I’m so excited to finally share my recap from my recent trip to Florence, Italy! Last month, I was fortunate enough to travel to the Birthplace of the Renaissance on behalf of PromoFirenze and Florence Chamber of Commerce. The focus of the trip was MIDA 2019, the 83rd annual International Artisan Fair that highlights local generational trades found in Florence.

Day One.

After a very long flight we arrived to our hotel, The Student Hotel located in downtown Florence. (Luckily, I had two friends who also packed their bags and hopped on the flight with me.) We rested during the day and then headed to the Florence Chamber of Commerce for a beautiful welcome dinner. I absolutely loved the musical performers, a violinist and guitarist duo. It was a fun event to meet the people who helped organize the trip. A perfect dinner to kick-off our european getaway.

Day Two.

After a restful night, we headed straight to MIDA 2019 which was only a couple blocks from our hotel. I met a variety of artisans such as fashion designers, sculptors, jewelry designers and more. My favorite exhibition was The Seven Wonders of Tuscany — An Exploration into the Art of Craftsmanship. I saw men and women working with gold foil, alabaster and tobacco.

I truly loved visiting the exhibitions that highlighted the skills that were handed down from generation to generation. I hope that one day I can visit Florence and study abroad as an adult. There is something special about using our hands to create something and where else in the world would it be better to study abroad than in Florence?

Day Three.

I headed to Vinci to learn about the birthplace of Leonardo Da Vinci. We walked by his childhood home, learned about his unusual upbringing and visited the church where he was baptized. I actually didn’t know much about Leonardo’s early childhood and was actually very surprised to learn about all of the secrecy and challenges that he faced early on.

After our half-day trip to Vinci, we headed to Montelupo, an Italian region in Tuscany well-known for its history with pottery. Ceramics production in Montelupo began toward the 13th century. The expansion of potter’s art was greatly favored by Montelupo’s geographical position, in the Arno river valley between the city of Florence and the sea — close to rich clay deposits. An archeological dig found a lot of pieces of ceramics from the Renaissance period, during the highlight of ceramics. Most of these pieces are on display at the local museum.

I had an absolute blast during our time in Florence. I especially loved the programming where I had an opportunity to learn about the rich history of such a beautiful city in Italy. Special thanks to PromoFirenze and Florence Chamber of Commerce.

If you are a trade professional or buyer, I would highly recommend checking out MIDA for handcrafted products that are unique to Florence.

Images Courtesy of PromoFirenze