As soon as the new season’s collections of handbags at astronomical prices appear in the Prada, Gucci or Todds windows in central Florence, the fake version will appear on the beaches of the smarter resorts or on the illegal makeshift stalls around the Ponte Vecchio. Unless you are a real expert, it is difficult to tell the genuine from the fake – some people believe that the latter are actually made in the same factories around Florence but by moonlighters and then sold by the African traders who have become a part of city life in Italy. If you are prepared to bargain hard – never accept the first price offered – you should be able to pick up a bag for up to a tenth of its ‘real’ price.
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