Crafts & Excellences

The blog tour began on Wednesday, November 6, with a visit to Florence’s city centre, all the way up to the top of the Brunelleschi Cupola.

The next morning, our eager participants enjoyed a unique tour of the town, in the footsteps of the historical Florentine artisans: shoemaking, painting, glass engraving, mosaics, ironwork, woodwork, paper marbling – are just some of the activities that made up our agenda!

When talking about craftsmanship in Florence, one immediately thinks of the Fondazione di Firenze per l’Artigianato Artistico: it was created in 2001 by a number of craftsmen, public bodies and cultural institutions to preserve traditional skills and “know-how” in the third millennium. The foundation also promotes the innovative aspects of the artisans’ work. After an introductory tour, the players visited a few workshops and tried their hands at various handicraft activities.

In the afternoon, we moved to Prato to visit the Prato Textile Museum, a flourishing cultural centre that contains the history of local textile production (dating approximately to the beginning of the twelfth century). After that, it was time for a ‘knitting café’ with BettaKnit.

Our journey through the traditions of Pistoia and the surrounding areas began at the Romiti & Giusti plant nursery. The nursery specialises in topiary, a horticultural technique from which sculptures of many different forms can be created just by using plants. This unusual art form hails from Roman times, and over the centuries it has evolved with the fashions, tastes and creativity of the master gardeners.

The second stop of the day was at the UFIP factory (Italian Cymbal Fabricators Union). The group discovered how cymbals are made and got to meet a famous Italian drummer, Gennaro Scarpato. Then it was time to visit the Museum of Music and Percussion Instruments, managed by the Luigi Tronci Foundation.

The last day of Crafts & Experiences outing took us to the Valdichiana area: Cortona in the morning, in search of its terracotta and goldsmithing heritage, and Foiano della Chiana in the afternoon, to experience the enormous zeal that goes into the preparations for the carnival.

In Cortona, there are two different artisan workshops that are absolute must-sees: Terrabruga and Maestri Orafi Del Brenna. The first is famous for its ceramics, called cocci, still made with the traditional techniques. Then, in the cellars of Palazzo Alfieri, home to the Del Brenna workshop, the participants discovered the techniques and processes that go into the creation of jewellery. During the visit there was also an option to do some “Jewellery tasting” (sipping prosecco with gold dust)!

Once in Foiano della Chiana, we immersed ourselves in the atmosphere of one of the oldest carnivals in Italy (established in 1539). The February and March celebrations are only the tip of the iceberg! Every day in Foiano is a carnival, all year round! The participants, guided by Mrs. Alice, took part in the preparatory activities for one of the huge papier-mâché floats.