Federico Polidori Roma

A Roman bottega that moves at its own pace. Behind the glass vegetable-tanned leather rests in quiet repetition: belts rolled like manuscripts, wallets left open, soles marked by hand-driven nails. The palette is restrained: honey, tobacco, dark earth colors earned through time, not design. Nothing here is styled. Everything is worked. Stitches stay visible. Edges remember the touch that shaped them. Even when unseen, the artisan is present in every burnished corner, every imperfection left intact. This is not nostalgia, and not performance. It is resistance. A refusal to rush, to decorate, to explain. Just hands, leather and the dignity of doing one thing well, again and again.

I was lucky enough to wander by this shop on my way to the art supply store next door I saw the most practical, elegant, and perfect tote. There are 4 pockets, a zipper room, a key dangle and two different kinds of straps! What a lucky day!

Wonderful to see handcrafted leather products

I don't speak any Italian. Walked into the shop, picked out one of the belt on the shelf that I was after, wrapped it around my waist, Federico made some markings on where to make the holes, then he started cutting it. It was interesting to watch him do his work. After about 10 minutes it was ready to go, he gave me some tips on how to take care of it, I tried it on and bought it. He doesn't speak much English, but it was enough to get the point across, very nice man. Would recommend visiting the little shop if you're looking for some leather goods!

I hesitate to leave a review because I don’t want this to become overrun with tourists, but this was a magical shop. Frederico is a leather wizard and his work is incredible. Not only was his shop full of the best leather items I’ve seen, he was also a wonderful person. Truly a kind and honest man, he really made our experience one of a kind. His items are priced higher than that of the typical leather shop but that is because everything is made 100% by hand, no machine at all. Absolutely worth it and a great person to talk to.

Amazing leather store! Handmade goods. It is expensive as you pay for what you get, beautiful artisan work! Highly recommend

Wonderful store. And definitely very open unlike according to Google (visited Nov ‘24). Beautiful belt and great to see it cut to size.

Federico is an incredible leather craftsman, and he was extremely nice to us. I'm looking forward to using my leather belt for years to come!