The last two generations may have learnt that with industrial manufacturing all things are made in series with machinery. This is comprehensible as in the past those who invented these machines took great pride in boasting about their capability to surpass man-made objects for productivity and perfection of execution. Fortunately with time we have come to understand that things are not exactly this way, and that artisans are fundamental to keep alive the beauty of things that reflect our human state of being. Still in 2009, not all things are industrialized.
The industrial revolution has completely skipped the Oltrarno district of Florence. Oltrarno is called “the other Florence”, that of popular traditions and of artisan workshops, one that unleashes creativity and color, quality and uniqueness. This is the Oltrarno of Florence, the city and the people of ancient crafts. It also is one of the most charming, passionate, and multifaceted sections of the city. Once considered “the poor neighborhood”, it is now one of the places that exude history and tell the story of its brilliant past that endures even nowadays. Here every morning artisans open their “shoppe” and get to work at human pace, following ancient craftsmanship techniques handed down for centuries, to carry on their patient and meticulous work that makes the Florentine craft excellent and world renown.
Oltrarno is often defined as an “open-air museum“, where each shop is a different room to be discovered through a route made of streets and alleys, searching for laboratories and workshops. A heterogeneous landscape of art masters scattered in San Frediano, San Niccolò and Santo Spirito. Along the way you may run into goldsmith laboratories and admire exceptional creations of rare beauty from the original design of these masters. Again, you can discover the famous silver chisel shops of Florence, strictly hand-made. Some roads are famous artisan streets, such as Via Maggio where they practice the ancient technique of engraving and the Quattrocento furniture gilding technique in the wonderful Santo Spirito.
The Florentine ingenuity can also be discovered in the shoe making art. New tailor-made models are invented with prestigious leather and elaborate sewing. Some shops have customers from all over the world and carry on the tradition of ceramics, art, wood carving, and decoration.
Today it is also possible to discover Oltrarno with a professional tourist guide. The Chamber of Commerce and the Agency for Tourism, together with the Province and the Municipality of Florence, offer a tour of historical Oltrarno shops. These visits are charged 10 Euros per person, last about three hours, and take place on Mondays and Thursdays afternoon at 3PM starting from a location that varies each time. Tours are held throughout the year, with one break in summer (from the last week of July to the second week of September, included) and during the Christmas season. To better appreciate the craftsmanship of each artisan, every tour includes three workshops that on a rotating basis cover all those in Oltrarno.
More info and booking: Phone +39 055 3036108 Mon, Wed, Fri, from 10AM to Noon, Tus, Thu from 2 to 4PM, Email: itinerari.turistici@siwwebsrl.com
Here a video that will surely make you impatient to participate to these tours:
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Video courtesy of turismo.intoscana.it
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