San Lorenzo in June

April through June brings perfect weather and manageable crowds. The leather workshops have their doors open, letting you watch craftsmen work while catching the spring breeze. September and October offer the same advantages — warm days, cool evenings, and the market vendors in good spirits after surviving summer's tourist hordes. July and August turn brutal. The covered market becomes stifling, and many artisan shops close for vacation in August anyway. Winter has its charm — fewer crowds, cozy trattorias with steaming bowls of ribollita — but the outdoor market stalls pack up early when rain threatens. The neighborhood really comes alive on weekday mornings when locals do their shopping. Weekend afternoons bring day-trippers from other parts of Florence, but they usually stick to the main market area.