Il Conventino

In the Florentine Oltrarno, the Conventino is an area of the municipality managed by ARTEX, which thanks to the Officina Creativa project is a place of reference for the safeguarding and promotion of the identity of artistic craftsmanship in its various technical, aesthetic, historical and innovative components, as an element of the material and immaterial heritage of the territory. 

The Vecchio Conventino (the Old Little Convent) is a place full of charm and evocative sensations, which has a complex and varied history. It was founded in the Nineteenth Century as the monastery of Saint Teresa of the Discalced Carmelite Nuns. In 1917, it was turned into a hospital to welcome the surviving soldiers of the Battle of Caporetto. At the beginning of the Twenties, it was sold to a private individual, Paolo Uzielli, who signed contracts for the rental of the premises to be used as craftsman workshops and artists’ ateliers. Since then, the Vecchio Conventino has become closely linked to work, handicraft, art and the social history of the Oltrarno district, very popular among intellectuals, artists and philosophers. During the Fascist period, it housed an illegal printing house, and during the Second World War, it was used as a shelter for the partisans, including Sandro Pertini. This complex has been completely restored by the Municipality of Florence and now it is hosting around 20 traditional craft workshops.