For me, the fun of shopping when I travel is in finding something that I wouldn’t at home.  It makes the bulging suitcase, the explanations at customs, or the shipping fees -- like when I brought back a table that took 12 men to carry – all worthwhile.  With that in mind, I set out to visit the jewelry studio and showroom of Maestro Alessandro Dari in Florence.  Once I was there, however, I realized that nothing about being there resembled “shopping.”  Maestro Dari, a self-taught master goldsmith and jeweler, has a mystical connection to his work and to each and every piece he creates.  Learning his art through exploring the techniques of ancient goldsmiths and alchemists, Alessandro Dari seems less to be making jewelry than to be exploring the qualities and beauties of various precious metals and gemstones.  I did leave there with a beautiful, simple ring, and like everything he makes it is one of a kind.  It is closer to the truth, however, to say that the ring selected me rather than the other way around.