Artigianato e Palazzo 2020 Spotlights Timeless Italian Artisans

Thurs. 17 – Sun. 20: ARTIGIANATO E PALAZZO.  Crafts fair.  Palazzo Corsini garden, via della Scala 115.  Open 10 am – 8 pm.  Admission:  €8, € 6 reduced, and no admission is charged for children under 12.  Free catalogue included.

Small lemon trees, manicured hedges and neoclassical statues line the path that leads to the Artigianato e Palazzo show where a select group of artisans from all over Italy annually display their creations.  In its 26rd year, the fair is once again being held in the garden of Palazzo Corsini and the limonaia, where citrus trees were once housed during the winter months.

The fair features 70 different artisans mainly from Italy, some of whom will give live demonstrations of their work, showing how their handicraft has remained the same for centuries.  Some of the craftspeople who will be present include glass workers, ceramists, goldsmiths, milliners, and antiques restorers. Artigianato e Palazzo also hosts a section called Blogs&Crafts where bloggers will be interviewing artisans and discussing crafts, lifestyle, tourism, and fashion all while filming videos to be featured on their personal websites.

The owners of Ippogrifo, located on via Santo Spirito, will be among the event’s special guests. Since 1999, Gianni Raffaelli and his son Duccio have carried on the ancient tradition of etching. Etching is a printmaking process in which a metal printing plate–often copper–is incised to form an image, which can be filled in with inks. This process stems from medieval times when the city was organized into governing guilds of specialized craftsmen. Raffaelli’s shop is one of the three remaining of its type left in Florence. Deciding to involve local artisans in an event to pay homage to Florence, Domenico Dolce of Dolce & Gabbana ordered reproductions of watercolor views of the city and the lily of Florence (the city’s emblem) from Ippogrifo which were showcased in the fashion house’s Palazzo Vecchio runway show held in early September.

Artigianato e Palazzo welcomes many traditional artisans to showcase the beauty in their intricate work, such as shimmering jewelry, hand-painted porcelain, cameos, wood and stone inlay, one-of-a-kind belts, bags and purses, and hand-made shoes.  Each work displayed in the fair is made with a great deal of devotion and skill, and for many of the exhibitors their work is not only an antique practice, but also a modern way of life.   (with reporting by lauren polanski)