Leather

In Florence, our guide Valentino, advised us to avoid any leather store with David or Michelangelo in their name. For true designer leather, she recommended we visit her friend Jennifer Tattanelli who has a shop across from the Palazzo Pitti.   We crossed the Ponte Vecchio, bypassing all the gold shops, and found Jennifer's store, Casini Firenze, at #30 Piazza Pitti, filled with beautiful leather clothing, shoes and accessories.

All of Jennifer's unique designs are made of the finest Italian leather.  I splurged on one of her specialities:  a hand stitched jacket that is reversible from leather to suede while my sisters shopped for exquisite bags and accessories.  Jennifer's website at  www.casinifirenze.it  doesn't really do justice to the feast of beautiful things we found in her store, including the section of discounted samples and items from previous seasons.   And, Jennifer and her helpful staff cheerfully completed the VAT refund forms for us, while giving us other shopping and dining tips.  

In Rome, we found lots of affordable leather bags in the small shops in the alleys behind the designer stores around the Spanish Steps. Styles like this can be found for around  $30- 40 Euro each ($45 -  $60) in a wide variety of colors.    I wish I had bought at least one in orange or red.