourhood in the Oltrarno district, is simply amazing. The artisans produce unique shoes made entirely of Italian leather. Actor Daniel Day Lewis trained in the art of shoemaking here for ten months a few years ago.
The Piero Tucci shop is not easy to find because is located on the outskirts of Florence. But if you have extra time, rent a car to reach it and admire not only the amazing store, but also the workroom and meet the artisans who work there to produce the unique pieces of leather. They will explain to you, step by step, how to work the leather and show you how to assemble it to create handbags, jackets, bags and other accessories.
Via Lungo l’Ema 17, Florence, Italy, +39 055641143
The beautiful Mercato del Porcellino, named as such because of the bronze wild boar statue situated here, which is a popular tourist attraction, is not a store but an outdoor market located just few steps from the Cathedral. Here, you’ll find plenty of leather goods, but remember that usually, markets are among the trickiest places to shop, so keep your eyes open and use your expert skills to distinguish the quality of the leathers.
Piazza del Mercato Nuovo, Florence, Italy