Anyone who loves to wear hats, as much as I do, will not be disappointed in the selection of hats in Florence and in learning and understanding the evolution of il cappello Fiorentino.
Throughout history hats have had social and cultural connotations as well as serving the practical purpose of keeping heads warm and protecting from the bright sun and let’s not forget making fashion statements. My guess is the Florentine straw hat was created by women as they gathered on sunny afternoons on their benches to weave these creations to protect themselves from the Florentine summer sun.
It may be argued that the Borsalino hat is the most famous hat from Italy, however the original straw hat still made in Signa, Florence, was introduced in the 1600’s, over 250 years before the Borsalino.
The Straw Museum in Signa, ( a small suburb of Florence) highlights the rich tradition of women working with straw and the creation of the hat industry. http://www.museopaglia.it/
Visitors at the museum will get a glimpse of Florentine artisan craftsmanship and the original concept of “made in Italy”.
The Borsalino store in Florence can be found across from the Mercato Nuovo or the straw market (Il Porcellino market) on via Porta Rossa.
While at the Straw Market versions of the original Florentine straw hat can be found. They are basic and much cheaper hat than the hats found at Borsalino!
Today, the choices for hats range from market copies to the most elegant and my favorite, the Grevi shop near Via Tornabuoni on Via della Spada.
Currently, a not to be missed exhibit on the history of hats is at Palazzo Pitti in the Galleria del Costume. The “Il Cappello di Firenze Consortium” has contributed to this wonderful presentation. This group is promoting the conservation of manual artisan skills as a tremendous value of the heritage of Florence and Italy. Below are some of the hats on display.
A Borsalino hat looking very much like a boater hat and what the Venetian gondoliers wear.
AND, a display of Grevi hats from the 1960’s
The exhibit is on till May 18, 2014. http://www.cappelloinmostra.it/eng/presentazione.html
As the hat has evolved in Florence, so has my taste in hats. As a child my father told me that real women wear hats. I followed his advice. From my first Easter bonnets to my Jackie Kennedy pill box to my current winter and summer collections with at least three Grevi originals.
with childhood friends on an Easter Sunday, wearing versions of the Jackie Kennedy hat.
Diane’s summer and winter Florentine Hats
On your Florentine shopping list make sure you add a hat. You will not regret it and just maybe you will start your own collection of HATS and More HATS!
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