every day when partner goes to class, this is where i will be heading to. after the coffee shop that is.
san lorenzo market, it's by the san lorenzo church and quite near to duomo. basically, if you want to go to duomo, or ponte vecchio and you want to see some interesting stuff and cuci mata, then sila la lalu kat area ni.
topengs-topengs
at this market, they basically sell leather goods, high quality leather bags (genuine leather), gloves, wallets, handbags, jackets, souvenirs, clothes and so many other things. yes, their jackets are really gorgeous, i saw some nice bikers jacket for ladies tapi saya sedar diri, i don't really need it (at all). so hush, tutup mata dan jalan terus.
even though their stalls might look like some kind of pasar malam style, the price of the items they are selling are not as cheap as our pasar malam. these sellers, they have a shop nearby (normally just behind or few doors away from their stalls). but still, according to my readings and after surveying few shops and stalls selling the same item, i must say that you can get the best price of everything at this market. (but please let me know if you do know some other place selling same items here at cheaper price).
as you walk along the market, don't straight away buy their words on giving you 40% discount and what nots. do go around checking the price at few shops and you'll be surprised of what you heard. i bought a bag earlier, with starting price of 50Euros, and after discount 35Euros.. another shop i went to, the starting price of a smaller size bag is 75Euros, last price 50Euros. i also noticed that, the further inside the market (closer to duomo) you go, the higher the price will be. selalunya kat sini, makin ke dalam pasar, harga barang makin murah. terbalik pulak. don't be afraid to bargain, bargain je la they won't bite. but don't bargain if you don't even want to buy that stuff, sangat la tak sopannya. owh, the sellers tak la marah ke apa if after belek-belek tu kita rasa tak bersesuaian dengan jiwa kita. just say thanks. unlike some place yang nak emosi bila kita tengok tapi takmo beli.
i also think that this is the best place to buy your souvenir. key chains & magnets are cheaper here, compared to other parts of florence that i went to. near duomo, they're selling magnets at 2 pcs for 3.50euros. (1 for 2euros) but at this market, same magnets are only 3.50 euro for FIVE pcs. and for key chains, they're selling at 2.50euro for 3 pieces. kat sini pun ada magnets for pisa, siena, venice that you can buy. bila pergi siena, one magnet costs around 3euro.
they have handmade leather shoes too kat sini, you can find them at the market itself or ke depan sikit on your way to duomo. as it's handmade, the price is not cheap either. starts from 30euro and above. i didn't buy any, sebab tapak dia keras, style sandal birkenstock tu..
ada jual herbs, pasta, olive oil, vinegar and bahan-bahan masak pasta jugak kat sini.
kesimpulannya, it's really really hard to pass by this area without buying anything. so plan your purchase, jaga pandangan hehe.. tapi memang nice la. the people are nice here. i bought a linen skirt that came together with a belt, tapi belt dia macam manik ada rosak sikit, the seller gave me a new belt (so ada dua belt) and sehelai lagi skirt and 2 belt untuk skirt tu.. so, dua helai skirt linen beserta empat tali pinggang for 20euro.
