When you go to Florence, you usually have a clear map already in mind. The Duomo rises above the city skyline, the Uffizi holds some of the world’s most famous paintings, and the streets around Piazza della Signoria preserve the monumental center of Renaissance Florence.
Yet, just across the Arno River lies another part of the city, one that tells us about a slightly different Florence. The Oltrarno, the district that develops south of the river around Palazzo Pitti, Piazza Santo Spirito, and Porta Romana, has long been associated with workshops, studios, and the everyday work of artisans; and so, while the historic center presents Florence as a city of masterpieces already completed, the Oltrarno reveals a side of Florence where making still continues.
