Shopping, Firenze Style

The women returned to Florence the next morning on the Rapida bus to gift shop. We found wonderful silk scarves and ties, leather purses and gloves and handmade papers. We especially enjoyed a small family owned shop near the bus station where the third generation owner made hand-tooled leather frames and books. The shop smelled fantastic. Also, a delightful glove shop. Just a little nook, really, lined with wooden shelves and glass cases full of leather gloves in all varieties and colors. We even had a great experience with two young women working a street cart who showed us new ways to wear the scarves we bought.

We walked through Ponte Vecchio, the bridge over the Arno River now filled with jewelry shops, and found the magnitude of the offerings overwhelming so we didn't stop.

To top off our morning of shopping, we sampled gelato and decided that Florence did, indeed, have the best offerings, despite one mishap. Marianne bought a chocolate gelato from one vendor. Poised to make my selection, I demured when I spied the hair in the lemon gelato I wanted. Yuch! I pointed it out to the vendor who placidly plucked it out. A few stalls down I ordered my lemon gelato which came very close to perfection. Marianne's chocolate gelato was hair-free.