Doll Greetings From Florence, Italy

Ciao, Bello! As you read this, I'm returning from a lovely two week vacation in Tuscany. Now...you may ask yourself what this possibly has to do with dolls, but I maintain that any holiday can enrich and educate a doll collector.

Take Florence, for instance. You might think there is nothing much of interest for a doll collector in Florence, but you'd be wrong. OK, I'll admit that there isn't a doll museum in Florence, or a well-known doll company you can visit, or even very good places to shop for antique dolls.

But, there is an amazing costume museum at the Palazzo Pitti which has costumes as old as the 15th century (costumes that have survived from this period are very rare). This type of museum is a treasure trove of ideas and inspiration for doll costuming, and a delight for collectors who enjoy costuming (especially, I think, for collectors of fashion dolls).

There are also amazing shops with luxurious fabrics and trims in Florence (also for doll costuming) and inspiration in art in nearly every part of the city.

So, on your next trip, whether you are traveling to another state or country, think "outside the box" when it comes to attractions you can visit which might be of interest to you as a doll collector.