For part of the year, Dmitry Gindin, 57, resides in a 13th-century stately home in the hills of Florence. Gindin is a dealer, appraiser and expert in high quality Italian stringed instruments from the 17th and 18th centuries. Whenever a Stradivarius, Guarneri or Bergonzi changes hands for many millions anywhere in the world, the native Russian very often has his fingers in the pie.
Dmitry Gindin is an expert on Stradivarius violins, sometimes even hunting them down. Why all violins look the same to a layman, how he discovers valuable instruments, and why they are a good investment.