MAIN ITEMS INCLUDED IN THE TOUR
One cannot think of Florence without thinking of the goldsmith’s art, an ancient, traditional, Florentine craft dating back to the 1300s, when the corporation of goldsmiths was founded – later to blend into the Silk Merchants guild. Your AGT guide will take you to explore the most significant sites where the goldsmiths used to work, but will also show you some of the workshops operating today and keeping faith with their age-old traditions. The Silver Museum in Palazzo Pitti, which houses the jewellery collection of the Medici Grand-dukes has recently been enlarged to exhibit a selection of contemporary goldsmithery. After viewing these treasures, your AGT guide will lead you over the Ponte Vecchio, stopping near the bust of Benvenuto Cellini, which was dedicated to the memory of their illustrious colleague by the Florentine goldsmiths. Your next stop will be at the Goldsmith’s House in Vicolo Marzio, the old palace chosen by the Medici to collect all the most important goldsmith’s workshops under one roof, which now hosts about twenty craftsmen’s workshops. You will witness a demonstration of the hammering, burin incision and setting techniques in one of these workshops.
Your AGT guide will next take you through the Mercato Nuovo loggia, which used to be a place where precious objects were bought and sold, and you will halt at Orsammichele beneath the statue of St. Eligius, patron of the goldsmiths’ corporation, by Nanni di Banco. Your tour will end in an artistic workshop which has produced some of the items in the contemporary section of the Grand-ducal Treasury in Palazzo Pitti, proving that today’s artists continue to pursue the path of innovation, tradition and painstaking expertise.
Agt Firenze proposes solutions targeted at various types of tourist, that require specific care, both as regards planning the contents of the itineraries, such as, for instance, school excursions, as well as regards disabled visitors. If you require this kind of itinerary, we suggest you contact us directly so as to let us know exactly what kind of provisions you require, so that we can jointly plan your Florentine experience in the most advantageous manner.
