Oltrarno artisan walk — Experience the local, the authentic and the hidden Florence with Maria B.

Oltrarno artisan walk — Experience the local, the authentic and the hidden Florence with Maria B.

PHOTOS & SPANISH VERSION BELOW

Maria B. — half Italian, half Swedish — is a graphic designer with great sensitivity and passion for any form of aesthetics and beauty. Florentine Experience Shopping was created by Maria in 2015 to spread her love for authentic and incomparable Florentine craftsmanship. She spent months hunting handicraft workshops interacting with the artisans and designers, where she gained knowledge of what is behind a genuine artisan piece. Her private and customized ‘Oltrarno Artisan Walk’ — among other exciting and recommendable tours she also organizes — offers a unique visit to some arresting and extraordinary working spaces. There one can observe closely artisans creating the most delightful and outstanding handmade products, for instance: leather bags and shoes, gold and silversmiths, Florentine mosaic, wood art, and much more.…

Continue Reading
Brands made in Florence #4: Gianfranco Lotti

Brands made in Florence #4: Gianfranco Lotti

PHOTOS & SPANISH VERSION BELOW

Manufacturing bags, belts, wallets and accessories in leather since 1968 as a real brand, Gianfranco Lotti is deeply anchored in this Florentine heritage, keeping the memory to create modernity that lasts in the future. Gianfranco Lotti has been artfully crafting bags since the age of 14 (1957) perpetuating the art of crafting leather as he learned from his masters. The keylock is the symbol featured on Gianfranco Lotti’s bags and products and is a signature of all the collections. It casts back to an ancient emblem of the Medici family in Florence. The keylock materializes the immaterial link between the ancient art of craft, the respect of the heritage and the openness to the future.…

Continue Reading