Bianchi's New Line of Beautiful Leather Holsters Explored

Affiliate Disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We earn from qualifying purchases.

There’s something special about the look and feel of leather holsters. Bianchi agrees, and that’s why it has launched a new line of leather holsters for inside-the-waistband and outside-the-waistband carry. Known as the Old Tuscany line, it offers four options for shooters that will fit any carry style.

I’ll begin with the Cortona ($84), the sole IWB holster among the Old Tuscany line. It’s crafted from premium full grain leather and comes with one-piece construction. There’s a sturdy steel slip that will accommodate belts up to two inches, and the black metal slip features a U-shape retention point at the base.

When the holster is in place on the belt, it won’t pull free when you draw, but you can apply light upward pressure to the base of the clip and slide the holster free. That’s a nice feature because it prevents having to take off your belt to remove the holstered firearm.

The Cortona features an open-top design with ample backing to prevent the gun from digging into your flesh, which anyone who carries often will tell you is entirely unpleasant. Guns in the holster ride vertically with little or no forward cant.

Other Options in the Lineup

Next in the Old Tuscany line is the Fucecchio. Designed for small-of-back carry, the OWB Fucecchio ($94) is also made from premium full-grain leather but features a sharp 30-degree cant. It displays a tension-adjusting screw, which is beneficial for an open-top holster, and a hex wrench for adjusting it is included. The belt openings measure right at 1.75 inches, and the soft, flat backing is designed to fit close to the body.

The Lajatico ($92) is one of two new Old Tuscany holsters that feature a thumb strap for added security. Like the other Old Tuscany holsters, it features good-looking full-grain leather construction and can be worn in a cross-draw position or strong side.

The backing is flat, similar to the Fucecchio, and the Lajatico rides close to the body and could be worn concealed with a cover garment. There are two forward belt cutouts that allow you to select from either a near-vertical or canted position, and the one-inch-wide strap has a sturdy metal snap to ensure easy access and security.

Last of the new Old Tuscany holsters is the Vicopisano ($144) which, like the Lajatico, is an OWB belt slide holster with thumb strap and dual belt cutouts that allow the wearer to adjust cant as needed. Like the Lajatico, it can also be worn in a cross-draw carry position. The Vicopisano features bold accent stitching along the front.

Craftsmanship

I’m an unabashed fan of leather holsters. My grandfather was a horseman and a part-time leatherworker, making bridles and customizing saddles for cutting and reining horses. I think the craftsmanship on these holsters is excellent. The choice of leather is very good, and the stitching is heavy enough to hold up for years of use. There’s limited use of metal, but the belt clip on the Cortona and the metal screws and thumb strap snaps on the other holsters are made from robust metal components.

I could do without some of the exterior lines on these holsters that are designed to mimic the geometry of the gun within because I think simple, high-quality leather is all the aesthetics you need.

I carried all four holsters, although I admittedly didn’t wear any of them for weeks on end. But they all spent at least a couple days on my belt as I puttered around the range and office and did farm chores. I spent the most time carrying the Cortona, which was sized for a Glock G19. There’s a break-in period with new leather holsters, and I inserted and drew the G19 many times to make certain that the leather and gun were mating up well.

The Cortona is a simple holster design that rides comfortably against the body. It offers level 1 retention, and the fit was good enough that the holster secured the gun in position without impeding the draw. The Cortona is a half-ounce heavier than my G19 Kydex IWB carry holster, and the Bianchi is slightly bulkier than a competing Kydex model simply due to the thickness of the leather.

Fitment

The fit was not as tight as with Kydex, but the gun never felt loose in the holster. But there’s no arguing, at least to my mind, that the Cortona has more soul than any Kydex holster could muster. The Bianchi works well for strong side carry with a suitable belt, but make certain the clip is secured under the belt. It will also work for appendix carry, although a G19 in a leather holster is pretty bulky for that application.

The holster I carried almost as much as the Cortona was the Fucecchio. I’ve never carried much on the small of the back, but if that’s your favored carry position, this one will work for you. The cutouts in the holster comfortably fit a 1.5-inch belt; a 1.75-incher will fit tightly. The tension screw effectively squeezes the leather against the gun, locking it in position.

The gun rides with the grip facing sharply upward, which works well when wearing a sport coat so long as you don’t have to sit down. The body-hugging design prevents the holster from tipping away from the body due to the weight of the gun, a hazard with some small-of-back designs. Here, the leather is strong enough you can carry a full-size pistol this way without it sagging, and access is good—provided you are flexible enough to reach the straight-up grip. The adjustable retention ensures security, which is especially important on a small-of-back level 1 holster.

The Vicopisano is similar to the Lajatico, although it is more striking with its bold exterior stitching and has the added thumb strap. The thumb-break design requires a downward press on the interior of the strap to unlock the gun. I much prefer this design to holsters with outside thumb breaks because I want the break to be as close to my body—and as far away from the bad guy—as possible.

Multiple Applications

The dual-cant design with two belt cutouts that allow for a proper carry angle is a nice touch. I also like that these holsters can be worn in a cross-draw fashion, which makes them much more versatile for driving, biking or any activity where you’re seated. If I fall off my bike (which I rarely do) or roll my kayak (which I almost always do), I want to know that there’s some form of retention holding my gun in place.

Both the Vicopisano and Lajatico allow the pistol to ride comfortably close to the body without biting, and both are cut for optics—although not all red dots may fit properly. Guns with red dots that don’t extend beyond the front of the slide cut should fit, but you should double-check.

Like I said, I prefer a leather holster, and I like the Bianchis, although I admittedly struggled with the names. But the names are the only awkward parts about these holsters.

They’re available to fit a variety of guns, and you can expect the list to continue to grow, so if you’ve always wanted a really good leather holster at a really good value, the Old Tuscany line delivers.

---