There are so many new restaurants in Florence that it’s hard to send people recommendations at times. I always ask myself… what is it that people want? Rustic Tuscan? Are they willing to go near Rifredi? Is this place too modern, has it changed ownership? You can understand, me, right? We all have our favorites (here’s my constantly evolving list) and what I’ve realized is that all I just have to stay true to what you actually love, not adhere…
A Day Trip to Leonardo da Vinci’s Birthplace
17.10.2018
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. – Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci, more commonly Leonardo da Vincior simply Leonardo, was an Italian polymath of the Renaissance that you most certainly have heard of, and mostly likely also admired. His most famous works speak for themselves, The Last Supper and the Mona Lisa, and his drawing of Vitruvian Man is the classic representation of the true Renaissance spirit. But what about the man beyond the mystery? After all this…
Locals I Love: Talking to Selvaggia Velo
02.10.2018
This week’s locals I love is a new friend that I got to know thanks to an event called BedTalks, an initiative inspired by the positive spirit of John Lennon’s peaceful bed-in in Amsterdam in 1969 by the TSH, new student hotel in Florence that facilitated our own Renaissance-city’s talks between various figures around Florence. My “bed talk partner-in-crime” was the lovely Selvaggia, a bright and energetic soul and someone with them I instantly had a connection. As it happens and is how it…
For a variety of different reasons, I’d like to forget about the month of September (ok not all of it, after all it is harvest month), although reading articles like this help greatly. I’ll explain more later in a post when the time is right but let’s just say that bring on October and its blissfully cool mornings and sunnier afternoons. It’s the start of the season that I crave like chocolate, this month is the chicken soup for my…
My story of falling in love with Italy My love affair with Italy first began when I hopped off a tour bus in Rome nearly 20 years ago. I was enthralled and have remained so ever since, coming back again and again, seduced by the culture, energy and beauty of the country. At first I returned only for short visits at a time until I could no longer resist the increasing lure to stay. I would take a month or…
The first time I heard of Carmignano was through its wine, because hey, you know me. Carmignano DOCG is a good Tuscan red wine that you quite often find in trattorias as it pairs well with typical Tuscan meat dishes, dishes like rich and hearty peposo, or bistecca cooked over a wood fire, and of course beautifully laid out cured meats, something I certainly can never resist. My stomach also led me to discover this town near Prato, about 40 minutes…