Shopping & Outlet Tour

Established in 1972, Pierotucci is an Italian leather factory with its own retail leather and jewelry stores located in Florence, Italy. Pierotucci is proud to be one of the few retail stores that continues the old Florentine tradition of making hand-crafted leather using age old techniques and Italian raw material.

Pierotucci began as a small leather shop in the historical Florence center where Piero designed and manufactured all the leather goods himself, supplying local retailers with his creations. In the early 1980's Piero started developing private label merchandise for famous designers such as Dunhill, Bally, Valentino Garavani, Fratelli Rossetti, Cole-Haan, and most recently, Hugo Boss. Throughout this period, business continued to grow and in early 1990 Piero achieved an even greater demand for his own merchandise. In 1994, the handiwork of Pierotucci became available to the general public through the opening of the leather goods shop which was quickly proceeded by the Art & Jewelry Shop. In 2002 came the unveiling of Pierotucci.com which was designed to offer Pierotucci's quality leather goods throughout the world.

There are five collections that embody Pierotucci.com:

* Classic Pierotucci For over thirty-five years the Classic Pierotucci and Tucci collection has played an important role in the Italian high fashion world. Pierotucci's mission has been to refine old world techniques and create pieces that exceed mass-production quality.

* Royal Highness First signature product line launched by Pierotucci in 1998, Royal Highness is a brand that brings together the highest quality materials with style like the name implies. Royal Highness can be seen in retail stores all over Europe.

* Toscanella This line is a collection of handbags, wallets, belts, briefcases, and various leather articles. The idea behind Toscanella is to combine all the elements of Tuscany and its traditions and fuse them into today's fashion world.

* Fortunata This leather handbag is a versatile bag designed to be used by women and men alike. A simple design with one main compartment and several organizing pockets. The innovation was creating a personalized bag - where you mix and match leather, linings and canvas straps.

* Campo dei Fiori A distinctly feminine line of quality leather goods showcasing a floral printed lambskin. Both soft and delicate these purses, wallets and leather goods are ideal for every age. Braccialini, Nomination, White Gold, 24k Gold and more...

This place may not appeal to historians or art lovers, but for dedicated followers of fashion, designer label junkies or anyone who just can't resist a fantastic bargain, it's as exciting as when Columbus pointed at land and said: "Isn't that America over there?" Welcome then, to The Mall, Italy's most exclusive outlet centre. And with Gucci, Ferragamo, Prada, Bottega Veneta, Sergio Rossi, Yves Saint Laurent and more at up to 60% off (and sometimes even cheaper, but more of that later) it is the Holy Grail of designer shopping.

After departing from the pier we will head towards Florence and then south .Our first stop will be at Prada. The Prada outlet is a little off the beaten track but well worth the effort to purchase products from one of Italy's leading stylist for prices up to half off retail price. Very elegant for a factory outlet .. well it is Prada.

We will then head to Dolce & Gabbana before heading to the mall. Out of the handful of shops running parallel to each other Fendi, Ungaro, Valentino, Bottega Veneta, Sergio Rossi, Yves Saint Laurent, Ermengildo Zegna and, of course, Gucci & Armani have the most wearable booty. Even if designer labels don't matter to you, it's easy to be seduced by the quality behind the brands. Buttery soft leather jackets, figure skimming tailored suits, and shoes and handbags - there's just so much you want to buy. And don't be fooled into thinking you only need an hour to do the lot. It may be last season's stock, samples and seconds, but browsing is a leisurely pleasure, because for once you can afford the stuff that is usually only seen splashed across celebrity bodies and glossy magazines.

If you like shopping and touring, this is a very good combination for you!!! About 40 minutes from Florence there is an outlet called “The Mall”. This is the perfect place for "fashion victims": here you can find the most famous brands such as Gucci, Prada, D&G, Fendi, Valentino, Armani, Cavalli, Hogan, Pinco Pallino, La Perla, Loro Piana, Salvatore Ferragamo, Sergio Rossi, Stella McCartney, Tod's etc, discounted up to 50%. From here to the Chianti area si only another 45 minutes driving, crossing some hills. You have the chance to eat at various bars or restaurants inside the Mall outlet or you can decide to have the lunch in the chianti area in a characteristic open-air "trattorias" (local family restaurant) where you can taste a typical menu of Tuscan cooking.

PRIVATE ONE DAY TRIP: Outlets and Chianti Tours The all included tour since 1991

Up to 2 participants euro 350 (euro 175 per person) Up to 3 participants euro 375 (euro 125 per person) Up to 4 participants euro 440 (euro 110 per person) Up to 5 participants euro 500 (euro 100 per person) Up to 6 participants euro 570 (euro 95 per person) Up to 7 participants euro 650 (euro 93 per person) Up to 8 participants euro 700 (euro 87.50 per person)

Up to 9 participants euro 1000 (euro 111 per person) Up to 10 participants euro 1100 (euro 110 per person) Up to 11 participants euro 1200 (euro 109 per person) Up to 12 participants euro 1250 (euro 105 per person) Up to 13 participants euro 1300 (euro 100 per person) Up to 14 participants euro 1350 (euro 97 per person) Up to 15 participants euro 1400 (euro 93 per person) Up to 16 participants euro 1450 (euro 91 per person)

Included in the Price:
• Transportation to and from Florence or its vicinities with mercedes
• Tour/driver for the day at your disposal
• Pick up and drop off directly at your accomodation
• Stop in Chianti, San Gimignano, Fashion Valley, Michelangelo square.
• Traditional Tuscan Lunch with Wine Tasting in a local organic wine Farm
• All Local Taxes

Please note that all prices above are quoted considering a pick up and drop off in Florence or its vicinities. We can organise pick up/drop off directly to your villa, castle or accomodation in other areas of Tuscany and prices will be quoted seperately upon request. We can guarantee the tour even more people (up to 17, up to 32..)

This outlet stores in a stylish square's most famous Italian brands, is less than an hour from Florence and includes a "coffee" cool place to relax or eat anything during the ordering process. The Mall is one of the essential stop for those who love the great brands and dress well. Made near Incisa Valdarno, The Outlet Mall is easily accessible from the A1. But we do not we take the chaotic asutostrada to arrive, but a panoramic way through castles, farmhouses and vineyards, using the same time. Distant thirty minutes from Florence, recommended especially for lovers of designer labels.

The signatures that are 17 outlets offers: Armani - Gucci - Fendi - Ferragamo - Valentino - Hogan-Miss Sixt - Diesel - La Perla - Bottega Veneta - Loro Piana - Sergio Rossi - Yves Saint Laurent - Ungaro - I Pinco Pallino - Marni - Tod's

Unique shopping experience!

This is a full immersion into the world of the finest italian and french fashion brand top names.

Our first stop will be at the Prada outlet. HELMUT LANG MIU MIU PRADA SPORT JIL SANDER. It is situated in Levane, about 45 minutes south of Florence.

This is just heaven for you fashion addicts. We will give you all the time in the world to shop ’til you drop. But when you will be done, we will be ready for our second shopping stop : the Mall.

This is a full immersion into the world of the finest italian and french fashion brand top names.Barberino Designer Outlet is situated in Mugello country side, about 40 minutes nortth of Florence. This is just heaven for you fashion addicts. We will give you all the time in the world to shop ’til you drop.

Firenze - Barberino Designer Outlet - 100 stores, all the labels you love, reduced by up to 70%

Outlet of the famous brand duplex exhibits many articles of various collections. Meet all tastes, from the quirky to classic suits, while maintaining a special touch of the same name designers, we remind you that you will find articles collections D & G.

 

 

Valdichiana Outlet Village
Foiano di Chiana

 

Pitti Immagine Uomo is one of the most significant world previews of men’s fashions, clothing, accessories, objects and every year opens the international calendar of trade fairs in the textiles and clothing sector.
It is known world-wide for dynamic and contemporary men’s fashion. It offers a complete cross-section of the market, classical, informal, avant-garde and high-end collections providing strong images and product content.

Organized by Pitti Immagine and sponsored by the Florence Centre of Italian Fashion, Pitti Uomo is a prestigious event for the city’s image and economy, giving Florence an international allure when the fashion people meet up at the end of their working day. The stores put on special window displays, while the nightlife is almost totally dedicated to this glamorous event. 

 

For foreign buyers living outside the European Community, it is possible to go shopping in the biggest shops in Rome obtaining a tax refund when you leave. In practice this will result in a discount of 20 percent that the tourist can obtain at the moment he goes at the boarding gate in the airport. Our advisers will inform you about the shops that have this facility, giving you the choice to have this advantage.

Welcome in Florence! We created this agency together with some persons that, like me, have traveled frequently and have developed the personal shopper service as an exigency and as experience as well. We are young entrepreneurs, we travel very often as you and we’d like to reach the maximum in the very brief period of time usually available when we stop in cities, because our main problem is time. Usually traveling was an exigency of work, we have learned to turn it into an occasion of joy and pleasure; we usually wanted to buy freely what we wanted without the stress of time and following our exigencies. That’ s possible now with us! we have a great ability in gaining time. We know all the secrets inside our city because we are curious and because our wish to improve our knowledge in the Italian fashion, in the handworks and in shopping that derives from art and culture and from centuries of history and tradition often hided in very narrow streets; shopping is also a result of the modern city, open to the culture and to the international fashion. We are glad to offer you this service with quality and profession, because we believe that we can be a big help to you, being the first to criticize ourselves and very exigent when we buy something. Call us and you will find a friend to talk to and solve all your problems.

Who is the personal shopper? The personal shopper is your personal guide inside the big and fascinating world of shopping in Florence & Outlets. Buying something is not only an exigency, but it is also a personal pleasure. When we go shopping we satisfy ourselves and we take care of ourselves, following our desires, those immediately available, under hands. It happens very often that we find ourselves inside a jungle in which it is very difficult to get out; we fight against time, different choices and thousand of other difficulties that turn our moments of relax in terrible runs, full of tension, looking for shops, articles and ideas. The personal shopper helps you, guides you and gives you advice on what to buy, where and how; he also makes your time precious because he helps you to buy what you effectively need; he offers you a precious company and an important comparison, especially when the object to buy is of high value and for this reason it need an impartial opinion.

TAX FREE ADVICE
For foreign buyers living outside the European Community, it is possible to go shopping in the biggest shops in Rome obtaining a tax refund when you leave. In practice this will result in a discount of 20 percent that the tourist can obtain at the moment he goes at the boarding gate in the airport. Our advisers will inform you about the shops that have this facility, giving you the choice to have this advantage.

 

Here's what to buy in Florence: leather, high fashion, shoes, marbleized paper, hand-embroidered linens, lace, lingerie, Tuscan wines, gold jewelry, pietre dure (known also as Florentine mosaic, inlaid semiprecious stones), and Renaissance leftovers and other antiques.

Art & Antiques
The antiques business is clustered where the artisans have always lived and worked: the Oltrarno. Dealers' shops line Via Maggio, but the entire district is packed with venerable chunks of the past. On "this side" of the river, Borgo Ognissanti has the highest concentration of aging furniture and art collectibles. The large showrooms of Gallori-Turchi, Via Maggio 14r (tel. 055-282-279), specialize in furnishings, paintings, and weaponry (swords, lances, and pistols) from the 16th to 18th centuries. They also offer majolica and ceramic pieces and scads of excellent desks and writing tables of hand-carved and inlaid wood. Nearby you'll find Guido Bartolozzi Antichità, Via Maggio 18r (tel. 055-215-602), under family management since 1887. This old-fashioned store concentrates on the 16th to 19th centuries. They might be offering a 17th-century Gobelin tapestry, an inlaid stone tabletop, or wood intarsia dressers from the 1700s. The quality is impeccable: The owner has been president of Italy's antiques association and secretary of Florence's biannual antiques fair. There's another showroom at Via Maggio 11.

Books
Even the smaller bookshops in Florence these days have at least a few shelves devoted to English-language books. Feltrinelli International, Via Cavour 12-20 (tel. 055-219-524; www.lafeltrinelli.it), is one of the few of any size. For English-only shops, hit Paperback Exchange, Via delle Oche 4r (tel. 055/293-460; www.papex.it); it's not the most central, but it is the best for books in English, specializing in titles relating in some way to Florence and Italy. Much of their stock is used, and you can't beat the prices anywhere in Italy -- dog-eared volumes and all Penguin books go for just a few euros. You can also trade in that novel you've already finished for another. BM Bookshop, Borgo Ognissanti 4r (tel. 055-294-575), is a bit smaller but more central and carries only new volumes. They also have a slightly more well-rounded selection -- from novels and art books to cookbooks and travel guides. A special section is devoted to Italian- and Tuscany-oriented volumes.

Department Stores
Florence's central branch of the national chain Coin, Via Calzaiuoli 56r (tel. 055-280-531; www.coin.it), is a stylish multifloored display case for upper-middle-class fashions -- a chic Macy's. La Rinascente, Piazza della Repubblica 2 (tel. 055-219-113; www.rinascente.it), is another of Italy's finer department stores. This six-floor store serves as an outlet for top designers (Versace, Zegna, Ferré, and so on). It also has areas set up to sell traditional Tuscan goods (terra cotta, alabaster, olive oils, and wrought iron).

Design, Housewares & Ceramics
Viceversa, Via dello Stella 3 (tel. 055-696-392; www.viceversa.com), offers one of the largest selections of the latest Robert Graves-designed teakettle or any other whimsical Alessi kitchen product. The friendly staff will also point out the Pavoni espresso machines, Carl Merkins' totemic bar set, the Princess motorized gadgets, and shelf after shelf of the best of Italian kitchen and houseware designs. Tiny La Botteghina, Via Guelfa 5r (tel. 055-287-367), is about the best and most reasonably priced city outlet for true artisan ceramics I've found in all Italy. Daniele Viegi del Fiume deals in gorgeous hand-painted ceramics from the best traditional artisans working in nearby Montelupo, the famed Umbrian ceramics centers of Deruta and Gubbio, and Castelli, high in the Abruzzi mountains. If you can't make it to the workshops in the hill towns themselves, La Botteghina is the next best thing. If you like the sample of pieces by Giuseppe Rampini you see here (or in his Chianti workshop) and want to invest in a full table setting, visit Rampini's classy showroom at Borgo Ognissanti 32-34 (right at Piazza Ognissanti; tel. 055-219-720; www.rampiniceramics.com).

Fashion & Clothing
Although Italian fashion reached its pinnacle in the 1950s and 1960s, the country has remained at the forefront of both high (Armani, Gucci, Pucci, Ferragamo, just to name a few) and popular (evidenced by the spectacular success of Benetton in the 1980s) fashion. Florence plays second fiddle to Milan in today's Italian fashion scene, but the city has its own cadre of well-respected names, plus, of course, outlet shops of all the hot designers. For Men & Women -- Cinzia, Borgo San Jacopo 22r (tel. 055-298-078), is a grab bag of hand-knit, usually bulky wool sweaters offered by an elderly couple who've been sending their creations around the world for more than 30 years. Luisa Via Roma, Via Roma 19-21r (tel. 055-217-826; www.luisaviaroma.com), is a famed gathering place for all the top names in avant-garde fashion, including Jean Paul Gaultier, Dolce & Gabbana, and Issey Miyake. Men can hand over their wallets upstairs, and women can empty their purses on the ground floor. Service can be chilly. The address may be a hint that this isn't your average fashion shop: Emilio Pucci, Palazzo Pucci, Via de' Pucci 6 (tel. 055-283-061; www.pucci.com). Marchese Emilio Pucci's ancestors have been a powerful banking and mercantile family since the Renaissance, and in 1950 Marchese suddenly turned designer and shocked the fashion world with his flowing silks in outlandish colors. His women's silk clothing remained the rage into the early 1970s and had a renaissance of its own in the 1990s club scene. The design team is now headed by daughter Laudomia Pucci. If you don't wish to visit the showroom in the ancient family palace, drop by the shop at Via dei Tornabuoni 20-22r (tel. 055-265-8082). Then there's Giorgio Armani, Via Tornabuoni 48r (tel. 055-219-041; www.giorgioarmani.com), Florence's outlet for Italy's top fashion guru. The service and store are surprisingly not stratospherically chilly. The Emporio Armani branch at Piazza Strozzi 16r (tel. 055-284-315; www.emporioarmani.com) is the outlet for the more affordable designs. The merchandise is slightly inferior in workmanship and quality and greatly inferior in price. The rest of the Via dei' Tornabuoni is fleshed out with the mainstays of Italian style: notably Ermenegildo Zegna (tel. 055-264-254; www.zegna.com) at 3r and Salvatore Ferragamo (tel. 055-292-123; www.salvatoreferragamo.it) at 4r. But the biggest name to walk out of Florence onto the international catwalk has to be Gucci, with the world flagship store at Via de' Tornabuoni 73r (tel. 055-264-011; www.gucci.com). This is where this Florentine fashion empire was started by saddlemaker Guccio Gucci in 1904, now run by a gaggle of grandsons. You enter through a phalanx of their trademark purses and bags. Forget the cheesy knockoffs sold on street corners around the world; the stock here is elegant. Nearby is another homegrown fashion label, Enrico Coveri, Via Tornabuoni 81r (tel. 055-211-263; www.coveri.com). Enrico started off in the nearby textile town of Prato and has a similar penchant for bright colors as contemporary Emilio Pucci. The major difference is that Enrico Coveri's firm produces downscale fashion that fits the bods and wallets of normal folk -- not just leggy models. Some of the men's suits are particularly fine, but the children's collection may be best left alone. There's another tiny branch at Via Tornabuoni 81r. For Women -- Loretta Caponi, Piazza Antinori 4r (tel. 055-213-668; www.lorettacaponi.com), is world famous for her high-quality intimates and embroidered linens made the old-fashioned way. Under Belle Epoque ceilings are nightgowns of all types, bed and bath linens of the highest caliber, curtains, and feminine unmentionables. There's also a large section for the little ones in the back. Peek through the pebble-glassed doors to see the workshop. Stock Houses -- To get your high fashion at bargain-basement prices, head to one of the branches of Guardaroba/Stock House Grandi Firme. The store at Borgo degli Albizi 78r (tel. 055-234-0271) carries mainly the past season's models, while the Via dei Castellani 26r branch (tel. 055-294-853) carries spring/summer remaindered collections, and the Via Verdi 28r (tel. 055-247-8250) and Via Nazionale 38r (tel. 055-215-482) stores have outfits from the past winter. Stock House Il Giglio, Via Borgo Ognissanti 86 (no phone), also carries big-name labels at 50% to 60% off.

Gifts & Crafts
Florentine traditional "mosaics" are actually works of inlaid stone called pietre dure. The creations of young Ilio de Filippis and his army of apprentices at Pitti Mosaici, Piazza Pitti 16r and 23-24r (tel. 055-282-127; www.pittimosaici.it), reflect traditional techniques and artistry. Ilio's father was a pietre dure artist, and his grandfather was a sculptor. (The family workshop was founded in 1900.) Besides the pieces on display down the road toward the Arno at Via Guicciardini 80r and across the river at Lungarno Vespucci 36r, the firm will custom make works to your specifications.

Jewelry
If you've got the financial solvency of a small country, the place to buy your baubles is the Ponte Vecchio, famous for its gold- and silversmiths since the 16th century. The craftsmanship at the stalls is usually of a very high quality, and so they seem to compete instead over who can charge the highest prices. A more moderately priced boutique is Milan-based Mario Buccellati, Via della Vigna Nuova 71r (tel. 055-239-6579), which since 1919 has been making thick, heavy, high-quality jewelry. Florence is also a good place to root around for interesting costume jewelry. The audacious bijoux at Angela Caputi, Borgo San Jacopo 82r (tel. 055-212-972; www.angelacaputi.com), aren't for the timid. Much of Angela's costume jewelry -- from earrings and necklaces to brooches and now even a small clothing line -- is at least oversize and bold and often pushes the flamboyance envelope.

Leather & Shoes
It has always been a buyers' market for leather in Florence, but these days it's tough to sort out the jackets mass-produced for tourists from the high-quality artisan work. The most fun you'll have leather shopping, without a doubt, is at the outdoor stalls of the San Lorenzo market, even if the market is rife with mediocre goods. Never accept the first price they throw at you; sometimes you can bargain them down to almost half the original asking price. The shops below should guarantee you at least quality merchandise, but not the bargaining joys of the market. More fun, but no less expensive, is to watch the artisans at work at the Scuola del Cuoio (Leather School) of Santa Croce. You enter through Santa Croce church (right transept), Piazza Santa Croce 16, or on Via San Giuseppe 5r on Sunday morning (tel. 055-244-533 or 055-244-534; www.leatherschool.com). The very-fine-quality soft-leather merchandise isn't cheap. In the imposing 13th-century Palazzo Spini-Feroni lording over Piazza Santa Trínita are the flagship store, museum, and home of Ferragamo, Via de' Tornabuoni 4-14r (tel. 055-292-123; www.ferragamo.it). Salvatore Ferragamo was the man who shod Hollywood in its most glamorous age and raised footwear to an art form. View some of Ferragamo's funkier shoes in the second-floor museum (call ahead at tel. 055-336-0456) or slip on a pair yourself in the showrooms downstairs -- if you think your wallet can take the shock. If you prefer to buy right from the cobbler, head across the Arno to Calzature Francesco da Firenze, Via Santo Spirito 62r (tel. 055-212-428), where handmade shoes run 120€ to 300€, and you can see him tap-tapping away on soles in the back room.

Markets
Haggling is accepted, and even expected, at most outdoor markets (but don't try it in stores). The queen of Florentine markets is the San Lorenzo street market, filling Piazza San Lorenzo, Via del Canto de' Nelli, Via dell'Ariento, and other side streets. It's a wildly chaotic and colorful array of hundreds of stands hawking T-shirts, silk scarves, marbleized paper, Gucci knockoffs, and lots and lots of leather. Many of the stalls are merely outlets for full-fledged stores hidden behind them. Haggling is tradition here, and though you'll find plenty of leather lemons, there are also great deals on truly high-quality leather and other goods -- you just have to commit to half a day of picking through it all and fending off sales pitches. March through October, most stalls are open daily about 8am to 8pm (it varies with how business is doing); November through February, the market is closed Sundays and Mondays, except for the 2 weeks or so around Christmas, when it remains open daily. Somewhere in the center of this capitalist whirlwind hides the indoor Mercato Centrale food market (btw. Via dell'Ariento and Piazza del Mercato Centrale). Downstairs you'll find meat, cheese, and dry goods. There's one stall devoted to tripe aficionados, a second piled high with baccalà (dried salt cod), and a good cheap eatery called Nerbone. The upstairs is devoted to fruits and veggies -- a cornucopia of fat eggplants, long yellow peppers, stacks of artichokes, and peperoncini bunched into brilliant red bursts. In all, you couldn't ask for better picnic pickings. The market is open Monday through Saturday from 7am to 2pm and Saturday also 4 to 7:30pm. As if two names weren't enough, the Mercato Nuovo (Straw Market) is also known as Mercato del Porcellino or Mercato del Cinghiale because of the bronze wild boar statue at one end, cast by Pietro Tacca in the 17th century after an antique original now in the Uffizi. Pet the well-polished porcellino's snout to ensure a return trip to Florence. Most of the straw stalls disappeared by the 1960s. These days, the loggia hawks mainly poor-quality leather purses, mediocre bijoux, souvenirs, and other tourist trinkets. Note: Beware of pickpockets. In summer it's open daily around 9am to 8pm, but in winter it closes at 5pm and all day Sunday and Monday.

Paper & Journals
Il Papiro, Via dei Tavolini 13r (tel. 055-213-823; www.madeinfirenze.it/papiro_e.htm), is now a modest Tuscan chain of jewel box-size shops specializing in marbled and patterned paper, as plain gift-wrap sheets or as a covering for everything from pens and journals to letter openers or full desk sets. There are several branches, including the head office at Via Cavour 55r (no phone) and shops at Piazza del Duomo 24r (no phone), Lungarno Acciaiuoli 42r (tel. 055-215-262), and Piazza Rucellai 8r (tel. 055-211-652). Scriptorium, Via dei Servi 5-7r (tel. 055-211-804), is my own journal supplier, a small shop that's one of the few fine stationery stores in Florence with very little marbleized paper. Come here for hand-sewn notebooks, journals, and photo albums made of thick paper -- all bound in soft leather covers. With classical music or Gregorian chant playing in the background, you can also shop for calligraphy and signet wax sealing tools. There's a new branch in the Oltrarno at Piazza de' Pitti 6 (tel. 055-238-2272; www.scriptoriumfirenze.com).

Prints
Little Bottega delle Stampe, Borgo San Jacopo 56r (tel. 055-295-396), carries prints, historic maps, and engravings from the 1500s through the Liberty-style and Art Deco prints of the 1930s. You can dig out some Dürers here, as well as original Piranesis and plates from Diderot's 1700 Encyclopedia. There are Florence views from the 16th to 19th centuries, plus a fine collection of 18th-century French engravings.

Toys
Since 1977, Florence's owner-operated branch of national chain La Città del Sole, Borgo Ognissanti 37r (tel. 055-219-345; www.cittadelsole.it), has sold old-fashioned wooden brain teasers, construction kits, hand puppets, 3-D puzzles, science kits, and books. There's nary a video game in sight.