Florence Shopping Guide Paperback – March 1, 2013

I read this book cover to cover before I went to Italy in April. It had just been published in March. I was able to map out my shopping priorities in Florence and accomplish efficiently what I wanted to buy in the limited time we had there. I focused on what Florence was known for. Leather! I was not only able to buy several leather bags but also belts, gloves and little wallets and pouches at a good price. I went to Mannina and lucked out on wonderful shoes in size 5 or Eoropean 34 which is very hard to find. This book is a gem. I got quality stuff from artisans and have made connections with epople I would not have met otherwise. My favorites are Umberto, Madova gloves and Mannina for reasonable priced stuff and the school of leather for outstanding leather bag. I also bought some perfume at the place near the train station. Wonderful stuff, pure and quality for sure! Love the book for insider tips!

This is a great book- had it as an ebook. It showed me stores operated by real artisans instead of cheaper knock offs. I especially liked that it was organized by what you might want to buy instead of by area of the city. Florence is so walk-able you get to any portion of the city and it makes sense to list possibilities by item category instead of street number. I found her descriptions to be very accurate and was able to find things I probably would have never stumbled across.I bought another shopping guide on Amazon as well and this one was far superior. Better range of unusual and artisan items in this book and it will help you find places that are not geared to sell only to tourists.

I first became aware of this author's work on her website, The Florence Webguide.!!! Carol has insights into Florence that few people possess and she shares her wealth of knowledge with all!!!!! Visiting her website is a virtual walkthrough of this book but having it in printed form makes for ease of use while navigating the sights and sounds of one of the greatest cities on earth. If you need the best and most practical advice on shopping, sightseeing, and dining in Florence then you need look no further!!!! A guide that caters to the user---NOT simply a list of businesses who have paid to be included!!!! Carol has made a guide which truthfully includes the places she feels are worthy of your time. Don't leave home without it!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I hesitated to buy this book because shopping guides are often influenced by the wrong motives--that is, they are paid advertisements. But this book is the real deal. Senatore includes her rationale for why she includes the shops she does, and provides clear descriptions and directions to the shops. We followed her advice several times and made some really great purchases in our trip to Florence. For example, in a city filled with leather shops, we found a family operated shop with exactly the sort of items we were looking for. When I mentioned to the owner that we found her through this book, she was totally surprised and knew nothing of it. I love to shop and this book is the bomb.

I'm planning a trip to Florence to see the artworks and to shop for fine Italian shoes, purses and clothes. I've been to the "tourist shops" before, this time around I want to go where the Florentines shop. I like that many of the shops in this book have internet addresses so I can check them out before I put them on my itinerary. The author includes a wide variety of price points and tastes, so there's something for everyone.

Have been to Florence before; I know this will prove helpful the next time I go. Definite winner for me.

Very helpful

This book was an invaluable aid to shopping in Florence. A constant companion during our visit which enabled us to select the shops that we were interested in with speed.