Can someone recommend a decent place for a manicure in Florence? I'll be staying in the Oltr'arno (at Il Carmine) and taking classes at the Koine Center. Last year I found a nice place in the Santa Croce neighborhood, in a salon right off the Via dei Neri (I think they had some sort of Aveda connection). I'm not looking for a really fancy place, like a salon in a ***** hotel. Just a neighborhood place is fine. However, manicures don't seem to be a "thing" in Italy the way they have become in NY and NJ. Here my regular not terribly fancy nail salon has two full-time manicurists, but it doesn't appear to be the norm in Italy.

BTW: I've done a search on the board and couldn't find anything. Also, I know I could bring polish but (1) I want the experience of an Italian salon and (2) everytime I carry polish or remover with me I have some sort of disaster!

Hi Marian, I know you did a search but did you see this thread on Acrylic Nails? Donna never got a specific recommendation but the thread does have information on the type of salon to look for.

Hopefully someone in SlowTalk land will have a specific recommendation.

Sorry for not being very specific on names and addresses but...

I got a manicure at the hair salon on Via de Oche (near the Allesi wine store) one block in from Giotto's bell tower.

There is also a place between the Porta Rosa Hotel and the Straw Market loggia.

There is an old elegant famacia/purfumeria (sp?) on Via Vigna Nuova.

Finally I think Tony & Guy on Borgo Ognisanti may offer the service (call first).

Good luck.

Thanks to both of you. So can I assume that some hair salons, like the one I found in the Santa Croce neighborhood, will do manicures?

I guess once I'm there and starting language classes I can check out some of the female instructors and inquire of the ones whose hands look best!

If you have acrylic nails, you will have a hard time. I found a place, but they charged 100 euro for fills. I ended up doing them myself. At the end of 3 months, it was not a pretty picture! I tried to convince the man who does mine, here in Miami, that it would be great to open a nail salon there..I wish he would. With all the American tourists, it seems as though it would do really well...

Thanks, Donna

No, I don't have acrylics, just my own stumpy nails, which I manage to keep in decent repair with a weekly manicure. And I'd like to do the same in Florence. Surely something will turn up!