What to Buy in Florence

The city of Florence is a paradise for those who love shopping.

Throughout the city you'll find numerous small shops offering array of goods, from clothes and shoes, leather goods (bags and wallets), made-to-order jewellery, art works, home decoration, ceramics, kitchenware, quality linen, perfumes, stationery, silk and of course delicious Tuscan food and wines (including coffee and tea).

Florence boasts several excellent shopping districts. The most popular include Via de' Tornabuoni, known for luxury brands like Gucci and Prada.

Explore the narrow streets of Santo Spirito to discover boutique shops and art galleries. Here, you'll find a mix of traditional art, clothing and accessories, goldsmiths and jewelers. The same goes for the nearby San Frediano (here you can buy traditional Florentine gold and silver jewellery).

If you are looking for a quality food gifts, head to lively Mercato Centrale or visit Eataly shop near the Piazza del Duomo (the choice is really huge).

We are sure you'll love the shops we listed below in the text.

👉 For those looking for a cosy place to stay in Florence, should consider booking La Casa di Chiara, the stylish apartment offering every comfort (plus, hosts are the top!).

1. Floruit Florence (flower shop and much more)

Not far from Ponte alla Carraia, you'll find Floruit (Via dei Fossi 3R), an amazing store dedicated to flowers. If you are looking for something special, this is the place for you.

Choose from beautiful fresh flower bouquets, scented candles, ambient perfumes, hand-made ceramics, paintings and much more. The selling staff is super friendly and helpful. It's impossible to visit this store and not to buy something! Buy here unique gifts for the birthdays or anniversaries!

Cross the bridge near this store, and visit Gelateria La Carraia to taste one of the best gelatos in Florence (less expensive than others!).

This shop can be reached from Casa di Chiara in only 20 minutes on foot.

2. Leonardo Firenze Bakery (baked sweets)

You'll adore everything from Leonardo Firenze (Via Porta Rossa, 14R), a small store selling Italian sweet bakery products, such as cantucci and brutti ma buoni, panettone, colombe, torta mantovana (cake with orange, almonds and pinoli) as well as Vin Santo and creamy spreads (comes in 3 flavours - pistachio, chocolate and hazelnut).

Leonardo's cantucci comes into several flavours, starting from those with almonds, then combo of orange and dark chocolate, figs and the dark version with white chocolate.

A pack of cantucci or brutti ma buoni (or mixed one) could be a fabulous gift or a souvenir from Florence. They have another store in Via dei Macci, 65R with extended offer of bakery products. Everything from this shop is so yummy, but our favourite treat are pistachio-flavoured brutti ma buoni.

3. Erboristeria De Herbore (natural cosmetics)

This unique shop can be found in the same street as Bargello Museum (Via del Proconsolo 43R). In this place you can buy a range of perfumes, shampoos, body washes, face cream, body lotions, essential oils - all Italian brands. You'll find also here a range of teas as well as health food products.

We especially love naturally scented soaps packed in beautiful colourful packages (an ideal gift to dear one). The selling staff is super friendly and helpful, so if you need an advice or have a hard time choosing, they will be pleased to help you.

4. Venchi chocolate shops (for chocoholics)

If you are chocolate lover, then you should head to one of Venchi stores in Florence. You'll stumble across one store on the way from the Duomo to Piazza della Signoria (at Via dei Calzaiuoli 65R), the other one is a short walk from Ponte Vecchio (at Via Calimaruzza 18).

There is also one store at SMN train station (ideal for grabbing a bag of sweets for enjoying on your train ride).

At colourful Venchi stores you'll find a range of finest Italian chocolates in various flavours, with creamino, pistachio, gianduiotto and nougatine, being the most popular one.

Buy chocolates by the weight (make your own selection) or opt for chocolate bars (dark chocolate and hazelnut & tiramisu bars are our top choice). If looking for a gift, one of decorative boxes with assorted chocolate and pralines would be a good choice.

Creamy spreads are ideal for filling pancakes, donuts or any other baked goods! We're sure you'll have a hard time to choose from Venchi's amazing offer!

5. Piazza di Santa Maria Novella (stands with artisanal products)

Not far from Santa Maria Novella train station, you'll find the Santa Maria Novella Basilica and the square with the same name. 

Here you'll find a range of stalls with quality artisanal products. Choose from textile and leather products, traditional sweets (packed in a boxes), local wines (you can even try them), beautiful ceramic products...

You'll for sure have a hard time to choose from these great offer.

6. Mercato Nuovo (for leather goods)

This market is right in the middle of everything in the historic centre. It's know as "Mercato del Porcellino" after the statue of a pig, a popular attraction found there.

On this open air market you'll find an abundance of leather goods such as bags, wallets, belts as well as souvenirs. There are so many stalls, and it's hard to choose what to buy. The headline prices on the bags are dropped significantly as soon as you look interested so worth a haggle if you want a nice Italian leather bag.

👉 Read also: Florence's best places to stay

7. Via del Tè (amazing tea blends)

Via del Tè is the tea shop in Florence for non-coffee drinkers or tea lovers. They have some of the most fun and exciting tea blends made specifically for their brand, making them unique and hard to come by abroad. They offer free tea tastings every day.

Their packaging is gorgeous, making it one of the nicer food gifts to bring back from Italy in my experience. They have shops at 3 different locations: in Via Santo Spirito, 11, Via della Condotta, 28R (only a few steps from Piazza della Signoria) and Piazza Lorenzo Ghiberti, 22/23R.

8. Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella

Not far from SMN train station (Via della Scala, 16), you'll find the Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella, one of the oldest herbal pharmacies in the world.

Once you step inside, you'll be overwhelmed by a smell of perfume, as they offer quality perfumes, oils, skin and body lotions, soaps as well as herbal medicines. Everything can be scent sampled and the staff is professional and helpful, greeting customers and assisting where they can.

This is an ideal place for buying gifts to the dear ones or something to pamper yourself. We recommend Acqua della Regina, their oldest fragrance, dating back 800 years to Catherine de Medici - Fabulous, light, citrussy with a musk base.

9. Via de’ Tornabuoni (for luxury shopping)

Any shopper eyeing designer labels will come here to find the crème of the crop: Gucci, Ferragamo, Cavalli, Pucci and Prada, to name a few. The pedestrianised street is elegant and calls for window-shopping while walking around.

Be sure to pop into cosmetic store Olfattorio Bar a Parfums for a sensual experience and dive into the basement at Palazzo Spini Feroni, home to Ferragamo, for a history lesson in shoemaking since the 1920s.

10. Ponte Vecchio (jewellery shops)

Jewellery shops on Ponte Vecchio offers rings, necklaces, bracelets, pendants and earrings. Depending on the stones, the amount of gold used and design, prices vary considerably, but for about 100 Euros you can buy a nice ring. The choice is really huge and you'll have a hard time to choose!

But if you don’t want to spend that kind of money, you could always pick up something silver instead at Fiori del Tempo in via del Corso where the designs are affordable and original. Or there’s the historic shop Torrini in Piazza Duomo, 12(red) that has plenty on offer, from the traditional to more modern designs.

11. Mercato Centrale & Sant'Ambrogio Market

Visiting Italian food market is a definitely unique experience, as you can indulge into a life of locals and buy some quality food products directly from the producers.

Only 5-minute on foot from the Duomo, you'll find Mercato Centrale, the largest food market. On the ground floor you'll find many specialty shops that sell food products, such as cheeses, salami, prosciutto, fresh pasta, local olive oils... You'll also find fruit and veg vendors, fishmongers and butchers here.

This is a great opportunity to buy quality Parmigiano Reggiano or balsamic vinegar, or even a bottle of extra-virgin olive oil. Be aware that this part is open only until 2pm. On the second floor, you'll find a gourmet food court, where you can sample prepared Italian food.

Sant'Ambrogio Market is a smaller but very lively market, with plenty of stores selling baked goods, cheeses and salami, fresh pasta, meat, fish, eggs... The fruits and veggies stands are outside - a very good variety to chose from. You can also have your lunch here, as they offer a variety of ready meals...

Inside the market, you'll find La Botteghina Dell’Augusta di Aglietti Leonardo, that sells fine truffle goods. Just next door is another small shop, Il Cernacchino, with a wide variety of bulk food items and canned goods (ideal for cooking while in Italy).

These food markets are ideal for spending rainy days in Florence.

12. Coin department store (clothes, cosmetics, homeware)

A short hop from the Uffizi Gallery, you'll find the Coin department store, spreading across six floors. Here you can shop for clothes (man, women and child), cosmetics, bags, belts and kitchenware and home products on the top floor. 

As well as international cosmetic brands like Bulgari and Acqua di Parma, there’s a strong focus on local Tuscan brands too. Look out for artisanal Florentine papermakers Il Papiro and jewellers Maison Gioielli.

On the ground floor, you'll find restaurant/bar from where you can grab a delicious focaccia sandwich, a pastry along a drink, or sit on the outdoor terrace to have a full lunch.

Ceramic

Pottery is one of the classic gifts from Florence. All around the city, you'll find unique stores selling ceramic products full of bright colours. Choose from the trays to bowls and cups. Some of the best stores area: MG Design in Via Ghibellina, 119R, Ceramiche Artistiche Migliori in Via de’ Benci 39R,  Le Mie Ceramiche in Via Giuseppe Verdi, 8R and Ceramiche d’Arte Parrini in Via de’ Cimatori 34R. We're sure you'll have a hard time to choose!

We also like ‘La botteghina del Ceramista’ in Via Guelfa 5R and Sbigoli in Via Sant’Egidio, 4R.

Hand decorated paper objects

Get inspired by the Tuscan tradition at Il Papiro. This chain was born in Florence in 1976, and today has many stores not only in Florence but in Europe too.

There’s a great selection of luxury stationery, photo albums, frames and wax seals with various designs. Shops are in piazza Duomo 24R and via Guicciardini 47. A range of perfect small gifts from Florence to fit in your bag.

Kitchenware

Beside delicious Tuscan food and wines, this part of Italy is known for the quality kitchenware. You may want to check the elegant porcelain tableware produced by Richard Ginori, a Tuscan company established in 1735 whose showroom in Via de' Rondinelli is one of the city's most beautiful retail spaces.

About shop opening times + general info...

Many places are open all day, and don't close at lunchtime. However, the further you go from the city center there are still some places that open in the morning around 9 or 10 and close at lunch around 1pm and open again in the afternoon around 3 or 4. These places stay open until 7:30 - 8pm.

Stores are generally open from Monday to Saturday, with being closed on Sundays. We advise you to check the opening time for a specific store you want to visit before you go shopping.

Another good news is almost everyone accepts payment with cash as well as debit and credit cards. Sometimes, those who accept cash payments are normally not going to hand over a receipt so you should ask them to issue the one.

Best foodie souvenirs/gifts from Florence

DRY ITALIAN PASTA

Italian artisanal pasta is handmade from durum wheat semolina and is a great souvenir from Florence. Choose from a variety of shapes: busiate (spirale-shaped), bucatini (thick spaghetti with a hole), pici (pasta nests), gigli (lily shaped pasta), linguine (thicker and flatter than spaghetti).

PESTO SAUCE

Pasta is ideal paired with good pesto sauce. Get a jar or two of basil pesto or opt for pesto rosso (made with sundried tomatoes) or pesto pistachio which is super creamy. Pesto is also great for eating on a fresh bread. A jar of quality pesto or a package of pasta can be found at Eataly shop, (a short walk from the Duomo).

PANETTONE or COLOMBA

Both of these sweet breads are so delicious and soft and comes in a variety of flavours (with pieces of chocolate, candied citrus peel, raisins or filled with creams). Panettone is sold for Christmas while Colomba is Easter sweet. Buy at Leonardo Firenze (Via Porta Rossa, 14R)!

CANTUCCI COOKIES

These dry cookies from the city of Prato in Tuscany are incredibly good and crispy and are ideal soaked in sweet wine. Classic version is with almonds but those with pieces of chocolate, pistachios, figs or citrus peel are also available. You'll find packages of cantucci in family-run bakeries or even pastry shops. We love Leonardo Firenze store with delicious cantucci!

TUSCAN SALAMI

You'll love to eat "finocchiona" a traditional Tuscan sausage made from the best cuts of pork. The sausage is soft and has a secret ingredient: wild fennel). Sbriciolona is a younger finocchiona and is more crumbly once cut. Head to Mercato Centrale to buy these sausages.

ACETO BALSAMICO (Balsamic Vinegar of Modena)

Buy a bottle of this precious liquid while in Italy. It has dark brown colour, high density and intense smell and swee taste. You'll find aceto balsamico in any delicacy store in historic centre.

EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL

A bottle of quality olive oil is always a good souvenir to take back home. Tuscany offers excellent olive oil, cold extracted and with strong taste.

TUSCAN WINE

A carefully selected bottle of wine is more than just a souvenir. It's a reminder of your Italian adventure once you're back home. Tuscan rolling hills are famous for quality wines (Chianti and Brunello di Montalcino).

The best would be to visit local wineries and enotecas, where you can taste and select wine that you like the most. If you don’t want to pack wine in your checked luggage, most wineries offer shipping direct to your door.

PARMIGIANO REGGIANO CHEESE

Buy a chunk of this famous Italian cheese. Parmigiano has nutty flavour and granular texture and vary from mild (aged 12 months), mild one (aged 24 months) or full-flavoured (aged 36 months). Mercato Centrale and Sant'Ambrogio Market are the places where you can buy a vaccum packed Parmigiano (or explore local specialty shops around the city).

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