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"View Slideshow\n\nFlorence has been my home away from home for more than 25 years. My decision to become a jeweler can be traced to a graduate year I spent in the city, when I was running an errand for my mother and discovered the goldsmith workshops at the Palazzo dell'Orafo. It was as if I'd entered a time machine that took me back six centuries to the artisanal culture of Renaissance Florence.\n\nNow I make several business trips each year to the Tuscan city, and that artisanal culture still inspires me, as does the exquisite architecture and art at every turn\u2014not to mention the terrific food. And so much is easily accessible by foot in this most walkable of towns. As a traveler, I crave authenticity. While some perceive Florence as being frozen in time, I see a proud devotion to elegance, classical design, tradition. I love that I can count on certain things in Florence. I can return time and again to my favorite shops, restaurants, and hotels and find them little changed.\n\nWhere I stay depends on the season. When the weather is chilly I prefer to be in town, and my first choice has long been the Hotel Tornabuoni Beacci, located right on the bustling, shop-lined Via de' Tornabuoni. When I first stayed at the Beacci, the late Signora Beacci (rumored to be the illegitimate half-sister of writer and scholar Harold Acton) was always in her study going over the books, while the hotel's living rooms were filled with British ladies touring Florence and learning Italian. The Beacci retains its Room with a Viewcharm, and each guest chamber is uniquely furnished, many with antique armoires, headboards, and mirrors. Its flowered terrace, which looks out over red-tile rooftops, has to be among the most enchanting breakfast spots in all of Florence.\n\nIf I miss out on a room at the Beacci, another delightful central hotel is J.K. Place, a 20-room boutique property in a restored palazzo on the Piazza Santa Maria Novella. It offers a more contemporary feel, with chic interiors by Italian designer Michele B\u00F6nan.\n\nIn the warmer months I like to escape\u2014as the Medicis once did\u2014to the surrounding hills. My preferred hideaway is the Pensione Bencist\u00E0, whose name means \"you stay well.\" The last time I was there, my husband and I were given room 15, which opens onto a private rose garden and has magnificent vistas of the Duomo in the distance. The traditionally styled villa is an ideal perch from which to descend for a day about town and then return for a wonderful dinner of seasonal Tuscan dishes served on a terrace overlooking olive groves.\n\nMy perfect day in Florence is a balance of culture, shopping, and, naturally, food. I'll often start the morning on the Oltrarno\u2014the \"other side of the Arno\"\u2014opposite the city's historic center, with a walk through the Bardini Gardens, which have only been open to the public for the past several years and are beautiful in any season. Hidden behind the Palazzo Bardini, now a museum that displays the art and antique objects assembled by the 19th- and early-20th-century dealer Stefano Bardini, they offer a glimpse into the private world of the Florentine aristocracy. And the views of the city are unparalleled.\n\nAt the top of the Bardini Gardens, you can continue up the Costa di San Giorgio to the more famous Boboli Gardens, but I tend to walk down to Via de' Bardi so I can stop by one of the city's finest paper-and-bookbinding shops, Il Torchio. This is one of the few remaining workshops that does all of its own binding on-site and creates its own marbleized paper. I usually pick up some sketchbooks and journals, but I also love the bookends, and Il Torchio offers gold-leaf monogramming on the spot. A limited-edition book I am preparing, which will feature some of my one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces and the stories of their inspiration, will be bound here.\n\nHeading toward the Ponte Vecchio, I often take a quick detour into the church ofSanta Felicita. Just inside the door, in a chapel on the right side, is Jacopo Pontormo's Deposition, one of my favorite works of art. It is such an unusual painting; with its bright Mannerist colors and intricate composition, it's hard to believe it was painted around 1526.\n\nThis part of the Oltrarno once hummed with the activities of artisans from the Florentine guilds: furnituremakers, mirrormakers, restorers, bookbinders, shoemakers, and, of course, goldsmiths. If you stroll along the streets just a block or two in from the river, especially Via di Santo Spirito and Borgo San Frediano, you can still find some of the old workshops, including those of the goldsmiths crafting my spring collection, as well as my new bespoke pieces. Only a few studios in this area are open to the public, however. One of the best is Castorina, a woodworking shop that offers any finial, table leg, or trim you've ever dreamed of. Last time I was there I ventured into a back room and came upon a craftsman restoring an 18th-century chair belonging to Princess Corsini.\n\nAnother can't-miss stop, in the city center, is Passamaneria Valmar, on Via Porta Rossa. The ultimate trimming-and-passementerie emporium, it stocks a vast assortment of richly colored tassels and fringe. I recently brought back luxurious green silk-velvet pillows with gold embroidery and appliqu\u00E9.\n\nAfter a morning of scouting around town, the decision for lunch is often between city or country. If I need to stay in the center, I might go to Trattoria Sostanza (011-39-055-21-2691; no website), a classic eatery on Via del Porcellana that has been around since the 19th century, and order the signature grilled chicken basted in brown butter, with wild strawberries in lemon for dessert. But if time allows, I head to one of my favorite restaurants in the world, Trattoria Cave di Maiano (011-39-055-59-133; no website), a short 15-minute drive outside the city. It's located between Fiesole and Settignano, just up the hill from the Ferragamo villa, in a converted farmhouse. Opt for the outdoor seating, which is at stone tables set amid an olive grove. I usually order the black-cabbage risotto, though on my last visit I was presented with a seasonal delicacy: ovoli mushrooms. Gently sliced over a bed of arugula, they were dressed with olive oil produced from the orchards in the surrounding hills. Divine.\n\nI rarely leave Florence without checking on my favorite David\u2014Donatello's bronze version\u2014one of the many sculptural masterworks at the Bargello National Museum. I also love to roam the nearbyMuseo Galileo, which houses antique astronomical instruments that remind me of oversize jewels. And theMuseo Archeologico Nazionale is where I discovered amulets from the personal collection of Lorenzo de' Medici that helped inspire me to create my own rock-crystal amulets, probably my best-known pieces.\n\nFor a dose of 21st-century style, I often stroll down the elegant Via de' Tornabuoni, which is dotted with global boutiques such as Gucci and Prada. It's also where you'll find Procacci, a Florence institution that is an essential stop for an aperitivo of tartufati (truffle) sandwiches and a glass of Prosecco.\n\nCome dinnertime, one spot I'm fond of is La Cucina del Garga, on Via San Zanobi. Its motto is \"Tuscan with a twist,\" and the unexpected dishes here\u2014including an excellent veal with truffle sauce\u2014are served in a colorful, friendly atmosphere. After the meal, I might wander across the Ponte Santa Trinit\u00E0 to the Piazza Santo Spirito for a gelato or espresso from one of the caf\u00E9s. The piazza is magical, especially at night, with the church's illuminated unfinished fa\u00E7ade\u2014designed by the great Brunelleschi in the 15th century\u2014overlooking the scene. It's an ideal place to wind down an ideal day in this city of lasting, authentic beauty.\n\nClick here to view the slide show of Temple St. Clair Carr's favorite spots in Florence."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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