Tuscan Landscape, Pietra Dura, Signed, Ugolini Factory, Florence, Italy

Some of Florence’s finest mosaics can be found at G. Ugolini, at 16 Lungarno Acciaioli (telephone 290742), near Ponte S. Trinita. The store began as a mosaic factory in 1868, but today it relies on six independent artists for its new works. “There are maybe 25 real craftsmen left in the Florence area,” said Maria Luisa Antonelli, a member of the Ugolini family. “It takes a long time to learn, it’s hard work and you have to love it to do it right.”