Florence Market Day

Word of the Day:  SHOPPING!

 

Today was reserved for shopping for local food products and leather in the San Lorenzo neighborhood of Florence.  We started out with a typical Italian breakfast of a small pastry and coffee at Alma and Claudio's coffee stand in the market. I have learned since getting here that Italians aren't big breakfast eaters - they will have a small pastry and coffee mid-morning.  I'm loving it - as I'm not a huge breakfast eater/lover myself. 

Alma and Claudio have been in the market for decades and they are on my aunt and uncle's list of "old friends they have to stop and see/drop off a small gift".They are a sweet couple and are HUGE Florence soccer fans.  The team color is purple and everything in their little counter coffee shop is purple, down to the cash register.

 

Next stop, Conti's vegetable and speciality items stall.  This is Stephano, the owner of the Conti's stand.  This stand has been in his family for generations.  Stephano is the nicest man.  He just let me come behind the counter to look at things, gave me tastes of REAL balsamic vinegar, which is thicker than maple syrup and sweet. 

 While my aunt and uncle flew around the inside of Stephano's stand, filling a shipping box of products which they seemed to have memorized in their heads...I got to know Marta the dog.  Marta is Stephano's hunting dog - and I think would be a perfect companion to my dog at home, Bo.  What do you think, Dad?

 

 

 

The Central Market is filled with different little stores, all under one roof.  Each little store seems to have its speciality...cheese, bread, pasta meat, fish, wines, jams/jellies, dried fruits, etc. 

 

 

 

After shopping inside the food market, we came outside and shopped the leather market.  WOW!  The leather stalls go on and on and on - most of it the real thing...some of it fake.  My aunt taught me some tips on how to tell if it was real leather, a good local product, a good price on a designer product, or fake. (Hint:  Don't purchase anything where the label looks stamped in crooked, always look for the stands that display their Florence "certification" number, try and buy from a stand that ALSO has a store- which is usually just behind their stand, and NEVER buy anything being sold on a sheet...as these people can grab their sheet with their items and run from the police quickly if they are being chased.

 

 

As you can see from this purchase - this student got an A+ in her leather class!