With Grandma’s first visit to Europe, we wanted to give her a special window into a country with centuries of art and culture. While we thought a deep dive into Renaissance art might be a bit of a snooze for her and the kids, a tour of the artisans of Florence seemed like the right tone. Enter Context Travel again, our go-to resource for incredible, private tours. (No, they are not sponsoring our blog, we just love them). We chose an Artisans of Florence tour, which could be tailor-made to our interests. After discussing with the kids, we picked silver, leather and paper as the artisans that we wanted to learn about and visit. I’ve included lots of pictures in this post because Josh did an amazing job capturing the day.
The tour was in the Oltrarno neighborhood, which for centuries has been where the concentration of artists have worked and lived. The name Oltrarno literally means “other side of the Arno”, which is the river that bisects the city. On the opposite side the river are most of the famous tourist attractions. We chose to stay in the Oltrarno as well, so we could wander the streets without the throng of tourists swarming in the city center.
So, we set off for a three hour tour with the kids and Grandma. Our first stop was a silversmith, Guiliano Ricchi who has been working in the same workshop for 55+ years, first as an apprentice, now as a highly skilled artisan. Sadly, he has no apprentice. So we saw first hand an example of the tenuous nature of some of this specialized artistry. Standing in his antiquated workshop, full of beautiful things, there was no one there to continue his lovingly handmade work. The main pic from this post is a sampling of some of his incredible creations. He spent almost an hour with us, charming the children (who could understand his only-Italian dialogue!) and making them special bracelets.
The narrow streets and alleyways of the Oltrarno are teeming with people in workshops, doing everything from gilded wood restoration to violin reconstruction. It was like a treasure hunt for the kids. We stopped into a store where you could buy a pair of custom men’s shoes for €1,000 and six months of wait time!
We visited a jewelry artists’ collective where six 20-something year old artisans from around the world worked together in an open-space studio. They all had their unique style and expression of jewelry, but shared a passion for the craft. Officine Nora also offers jewelry making classes for people of all ages and skill level. It would be a lovely place to spend an afternoon or a few days.
Our next stop was a leather store where a mother/daughter team crafted incredible wares, from belts to handbags. She was so warm and took the time to explain all the types of leather to the kids. Her laboratory, Ali Firenze, was just off of Piazza della Passera that is one of the liveliest on that side of the river (and where we had dinner one night at 4 Leoni–a must-go place).
Finally, we trekked past the Pitti Palace to find a paper maker/book binder who was the third generation of paper artisans in his family. He showed us how he made all the patterns in the beautiful and famous Florentine paper. Fun fact, that technique actually came from Asia, by way of Turkey. The art form disappeared from Asia, but remains a deep tradition in Florence.
The walk was a big hit for all generations that participated. It provided the kids with an insight into the time and effort it can take to make real objects. Grandma got a really nice lens with which to view the culture and history of a magical city. We got a really beautiful silver wine holder–so everyone won in the end. Please scroll through the pics below!
