In terms of elegance - and here we're talking architecture as well as people and merchandise - there are few shopping streets to rival Florence's via Tornabuoni, which leads north from the river Arno to Piazza degli Antinori. The modern fascias, mostly affixed to the façades of Renaissance and Baroque palaces, here form an alphabetically disordered A to Z of Italian names, from Armani's modish Claudio Silvestrin-designed premises at number 48 to Ermenegildo Zegna (at no 3), by way of Bottega Veneta (at no 7), Cavalli (no 83), Ferragamo (whose flagship occupies the Palazzo Spini at no 2), Gucci (no 73), Pucci (nos 20-22), Prada (no 51), Trussardi (no 34) and Versace (no 13). For the desirable Florentine bag label Il Bisonte, you need to turn into via del Parione, while Dolce & Gabbana can be found en route to the Piazza della Repubblica on via degli Strozzi, where you'll also find Fendi. But these labels are available internationally, as are those you can get discounted at the city's cut-price outlets in nearby Rignano sull'Arno (Dolce & Gabbana) and Osmannoro (Roberto Cavalli).
Cross the Arno, however, and shopping opportunities in the area known as Oltrarno are altogether less predictable, though no less alluring, for this is where the botteghe, or ateliers, are concentrated, some of them hundreds of years old, where you can commission hand-crafted bespoke shoes, perfumes, silverware - the last word in exclusive one-offs. In an age of globalisation, Florence remains a city where you truly can buy things you won't find anywhere else.
Of course, the trick is finding them. But consult Maurizio Ammazzini, chief concierge at the idyllic Villa San Michele, a 16th-century villa with a façade attributed to Michelangelo that stands just outside the city and is by far the loveliest place to stay, and he will not just furnish you with the key addresses, but can also put you in touch with a personal shopper. Angela Carpio, for example, charges €240 for half a day's shopping, but her name is enough to open doors - and Anglophone, French and Spanish non-Italian- speakers will be grateful for her interpreting skills.
Assuming your time will be to some extent constrained (after three hours, Carpio's meter runs at €100 an hour), it helps to have some idea of what you want to buy. Bespoke footwear? (This is the city of Ferragamo, after all, and all that legendary Tuscan steak ensures a plentiful supply of first-rate leather.) Then Japanese shoemaker Hidetaka Fukaya (via dei Federighi 6) charges €3,000 a pair, including a polished elm last (so further pairs come with a €500 discount, and don't require subsequent fittings) and shoe trees.
Made-to-measure tailoring? Simone Abbarchi, chief tailor at Bottega delle Antiche Terme (Borgo Santissimi Apostoli 16) is your man. His bespoke shirts in 170 threadcount Egyptian cotton (one of a range of 500 fabrics he works with) start at €100. But be warned: they may spoil you for off-the-peg ever after. If this makes you desirous of other luxury materials, then Valmar on via Porta Rossa 53 (valmar-florence.com), is a tiny emporium, packed floor-to-ceiling with colourful cloth and trimmings like an old-fashioned haberdashery store. It's best known for its passamanerie (or passementerie as these gold and silver braids, trims and tassels are better known), as well as opulent velvets, silks and rich brocades. There's also an alluring selection of embroidered cushions and linen sachets with which to scent your wardrobe. Alternatively, Lisio on via dei Fossi 45 (fondazionelisio.org) has been dealing in equally sumptuous artisan-made damask silks and velvets since 1906. Or visit Antico Setificio Fiorentino on via L Bartolini 4 (anticosetificiofiorentino.com), silk weavers since the 18th century whose clients for bespoke weaves include the Kremlin.
