Shoes, Glorious Shoes!
Back when I lived in Europe, I spent a lot of time in Italy — mostly Milan, since that is where the fashion action is. But I did find myself in Florence a few times, and on my list of must-see sites, the Ferragamo Shoe Museum comes in second only to the Prada outlet that’s about 45 minutes out of town. Okay, perhaps I shouldn’t really ignore the Uffizi Gallery, or Michelangelo’s David at the Accademia or the Duomo like that, but we are all in agreement that shoes are works of art too, right?
I’m not even a huge fan of Ferragamo the brand — a little too conservative for my taste — but I gotta give props to Salvatore the man, who founded the company and revolutionized footwear. I’m not exaggerating; this is the man who used cork and wood and even the cellophane from candy wrappers to make fancy shoes when all the leather in Italy was going to the military during World War II. The museum contains 10,000 models of shoes. You think the Uffizi has 10,000 Michelangelos? I didn’t think so! All kidding aside, the museum is definitely worth a visit (note: I just read that it’s closed until November 30). And yeah, okay, you can go after you’ve done the Uffizi and the Accademia… and the Prada outlet!
Technorati Tags: Ferragamo, shoe museum, Florence
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October 7th, 2006 16:10
Fabulous shoes! I’m so jealous of your fashion adventures in Italy! Are you originally from there or did just live there for a while? I hope to live in Italy at some point; I’d love to hear your story!
October 24th, 2006 07:54
It’s funny that in six years of living in Italy I never made it to neither the shoe museum of the Prada outlet: I feel as though I have missed out on a vital part of my Italian experience