Now that you know where to go for bargains in Florence, it seems only fitting to discuss some of the greatest and most important designers to come from the city. Most are still headquartered there and Florence's history is intimately connected to clothing and design. It is, of course, well-known that Florence was a great art centre in the Renaissance but its wealth, which allowed for the production of all that art, came, in part, from the roaring wool and silk trade of the Middle Ages. The rise of the Medici from merchants to almost-kings led to their becoming taste-makers and influencers, the first fashionistas, if you will. Read More
