Florence Information Page
The center of
Florence is crowded with shops selling everything from stylish clothing to
used books. Generally stores are open from 9 to 13 and from 15:30 to 19:30
in the winter; in summer afternoons they open at 16:00 and close at 20:00.
Most larger stores accept credit cards and Eurochecks, while smaller shops
prefer cash.
Big fashion names like Gucci and Coveri are found in via de' Tournabuoni, but also in via della Vigna Nuova, where Armani and Valentino have opened up shops.There are also many shops for shoes and leather goods, from the classy and always elegant Ferragamo , in via de' Tornabuoni 14r, to the more affordable Cresti, in via Roma 9r. Across the Arno, in via di Santo Spirito 62r, one finds the little shop Francesco, with hand-made shoes and sandals at low prices. The Piazza Santa Croce area is rich in shops for leather goods.
Besides shops, Florence is rich in open-air markets. The Market of San Lorenzo, situated at the center of the city, is the preferred destination of tourists. The New Market , where one can acquire leather goods and souvenirs, is sheltered under the sixteenth-century Loggia del Porcellino (pig) . At the Flea Market one can make good deals on small antique items. The last Sunday of every month except July, the market expands into the adjacent streets.
Throughout
the year a series of exhibitions to satisfy the most varied interests
takes
place in Florence. Above all, in the city where modern melodrama was born,
are musical events ranging from Florence's
"May of
Music"
(Maggio
Musicale) to its summer and winter lyric seasons.
The Florentine center of "la Moda Italiana" organizes many commercial exhibitions
throughout the year. There are international shows for ancient as well as contemporary
art. Characteristic
traditional exhibitions
include the
Soccer Games
in
Costume and the Festival of San Giovanni. Florence is famous for high-class handicrafts
and elegant creations. From
straw
, a typical Florentine product
used for pretty and original clothes and decorative objects, to
leatherwork
renowned
for its refinement and skilled workmanship, from ceramics to glass, from woodwork
to metalwork, a large number of desirable objects offer the opportunity to make
purchases adapted to all tastes, ages and interests.
Florence's handicrafts and fashionable apparel are of exceptional grace
and originality; notable are its linens and precious embroideries.
Especially appreciated, in the town where Benvenuto Cellini was born,
are silver and gold products, filigrees and typical stone mosaics.
Particularly sought out are objects from large and small antique shops,
for which Florence is a major trading center.