Tuscany is famous for several different craft traditions which continue to this day to a lesser or greater degree. There is gold-smithing of Arezzo, the leather-working of Mugello, the glass-blowing of Empoli, and the transforming of the marble of Volterra into all sorts of wonderful things, to name but a few. One of the most quietly impressive traditions of craft in all of Tuscany, however, has to be Montalbano’s history of truly extraordinary embroidery. For those who book a villa with pool in Lucca or a luxury villa in Florence and are planning day-trips in the area, the beautiful locality of Montalbano, in the province of Pistoia is worth visiting for its exceptional looks alone but is also a place where lovely things have also been made.
2024