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Shop hours are roughly 8am–8pm with a long lunch break (see Opening Hours).

Expected in markets, much less so in shops. Many market stallholders hail from Middle Eastern countries where bargaining is an art form. The full ritual involves you acting less and less interested, while the stallholder acts more and more offended. Any price agreed upon is good – the stallholder will always make a profit.

Italy’s sales tax (IVA) is incorporated into the price tag of every item. If you spend more than €155 in a shop, you can get the tax refunded. Ask the store to help you fill out the forms; then bring all such forms and the receipts to the customs office at the airport of the last EU country you’ll be visiting to complete the paperwork. Your refund will be mailed (though it may take months). Stores marked “Tax Free Shopping for Tourists” speed up the process.

UK and Irish citizens can bring home virtually anything duty free (though theoretical amounts such as 90 litres of wine apply). US citizens are limited to $400-worth of goods duty-free, including 1 litre of alcohol, 200 cigarettes, and 100 cigars. Canadian, Australian and New Zealand limitations are roughly similar. Except to the British Isles, you may not bring home flowers, bulbs, fruits, vegetables, meats (unless tinned), or cheeses runnier than a brie.

Tuscany, especially Florence, is home to some of the world’s great leather workers, making jackets, bags, shoes, wallets and belts. From the stalls of San Lorenzo market to the boutiques of Ferragamo and Gucci and the leather school in Santa Croce church, you can find something fetching to fit your budget.

Tuscany contains the houses of Gucci, Pucci and Ferragamo. There are Gucci and Prada outlet stores (see Shops and Cafés), and lesser-known classy local fashion boutiques such as Florence’s Madova gloves or Enrico Coveri clothing. High fashion is rarely cheaper than in other countries, but there is the cachet of having found those great shoes in Florence.

Italy is renowned for its hand-painted ceramics. Tuscany’s pottery tradition is among the best in Italy. You can find everything from Richard Ginori porcelain and high-class Rampini designs (see Ceramiche Rampini, near Radda) to traditional rustic patterns in Montepulciano, Siena and Cortona, and the more prosaic terracotta production in Impruneta.

Italians are masters of industrial design, from Ferraris to funky Alessi tea kettles. If the Ferrari doesn’t fit your budget, consider shopping for elegant, quirky kitchen implements, homewares, or post-modern lighting systems, many sketched out by today’s top international designers on behalf of Italian firms.

Florentines are masters of the craft of marbled paper, creating intricate, colourful designs by swirling oil-based inks on the surface of a water pan then dipping the paper. They sell it as wrapping paper, and bookbinders sheathe hand-bound books in it. Stationery shops also cover rough-papered journals with leather, sold alongside simple, old-fashioned fountain pens and calligraphy sets.

Tuscany’s wine is its best souvenir – though heavy. Shipping is expensive, so save it for when you discover a small vineyard whose wines aren’t exported and you want a whole case.