The Scuola del Cuoio (Leather School of Florence) was founded in 1950 by the Franciscan friars of Santa Croce in partnership with local leather artisans, initially to train orphaned boys in a traditional craft. It now operates as a working school and showroom inside the refectory of Santa Croce, directly accessible both from the Basilica and from Via San Giuseppe outside.
Visitors can watch leather craftsmen at work on bags, wallets, belts, and frames at benches in the workshop, and buy the finished products at prices that reflect handmade quality without the tourist-area markup. The leather goods here are made on the premises — monogramming can be done while you wait. The location inside the Santa Croce complex means a visit fits naturally with the Basilica and Pazzi Chapel. The school is one of the more honest shopping experiences in Florence: the product is what it claims to be, the craft is visible, and the connection between the historical institution and the modern operation is genuine.