If you are fond of pretty, precious, sparkling things, then there is a shop and museum in the Tuscan town of Arezzo that will be right up your street. UnoAErre is a goldsmith, jewellery and watchmaking company based in the city. The company was founded on March 15, 1926 by Leopoldo Gori and Carlo Zucchi and the name comes from “1AR”, the identification mark indicated on the punch affixed to products. In 1988, they opened a museum to complement their practices and this is a wonderful place to spend time being dazzled by the goods made by the company. Find a villa with pool in Arezzo and you can pop in and admire the skill and beauty on display.
On 7th March 1988, UnoAErre opened its own Museum in Arezzo which was the first Museum in Italy dedicated to the art of goldsmithing and aimed to preserve the history of the company. A collection of over 2000 priceless pieces is housed in the museum with a diverse gathering jewels in both gold and silver and unique creations from the Belle Epoque to geometrical Art Déco designs to copper jewels and coloured glasses from the Thirties. The collection spans more than 80 years of history and remains current by the regular addition of pieces from the latest collections. The exhibition area also displays some examples of old machinery to document the first technology that was applied to this industry.
Historical and social changes are displayed through their reflections in fashion and costume and great artists are exhibited including Bini, Canuti, Cappello, P. Cascella, Dalì, Fiume, Forlivesi, Greco, Manzù, Messina, G. Pomodoro, Scatragli and Venturi. There are also works by illustrious designers such as Buti, Galoppi, Féraud, De la Renta and Fiorucci. The museum is particularly important to the region as, in Arezzo, the art of the goldsmith is a tradition of Etruscan origins which was then revived in the twentieth century and is now of economic importance to the city.
Housed in the company’s premises near Arezzo, the museum is open to the public and is well worth a visit even if jewellery isn't a particular passion of yours as the collection is one of the most astounding and mesmerising in all of Tuscany.
