In a historic building from the 1500s, where once there was the workshop of a Florentine craftsman, luxurious apartments have been created in which the ancient elements – frescoes, wooden beams, terracotta floors – blend with contemporary furnishings, made exclusively from Cafissi 1948.
History
Between the 1930s and 1940s, the grandfather Rolando Cafissi began his activity as a carver in Borgo San Jacopo, the road that connects Ponte Vecchio and Ponte Santa Trinita. Initially Rolando carved mirrors, chandelier arms, sculptures and small objects. But as he becomes better, and in demand by the market, he widens the spaces destined to the laboratory and the warehouse. Also because in the meantime he had expanded the offer: not only objects, but also furniture and furnishing accessories.
The carving and the handmade decoration, together with the gilding with gold leaf, transform the wood into furniture with a refined look: bed headboards, drawers, dressers and small windows.
Later the business is carried out by the daughter and after her grandchildren, Andrea and Barbara, who now run the company Cafissi 1948, moved in the 2000s in a more decentralized area. Once the spaces where they had grown empty, between the smell of wood and the teachings of his grandfather, Andrea and Barbara had no doubts. They decided to open the door of what for the family was a second home to anyone who wants to know a piece of the history of Florence.
Vasari, Pavone and Boboli apartmets
The Florence of artisans
In the 50s and 60s this area was full of artisans: there were those who made crystal chandeliers, who worked silver and who leather, and who like grandfather Rolando carved furniture. Walking down the street was an incredible experience made of noises, smiles and smells. Actors and celebrities from all over the world came to shop in these shops. It’s still the story of when Grace Kelly passed by with her elegance. Today you can relive part of this atmosphere when you cross the threshold of the palace and imagine what the Florence of the 50s was like.
When Barbara and Andrea decided to transform the building in apartments for tourist use, they had clear ideas.
Corte and Vasari apartment
“Here once there was the shop and workshop of our grandfather, who began his activity as a carver in 1948 a few steps from Ponte Vecchio. We wanted to keep his artistic soul intact, starting with the name that pays tribute to this bond: Art Stays. To make our dream come true, we found an architect who could help us enhance the history of the building, thanks to a conservative restoration. As the works proceeded it was fascinating rediscover frescoes, wooden beams, brick arches and traces of all those secular stratifications typical of a city like Florence”.
Bellosguardo, Pitti apartment
From the ancient Roman Florentia to the medieval times, until the Renaissance, and then to the Leopoldine Florence, you can say that within these walls you can breathe the history of the city.
Each apartment is different from the others, with the uniqueness that materials such as stone, terracotta, wood can carry over the years.
They went to insert in a historical context their furniture, still made in an artisanal way in Florence, maintaining a contemporary look. In the apartments there are important architectural elements, walls, floors and ceilings that are already “protagonists” and therefore they did not want to load them too much. They opted for a light, monochrome, refined furnishing style. And of course they used all the “invisible” technology that allows you to have a comfortable stay.
San Jacopo apartment
Soggiorni d’Arte
Borgo San Jacopo 25, 50125 Firenze
www.soggiornidarte.it