Artisan workshops, patrimony of Valdarno and of Tuscany

The art of the glassmaker, of the carpenter, of theceramist. In the land of the arts the talent of mankind sublimate in thecraftsman. Outlet, supermarkets, huge shopping centres: all nice, modern placesand often inexpensive. But have you tried to go in to a real craftsman’sworkshop?
 
Around Florencethere are a lot of artisan workshops still active. In fact, until the end ofthe last century in the provinces of Tuscany there were mostly so called “smallto medium” size companies. A cold term which has supplanted the romantic aspecteven if not completely so. However, even if the artisans have been dying outsince way back, the master craftsmen continue to be a symbol of typicalFlorentine, typical Tuscan industriousness and creativity.  
 
Not far from Hotel Tenuta il Burchio it is possible tofind craftsmen of furniture in the area of Tosi and Reggello, the masters of“cotto fiorentino” are in Impruneta and the masters of ceramic around MontelupoFiorentino. But it is when walking around the streets of Figline Valdarno, SanGiovanni Valdarno or TerranuovaBracciolini, not to mention the narrow and well preserved lanes in the centreof Florence wherewe find, often behind dusty shop-windows and hand painted signs, chair menders,frame makers and gilders, sculptors and cobblers.
 
A patrimony that local councils are trying to savefrom sinking into oblivion and from the modern age where the key word is “poco”(“little”): little time, little money, little quality.
But the philosophy of a craftsman is made up of time,costs and guaranteed quality. Like that of an artist or maybe more than that ofan artist.