Frame gilding in Arezzo

Arezzo has been called "the city of gold" since the Middle Ages — long before the modern jewellery industry made the name literal. The tradition of artistic gilding with metal leaf flourished here when the city's workshops were decorating altarpieces and frames for churches across Tuscany. That knowledge has never really left. The same techniques are still taught in the same streets, by craftspeople who learned them from the generation before.

Two expert artisans guide you through 3 hours of gilding: preparing the surface, applying gold, silver or copper leaf with traditional tools, finishing with pigments, glues, varnishes and waxes. You work on a real frame — not a practice piece — using the same materials and the same gestures that have been used since the Renaissance. You take the gilded frame home. It is, simply, a beautiful thing to have made.

Perfect for fans of decorative arts, cultural travellers, creative corporate team-building events, and anyone who wants to experience a genuine craft tradition at its source.