One of the highlights of our visit to Florence! Kate, our guide, was excellent! Friendly, very well informed, gracious and the tour was full of interesting stops along the way. We thoroughly enjoyed this tour and hope to sign up for more!

Craftsmanship and artisan wisdom combined to make the Florence Artisan Workshop Tour a highlight of our visit to Florence. Little did we know that behind doors in the Oltrarno neighborhood where we were staying we would find artisan treasures with centuries of design and current handmade quality. The artists willingness to share their skills, dedication and knowledge with us was enjoyable and inspiring.

Our Artisan Workshop Tour in the Oltrarno Neighborhood with Kate Bolton-Porciatti was the absolute highlight of our return trip to Firenze. Guiding us smoothly around the narrow streets, Kate took us into the creative heart of this city to meet and watch five unique artisans. The five of us literally looked over the shoulders of a goldsmith, a printmaker’s family, a venerable woodworker, the makers of handcrafted shoes, Firenze’s celebrated paper makers, and mosaic artists who produced miraculous works in stone. We got to look closely at those hands working with amazing tools to produce the finest works of art. This rare experience of artistry seems all the more precious because there are few apprentices and journey persons learning the craft at the master’s knee. We were so incredibly lucky to have this experience. Thank you, Kate! Thank you, CONTEXT.