I am vulnerable in Italy 🤦🏻‍♀️. Especially in Florence where the leather feels like butter and I find myself wondering, how many leather bags are too many 👛👜👝? The answer, while in Italy, is unclear.

Buying leather in Florence 🇮🇹 feels completely different than buying leather at home. The quality, the softness, the craftsmanship, the prices — it all made me feel like I never wanted to buy leather in Canada 🇨🇦 again. I bought multiple bags, compared shops, touched literally everything 🥹, and learned very quickly which places felt special and were worth stocking up on. 

Why Florence Leather Is Worth It

Florence has a rich history of leather craftsmanship dating back to the Renaissance era. Here, generations of artisans still cut, dye, stitch, and finish pieces by hand 🪡. What makes Florentine leather especially beautiful is the tradition of vegetable tanning, a natural process that uses plant tannins instead of harsh chemicals. The result is leather that feels soft and supple, smells earthy and rich 👃, and develops a gorgeous patina over time.

8 Rules for Buying Italian Leather

Florence is beautiful, but it can also be overwhelming. There is leather ev👏er👏y👏where, and not all of it is created equal – even if it is stamped ‘Made in Italy.’ Before you fall in love with the first bag you see, follow these simple rules.

• Go early. Wait times outside of shops can run an hour or more.
• Touch everything. The leather should feel soft yet substantial. Not sticky or plasticky.
• Check stitching, lining, zippers, and hardware. Stitching should be neat and tight, lining shouldn’t feel cheap, and zippers and hardware should have some weight to them and be in good working order – never flimsy.
• Ask about monogramming. Many shops will customize your leather goods with your initials. It’s usually a good sign the shop is working closely with the leather.
• Ask about VAT refund versus a direct shop discount. (More on this below 👇)
• Do not panic-buy the first beautiful bag. Take a lap. Get an espresso. Browse some more shops. If the price sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
• Leave room in your suitcase. Lots of room. The value is MUCH better than what you get back home when it comes to prices vs. quality. Trusttttt – you will want to upgrade your collection.
• Avoid these shops like the plague. 👇 They’re not authentic. Not even a little bit.

How to Spot the Real Thing

Before you buy leather in Florence, ask questions. A good shop should be able to answer clearly and confidently. If they can’t, keep walking ✌️.

Questions to Ask Before Buying

Is this vegetable-tanned leather?
Vegetable-tanned leather is one of the things Tuscany is known for. It uses natural tannins and develops a beautiful patina over time.

Is this handmade or hand-assembled?
Ask what part of the piece is handmade. Is the bag fully handmade? Is it hand-stitched? Is it cut, finished, or assembled by hand?

Where is it made?
Do not be afraid to ask directly. “Made in Italy” and “Italian leather” are not always the same thing.

Where is the leather sourced or tanned?
A strong answer would mention Tuscany, Italian tanneries, or vegetable-tanned leather.

What kind of leather is it?
Ask if it is calfskin, cowhide, lambskin, suede, nappa, patent leather, or another material. Different leathers wear differently over time.

Can it be monogrammed or engraved?
Personalization is often a good sign that the shop is working closely with the product and not just reselling tourist pieces.

How should I care for it?
A quality shop should be able to tell you how to protect, clean, and condition the leather.

Will this leather soften or change over time?
Real leather should age beautifully. It may darken, soften, and develop character as you use it.

The Leather Stops Worth Making 👜

Stop 1: Scuola del Cuoio

If you only have time to visit one shop, make it this one. (It didn’t help that this was right by my hotel 🤑🤣.)

Founded in 1950, Scuola del Cuoio – or The School of Leather – is the perfect place to do a deep dive into leather working tradition in Florence. It began after World War II inside the Santa Croce complex, where leather artisans taught war orphans a practical trade so they could earn a living. Today, it is still a working leather laboratory.

Here, you can watch artisans in real time stitching, crafting, and creating everything from belts and bags to leather jackets. There are spools of thread 🧵, hands at work, and that feeling you get when you know you are seeing real craft, not just retail. 

The leather here was the nicest I felt in Florence. Truly, it was like butter 🧈. This is also the most expensive of the shops I loved, but it felt like the highest quality. The pieces I bought here are special, classy – no logos! – and I’m so happy I get to enjoy them for years to come ☺️.

Stop 2: Bottega del Giglio

Bottega del Giglio has a newer story than the old heritage houses, but it still feels classic and approachable.

The owner, Zizza, began his leather journey in 2012, when he was 16 years old and working at a belt stand in San Lorenzo. He later opened Bottega del Giglio in the heart of Florence, just steps from the Ponte Vecchio, where he continues the tradition of hand-making leather goods with vegetable tanned leather sourced in Tuscany.

Bottega del Giglio is a great place for classic pieces: a belt you will wear forever, a card holder that feels special but practical, or a bag that looks polished without feeling overdone.

The standout for me was a chocolate brown Kelly-style bag 👜. It’s giving, “I got this in Florence – don’t speak to me” energy and I am 1000% here for itttttt 👯‍♀️.

Visit early as the wait can be long – I heard up to an hour. Do not make this your rushed stop between lunch and a tour. Give yourself time to browse, touch, compare, and decide.

Stop 3: Furla

Furla is built different.

This is not the tiny artisan workshop moment. It’s the polished Italian brand moment. And honestly? I loved it 🥰.

The brand began in Bologna in 1927, when Aldo Furlanetto founded the company as a wholesale business for fashionable women’s accessories. Furla opened its first store in Bologna in 1955, and that original store still operates today. It has almost a century of brand history behind it, and the pieces feel modern, practical, and very wearable 💯.

I bought several (5 ok. I bought 5.) Furla bags on this trip because they had exactly the kind of pieces I wanted to wear immediately: chic, practical, and not overly logo-heavy. 

The logo-free options were especially good if you like understated luxury. I also loved the raffia and straw crossbody with leather trim for summer ☀️. These are the pieces that feel perfect on vacation but still make sense when you get home.

This is your stock-up shop. If you want a crossbody, wallet, summer bag, or practical everyday piece, Furla is very easy to love 👛🩷.

Honorable Mention: Pratesi

I have to mention Pratesi, because this one had heart.

Pratesi has been making leather goods in Florence since 1948, and its pieces lean into traditional Florentine leatherwork: hand-made construction, vegetable-tanned leather, and 100% made-in-Italy materials 🇮🇹.

The bags had that special “work of art” 🧑‍🎨 feeling. Think cognac and tan leather, gold hardware, and an understated-but-immediately-recognizable logo. The owner was warm and personal, and that kind of interaction always makes a shopping experience feel more memorable. 

This was also the shop where my dad bought me a Pratesi bag as a gift 🎁. And if you know me you know I am emotional. A beautiful leather bag is already enough. A beautiful leather bag from your dad in Florence? I’m done 😭.

Also Worth a Stop

Leonardo Leather & Gold
A family-run Florence shop since 1973, tucked on Borgo dei Greci, where soft Tuscan leather, classic bags, jackets, belts, and small accessories give you that old-school “just one more leather stop” feeling.

Coccinelle
A polished Italian handbag brand founded in 1978, worth popping into if you want a chic, everyday leather bag in the same easy-to-wear category as Furla.

Bring a Piece of Florence Home

The best leather purchase in Florence is not necessarily the most expensive one. It is the one you still reach for months later. The bag with the story 👜. The wallet with your initials. The crossbody that you’ll wear all summer long. The piece that was handmade right before your eyes 🥹.

Florence leather shopping is tempting, yes. Dangerous, maybe. But when you find the right piece, it feels like bringing a little bit of the city home with you ❤️.