Workshop · Florence · Tuscany
Leather school and workshop in the former monastery of Santa Croce, founded after the war, with a shop and courses.
Editorial selection, no paid placement
The Scuola del Cuoio is in Florence behind the Basilica of Santa Croce, in the former dormitory of the Franciscan monastery, which the Medici had donated to the Franciscans in the Renaissance. It was founded after the Second World War by the monastery's Franciscans together with the Gori and Casini families, who had worked as leather craftsmen since the 1930s. The aim was to teach war orphans a trade they could live from. The first workbenches stood in the corridor of the old dormitory.
Today the daughters of Marcello Gori, Laura, Francesca and Barbara, run the house together with the next generation; according to the school, four generations of the family are thus devoted to the leather craft. The flood of 1966 hit the school hard, and it took almost a year for the business to recover. In 2022 the family established the Marcello Gori Foundation, which trains six young people in leather craft each year.
According to the school, the craftspeople work Monday to Friday, and the shop sells bags, accessories and other leather goods. If you want to try it yourself, book a workshop: from three hours for a book binding, through a day for a belt, to a week in which a bag is made. Longer vocational courses are taught by the school's masters in rooms of the Schola Academy in Florence.
The Scuola del Cuoio suits travellers who want to experience Florence beyond its museums and see how a piece is made. The article on the workshops of the Oltrarno introduces further workshops in the city.
SuitsCultural travellersLeather goods loversCouplesSmall groups
Illustrative image: the pictures show typical scenes, not Scuola del Cuoio itself.
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Images: AI-generated illustrative images by the editorial team. They show typical scenes, not specific houses or people. Details verified on 9 October 2026.
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