We continue our visit of Florence's artisans. Today it's leather. Thanks, among others, to the "Girl in Florence" blog for all her recommendations. She offers several solid recommendations and provides ample context. This allowed us, among other things, to visit the leather school and learn its history (before going there). The school was founded to teach a trade to war orphans and, thereafter, remained the source of leatherwork in Florence. Today, when you visit Florence, you see many leather shops. Still, according to Girl in Florence's indications, it's difficult to know if they're genuine leather objects, because what we associate with real leather (the texture and smell) is actually the result of waxes and dyes applied to the material.
It's during this visit that Karine finds a "winter handbag". She tells me she wouldn't put it in her bike panniers, but she'll use it in winter. Personally, I'm not convinced by the rationale, but as I'm not a handbag expert, I trust her. In any case, she seems really happy with her find
