City of art and culture, Florence it is also the city of shops and crafts passed down from generation to generation. And there is not only Ponte Vecchio with its goldsmith shops: walking (or cycling) in the historic center it is possible to take a dive into the past among traditions and works of craftsmanship that tell us about distant eras and at the same time are renewed. A real art, less known than the others, but equally fascinating.
The history of Florentine craftsmanship
The history of craftsmanship sinks in roots in past centuries: since medieval times, Florentine craftsmanship has played a fundamental role in the economy and culture of the city. The first artisan guilds were formed as early as the 12th century for leather working, weaving and metalworking. During the Renaissance, Florence became the center of luxury craftsmanship in Europe. Artisan workshops flourished throughout the city, specializing in the production of jewellery, fine fabrics, ceramics, glass and precious stones. Master craftsmen such as silk weavers and wood carvers carried Florence’s reputation beyond national borders.
Florentine craftsmanship can be the leitmotif of a visit in the Tuscan capital, to be done in the spring season or at the beginning of summer, cycling (or walking) from shop to shop, stopping to talk to the local artisans who have a lot to tell. There are so many artistic productions of the city: from jewels to engravings, from leather to mosaics, but also to the restoration of antique furniture.
A visit to the shops
FLORENCE – Florentine craftsmanship
The tour of the museums and workshops passes through the artists who have shaped the city in the past, among these, the famous Traversari Brothers (via Senese 68/B) which continues an artisan tradition that began around 1870, when the atelier was just a small souvenir shop, specializing in micromosaic costume jewellery. In 1944, management passed to the three sons of the founder Arturo, who expanded production to the decoration of furnishing accessories. Today there are Franco with his two children, Letizia and Daniele, the third and fourth generation of mosaicists Traversaries. They create portraits, paintings and decorations on objects using different techniques: Florentine mosaic in semi-precious stones, micromosaic in spun enamelled glass and cut glass mosaic. The pedaling (or walking) continues towards Guidi Housea museum located between Piazza San Felice and Via Maggio, set up in the house where they lived English poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning with her husband Robert Browning and his son Pen between 1847 and 1861. In the rooms where the two famous writers composed some of their best poems it is possible to admire some valuable pieces, paintings and furniture purchased from the Florentine second-hand dealers of the time. Among the most important items are the mirror in the hall, purchased at a high price already in the 19th century, the busts of the couple and an interesting collection of 19th century paintings, sometimes copies of older Renaissance authors. In the entrance hall of the building the bust of Robert is a copy of the work by William Wetmore Story, a family friend of the Brownings. Since 1995 the apartment has been part of the Landmark Trust, an English association that owns numerous unusual buildings and rents them out for holidays, so today part of the apartment is available for staying. After Elizabeth Barrett’s death, the municipality of Florence placed a plaque on the door celebrating the bond created by the poet between Italy and England.
Craftsmen at the palace today and tomorrow too
The journey continues towards the Santo Spirito district, the heart of Florentine craftsmanship, where wooden works such as antique and inlaid furniture are restored: Olive trees specializes in the restoration of period furniture Boulle and organizes workshops in which he reveals the secrets of the trade. Genius and style are also at home at Ferragamo Museumwhich celebrates the artistic qualities of Salvatore Ferragamo, one of the great protagonists of 20th century design and fashion.
The genre changes, but the craftsmanship in production does not in the Officina de’ Tornabuoni, for four generations it has specialized in creating the best natural skin care products, perfumes and phytotherapeutic remedies. The history of the Officina began in the historic area of the same name in Florence, in the Anglo-American pharmacy founded by Henry Roberts in 1843, later acquired by the Magherini family. Here the philosophy of well-being merges with profound technical and scientific knowledge, inherited from the ancient Florentine officinal tradition and expanded thanks to cutting-edge research in the care of beauty and body health. In theancient apothecary you can discover cosmetics, perfumes, but also food supplements and herbal teas, made in full respect of ancient knowledge.
If you are not yet tired of cycling (or walking), in Borgo Ognissanti there are two artists specialized in one of the most valuable Florentine arts, lo repousse and chisel. These are processing techniques used in goldsmithing that Giuliano Foglia and Mari Yoshida Foglia, a Japanese artist who fell in love with this technique, carry forward with new proposals and reinterpretations.
Then there is the‘Perfume-Pharmaceutical Workshop of Santa Maria Novella, which is located in via della Scala 16, in a part of the convent complex of Santa Maria Novella. Today it is considered the oldest historic pharmacy in all of Europe, it has been open for over 4 centuries and therefore one of the oldest commercial establishments ever: for this reason an Italian philatelic issue was dedicated to it in 2012. If you want to know the whole story there is a museum itinerary that develops in what were once the production laboratories. Here you can admire machines once used for processing, glass, ancient ceramics and copper and bronze objects
And finally the artisan workshop of “Florentine leather” in via Palazzuolo open from Giuseppe Fanara in 1989. Here, together with his son Mirko, the master creates highly valuable leather accessories, such as cigar cases, eyeglass cases, jewelery boxes, and above all the typical coin purse, called “tacco”. The technique is that of Florentine cuoietto, an ancient process that enhances the brilliance of the leather and uses exclusively vegetable tanned leather in Tuscany.
Where stay
FLORENCE – GHM Monument View Junior Suite
We recommend Grand Hotel Mediterraneo, a 4* hotel in a contemporary style on the Lungarno in a strategic position for visiting the city and the main attractions. It offers large and welcoming spaces with character. The gastronomic offer in the hotel restaurant offers traditional Tuscan cuisine.
Tags: bike foot discover artisan shops Florence
