Oltrarno (neighborhood in Florence)

Florence is known for its leather goods. There are over 4 million companies in Italy and the majority of those companies have less than 4 employees. If you get the chance stop and stroll in the small shops do so. Speak to the proprietor, ask about their store and then listen to their story. They are so very prideful and spending a few minutes listening will completely change your perspective of the country.

We were wondering in the leather district or the neighborhood called Oltrarno, we had heard of the leather market, and we started trying to find it. We started window shopping. We were not looking for anything in particular. As we happened by one store and we were discussing the goods, someone started speaking to us. It was the owner of the shop. Usually, my first thought is to go fast the other way from anyone who approaches us on the street. For some reason, this was different. He invited us into the shop just to look around, we hesitated but went inside anyway. He started to show us around, he wanted to show us his goods, he was interested in selling us a jacket. As we looked around he spoke to us about his shop, how he makes everything from scratch, his workshop, and how his family has been in this business for generations.

As he showed Jack the jackets, I asked permission to venture back into his workshop, he of course said yes. While they were not at work that day, it was a weekend, I could see it all at work happening in my mind. The walls were lined with patterns and jackets in a stages of development, the tables were covered with yards of soft, smooth, dreamy leathers in all colors. The measuring tapes draped each one begging to tell the story of the last person they measured. I would have loved to spend the day witnessing every detail of this amazing craft and hopefully one day I will get to back back and spend more time.

He told us to call him “Smiley”. He was a 4th generation leather craftsman. He explained the difference in the leathers and how the different leathers worked for different climates. He took such pride in this store, his family and his craft. He spoke of Covid and the shut-downs. he spoke of the hardships of the shop being closed for 2 years. He did say, while Italy was extremely busy right now, they were extremely happy to see the tourists returning! This made made heart sing and of course we found something to purchase. Jack got a beautiful leather duffle. Smiley was so gracious as to mail the bag back to the states for us, for it would not have fit in our carry-on. Just for the record, you can always haggle or negotiate, and he offered to have us pay less. We didn’t ask for it and honestly after after hearing his story we would have paid more.

We asked our guide later about the difference in-between purchasing from the street vendors that line every main street and the small artesian shops. She explained it was the quality of the leather. The street vendors were more knock off and mass produced rather than specialty made goods from a true artist. If you are looking for a cheap souvenir, then consider the street vendor, if you have a few minutes, want a true piece of art, from a true craftsman, try a small shop and enjoy every minute!