Behind Closed Doors: Discovering Florence’s Living Renaissance (You Can Visit)

A heavy wooden door opens, and suddenly I’m stepping into Florence’s past. Not the Florence of typical guided tours and guidebooks, but a Florence that still lives and breathes the Renaissance every day.

If you’re planning an Tuscan adventure and looking for unique things to do in Florence, visiting the workshops of traditional artisans – from mosaic masters and goldsmiths to hatmakers and paper marblers – offers a rare glimpse into the city’s living heritage.

I’m in the Bottega d’Arte Lastrucci, where master artisans continue to create stone mosaics using the same intricate techniques used to adorn the Medici Chapel.

The workshop sits within the old Hospital of San Francesco de’ Macci, a medieval building dating back to 1335.

The building has its own stories to tell – for several centuries, these very rooms housed the famous Madonna of Harpies by Andrea del Sarto, now displayed in the Uffizi Gallery.

Today, along with housing other masterpieces of the past, these rooms are where new masterpieces take shape, as artisans work with the same dedication to craft as their Renaissance predecessors.

Meeting Our Guide

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I’m here with Maria Bengtsson, founder of The Florentine Experience Shopping, though “shopping” feels like too simple a word for what she offers.

While most visitors focus on the typical tourist attractions, discovering these hidden artisan workshops has become one of the best things to do in Florence Italy for those seeking authentic cultural experiences.

Maria doesn’t just show you where to buy things – she opens doors to Florence’s living artistic heritage, introducing you to the masters keeping Renaissance traditions alive in the 21st century.

Where Time Stands Still: The Art of Stone Mosaic

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In the Lastrucci workshop, progress looks different than you might expect.

The artists still cut stone using a simple bow saw – quite literally a bent tree branch with an iron wire stretched between its ends, covered in water and emery powder.

When I ask why they don’t use modern tools, the answer speaks volumes about Italian culture: the ancient tools were crafted to recreate a sense of beauty that modern technology simply cannot reproduce.

I watch as an artisan carefully pieces together what they call “commesso Fiorentino” – the distinctive Florentine mosaic that looks more like painting with stone than traditional mosaic work.

Each piece is cut with extraordinary precision, then joined using a mixture of virgin wax and pine resin, just as it was done in the 1500s. The result is breathtaking: images so fluid you forget they’re made of stone.

The Golden Touch: Centuries of Excellence

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Our next stop takes us to Nerdi Orafi, a small but extraordinary goldsmith workshop nestled near the Ponte Vecchio, inside the historic Casa dell’orafo.

This location itself tells a fascinating story – it was here that the Medici family, understanding the value of concentrated creativity, decreed all of Florence’s goldsmith artisans should work together. Centuries later, this tradition of excellence continues in the same historic quarters.

Don’t let the workshop’s intimate size fool you – Nerdi Lab’s influence in the world of fine jewelry is remarkable. While the artisans create pieces with the same meticulous techniques used for centuries, their skill has caught the eye of contemporary luxury houses – their work has been commissioned by designers like Dolce and Gabbana, bridging Renaissance craftsmanship with modern haute couture.

I watch as delicate hammered chains take shape under skilled hands, each link a testament to centuries of accumulated knowledge. Here, amid the quiet concentration of the workshop, artisans create pieces that would look equally at home in a Renaissance palazzo or on today’s most exclusive runways.

Discovering Florence’s Hidden Artisans

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The Personal Touch

Throughout the morning, Maria leads us to peak into the windows of other workshops as we continue through a carefully curated journey of Florence’s artisan heart.

At each stop, we’re welcomed not as tourists, but as guests interested in understanding the artisans’ craft.

What strikes me most is the absence of pressure to buy – this isn’t a shopping tour in the traditional sense, but rather an intimate look into the workshops where Florence’s artistic heritage continues to thrive.

Yet sometimes, when you connect with an artisan’s work, bringing a piece home feels natural.

The Perfect Hat

My husband, Alfredo, who had been searching for the perfect bespoke hat for years, found his match in Antonio Gatto’s millinery workshop.

Antonio himself is the kind of person who makes you feel instantly at ease – his enthusiasm for his craft is contagious, his eyes sparkling as he explains his love of the hat-making process.

It makes what could have been a simple shopping experience feel more like visiting the studio of an old friend. Watching Antonio work, it was clear why he’s among Florence’s most respected artisans.

For Alfredo, finding Antonio’s workshop wasn’t just about buying a hat – it was about discovering an artisan who understood the perfect balance of tradition and personal style, and making a genuine connection with someone who truly loves what they do.

The Art of Leather

Our path then leads us to Via del Campuccio, where we discover Mortegan, a workshop that could be easily missed if you didn’t know where to look.

In this intimate workshop, master leather craftsman Walter Morgante creates exquisite handbags, wallets, and backpacks entirely by hand.

When I say by hand, I mean exactly that – there isn’t a sewing machine in sight. Every stitch, every detail is meticulously crafted using traditional hand-sewing techniques.

Walter demonstrates the painstaking process, and watching his skilled hands work the leather, you understand why mass-produced items can never match the beauty and durability of truly handcrafted leather goods.

Paper Dreams

In Riccardo Luci’s book binding and paper marbling studio, time seems to flow as fluidly as the pigments dancing on water.

Here, the ancient art of paper marbling – where colors swirl into unrepeatable patterns – continues just as it has for centuries. I found myself transfixed as the artisans in this workshop demonstrate this mesmerizing process, the way each color is carefully dropped onto the surface of the water, creating patterns that will exist only once in exactly that way.

When they offered to create a custom piece for me, I felt that familiar thrill of discovering something truly special.

Choosing my own colors and watching them transform into flowing patterns before my eyes, I understood why this art form has captivated people for generations.

The piece now hanging in my Lucca apartment isn’t just decorative – it’s a tangible reminder of this living tradition, a moment of artistic creation captured in paper.

Why These Experiences Matter

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This is the real Florence.

In an age of mass production and quick souvenirs, these workshops represent something profound about Italian culture.

Here, value isn’t measured in speed or quantity, but in the pursuit of beauty and the preservation of knowledge passed down through generations.

The artisans in Florence Italy aren’t just making products – they’re keeping alive the traditions that made Florence the cradle of the Renaissance.

Your Own Artisan Journey

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If you’re a slow traveler and searching for off the beaten path Florence experiences, Maria offers several ways to discover this hidden side of the city.

Her classic workshop experience includes visits to masters of Florentine mosaic, traditional goldsmiths, leather artisans, and bookbinders.

For those interested in bringing pieces of this craftsmanship home, she also offers artisan shopping tours that can be customized to your interests – whether that’s leather goods, jewelry, unique fashion pieces, or traditional crafts.

Each three-hour tour visits four to five workshops or ateliers, and Maria can tailor the experience to your specific interests from an impressive list of artisans: from sculptors and crystal grinders to perfumers and pottery makers.

What makes these tours special isn’t just the access to normally private workshops, but Maria’s deep knowledge of Florence’s artistic heritage and her personal relationships with the artisans themselves.

Beyond Tourism

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As I left the last workshop of the day, I realized what makes this experience so special.

This isn’t the Florence of tourist checkboxes and quick photos.

This is the Florence that still creates, still crafts, still believes in the power of human hands to transform raw materials into art.

For those seeking unique things to do in Florence, spending time with these master artisans offers a genuine connection to the city’s living heritage – an experience that many visitors never discover, but one that, thanks to guides like Maria, is still accessible to those who wish to look deeper.

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