Florence did not attract me as a beautiful city straight away. It took a bit of exploring before I actually appreciated the place. By the end of our Florentine vacation, I became of fan of the city, a very big one. I do like it a lot. How I wish we had more time to spend here but work back home was awaiting and we had to go. Given Florence's relatively small size, sightseeing didn't really take a long time. Of course, I would love to return someday and visit the sights more in detail. One aspect of Florence that did catch my attention was the number of stores selling high Italian fashion and leather goods everywhere.

There was no doubt the locals knew tourists came here to buy leather goods thus shops and stores selling leather bags, backpacks, wallets, plus all else made of leather were everyhere. Surprisingly, even the leather goods in the outdoor markets were quite pricey.

I just loved the way the store windows were dressed. The high end stores of Ferragamo, Gucci, and the like were simply fascinating.

The huge sales began two days before we left Italy. Too bad, we didn't have time to shop. Like Marc always says, this gives us more to do the next time we visit.

Just like many people in the US of A, I love shopping especially when there is a huge sale. Unfortunately, I am now in the midst of decluttering my condo and stocking up on stuff which are beautiful but not necessary is a big NO NO.