Bologna/Florence
 

Hello everyone. My wife and I will be staying in Bologna and Florence for a week in October. We love finding local artisans and buying unique, handmade, and most importantly local products to bring home with us. Are there any favorite shops In Bologna, Florence, Parma or Modena that were especially memorable?

Thank you.

For artisanle food items that may be brought home and just a fun place to shop for local foods check out Florence's old central market:

http://www.mercatocentrale.it/en/mer...rale-florence/

And be sure to caress the bronze boar statue there for good luck!

http://www.alamy.com/stock-photo/flo...atue-boar.html

I like the Mercato Sant'Ambrogio on Piazza Lorenzo Ghiberti. (past the Basilica Santa Croce). It is a bit less touristic.

The Mercato Centrale however has had a face lift and has a great food floor upstairs for getting lunch.

<i> And be sure to caress the bronze boar statue there for good luck!
</i>

I think that's only for helping you pass your university exams.

I think tourists have adopted it for good luck?

We've been to Acetaia di Giorgio twice... call or write to make an appointment and they will take you to their attic and show you the process for true Balsamico. It's not cheap, but it's the real deal (true Modena Balsamic can only come in one shape/size bottle.) The house is lovely, though it's in an area that is now industrial.

Parmesano Reggiano is a great gift.. drive through the countryside and find a cheese that sings to you They will shrink-wrap it and it keeps unrefrigerated for a good while.

I got some lovely, unique jams from a shop run by a very kind woman at the Marcato delle Erbe in Bologna. It's at the far end of Via Ugo Bassi from Piazza Maggiore. That was back in 2014 and since then it seems that the market has grown into a food court.
http://www.bolognawelcome.com/en/hom...to-delle-erbe/

Thanks for the suggestions. The Jams, cheese and balsamic sound great!

Did any of you find any local leather shops that were particularly interesting?

<i> Palenq: And be sure to caress the bronze boar statue there for good luck!


me: I think that's only for helping you pass your university exams.

PalenQ

I think tourists have adopted it for good luck?

</i>

Well, if they ever need to take exams at the University of Bologna (Europe's oldest university, depending on who's counting) they should be all set!

Yes I can recommend a very good leather shop, Casini in Piazza de'Pitti. (right across from the Pitti Palace). The owner and designer is Jennifer Tattanelli.

She does jackets, shoes, bags, men's and women's and women's clothing as well. All made in Tuscany. The sales people there are friendly and really helpful and the goods are very well made. I am still wearing a pair of ballet flats from 2012.
This stuff is not inexpensive but worth the price. If you are so inclined, she owns a restaurant next door called JTCaffe, I can recommend the 3 pasta lunch complete with wine pairing, and the JT salad as well. Great coffee too and good people watching.

Many years ago we bought leather goods at the workshop at Santa Croce church in Florence. I believe it is still there. All goods made on site.

We like to buy small pieces of art, and one year, when we were celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary, we bought an oil painting from a cornici shop, on via Pandolfini, in Florence. I remember it so well, because my Italian was rudimentary and the proprietor's English was non-existent, yet we had a lovely exchange and it was the highlight of our trip....I still remember him so well...decades later.

We have also bought small Della Robbie type plaques as gifts from artisan shops in Florence, but nowadays, I agree that local food products make a great gift. Soaps, too.

Enjoy Italy.

BTW, since you are going to Firenze, you might like the book, Oil and Marble, by Stephanie Storey. It's about the rivalry between Leonardo and Michelangelo. Just finished it yesterday.

Bologna was incredible. Thank you all for the advice. I can't wait to go back. It was a great hub to explore the area and the city itself was so lovely.

Bologna is a fantastic city. Very underrated by most travellers. A true Italian gem.