About this experience
Mysterious, colorful, eccentric, amusing, intriguing, bohemian, carefree, enchanting - here it is, the less known to tourists Florence that inhabits the left bank of the Arno River. We will stroll with you through the part of the city where the hurried tourist usually does not reach. Through places where the true soul of Florence has been preserved for centuries.
What to Expect
Unparaded Florence
Oltrarno, 'beyond the river' - this is how the Florentines call the area on the other side of the Arno River. We will walk through the quarter famous for its narrow streets, each one steeped in history, intrigues, and curious details, as well as known for its artisan workshops upholding ancient traditions, and new eccentric jewelry shops and laboratories. Oltrarno is not as festive as the museum-like city center, but the favorite taverns, bars, and shops of the native Florentines are right here! And it is here that you will discover an authentic Florence, less pompous and much cozier.
Ancient Crafts of Florence
Shops of master craftsmen of ancient crafts have become so rooted in the city's fabric that they have become its hallmark. Here, you can purchase authentic Florentine souvenirs or just watch restorers, antique dealers, sculptors, artists, craftsmen who have been creating Florentine marbled paper for decades, intarsia artisans, engravers, ceramists who know the secrets of material processing passed down from generation to generation.
Ponte Vecchio - the City's Postcard
We will start our walk from Ponte Vecchio, the oldest bridge in Florence, famous for its jewelry shops. Here, we will visit one of the authentic jewelry workshops, immersed in a genuine and enchanting environment deliberately left unchanged for centuries, where treasures are born, precious metals are engraved, heraldic seals and coats of arms are realized, and where jewelry and works of art are restored and renewed using traditional processing techniques.
Secrets of Florentine Streets
Along the way, I will tell you and show you many amazing and lesser-known details that often go unnoticed by most visitors and even by Florentines themselves. You will visit the birthplace of a famous mathematician and navigator who indirectly participated in the discovery of America; see the remains of a well from the Roman era; walk along a narrow alley where the world's most famous and mysterious woman was born. You will admire the palace that the great Duke Francesco I gave to his beloved Bianca Cappello, and learn about the intrigues of their forbidden love. You will visit the workshops of several antique dealers, intarsia craftsmen, and creators of Florentine marbled paper, as well as stroll along one of the streets that has preserved its medieval spirit despite the destructive bombings that shook Florence during World War II.
At the end of the walk, we will return to the luxurious and tidy right bank of the river via the most elegant Florentine bridge - Santa Trinita, enjoying the enchanting view of the city reflected in the water.
