Church of Santo Spirito |
Originally, and up to the end of the 12th century, the urban territory of Florence was divided into quarters. When the city walls were enlarged between 1172 and 1175, the city had to be divided into six districts which also included the hamlets that had sprung up on the other side of the river, and which, with their many artisan activities, were to become a fundamental factor in the economic life of the city. These six districts included various peoples and groups and were then called Gonfaloni, after the standards that identified the different districts and around which the inhabitants of the area gathered. In 1343 the Gonfaloni were reorganized since the city had grown considerably within the new circle of Arnolfo di Cambio’s walls. The original six districts were replaced by a new subdivision into quarters named after the city’s most important churches: San Giovanni, Santa Maria Novella, Santa Croce and Santo Spirito. The number of Gonfaloni was set at 16 and their functions gradually took on an administrative nature. |
Nowadays the Oltrarno is a living reality where the past is still alive in the "hum" of generations of craftsmen tenaciously attached to their ancient crafts.
In the labyrinth of lanes in the Oltrarno one can still encounter artisans who preserve and hand down original and refined working methods, directly transmitted by the craftsmen who in past centuries enriched Florence with their handmade objects. The survival of these techniques is entrusted to the patience and diligence with which they ply their craft every day, producing unique pieces appreciated by those who know a fine craft object when they see it.
For Antonio Paolucci the "true genius of the Italians" lies in their artisan talents, the fruit of "a conscious transmission of beauty, an ancient wisdom which flowers in the fantasy or in the intellect".
Mario Carniani
