The last time I was in Florence I toured many of the top hotel properties, and one of my favorites is The Place. Located on beautiful Piazza Santa Maria Novella, it's got a discreet presence while also having great outdoor dining right on the square. I shared a delicious lunch with my contact at The Place, seated at the tables above, and gained an appreciation for this boutique hotel gem. Then I learned of the owner's dedication to preserving traditional Italian craftsmanship and fell in love with it even more!
Excerpt below from 6/28/2024 article by Jen Rose Smith can found here.
A groundbreaking project protects Florentine wonders for generations to come.
Paging through leather-bound volumes in The Place Firenze, buttery pages come alive with pencil sketches, crabbed notes, and architectural plans. These groundbreaking new editions of 500-year-old Leonardo da Vinci manuscripts line the hotel’s common spaces for guests to peruse after days exploring the works of Michelangelo, Botticelli, and other Renaissance contemporaries. The books are a return of sorts. Though da Vinci found fame in Milan and Rome, he came of age in Florence’s famed artisan workshops, learning tangible skills such as sculpture and metalwork – crafts that are in peril today.
“Most of the artisans now are very old,” explains lifelong Florentine Claudio Meli, The Place Firenze’s general manager. “And they’re really struggling, economically speaking.” That’s why the Babini family, owners of The Place Firenze and its sister property, Londra Palace Venezia, launched The Place of Wonders, a two-year-old nonprofit foundation with a mission to sustain centuries-old Italian creative traditions. In Florence, the organization identified seven “wonders” worthy of protection, including one atelier’s whimsical gold jewelry, handpainted Ginori porcelain, and etched glass from San Frediano.
To help sustain these works, The Place organizes exclusive encounters with master artisans, during which travelers learn firsthand about the city’s most exquisite treasures. “We need to help these people to stay independent, to have their creativity, to work with their hands, which is something that made Florence so famous over the centuries,” Meli explains.
At the family-owned Bianco Bianchi workshop, smooth tabletops and sculptures glint in intense shades of carmine and cobalt. Visitors watch as artisans dye, shape, and etch scagliola – a plaster that resembles glossy marble. While many travelers return home with precious souvenirs, third-generation scagliola maker Leonardo Bianchi also sees the studio visits as opportunities to share his family’s artistry. “We like that people feel the authenticity of our workshop and see the passion that never abandoned us,” he says.
For its part, The Place of Wonders puts tour revenue toward scholarships for young Italian artists: In 2022, the foundation supported three student goldsmiths at Le Arti Orafe; last year, it sponsored three up-and-coming jewelry designers and stone setters. The project has since expanded to Venice, where artistic “wonders” include handmade leather goods, soprarizzo velvet textiles, and glass jewelry from Murano. This year’s inaugural Venice workshops pair students with glassmaker Alessia Fuga and jeweler Marisa Convento.
Meanwhile, foundation director Michela Canzi has noticed a growing awareness of Italian heritage craftwork. “We think the younger generation will realize how important it is,” Canzi says, noting that an early scholarship recipient recently started his own glass-bead-making business on Murano.
Travelers, too, play a role in the renaissance, by upgrading their usual souvenir shopping to establish personal connections with artisans, which creates a ripple effect. “Guests deeply understand how things are made – the mix of local culture, tradition, and hard work,” Canzi says. “They take home a piece of the city and become ambassadors for Italian culture, and this is so beautiful for us.”
At The Place Firenze and Londra Palace Venezia, Virtuoso travelers receive breakfast daily, a $100 hotel credit, plus more VIP amenities.
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