Description

Italy is world-renowned for its rich culture of artistic expression that has for centuries inspired the visual vocabulary and the aesthetic trends of cultures throughout the world.  While at first glance, this might appear to be a spontaneous phenomenon, it is in reality the fruit of a deeply engrained – even if oftentimes overlooked – cultural sensibility that Italians have harbored and cultivated for centuries: their passion for collecting. Whether collections of works of art from remote eras and distant cultures, or more contemporary works of memorabilia, painting, or sculpture, Italians collect it all.

The Collector’s Tour: living history through antiquarian arts is an immersive exploration of Italian collecting over time. It offers a glimpse beyond the portoni of Tuscany’s villas and palazzi to reveal the methods of collection and conservation employed by great collectors of the past and present. Through an exploration of the far-reaching treasures you will encounter, this tour invites you to reconnect with and celebrate the richness and diversity of our world: a world that is far larger and more nuanced than that which the tech-driven, virtual realm might otherwise project.

Offered as either a full-day excursion, or in a more extended retreat format lasting several days, this tour offers immersive insight into all aspects of collecting through the ages.  In addition to visiting museums, you will also visit some of Florence’s most notable antique dealers and skilled conservationists who ply their crafts to sourcing and preserving echoes of the past that have withstood time in the form of collectable material goods. You will also visit one of our Artisan Partners, Master Goldsmith Paolo Penko, with whom – in keeping with the Renaissance tradition of repackaging classical antiques in contemporary designs – we craft custom works of artisanal jewelry and accessories that breathe new life into ancient artifacts.