Can I buy a spade?

like the marche Toscana probably has one of the greatest concentrations of use of garden/orto tools in the country.Evidently you are looking in the wrong places (actually intrigued as to where you are looking)if you look around where you are you'll see that almost everyone has an orto.You can find italian hoes (they're slightly different from english ones) and a wide variety of spades (forks are generally less used but you can get them) from: agricultural consorzi,most hardware stores,many street markets sell the "heads" of tools to which you fit the handle of your choice,less good (because less robust) you can get the more "british style" garden tools from places like BRICO centres a sort of diy department store chain that is everywhere.ask a neighbour the best local place to get the stuff.Personally i would not get this sort of thing "on line" as it's nice and important to feel have a look before you buy them..

Go to your nearest BRICO centre or Brico Io; you will find a selection of good 'English' style garden implements etc..

Not much more expensive and save you driving around would be to purchase the tools you need on Amazon.it. I have bought several things from the site in the past few months and all went well. Bidetless

Kensington2, We had been muttering darkly about "English" garden tools for years. However, when we were over in April we succumbed to an Italian spade, long handled, thin blade - and it cut through our soil like butter!! The long handle meant we weren't bending down to work and the momentum was great. the same goes for shovels - you can get a good, long throw when shifting soil. Our land is above Bagni di Lucca - so just about Tuscany. I think it is a case of "when in Rome". Have fun - I am guessing it is all rock hard at the moment anyway. Regards from Fabbriche

I agree with Fabbriche. Have just returned from a week of gardening in the same area with my new Italian style, long handled spade and it's fab! I'd like to know where I can buy Italian spades in the UK! Jan

You will find all sorts of "utensili da giardino" at Leroy Merlin (www.leroymerlin.it).

Yes UK style spades are not easy to get here but my advice would be to prod at your soil and check if you might really need a mattock instead as here, for instance the soil goes like concrete when dry. Another tip if you go for UK style contemplate a "lady's spade" of reasonable quality. The blade is a bit smaller and all-round easier to use.