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Italy: the land of fashion, style, elegance, centuries-old craftsmanship! Let’s discover the skills and techniques that have made Italian handicraft famous all over the world. Italian leather, Italian silver, Italian marble, just to name a few.
Our tour will take you around the picturesque maze of narrow alleys in one of the oldest sections in town, visiting the workshops and interacting with the artisans. You will learn how mosaics are made, you will see how beautiful silver artifacts are designed and created, you will discover the secrets of Italian leathergoods. Meet the friendly artisan whose extravagant carved wood sculptures and shop-signs you can often notice around this area; and marvel at a traditional stone-cutter’s workshop, where marble and precious stones are still carved the same way Michelangelo did several centuries ago.
Even the names of the streets tell us about age-old shops and crafts: Via dei Cappellari (the hat-makers street), Via dei Pianellari (the shoe-makers street), Via dei Coronari (the rosary-makers street), Via dei Giubbonari (the corset-weavers street)… These streets have a wonderful bohemian feeling, with vintage boutiques, little hidden workshops, speakeasy bars, and quaint galleries.
Interesting bits of local knowledge and lots of information about the creative and artisanal work leading to the production of the handcrafted items we’ll see, make this tour informative and fun. It will also provide you with the insight needed to spot the difference between a unique piece of craftsmanship and a factory-made, standardized product.
There’s absolutely no pressure to buy anything, since the tour is about getting to know the crafts and techniques used by the artisans. If you fall in love with some of the items you’ll see on the tour, feel free to take the time to do some shopping, but please don’t feel like you have to!
