Rialto Shopping Venice
 

I purchased a leather bag at a shop in Venice on the Rialto bridge called E&M Spagnol.

The bag was ridiculously inexpensive compared to the states, (32E) so I didn't want to buy more than one thing as I was wary of the quality.

Now that I am home, I could kick myself. I love the style of the bag and wish I had gotten another in a different color.

I have tried to no avail to find this store on the web. All I can find is a phone # - guess they do not have a web site.

Was wondering if anyone knows if I could find this make/style in the states, or if I called and charged if they would ship. All the bag says is "Calypso - made in Italy" stamped on the front in the leather.

Hi W,

Why not call?

I'm sure that they have experience shipping to the US.

((I))

That was my next step.... Just wasn't sure I could describe the bag - they had hundreds!!

p.s. Why in the world is leather so cheap there? The bag is indeed real leather, and very nice. I also found some leather gloves that I am sorry I did not buy, as at 18E they can't match anything here. Guess I'll just have to go back soon....

The San Lorenzo markets in Florence also have an amazing array of leather products at considerably cheaper prices than one can find in the US.

We will be in Positano next May. Do they have the same deals on leather?

Be very careful buying "leather" in Florence. I've read that there are many fake shops in town. Ask to see the backside of the leather they are using. If they don't allow you to feel it, they are probably phony. But then again, if it's cheap enough who really cares?

Why not call and ask if they will ship?

If so - just take a photo of the bag and fax or email to them - even if the shop doesn;t have email they must know somone who will accept it for them.

They have shops on the Rialto Bridge in Venice? Really? I must have missed them.

What are you talking about, John? There are lots of shops on the Rialto Bridge.

There are?? I honestly don't remember. I have photos of the bridge, but it is hard to tell because it is covered. This is so strange because I am one to explore shops!

Now, I know there are shops on the Ponte Vecchio in Florence.

Yes, there are covered shops on the Rialto Bridge.

Have another bowl of gin, John.=P~

Hi wanderer, probably the leather bag was very inexpensive due to the fact that some leather manufacturers now have employees from China (legal and nonlegal) working in sweatshops in Italy. Low pay with no benefits versus having the traditional Italian artisan employee as in the past. And the quality of leather is not the quality of leather that one usually associates with Italian leather goods.

But this is happening all over the world so it is not a big surprise.

Wanderer, I do not know but doubt that you could get this shop to ship their merchandise to you, which is no doubt why they do not have a website. But if you truly want some more of their merchandise do you have the receipt that they gave you which should have the description of what you purchased? If so, it would be worth it to you make a telephone call to them to see if you could work something out.

But you might be able to find merchandise at Ross or Marshall etc. that have leather bags with the "Made in Italy" label.

Was this "shop" a blanket or two spread on the ground? Oops. Right city, wrong bridge.

No, not a blanket deal, was a real store.

I didn't buy it because of the "made in Italy" label. I just really like the shape and size of the bag and wish now I had bought one more in another color.

I think I will try calling them. It appears they have several stores in Venice.

I think it may be very difficult to give a description over the phone that will insure you get the same bag.

Getting a few digital pictures of the one you have would be a good way to communicate, although I have had a lot of trouble trying to email digital pictures, as a lot of ISPs apparently limit the size of emails their customers can receive. My suggestion would be to put the pictures on a website (I think most ISPs give you space for a personal website without additional cost), then call the merchant and give them the URL of the website and tell them what you want. If creating the website is daunting to you, find a willing teenager to do it for you; they like to show off.

A better solution, of course, would be to go back to Venice.