Why is florence, italy famous for leather?

Question

Why is florence, italy famous for leather?

Answer 1

A LOT of leather is made in Florence, and they have a huge outdoor leather market where you can buy dozens upon dozens of leather jackets, belts, wallets, purses, you name it, for pretty good prices.  All the streets around the market even smell like leather.  It's way fun!

Answer 2

Florence in general is known for fine hand-made items, like jewelry and leather. The history of Florentine craftsmanship goes all the way back to before the Renaissance. I wouldn't doubt that leather working became popular here because the hides were brought to Florence to be dyed - dying wool was a huge business in Florence for a long time. There are also to this day many workshops here, large and small, who make these products.

If you visit Florence, check out the The Scuola del Cuoio (Leather School) http://www.leatherschool.com/www/

This old NY Times article also has some info:

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.ht...