‘Giocattolo Sospeso’: Donate a Toy to a Low-Income Child
In a holiday season filled with gift giving, the toy stores of Florence want to provide a drop-off point for those wishing to help children of economically distressed families.
The “Giocattolo Sospeso” project brings an opportunity for people in the city to donate gifts that they wish to give to the less fortunate, named after the tradition from the caffè sospeso in Naples. This involves paying for someone else’s coffee when they cannot buy one themselves.
The idea is the same: while strolling through the shop, you can choose one or more toys and leave them as a Christmas present for children with the proprietor – somehow like a suspended toy. The gift will be collected by volunteers from the Solidarity Networks of the neighborhoods of the Municipality of Florence, who will deliver it to a family in need. Throughout the municipality of Florence, a logo will identify which location is participating in this program, so you know where to go.
One of these stores is Dreoni Giocattoli. After 100 years of putting a smile on children’s faces, they decided to change the location from the city center to Le Cure. While being emotional leaving this historic place, the move was apparently necessary. Over the years, fewer Florentines were visiting and the hope is now to bring joy to more of the little visitors with their high-quality toys and games. So if you’re interested in getting some presents for the holidays or even donate a small piece of happiness: it reopened in October 2025 in Piazza delle Cure 7r. (Alina Rudolph)
Or you can check out one of the other toy shops participating in the program:
- Chicco on Via de’Vecchietti, 35R
- Città del Sole on Via dello Studio 23R,
- Pinocchio Store Firenze on Via Guicciardini 6R
- Fate più Balocchi on Via Lorenzo Bartolini, 4R,
- Lílá Toys on Via delle Belle Donne, 41R
- …and even more spots throughout the city.
