After Milan, Florence is Italy’s top shopping city—beating even the capital, Rome. Here’s what to buy: leather, fashion, shoes, marbleized paper, hand-embroidered linens, artisan and craft items, Tuscan wines, handmade jewelry, pietre dure (known also as “Florentine mosaic,” inlaid semiprecious stones), and antiques.

General Florentine shopping hours are Monday through Saturday from 9:30am to noon or 1pm and 3 or 3:30 to 7:30pm, although increasingly, many shops are staying open on Sunday and through that midafternoon riposo or nap, especially the larger stores and those around tourist sights.

The Top Shopping Streets & Areas

AROUND SANTA TRÍNITA -- The cream of the crop of Florentine shopping lines both sides of elegant Via de’ Tornabuoni, with an extension along Via della Vigna Nuova and other surrounding streets. Here you’ll find the big Italian fashion names like Gucci (at no. 73R; www.gucci.com; tel. 055/264-011), Pucci (at no. 22R; www.emiliopucci.com; tel. 055/265-8082), and Ferragamo (at no. 5R; www.ferragamo.com; tel. 055/292-123), ensconced in old palaces or minimalist boutiques; couture meets streetwear at concept sneaker store SOTF (at no. 17R; www.sotf.com; tel. 055/588-302). Florence-headquartered Benheart  (Via della Vigna Nuova 97R; www.benheart.it; tel. 055/239-9483) sells up-to-the-minute Italian leather clothing, footwear and accessories. Stricter traffic control has made shopping on Via de’ Tornabuoni a more sedate experience, though somewhat at the expense of surrounding streets.

AROUND VIA ROMA & VIA DEI CALZAIUOLI -- These are some of Florence’s busiest streets, lined with storefronts offering mainstream shopping. Here you’ll find the city’s major department stores, Coin, Via dei Calzaiuoli 56R (www.coin.it; tel. 055/280-531), and La Rinascente, Piazza della Repubblica (www.rinascente.it; tel. 055/219-113), alongside quality clothing chains such as Geox and Zara. La Feltrinelli RED, Piazza delle Repubblica 26 (www.lafeltrinelli.it; tel. 199/151-173), is the center’s best bookstore. A three-floor branch of upscale food-market mini-chain Eataly lies just north of the Baptistery at Via de’ Martelli 22 (www.eataly.net; tel. 055/015-3601). Online couture sales sensation Luisa Via Roma (www.luisaviaroma.com) also has its flagship physical store here, at Via Roma 21R.

AROUND SANTA CROCE -- The eastern part of the center has seen a flourishing of one-of-a-kind stores, with an emphasis on young, independent fashions. Borgo degli Albizi and its tributary streets are worth roaming—Sabatini (at no. 75R; www.sabatiniscarpe.it; tel. 055/234-0240) is an established go-to for affordable casual footwear.

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.