Craftsmanship is the Highlight of Italian Shopping

Whether you're in a small, privately-owned craftsman's shop (of which there are many), or in a large store, you're never far from the craftsman's workbench in Italy. This remains the country of the carefully hand made. And despite a cavalier attitude to some other areas of life, Italians are also obsessed with quality when it comes to the goods they produce. A pair of shoes, a leather bound book or a Parma ham will all receive the same loving attention to detail.

It's unsurprising, then, that I love to shop in Tuscany. Having just returned with a suitcase pressing luggage limits due to an abundance of shoes, handbags and cured meats, I thought it worth sharing a few of my favourite tips.

South of Florence, in the centre of the Chianti district, you'll find Falorni Macelleria. This temple for carnivores sits on the picturesque town square in Greve-in-Chianti (which is worth a visit for its charm alone). Falorni is a traditional butcher's shop, specialising in prosciutto and sausage, much of it from the wild boars that rome the area. About six years ago it was featured on the weekly American news magazine CBS Sunday Morning, and it's been expanding ever since. Now double the size of my first visit and generally packed with American tourists, it still offers remarkable quality, luscious smells and a huge variety of items pre-packaged for easy transport to your picnic on the Chianti hills beyond.

Not too far from Greve is another shopping pilgrimage point, this one as popular with Japanese and Chinese as with Americans. Prosaically named "The Mall", the cluster of designer outlets sits in a modern strip of buildings incongruously placed in the middle of countryside more typically seen behind Renaissance Madonnas.

The Mall features seriously big names: Gucci, Ferragamo, Tod's, Armani, Valentino, La Perla. This is not a place for finding anything cheap. But if you have been contemplating buying any of these labels at full price, or even at moderate discounts, you'll find deep cuts here. Tod's loafers that retail for 250 Euros, for example, are on offer for 125. And I saw a lovely Gucci croc skin bag marked down a remarkable 2,500 euros. It could have been mine for just 2100. I bought some shoes. I passed on the bag.

I did buy a handbag, but one with a rather less showy label. The Scuola di Cuoio (leather school) is located at the back of Santa Croce church, in some of the old cloister buildings. The Dominican Friars first established the school after WWII to give orphans and poor children a chance to learn a trade. Their work became so esteemed that the school started selling its work, and 60 years later it is one of the best shopping tips of Florence. The quality here is the very finest, everything stiched and stretched on site using the best leathers available. Designs are mostly classic. Prices reflect the size and quality of the item, so are more expensive than some of the stuff you're going to get in the markets, but are far below designer costs. They'll emboss your name or initials on anything you buy. And, of course, if you're in the mood for something unique they'll make you whatever you want on special order.

Finally, a nod to the many stationers' shops in Florence (and indeed throughout Italy). Hand printed stationery, marbelised paper products and leather bound blank books and photo albums are the typical goods found here. If, like me, you were the kind of kid who found the promise of an empty notebook to be the best part of returning to school in the autumn, then these shops will be an Aladdin's cave. There are some chains, such as Il Papiro nationally and Signum in Florence. But do look for the family-owned shops with the workbenches in back, which are still common. The variety here is often greater and they'll be able to emboss what you buy while you wait.