After visiting the Basilica and cloisters, there will be a chance to visit a workshop that goes back to the 13th century, when the Franciscan monks first settled in this area on the banks of the river Arno. The earliest hide and leather working activity was established here, where the large quantities of water required for leather processing are freely available. The Franciscan monks of the Santa Croce monastery dedicated their efforts to this activity, and their leather-working techniques have been preserved over the centuries by the master craftsmen who still work in the delightful old workshops at the School of Leather (except on Saturday and Sunday), which you will be visiting; an extraordinary Renaissance workshop adjacent to the Basilica, where history, tradition and exceptional quality are combined to produce authentic Florentine craftwork. A real "top must see” amazing place.