Authentic Florence Leather: Family Workshop Tour & How to Spot Fakes

I had a lovely morning learning about the ins and outs of "authentic" leather from Florence. Kashyapi's knowledge about the history of the leather industry in Florence is very good and she was happy to answer any question coming her way. Kashyapi is an excellent guide and her tour is very informative and at a reasonable pace. We visited the Florence School of Leather and was able to see some of the artisans at work and a private business called Galleria Michaelangelo that had a wide range of leather items for purchase. We also visited a leather shop specializing in leather bookbinding. I would recommend going on this tour as early in the morning as possible as it can become very crowded in the places we have visited when other tour groups arrive. When I didn't find the right handbag for a birthday gift, Kashyapi took me to a shop where I found the perfect gift at a reasonable price. Great tour! 10/10

Excellent tour. Very informative and friendly. I learnt a lot about how they make the leather and why it is unique to purchase Florentine Leather made items. I learned how to identify the quality and the reason behind it. Shows a variety of items from clothes, shoes, bags, accessories, to a fabulous leather bound book and paper store. Excellent way to spend time.

We had the most amazing and informative experience and I’m so grateful we booked this tour instead of figuring out the markets on our own. Kashyapi was well informed, prepared with history and facts, and patient with all of our questions and overall time we took at each location. Felt like we were hanging with a friend and we all left with amazing pieces we are bragging about. 15/10 would recommend.

Great guide, learned much about leather and had a nice time going through shops and buying some beautiful goods in recommended shops. Wouldn’t have known where to start otherwise. Neat experience. If you already know a lot about leather, this will give you a good history of why Florentine leather is superior to the rest of the world in their quality.

Guide was very knowledgeable on the subject and gave extensive knowledge on leather and the leather craft in Florence. Also gave us amazing access and translation assistance to talk one on one with real Florentine leather artisans to learn about the quality and passion of their craft. Tour is great not for know just where to buy good products from good businesses on your trip but also for those interested in learning about Florence’s rich leather history first hand.

Oh my gosh….This was an absolutely fantastic tour. Not only did we learn about Florence leather-making history, but we gained insight into Tuscan history and noteworthy landmarks as well. As a first time visitor to the area, this was especially helpful. We loved spending time at the renowned leather craftsmen school as well as two top design boutiques. Thanks to our friendly snd super knowledgeable guide, we were able to purchase two beautiful top quality jackets. I highly recommend this as this was one of the best experiences I ever booked. Don’t miss it if you’re in the market for leather and want to avoid scams or low quality pieces.

We found the tour incredibly informative and helpful, Kashyapi is insightful and the tour assisted us in our own later leather purchases in Florence. To start we discussed what made authentic leather in Florence different from other items that we may find if we weren't aware. We then went to Scuola Del Cuoio, where we could see local artisans and their students at work, we were told the history of the School and assisted in browsing through and shown the different leathers available. We then moved on to The Gallery Michaelangelo, where we were given a tour of their store, how different leathers may be presented in a less traditional manner and their private collection. Lastly we went to Abacus where we were treated to seeing the purest artisan craft of leather book binding in a family business, the true highlight of our tour! Would strongly recommend going on this ahead of shopping in Florence as there are hundreds of tourist traps that this helps you avoid!