Modern boots and sneakers, rooted in family values

Six centuries ago, the Medici family helped start a new leather tanning trade in Santa Croce, Italy. Intended to serve the flourishing community of leather artisans in neighboring Florence, this city by the Arno river has now become a center for high-quality vegetable tanning – a process that gives leather a certain richness that allows it age beautifully.

North of Santa Croce, in the picturesque town of Cerreto Guidi, in the Tuscan hills between Florence and Pisa, is where Mauro Sani founded Buttero to make the best riding boots in the world.  The company is still owned and run by Mauro’s three sons: Luca, Claudio and Massimiliano.

Its product line has grown and it has developed an international following, but Buttero’s production remains in Cerreto Guidi and it hasn’t wavered from its simple formula: honest, local ingredients; elegant lasts and details; and above all, a focus on putting people first.   When we visited the company, we met several employees who have been with Buttero for over thirty years, and everyone is considered part of the Buttero family.