When you step out of the scorching Florentine heat and in to the stop Signum, your eyes will glisten and your heart flutter. As you take in the decked shelves from floor to ceiling, you have ample opportunity to say, “Be still, my heart!” with the knowing smile that you are experiencing something special, almost magical.

Signum is an artisan marvel, selling hand-made journals, calligraphy inks, quills, calligraphy supplies, wax seals, post cards, and stationery. I can’t help comparing Signum to a shop in Diagon Alley; it has the same atmosphere and otherworldliness. Dark shelving with beautiful bound journals galore, quills with colorful feathers, antique maps of Florence, and tantalizing vials of ink of a wide range of colors. I literally lose track of time, when I visit.

I first visited Signum around 10 years ago and bought these handmade acquaforte bookmarks made of thick woven paper. They appeal to adventure and history books. This time around I found a beautiful ruled journal, ready to frame in my thoughts and stories and monogrammed stationary for those special letters.

I highly recommend that your trip to Florence includes a visit to Signum. From the jewelry shops of Ponte Vecchio, you walk under the arched way along the river Arno towards the Uffizi Gallery and find Signum on your left-hand side. Be careful, the storefront is tiny and you can easily miss it, if you are enjoying the view and don’t hear the begging whisper of pages aflutter. The address is Signum, L. no. Archibusieri 14/R, 50122 Firenze. There are two other Signum shops in Florence.

Signum also has an on-line shop. Unfortunately, the webpage is only in Italian and German – and of course it doesn’t have the same flair as the shops.