Artistic craftsmanship is alive and well in Tuscany!

While visiting the annual Artisan fair in Florence, we saw handcrafted items of all sorts from beautiful table linens, to handpainted ceramics to intricately carved wood frames. One artisan that caught our eye makes unique lamps and lampshades. Look for some of these handmade lampshades in the shop later this year.

One-of-a-kind lamps made from antique iron pieces

Handmade lampshade with botanical print

How to decide amongst these beautiful shades?

Also at the Artisan fair we enjoyed seeing an exhibit of handpainted ceramics from Montelupo, a small Tuscan town of medieval origins. Montelupo has a long history of majolica production which began in the second half of the 13th century and continues today.

Antique pitcher from Montelupo

I love that we contribute in a small way to continuing this grand tradition by bringing ceramics from the Montelupo region to our shop in San Francisco.

At the factory, placing a big order!

As we walked the streets of Florence, we couldn’t resist snapping a few photos!

The David on a sunny spring day

On such a glorious spring day the monuments of Florence shine

On Thursday, we visited the little town of Scarperia in the Mugello region of Tuscany. Scarperia is another medieval Tuscan town with an interesting history of craftsmanship. Scarperia is famous for its knife production which has continued since the 1400s. We picked up some knives, including some pocket knives, from our family-run supplier, Consigli.

The Consigli shop in Scarperia

Fiorentino, Pattada, and Mozzetta pocket knives & mushroom hunting knife

While in Scarperia, we wandered the streets a bit . . .

The medieval village of Scarperia

Very cool doors!

Check back soon for photos of antiques that will be on our next container!
A presto,
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