The tradition of the “Antichi Mestieri” (ancient trades or crafts) is still carried on in Florentine workshops by goldsmiths, mosaic artists, leather craftsmen, and restorers
The production of manufactured goods has been the foundation of Florence’s cultural and artistic fabric since the 12th century, when the Arts and Trades Guilds contributed to the flourishing of workshops, true cultural centers. In the workshops of great masters, arts and crafts, creative and manual labor blended together into a perfect mix. Manual skills have been handed down throughout the centuries from generation to generation, thus allowing ancient crafts techniques to be preserved. These are still applied to leather, iron, stones (these last ones are skillfully cut and used to create the superb Florentine mosaic works known as “commesso fiorentino”) and precious metals, with which local goldsmiths create the jewelry that lights up the shop windows on Ponte Vecchio. e-mail
The florentine goldsmith’s art, featured by Paolo
Simone, the leather craftsmen
The Ilio’s “commesso fiorentino”
The Giancarlo’s smithy
