WITH SO MANY WONDERFUL ARTISANS IN FLORENCE, there are lots of opportunities for you to become an apprentice to a master, joining in on traditions of craftsmanship that have been practiced here for centuries. You can sign on for a few hours, immerse yourself in the hands-on experience for weeks, or as long as you wish.

Some suggestions:

Leathermaking at Scuola del Cuoio

A morning at Scuola del Cuoio taught me the true meaning of “tough as leather.” Compared to the journal cover I labored over at the scuola in the morning, a bad bistecca is a cinch to cut. The challenge of experiencing just a little of what it takes to make all these items marked Handmade Leather I see all over Florence gave me a whole new respect for the price tags. And I forever thank master Carlo, Papa Patience, who guided me every step of the way, through a class that ended with a souvenir journal that brings back fond memories of Florence.

The scuola is in a former Renaissance monastery, tucked behind the Santa Croce church, in an area where leathermaking in Florence began hundreds of years ago. In 1950, the Gori family established the property as an artisans’ school for boys who’d been orphaned after World War II. The goal was to teach them a trade so they could earn a practical living. The Goris teamed up with Franciscan friars to create the scuola, turning the monk’s dormitories, that were built by the Medici in the fifteenth century, into a workshop. The upstairs section, open to visitors, is a gorgeous fresco-lined hall, where senior artisans at old-fashioned wooden workstations turn out some of the best handcrafted leather to be found in Florence. The descendants of the founder—three elegant Gori daughters and a grandson—expertly run the place.

Downstairs is the scuola, where my lesson took place, amidst pros and some other students. Across the room from me were two happy American gals, here for a longer program, who were turning out adorable purses.

Once I got the slowed-down pace of the process, I fell into my hours there, with pazienza, pazienza, pazienza. Cutting the leather was the hardest, and then Carlo took me through each step that followed, with exacting instructions for folding, pressing, hammering holes along the border.

After the days I’d spent running around Florence, looking at stupendous masterpieces, this detailed work took me into another dimension. As I sat there, focused on pulling one thin strip of leather through tiny holes of the journal cover to make a braided edge, I gave into “leathercrafting” time. The room had an overwhelming scale of aromas—from the deep smell of leather to top notes of nose-tingling glue. Church bells rang. It was simply divine to be there.

Carlo filled my finished journal with fine blank Florentine paper, then escorted me to an upstairs workbench where Bosco, a venerable, bald-headed artisan, performed his magic over it—with egg white, a flame, and twenty-two-carat gold. He handed it back to me, transformed: with my embossed initials in gold—a lasting reward for hours of pazienza, pazienza, pazienza.

Scuola del Cuoio: Piazza di Santa Croce 16, 055 244 533, www.scuoladelcuoio.com. Half-day, full-day, one-week, three-month, and six-month courses.

Ceramic Workshop, Sbigoli Terrecotte

Right near the Duomo is my favorite Florence ceramic shop, which originated in 1857, and has been run by the Adami family for the past fifty years. Shelves display beautiful hand painted tableware and urns, with traditional Renaissance designs, countryside scenes, and contemporary patterns. The artistic force that began it all is Antonella Adami, now in her eighties, who followed in the footsteps of her famous ceramicist father, and continues to paint ceramics to this day. She inspired her daughter Lorenza to carry on the tradition, and you will find Lorenza (awarded Maestro Artigiano) in the shop’s back workshop, where classes are held.

Spending time here is not only slipping into tradition, but also being surrounded by the graciousness of the Adami family. Daughter Chiara, who handles the shop business, also assists in the classes, and with Lorenza sets the tone for a relaxing, creative time. My women’s tour in Florence includes a painting morning here, and it’s a joy to don our smocks, choose a pattern for a plate, and get to work with brushes and pigments, learning as we go from the experts. The plates are fired and a few days later arrive shiny and bubble-wrapped at our hotel, to tuck into our luggage, and display proudly in our homes.

Sbigoli Terrecotte, Via Sant’Egidio 4/r, www.sbigoliterrecotte.it. Workshops for individuals or groups can be arranged by appointment.

Jewelry Making

As Florence has a centuries-old tradition of jewelry making, there are many excellent schools here where you can sign up for classes to learn from masters. Most offer courses of one month or more, but here are some places to find shorter workshops:

Le Arti Orafe, www.artiorafe.it

Founded in 1985 by Gio Carbone, this is one of the most prestigious jewelry schools in Europe. A basic knowledge of Italian is required to sign up for classes that range from design to engraving to gemology. Along with semester-long programs, the school also offers Flash Courses, where you can sign up for a week to learn through demonstration and get some hands-on experience.

Academia Riaci, www.accademiariaci.it

This institution offers programs in a range of arts—from culinary to fashion. One-week classes in jewelry making and jewelry design are available, and they also offer housing in apartments in central Florence.

OR

Metalsmiths in Florence, www.ciaomonica.com

Californian Monica Cardone, founder and hostess of this weeklong experience, is a passionate, card-carrying Italofile and schooled metalsmith who creates gorgeous jewelry using beach glass, shells, and stones. She lives part time in Florence, and gives travelers an enriching insider’s experience, with morning classes in metalsmithing at an Oltrarno workshop taught by a master Florentine goldsmith, accommodations in a fourteenth-century palazzo, private museum tours, a visit to a Chianti winery, and delicious wine and food along the way.