The Arts of Florence

An itinerary entirely devoted to the Florentine trade guilds that contributed so much to the city's wealth and prestige.

Overview

From the second half of the twelfth century, Florence developed the so-called “Arti” or trade guilds. These associations were responsible for protecting and managing the interests of a specific professional category or an individual trade. They were organized into seven Arti Maggiori (major corporations) and fourteen Arti Minori (minor corporations) during the thirteenth century CE. The first ones represented the essential activities in the city and often even came to have an international dimension. In contrast, the second ones were niche craft-based activities linked more locally. As their economic weight grew, the Arts also gained more and more political importance, leading in 1282 CE to the creation of a new governing body called the Priory of the Arts. However, the guilds remained firmly in power alongside the city’s most illustrious families until the advent of the Medici seigniory and the significant changes of the 15th century that drastically reduced their weight. Through this tour, you will be able to see the importance of some of the Florentine Arts in the city’s glorious past and observe some of the historical palaces in which these guilds had their headquarters. Specifically, the path will lead through the Palace of the Art of Judges and Notaries, the Palace of the Art of the Beccai, the Palace of the Art of Wool, the Palace of the Art of Merchants, the Palace of the Art of Silk, and the Residence of the Art of the Corregiai.