San Lorenzo Leather Market
It’s becoming that time of year again; lights are up on the streets, the weather is slowly plummeting to those unspeakable low numbers, and even worse your return flight date is rapidly approaching. So now it’s time for the rush of trying to find that perfect gift for your friends and family, but lucky for you I’ve done this several times.If you want to take the safest and least expensive route for a mom, aunt, sister, girlfriend, etc… the best bet is to take a stroll over to the San Lorenzo leather markets.
A big hit that won’t hurt your bank account are the multicolored pashmina, silk and knit scarves. They are originally priced between 5 and 7 Euro with some good negotiation skills you should be able to knock that down to 3 to 4 Euro a scarf if you’re buying in bulk!
The markets are also rich with leather goods like purses, belts, jackets, shoes, wallets and gloves. If you’re looking to spend a little more, Italian leather goods are the way to go.
The key to getting what you want at the price you want to pay is to haggle, haggle, haggle! Many of the vendors sell similar things to each other, so they will gladly bargain with you. If you are buying more than one of something, you will most likely be able to talk down the individual price of each item.
I also found that during the holiday season the markets sell hand painted, ceramic and glass ornaments. These are perfect gifts for all members of the family! The ornaments have paintings of everything from the classic Ponte Vecchio, Duomo and Florentine symbol to the beautiful landscape of Tuscany. These ornaments range from 10-12 Euros apiece, but can also be haggled down if bought in bulk. I was able to buy 4 ornaments for a total of 27. 6.75 apiece isn’t bad for a hand crafted, ceramic ornament!
