The workshops
The Oltrarno has been the craftsmen's quarter for five hundred years. Many workshops are still in the same rooms.
Between via Maggio, via Santo Spirito, borgo San Frediano and via dei Serragli there are still dozens of working historic workshops: some restore antique furniture, some gild frames in gold leaf, some sew bags by hand, some build violins or bind books. The door is almost always open because the light is needed, and anyone passing can stop and watch.
It is not a museum and there is no ticket: you say hello, you ask whether you can come in, you stand quietly for a moment while the craftsman works. Many are happy to talk; some sell what they make, at workshop prices rather than shop-window ones.
The walk we suggest takes a couple of hours, on foot, with stops in the neighbourhood squares. Free, like walking.
The walk
A walking route through the craftsmen's streets, with the right stops.
- 0:00 · Ponte Santa TrinitaCrossing the ArnoFrom the bridge you head into via Maggio: antique dealers and restorers with their workshops at the back.
- 0:20 · Via Santo SpiritoGilders and framesThe gold-leaf and restoration workshops: from the street you can see the benches and the frames hanging up.
- 0:50 · Piazza Santo SpiritoThe stopThe neighbourhood square, with the morning market and the bars. Coffee costs what it should cost.
- 1:15 · Borgo San FredianoLeatherworkers and violin makersThe leather workshops, a violin maker, a bookbinder. Go in and ask: people here like to explain.
- 1:50 · Piazza del CarmineThe finishThe Cappella Brancacci (ticketed) or a bench in the square. From here the centre is 10 minutes away.
Getting there
Route on Google MapsThe Oltrarno is across the river from the station: you get there on foot.
What to know before you go
Four things the Oltrarno craftsmen take for granted.
The workshops open around 9 and close for lunch. On Saturday afternoons many are shut; on Sundays almost all of them.
An open door is not an invitation to film. A “posso?” is enough, and the answer is almost always yes.
A bag costs more than at the market, and lasts twenty years. Many workshops also do repairs.
On the main streets some shop windows sell imported leather with a Florentine air. A real workshop has the workbench in plain sight, not just shelves.
Around the Oltrarno
The quarter has the best gardens, the best view and the best trattorie in Florence.
Nearby, on Twip
Watching is free. If you want to sew a bag with the leatherworker or gild a frame, those you book on Twip.
Frequently asked questions about the workshops
The things people ask us before they leave.
Is there an entrance fee?
No. They are shops and workshops: you walk in, you say hello, you watch. You only pay if you buy something or book a class.
Which days?
Monday to Friday, morning and afternoon. On Saturday many open only in the morning; on Sunday almost all are closed.
Can you take photos?
If you ask first. In some workshops no, to protect clients' work.
Do they speak English?
Many do, and all of them speak with their hands. A “posso guardare?” in Italian opens every door.
Where do I eat?
Piazza Santo Spirito and San Frediano have the trattorie where Florentines eat. Two streets from via Maggio the prices drop.
