Photo by Samuel Webster

Back again for yet another awesome interview with una bella Italiana – yes an Italian girl who I recently met for the first time who works in the world of same social media madness as myself. With tattoos and a sly smile, she could have been right at home in the city I lived in before Italy — Los Angeles.

We shared a few glasses of  chardonnay and stories for a couple of hours at Mama’s Bakery. I hope to do the same with her many a time in the near future! Being that I am always curious to see my adopted country through the eyes of a native, especially one who has lived outside of Italy and has forged her own career {not an easy thing to do in recession-hit Italy}. It was only a matter of time that she became a ‘local I love’. Without further ado, pull up a chair, pour yourself an espresso and learn a little about Alessia!

Introduction? Name, nationality, profession and favorite drink? 
• Alessia Clusini but people call me Bella
• Italian
• Social media strategist and art director
• Red wine

Photo by Samuel Webster

How long have you lived in Valtiberina and where are you from originally?
I was born here. Since I moved, I lived in 5 cities, about 25 houses and 9 hotel rooms. I used to come back for what we call feste comandate: Christmas and Easter. I needed to travel the world to understand that I belong to this place.
Wow that is actually really awesome that it took living abroad to see where ‘home’ was for you! What brought you back to Valtiberina and why did you decide to stay?

I came back initially because Berlusconi lost the elections. I was in Australia at that time, and I felt like something was changing. Watching all these people on vespas celebrating from the other side of the world, made me feel deeply homesick. I thought “why not”? I took a flight, and I started travelling in Europe to help me understand what to do with my future. I’ve decided to stay after completing a masters in communication that matched perfectly with everything I learned in Australia. It was faith: it was the right moment to come back and get involved in my own land.

Really interesting Alessia, I like that you wanted to be part of a changing Italy! We hear about so many leaving Italy in search of better futures but we should listen more to those who came back, like yourself and why! What are you up to in Valtiberina? Work, daily life, passions?
My job IS my passion. At the moment, I’m working both with Italian and Australian clients, developing social media strategies and supervising communication campaigns. I fell in love with tourism projects, yet always have remained a fashion expert. While here, I started working in an exciting experiential tourism project: Memory Route, based on storytelling and web. It’s a global project that aims to revalue the undiscovered side of Tuscany — Valtiberina, through local stories and traditions. Here, from a local point of view, I’m also working for an Agriturismo: Le Ceregne BIO.

At the moment, we’re offering experiential tours where guests learn farming, make pasta and bread, pick olives and grapes, mushrooms and truffle hunting, enjoy tailor-made green tours and craftmanship tours. We only employ locals and try to give a real sense of local lifestyle to tourists. Also through storytelling and working with local memories… so that they return home having had an amazing experience, without feeling like they have had to spend a fortune to do it! 

In addition, we started content communication via all of our social media and websites, giving local businesses a window to the web. We are the first tourism provider to have here a responsive design website… Valtiberina Toscana is an unknown area in Tuscany, also because of the lack of communication. We created a network of artisans, farmers, tour operators that can now, finally, be seen by an international public.

Photo by Samuel Webster

Wow, I am very impressed and intrigued! Now lets talk gossip.. What annoys you about Valtiberina? Tell me the truth!
As I mentioned before — the lack of communication (but I’m working on it!) and the fact that getting to places without driving is much harder than in a big city.

Fair enough! Do you think life in Italy is for everyone? Why does it work for you?
I think Italy is for anyone that loves “randomness”, and it works for me as I can develop these various projects while feeling like I’m doing a sort of miracle. That alone pays for all the effort I have to put into it. And… quality of our products is the best. No doubt about that!

What advice would you give a newbie?

Get hands on! Meet locals and try to learn Italian, and teach Italians a little bit of organization, please. We need you guys!

Photo by Samuel Webster

Three finds/places everyone should know about in Valtiberina?
• Le Ceregne BIO – for the reasons that I mentioned before
• Anghiari – one of the 100 best Italian borghi (towns) with a great theatre season and stunning landscape
• Archivio Diaristico Nazionale – the Italian Archive of Memories is a place full of history and new energy, storytelling is not a trend for them: it’s their job!

What’s the weirdest thing you have seen/experienced in Italy?

The weirdest people are the bus drivers, I think. Everytime I travel I wonder if it’s a joke.

HAHA! Yes, I could not agree more, the bus drivers are a special kind of ‘person’ in Italy, that’s for sure!  What can you do here and nowhere else?
Eat amazing things for a cheap price, have a blast with my crazy old friends like Laurone, seeing my Nonna {grandma} everyday, running in the landscape, living in a town that doesn’t even have a traffic light while working via Skype worldwide.

How did you make friends and assimilate?
To be honest, I make friends as I breathe. I am a real social person, even more offline than online.

I always said that in order to be social online you really should learn how to be social offline first! Favorite food {or recipe}.
It depends, it changes all the time. Pappa al pomodoro is a classic: poor Tuscan tradition based only on the quality of ingredients. Quite simple and beautiful.

If you had to make up a tagline for the place – what would it be? be creative!

Valtiberina is not bullshit. Countryside and Renaissance in Italy feel often pretentious, but not here. You can be who you are.

Photo by Samuel Webster

Where can you connect with Alessia? Find out more about with projects she’s involved with below!

 Photography: Samuel Webster : http://www.samuelwebster.com/

Photo by Erin Duffy

There is no secret that I love Boston. I loved this city before I even got to ever visit, which for the first time happened to be this month. I felt like I have already been to New England due to so many of my friends actually being from Beantown. I envisioned pretty downtown streets, lobster, loads of history, a semi-rivalry with England and of course iconic places like Fenway Park and the site of Paul Revere’s historic ride. Pretty much everything I imagined turned out to be correct, and I am happy to say I ate the most of my vacation thanks to my photographer friend and awesome tour guide extraordinaire– Erin Duffy!

Photo by Erin Duffy

There is nothing quite like traveling with a local, you are always going to get much more of an authentic experience and each day driving into town or around Concord where she lives, we sang cheesy songs and bonded over how great it was to be with someone who didn’t mind our mutual obnoxious picture-taking. I decided to write about food first since that’s usually a deciding factor if I like a place and the cuisine was right up this seafood-lover’s alley. As you can imagine New England cuisine is very seafood and dairy based, local favorites like clam chowder and lobster rolls made my list of must-haves along with a visit to the Italian North End for Boston cream pie at the famous Mike’s bakery.

Thankfully we walked a LOT which helped my delusion of burning off all of that fatty deliciousness, all in your head.. right?

Visiting the Quincy Market, part of Faneuil Hall Marketplace is a great stomping ground for trying various local foods and I highly recommend a stop here one of your first days. Erin brought me for a lobster roll which really is magic in a baguette. It might have been the most expensive sandwich  have ever had – think 18 bucks but wow, I would have this once a week if I live in Boston. I am drooling on my laptop just thinking about it…

Photo by Erin Duffy

Plus how could we forget about clam chowder – um I mean ‘chowdah’. I was dying for some of this rich creamy heaven and sure enough, it tasted like nectar of the seafood gods. Normally served in either a mug or a bowl with soda crackers on top. I recommend trying this multiple times during your visit, or if you are great at making it — come visit me in Florence! . I also tried a really nice crab-cake wrap in Concord at the Main streets cafe.

Photo by Erin Duffy

Near Quincy market is the Farmers market known locally as Haymarket. Here you can find a bustling array of vendors selling fruits, veggies and fish. Italy isn’t the only place that appreciates markets!

Photo by Erin Duffy

Photo by Erin Duffy

Photo by Erin Duffy – ‘You talkin to me?!’

I also wouldn’t forget about ethnic eateries. Being America — you have every culture at your doorstep, especially here. We went for sushi downtown and for a pretty decent price, we chowed down on some yummy tuna and salmon rolls. As a special treat, the day I left, we stopped in Boston’s Chinatown for some dim sum on Sunday, which apparently is a Duffy family tradition. All I have to say is bring your stomach and don’t ask what anything is — just try it! 

Photo by Erin Duffy

Besides the Boston cream pie, we also stopped for ice cream in a really cute place near Concord. The small portion was about the size of four large gelato’s but hey, when in… Rome? I also made Erin stop for a cupcake at Georgetown’s and my coconut cream concoction was as sweet as it looked. Ciao sugar high! 

If you liked the above photo’s by Erin Duffy, check out her site here — she’s very talented and this blog post wouldn’t have been the same without her unique perspective and local’s eye. Also let’s be honest, the girl can put away some pie and still look good. That’s a friend of mine right there! 

Some of the places we went to included:

• Mike’s Pastry, in the North end,  300 Hanover St  Boston, MA 02113. (617) 742-3050
• Georgetown Cupcake, 83 Newbury Street, Boston, MA 02116
• China Pearl, 9 Tyler St Boston, MA 02111, (617) 426-4338.
• Main Streets Cafe {Concord}, 42 Main Street, Concord MA (866) 413-3981.
• Legal Harborside,  270 Northern Ave, Boston, MA 02210.

I apologize for the lack of posts lately but if you happen to be a fan of my blog’s facebook page – you probably know that I am currently in America until the end of May visiting family. So far so good, I have visited Boston for the first time and am all over the great state of Texas before heading to Los Angeles later this week. Insanity but hey, it’s been over a year and a half since I have been home and already I have tried every food product known to man..

I am super thrilled to keep this series going and today we are traveling from California to Florence — this ‘local’ is a dear friend of mine that I happened to meet in the US consulate when going on some random red-tape errand a few years ago and she was registering to get married to her Italian amore. A friendship was born and I am lucky to call someone as awesome as Katie a good friend since in Italy — good friends often become very much like family. Plus her husband makes awesome homemade pizza and I kind of want to steal her dog! Let’s get started…

• How long have you lived in Florence and where are you from originally.

I’ve called Seano my home for over 5 years now. I’m originally from Nipomo, a small town (much like Seano) on the Central Coast of California.

• What brought you to bella Firenze and why did you decide to stay?

One word…Fabio. It’s all his fault. I met him while studying aboard in 2005 and, after finishing up university, I came over to give life here a try and it stuck. Obviously, the amazing landscape, culture, food and people helped!

• What are you up to in Florence? Work, daily life, passions?

I’ve been teaching English to Italians young and old from all walks of life for over 4 years now. It’s an rewarding job that has allowed me to really get to know the people I’ve come to live amongst. Obviously the downside is the hours can be inconvenient and sometimes it’s hard to find schools that offer decent contracts. I also started translating a few years ago, once my Italian was strong enough. Although sometimes it can be tedious (the installation manual for a machine for a refrigerator assembly line comes to mind), I weirdly like it! It’s like solving a puzzle (nerd alert, I know)!
I’ve been fortunate enough to be kept really busy during the week so the fun stuff has been limited to the simple pleasure of taking walks with my husband and our dog, Ella. On the weekends, I love meeting up with friends for lunches or dinners. We’re so lucky because we can take little day trips or meet in the city center or at one of our houses and have a setting that people travel half way around the world to enjoy. I also love taking a little weekend get-away to southern Tuscany or Umbria. It’s always nice to ‘cambia l’aria’ every once-in-awhile.

• What annoys you about Florence? Tell me the truth!

The bureaucracy (I could go there, but it’s best not to), drivers and the summer (mostly due to the humidity and mosquitoes).

• Do you think life in Italy is for everyone? Why does it work for you?

I think living in any other country apart from your own requires a certain amount of patience and understanding that this isn’t and will never be exactly like your country, so it’s pointless to be constantly let down when it’s not. Obviously I have done my fair share of complaining over the years about certain situations myself or my husband have found ourselves in.

I think it works for me because I have great group of people, both Italian and American, that keep me sane and support me. I’ve fallen in love with so many aspects of the Italian life that, at this point, they’d be hard to live without (unlabeled wine, fresh vegetables and eggs delivered directly to the house comes to mind).

• What advice would you give a newbie?

Study Italian before you get here. I slacked off during my study abroad “when was I ever going to use Italian in the future away?”…ha…ha…) and so I arrived here with about 15 words in my vocabulary. The six months I felt painfully isolated and really had a hard time.

• Three finds/places everyone should know about in Florence?

Since I’m a country bumpkin, I think people should venture out of Florence’s center. Poggio a Caiano’s Medici Villa is amazing, Artemino is beautiful hill-top town with another of the Medici’s Villas and Pietra Marina and it’s Etruscan ruins offer an amazing view and a nice break from the city. We also have some of the best wine and olive oil in Tuscany up this way!

• I am pretty sure we went to that Medici villa together, so pretty! What’s the weirdest thing you have seen/experienced in Italy?

I can’t think of it of the top of my head, but the big dove with fireworks shooting out its back-side flying in and out of the Duomo on Easter is wonderfully weird.

• YES, I have always thought that was an interesting eccentric tradition! What can you do here and nowhere else?

Ah…so many things…that’s what makes it such a special place.

• I would normally bug you for details but I think I will let it slide based on the fact that I very much agree with you. How did you make friends and assimilate?

I took me a while to find my stride. Since I live about 45 minutes from Florence I was pretty isolated for the first 6 months. It wasn’t until I took a class in the center and started working that I started to make friends. I think working and driving really helped me feel normal again. I was lucky enough to meet my closest friends about 3 years back, life got much easier after that!

• I think a lot of people can relate to you, especially if you don’t live in the historical center — I know I can! Favorite food {or recipe}.

Sooooo hard!! I have to say, polpo e patate!

• If you had to make up a tagline for the city – what would it be? be creative!

You never know what surprises this old city has in store for you!

Thanks Katie for letting me take a peek at your life, but the REAL question I have been waiting to ask is…when is our next wine & pizza date? NO really

Related articles

• Locals I love – Amy Mancino (girlinflorence.com)
• Locals I love – Meet Megan DeAngelo (girlinflorence.com)
• Locals I love – Trine West (girlinflorence.com)

Back again for another chat with a local that I love – a very dear friend of mine, Megan! I met
her a few years ago and was very thankful I did since we both had very similar life situations. She makes living and working in Florence, Italy look easy when it is anything but, and I have always held a really high respect for her refreshingly honest East-Coast attitude and fun personality. Plus she also happens to make one of the best fried eggplant and cheesecake I have ever tasted. What better time than the present to harass her with my questions! ;-).

Introducing Megan: name – nationality– profession – favorite drink

Megan DeAngelo- American- Personal assistant, Peach vodka, soda, lime

So megs, How long have you lived in Florence and where are you from originally?

I’m originally from Massachusetts and have been living in
Florence for just over five years now.

I love that so many people I meet in Florence are from around  the Boston area! What brought you to bella Firenze and why did you decide to stay?

I have Italian roots on both my mother and father’s side so I had always been interested in coming to Italy. I studied abroad as an undergrad and then made plans to come back for just six months…that turned into a few years of many different jobs, getting my Master’s in Italian and then finding a job, two actually, that I really enjoy. I don’t think I ever made an actual decision to stay in Florence, I always said I would stay as long as I was happy and could make it work.

What are you up to in Florence? Work, daily life, passions?

I work as a personal assistant for two different people, one is the president of a wine
company and the other is a journalist specializing in food and wine.

Food and wine… so I am a little jealous! What annoys you about Florence? Tell
me the truth!

Don’t ask me, just ask any fiorentino- they’ll be glad to tell you all about it!

That has to be one of the best answers you could give, brava! Do you think life in Italy is for everyone? Why does it work for you?

I think if you’ve made the decision to move to another country, you are already curious and interested in a different place and culture …don’t ruin it by criticizing the whole thing. That said, I know how frustrating it can be at times to accustom yourself to certain ideas and situations. I think there’s a fine line between respecting life in Italy and knowing when to question it, I try to find that via di mezzo. Inoltre, ho imparato subito a non uscire mai di casa della mia suocera senza ‘sciarpina’ (anche in agosto ci può essere un po’ di vento) e non provo mai a contattare il mio fidanzato quando c’è la viola- figuriamoci!!

So that is why Americans get funny looks when they wear flip-flops in the summer.. What advice would you give a newbie?

Learn the language, spoken and written. Do not be afraid to make mistakes, embarrassing
moments always make for good stories, at least in my case.

I am pretty sure sharing our ‘most embarrassing moments in Italian language
stories’ was how me and you bonded! Three finds/places everyone should know about in Florence?

The Chiesa di Ognissanti , Teatro del Sale and the view of Florence from up at Bellosguardo. Neither of them have anything to do with the other, but they all can’t be missed! There are a few more good ones, but I have a to keep some secret!

As long as you take me to the ‘secret’ places.. What’s the weirdest thing you have
seen/experienced in Italy?

In 2010 I was on a Ryanair flight from Pisa and to Valencia and people were actually smoking on the plane, and the best part was the pilot asked them politely ‘to refrain from doing so!’

If that was anywhere else, those people would have been courtmarshled! What can you do here and nowhere else?

Florence’s location is really ideal. A few hours north and you can go skiing in the Dolomites and then a few hours south-west over to Elba and you can sit on a white stone beach and swim in turquoise water. And of course all the spring and fall activities in between; tartufo festivals, a picnic at a local farm, wine tastings.

How did you make friends and assimilate?

Once you’ve lived here for a few years, you realize how small of a city it really is. I’ve met a lot of people through friends we have in common, Florence kind of operates in that way, it’s nice.

Favorite food {or recipe}:

There are a lot to choose from but one that stands out is baccalà alla livornese. It’s one of those dishes that I truly enjoy eating out, I never make it at home.

Thanks Megan for sharing with me a little bit about you and your life and outlook in Florence. I am eagerly awaiting our next girl date complete with a bottle of vino and maybe some of those cinnamon sugar snickerdoodles {love saying that name} you make . Arrivederci! 

While I may not actually be in Florence this May that doesn’t mean I have forgotten about you all! At the moment I am currently on a one month visit to America visiting my family and friends since I haven’t been home in a year and a half and one of my brothers is getting married in Texas. I envision myself in my bridesmaid dress taking a 2am dip in the Gulf of Mexico the morning of May 12th     . I will obviously never stop working but I am going to try my hardest to embrace the word ‘relax’ and actually take some time to remember that I am human and not a multiple job working machine – blogging – coffee, wine addict and just veg out! 

Events you won’t want to miss this month:

• FESTIVAL: The Festival of Europe, May 7th – 12th.  an occasion to reflect on future Europe, a laboratory of communication between the European Union and its citizens and a display of the Union’s activities and its member states.In the city squares, cultural centres, theatres and schools, the cultural events, exhibitions, performances, educational and scientific initiatives and gatherings inflected according to the keywords of the European year – citizenship, participation, work, youth, culture, peace, democracy, future, will come to life. More info can be found at the official site.

• MARKET: I Profumi di Boboli- special market located in the Boboli gardens, May 16-19th. The location of “I Profumi” is the Orto della Botanica Inferiore. The products for sale at this special exhibition are a sign of nature and quality and represent the specific region they belong to: perfumes, candles, air-fresheners, aromatherapy oil, aromatic herbs extract, spices, flowers and fragrant plants, floral clothes, old printings, garden furniture and accessories. etc. website. 

• FLOWERS ON SHOW: Iris Garden by Piazzale Michelangelo – running until May 20th. Florence is in bloom and you should not/cannot miss walking up to Piazzale and checking out all of he beautiful irises in bloom (over 1500 varieties!). More info on how to get there here and check out some of  The Florentine’s photos from this year’s crop! Don’t forget about the nearby Rose Garden — I am absolutely obsessed!

Taken from Intoscana.it

• MUSEUMS: La Notte dei Musei – Night at the Museums! As if this weekend couldn’t already be more crazy, on the 18th (Saturday) many museums will be open until midnight for FREE! Check out the details here – this is all over Italy (and Europe), website.

• WINE: Florence Wine Town – May 17, 18th. Yet another reason for me to be bitter about not being in Florence this May, Wine Town is back again for a weekend full of high-quality wine, music, tastings – shows and more! Participating locations include Palazzo Pitti, Bargello { Loggia del Grano} as well as several palazzi on via Tornabuoni, via del Proconsolo and in the l’Oltrarno. You must purchase the wine card which costs 15 euros and has 5 points, any recharge is only 10.   Their facebook page is here for updates or else you can check the official site here.

• DESIGN: Florence Design Week. May 20 – 26th. A week of events related to design {in architecture, interiors, fashion, food, and music}  held all over various prestigious locations in Florence. Professionals from all over the world will be in attendance and you can check out the map &  news real-time here. 

• WINE FESTIVAL: Cantine Aperte, Open wine cellar day all over Tuscany. Last Sunday in May – this year falls on the 26th. This is actually one of my favorite events which I am bummed to miss. Basically participating wineries open their doors to the public for guided tours and tastings and a chance to live it up in the countryside one awesome Sunday. List of participating wineries are here. 

Me at Cantine Aperte 2011

• FOOD: Florence Gelato Festival! Yep, the gelato festival is back in town from May 17-26th in various piazza’s around the city center ( Piazza Santa Maria Novella, Piazza della Repubblica and Piazza Strozzi ). As usual a gelato card will be needed for the tastings which costs 7 euros and gets you five {generous} tastings at any of the stands. Expect gelato contests, cooking shows and more..

I will be adding more events as they come up so if you see that I missed something, let me know and I’ll add it! 

Related articles

• Notte Bianca White Night program 2013 (girlinflorence.com)
• April events in Florence, Italy (girlinflorence.com)
• Locals I love – Amy Mancino (girlinflorence.com)
• Why I love the ‘other side of the river’ in Florence (girlinflorence.com)

We are back again, ready for an all-night extravaganza of events this Tuesday April 30th in Florence, Italy – I am of course referring to Notte Bianca or ‘White Night’ the day before May Day – labor day and a national holiday. I am super excited as always since it’s a great excuse to meet up with friends and make Florence your Disneyland for at least one night. The very next day I will be on a jet plane to America for a month since I haven’t been back for a year and a half. Why not go home with a bang – aka leaving after celebrating white night till the wee hours before hopping on a flight!

Rumor has it that there will even be inflatable sculptures above in Piazza Santa Croce which, this girl – needs to see in person!

This year’s festivities will be under the direction of  Felice Limosani, with an array of music, art demonstrations, and festivities throughout the city, each inspired by the theme “volare,” meaning “to fly.” Expect to see more people than you probably want to {projected 100,000} – but everyone will surely be in a great mood and this year’s events look pretty unique!

What to expect? Special museum hours, the traditional coffee-cornetto at Palazzo Vecchio at 6am and of course, tight-rope walking, concerts, exhibits and more!

Keep Updated!

The official site has the full program of events as well as links to all of their social networks, twitter @NotteBiancaFi and don’t forget the official event hashtag –  #nottebiancafirenze.

A blogger friend of mine, Tiana wrote a great list of the events in english here and I am touching on what events I think shouldn’t be missed.

How to get there?

Also you might want to leave your car at home, buses  6,14,17,22,23 e 37  should be in use from 9pm until 6am, running all night – the tramvia included. More info on the bus schedules here.

Museums open all night? 

• As usual, many museums around town will be open until midnight. Participating locations include the Museo di Palazzo Vecchio 6pm-6am, Galleria degli Uffizi 6pm-midnight, Sinagoga & Museo Ebraico di Firenze 8-11.30pm (reservations required), Museo Casa di Dante & Museo Nazionale Alinari Fotografia 7-10pm, Museo Stefano Bardini, Museo Marino Marini, Museo S.M. Novella , Accademia di Belle Arti, Fondazione Salvatore Romano & Museo di Orsanmichele 7pm-midnight, Istituto degli Innocenti 8-11.30pm, Casa Siviero 9pm-midnight, Museo Gucci open all night until midnight.

What you shouldn’t miss! 

•  Tango in Piazza Santa Maria Annunziata. Three different time slots – 9pm, 9:45 and 10:30 and 100 dancers from the Tango Club in Florence performing Vuelvo al Su. After 10:30 there will also be Milonga dancers on display, cool! 

• Piazza degli Uffizi: 9pm, Taxi Milano 25 Onlu and Caterina Bellandi will be painting faces and of course, a clown car will be present. This I have to see.

• Piazza Santa Croce, floating sculpture by Plasticiens Volants sponsored by Ferragamo. 10pm, 10:30pm and 1am with a fun flash mob {grease style – are we surprised?} at 11.15pm.

• Spray Paint artists {de:strukt} at Piazza della Repubblica, talents from Glasgow, will paint on canvas with spray paint while six DJ’s accompany the artists with electronic music. , 8pm-11:30pm. 

• Porta San Niccolo, Volare Delrevés – Vertical dance and whatever that actually might entail. It is worth a visit! Visual by Felice Limosani. 9:30 – 11pm – 12:30am.

• Ponte Vecchio, special light installation: “Be Happy” by Felice Limosani – 9pm. Two things I like, shiny light & the Ponte Vecchio!

• Piazza Pitti, don’t miss a special performance by the The Belgians, “Theater Tol,” who will dance and pedal suspended in the magnificent Piazza Pitti, with replication in Piazza Santa Maria Novella.
• Piazza Ognissanti - Sky walk {tight-rope} Didier Pasquette Funambolo at 10pm, 11pm, midnight and 1am.

• Piazza della Calza, 1950′s Festival, musical performance by i Bar d’angolo, I Fratelli Raudo at 9:30pm.
  The Twisters at 11:30pm.

• Piazza della Signoria, Flying Bells – interactive installation by Felice Limosani at 8pm.

• Piazza Strozzi,  inside courtyard open to the public until midnight with a special contemporary art installation curated by Federico Gori. Of course afterwards you can dance to a special Dj set jazz, lounge and groove in the piazza all night long. If seeing a movie is more your thing you don’t want to miss “Los amantes pasajeros” a new film by Pedro Almodovar, original version {Spanish} with subtitled playing at the Odeon Cinehall at 10:30pm.

Kids events!

There are a ton of events for families to enjoy this edition of notte bianca a firenze! The ones that sound the coolest to me include:

• Palazzo Vecchio Museum- Short stories for families with kids 3 years old onwards – h. 5.30pm – h. 6.45pm – h. 8.30pm.  Also special ‘history of milk’ stories for families with kids 6yrs old and above. 6pm - 9pm. Reservations are required 055 2768224 – 055 2768558 email: info.museoragazzi@comune.fi.it

• Biblioteca delle Oblate, Fiabe volanti: Stories in a hot-air balloon – Travel on  fantastic adventures with animated story-tellers organized by the Compagnia dei Nove Onlus h. 6.30 – 8.00 / h. 9.30 – 10.30

• Via Maggio - Via Maggio Kids, Design & Illustrations, Shows and workshops for children, for every age group!  7pm – 10pm.

• Piazza S. Ambrose “Vagamondo”  – Theatrical clowning with animation 8pm – 9:30pm.

• Teatro la Pergola — “The flying pirates and the treasure” from ’island of the storm”. Games for children aged 6 to 11 years and adults collaborating loosely based on William Shakespeare. Free admission with reservations required 055 2264364 museo@teatrodellapergola.com. 8pm to 9pm.

To get your bearings for all of these fantastic events, check out and save the official map here. I really can’t wait to just wander and explore what this year has to offer. Sounds like a lot of acrobatic shows {obviously hence the theme being ‘flying’} , music {as usual} and light installations. It should be a good one, lets just cross our fingers that it doesn’t rain! Also don’t forget that on May 11 & 12th there will be the famous ‘Notte Blu’ or Blue Night – more info here! 

Buon Divertimento! Have fun everyone and who knows… we may just run into each other there! 

‘Locals I love’ is back for round two and this weeks victim happens to be another long-term veteran in Florence, Italy and can pretty much call herself a bona-fida Questura di Firenze expert. A title that I myself take fairly seriously. She is the one person I go to advice when I am confused about Italy-red-tape.  I met Amy a few years ago and she is as real as it gets, sharp sarcastic sense of humor that you really tend to appreciate after the third time a new arrival asks you where the Starbucks is in Florence.

Who is she? Name, Nationality, profession and of course — favorite drink? 

Amy Mancino,  American, job: Relocation counselor, translator. Favorite drink is hard to pick probably vodka cranberry this month.

How long have you lived in Florence and where are you from originally. {Original question, I know!}

I have lived in Florence since 1989 and am originally from Trenton, New Jersey. I moved to the suburb of Campi Bisenzio 10 years ago.

I like that you mention the localita where you live – you really are Italian. What brought you to bella Firenze and why did you decide to stay

I came for a yearlong internship with one of the fashion houses and it ended up being quite a long internship.

That’s what makes life more exciting, who knew! What are you up to in Florence? Work, daily life, hobbies?

I assist corporate executives in searching for houses and that is all over the downtown area, for the immigration part of relocation I am usually at one of the municipal offices, either in Via Pietrapiana or Piazza Liberta and of course at the Questura in Via dell Fortezza. We love to come for drinks and dinner on Friday nights without our kids

A typical ‘Questura’ day

You need a drink if you visit the questura that often, I liked your idea of opening a bar inside, it’s a shame Renzi didn’t approve it. What annoys you about Florence? Tell us the truth!

Not much annoys me anymore, I hate the traffic and the price of parking is too high.

Firenze Parcheggi are pretty much thieves, I agree! Do you think life in Italy is for everyone? Why does it work for you?
Life here is not for everyone, I work with many foreigners who are on work assignments here and I have a list about 20 pages long of the stuff they complain about. It works for me because I have always looked at it as it’s own country that has functioned and done pretty well for centuries, foreigners (Americans in particular) seem to think the only country that does things right is their own, if someone expects to find things done the same way as there here they will be in for a big surprise. You need to keep things in perspective.

What advice would you give a newbie?

For those coming to study or vacation to not waste their time wondering why things are done here just to embrace it, not worrying about why you need to pay bills at the post office or why people stare at you if you lay out in the sun on the monument in Piazza della Repubblica. You are a guest in a city that lives and functions and not everyone here is on a 3-month study program or vacation, it is not Disney World. For those who want to move here for a long period, LEARN THE LANGUAGE, lack of communication leads to frustration, people always tell me the woman at the register was nasty to them, or yelling at them, when really they just express themselves differently here, there are no forced smiles and “y’all have a great day” type of attitude in Italy.

Great advice! When I learned the language I absolutely saw the difference mainly because you do stop misinterpreting situations and thinking people are being rude to you. Three finds/places everyone should know about in Florence?
My favorite thing to see in Florence is Calcio Storico in June.
If possible the Corridoio Vasariano – Vasari Corridor 
Most beautiful church is San Miniato al Monte.

Calcio Storico

What’s the weirdest thing you have seen/experienced in Italy?

I don’t think we have enough time for this. One thing that stands out was in 1990, there was a very good soccer player here named Roberto Baggio who played for Florence. He swore he would never leave the city etc. but the President who was Pontello sold him to the rival Juventus team. The city went nuts, there were thousands in Piazza Savanarola protesting and throwing rocks etc. I had only been here a year or so and thought it was some kind of political coup. Instead it was for a soccer player. I then realized that priorities here were quite different from the rest of the world!

Wow! What can you do here and nowhere else?

Drink fantastic wine from a city rooftop and have a view of the city that is second to none in the world.

In fact I think Florence’s terraces will soon be open to the public, yay! How did you make friends and assimilate?
I made friends first through the workplace and then through the schools my kids went to and running into the same people every day for years.

Favorite food? I think I might know the answer to this one. 

No one can do a rare steak like the Florentines. I am also a big fan of Ribollita.

The real ‘Bistecca Fiorentina’ or Florentine steak!

You need to stop posting pictures of those gorgeous steaks, I almost drool on myself at work daily! Last question: If you had to make up a tagline for the city – what would it be? 

The loon capital….you know where I can coming from with this one
Or rather..  Florence the eternal seductress or something along those lines. It seems like forever that it has enchanted people from all walks of life from everywhere.

___

I agree Amy —  the ‘loon capital’ applies pretty well too,  we certainly have met our share of crazy people. I will never forget when you told me that one of your work assignments actually believed the Arno River rats were ‘otters’ and commented on how cute they were. Or the lady that lived in Florence for over two years and really thought the name of the river was ‘Ponte Vecchio Arno’. Florence and the people that pass through here are certainly never boring. Thanks Amy for letting me pick your brain! 

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This past weekend was yet another great example of why I live in Italy. I feel like if you play your cards right, you can always end up doing something fun {or nothing at all} if you choose too, this city has every possibility of both. Friday I got to revel in a French wine & cheese night with some friends. One of the cheeses was so stinky it was made to be put it in a ‘punishment’ corner in order to save our nostrils from the abuse, mind you it was quite tasty! I think I can still smell it now..

Saturday night –  a new restaurant that I have heard about called Tamero, located in Piazza Santo Spirito. Some of my friends from yelp had already been and loved it even if they complained a bit about the service being a little lackluster. I was more than ready to line myself with carbohydrates in the form of fresh delicious pasta come nightfall and what better place to be than one of my favorite areas in Florence.

When you walk in — your eyes can’t help but be immediately drawn to the open kitchen where you can see the fresh pasta being made. I wanted to throw on an apron and try making some pasta myself {which surely would be inedible}. It was really cool to watch and the fact that the place was full of Italians made me happy – always a good sign on a Saturday night somewhere in the center. The vibe and ‘look’ is super cool, hipster – oltrarno fabulous with movie posters like Pulp Fiction and Andy Warhol replicas dotting the dilapidating walls. A piano and ‘stage’ in one corner, a book-case in another, very appropriate for the area.

We shared an appetizer of chili con carne and nachos – polenta fritta. I think the polenta were the chips? But in any case the flavour of the chili was good which to this Texana is important. Though once I spotted the i taglieri or cheese & cured meat & cheese boards, I had a bit of food envy so next time, you better believe I am going to start with that the next time I’m there.

And for the pasta – since this is a pasta bar after all. I had a craving for perfect simplicity – aka pici con cacio e pepe – a thick pasta with Grand Padano or Parmigiano and black pepper. Basically my perfect idea of a comfort dish, it was good but lacked a little flavor, perhaps salt? The other pasta creation (and yes to me it was a creation) was black tortelli stuffed with potato and covered in a beautiful octopus sauce. There was some hints of orange or tangerine nestled inside the tortelli that I loved, I would  absolutely go with this next time..

Unfortunately I had no room for dessert except for my favorite Italian digestivo – un bel caffe! Oh well there is always next time.  For a bottle of wine, water, one shared antipasto, two pastas and two coffees – the bill came out to around 56 euros. I would come back again and perhaps convince them to let me make/ruin the pasta and stuff myself with excess. Perche no? 

Tamerò – pasta bar
Piazza Santo Spirito 11r – Firenze

Tel: 055 282596
Mail: info@tamero.it

While the stands themselves are pretty much the same yearly, they always have new exhibitions, food and events and I highly recommend taking the time to visit, if only for an hour or two. The Fair is running from April 20 – 28th, weekends will likely be a nightmare with crowds so if you can swing it, go during the week like I plan to do!  Everything will be open from 10am – 11pm, so no excuses!

Whats not to miss? 

• Food! Normally the layout includes one floor of Italian handicrafts, the other International handcrafts and of course food. My favorite topic of conversation. Usually they always have Italian specialities and paninos along with international treats like paella and food from Tibet. This year promises more than ever – 6,000 square metres inside the Attic floor of the Spadolini Pavilion dedicated to food addicts like myself separated into ‘food districts’. One special new dish this year is the The ‘Maharadscha’ , strong and spicy, to be paired with papadam (Indian bread) at a German Vegetarian Restaurant. Returning is the tibetan restaurant, along with a sangria & mojito station, a french creperie. There will also be a Tyrolese Restaurant (offering knödel, gulasch, as well as wienerschnitzel and strudel and Sacher), and a traditional Mugello restaurant from the Emilia Romagna area – and.. for dessert you can stop by the Tenda marocchina (Moroccan Tent) on the lower floor of the pavillion for snacks & tea! More info here.

•  Iran, the Ancient Persia. This year those looking to escape into the wonderous world of the Middle East should head over to the special area dedicated to the ancient Persia. Craftsmen from Iran will be at the fair showcasing Iranian arts & crafts, their millenary history, as well as traditional food.

• Pop-up Fab Lab – Digital Makers. :Learn, Make, Share!  We can’t ignore the fact that being an ‘artisan’ can also be digitalized. This is 2013 after all and it’s nice that the fair reflects this new world of artisan makers online. Inside the fair, try and find them and attend one of their seminars/workshops which surely will be interesting if you are a nerd like me. Full program {in Italian} here.  Also don’t forget to check out MakeTank - they will be in charge of the whole day of wednesday at Fab Lab, with their vendors presenting their techniques and objects.

• Special guest – the country of Vietnam! At this year’s fair, Vietnam will be Italy’s special ‘guest’ with the aims of showing the public more about their lovely nation. On the lower floor, you can check out the area dedicated for them as well as a special fashion show with traditional Vietnamese costumes held at the Palazzo Medici Riccardi. 

Working in social media myself, I can appreciate the fact that they have decided to connect with everyone via twitter, FB, pinterest, youtube and google plus. Pretty impressive and just goes to show you that some events/fairs in Florence can actually get it together in time.

I plan to visit this Monday when I hope there will be less crowds that way I can eat/photograph my way through the 77th edition of the Mostra Artigianato, can’t wait! Anyone else planning on going?

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One really important reason that I continue living in my beloved city of Florence, Italy are the people I meet on a daily basis. Creating a life here worth staying very much includes the people that you make real connections with. Every week I want to {try} and blog about people I know who have made their life here and give a little background on what makes them tick. A ‘local’ to me is anyone who considers Firenze their home.

My first victim happens to be Trine West – one of my favorite bar owners/all around awesome person with the reddest hair I ever laid my eyes upon. Originally hailing from Denmark {viking roots?} she and her husband are the proud owners of one of my favorite watering holes, Lochness Lounge on via dei benci. Live music, trivia, good drinks and vivacious red walls – a pretty cool place to hang out on any given night. Nightlife in Florence can almost always be likened to visiting a place based on knowing someone there, that’s the Italian way and I would never give up the chance to share a prosecco and talk politics with Trine till the wee hours in the morning.

Naturally my first question to her was asking what her favorite drink is - because after all she owns a bar. 

Her answer? “spumante all the way (oh, yeah, and tequila)” 

Why am I not surprised? 

How long have you lived in Florence and where are you from originally.

I’m from Denmark and have been in Florence for 22 years this year, so actually I have spend more of my life here than in Denmark.

Wow that always amazes me, that you can be born in another place but actually spend more of your life in another country. That’s why so many of us are ‘nationality’ confused. What brought you to bella Firenze and why did you decide to stay?

My idea was to travel a few months here and there in Europe, working a little to make some cash and then to move on to somewhere else for a few months to do the same. Like I said, it’s been 22 years and I’m still here, never did do the whole travelling thing, but, you know, never say never

What are you up to in Florence? Work, daily life, hobbies?

I am married to John who is English (so, no, that wasn’t my reason for staying . We have 2 children, Daniel who is 10 and absolutely LOVES football and more importantly Fiorentina! And Mattie who’s 7 and such a little girl, but also quite mad and tons of fun! They both speak English really well, and obviously Italian, that being their first language. No Danish for now, but I recon they still have the time to learn it. 

They are both quite the experts on Florence, both when it comes to monuments and history, but also local politics – the indoctrinating is endless . I own Lochness Lounge, a bar in via de’ Benci and have done so for 17 years. It’s hard work, you need to come up with new things and events all the time, but that is also what makes it so much fun!

I absolutely LOVE my job, I meet so many people and no two nights are ever the same. We try to have a varied program to keep it fresh, apart from DJ sets, we have live music, trivia nights, art exhibitions, and we have even done theatre there, we also organise a wide range of theme parties and semi private events.

I’m quite involved with local politics, something anyone who knows me can testify, especially these days, I seem to be boring everybody to death with my political views. I’m very much ”Renziana” (supporting Mayor Renzi) and have been since 2008 when he first ran for the primary elections in Florence. I was a candidate for the local council with him, I never did make it in, but he did and that was the point! I’m more than ready to support him for the next political campaign, be it locally or national!

That’s why when I was with you I got the chance to meet Renzi, nothing wrong with being passionate! What annoys you about Florence? Tell us the truth!

We quite like to complain here, about all sorts of things, nothing is hardly ever quite good enough, we also like to think that we are better than anybody else. Florentines are generally very confident, but I actually love that.

Me too! Do you think life in Italy is for everyone? Why does it work for you?

Italy is an amazing place to be, the art, the people, the food, the climate – the list is endless, but life is harder than most places. Little things just take that much longer to get done, be it official papers, paying your bills, or even getting served in shops, a little bit of patience is needed for sure. I have been here for such a long time, I consider myself, not necessarily Italian but most certainly Florentine, I can’t imagine living anywhere else, this is my home.

I feel like I am going down that road myself! What advice would you give a newbie?

Not to worry if your Italian is perfect, mix, mingle, chat to people! nobody cares if your grammar is a little off if only you make the effort. Never put cheese on pasta with fish or seafood, and never order cappuccino after midday . 

But a macchiato is fine right? – Three finds everyone should know about in Florence?

Not so much finds as places slightly overlooked by a lot of people, but the Salone dei Cinquecento in Palazzo Vecchio always leaves me speechless. I go there as often as possible, actually I absolutely adore the whole of Palazzo Vecchio, so much history there, both past and history in the making.

The Cascine park is often not appreciated enough I find. It’s such a short walk from the center and you are basically in the countryside. I especially love going down to the riverbank and throwing stones in the water, very relaxing and fun. We spend many weekends just cycling around the cascine, and on a sunny day it is such a treat just lying on the grass or even having a picnic.

And then I adore Stazione Leopolda, so many fabulous memories of political rallies, the building is gorgeous and so many fantastic trade fairs go on there.

All things that are worthy to note without a doubt! What’s the weirdest thing you have seen/experienced in Italy?

I honestly wouldn’t know where to begin! After 22 years working in the nightlife the stories are endless! The strange and wonderful people I’ve met over the years could fill a book, the bureaucracy is ALWAYS weird – you’d need a whole chapter or two just for that.

I am pretty sure I have experienced some of those weird moments with you! What can you do here and nowhere else?

Because there are so many people living, working and studying here for a relatively short space of time you can actually be quite anonymous if you want, in the same time florence is tiny so making friends is easy, you are bound to bump into the same people all the time.

I like that there is room for both those things.

Also in a relatively small city you have the world at your feet, the history, the monuments, the traditions, the beauty, but also the chance to meet people from all over the world. It’s all here.

How did you make friends and assimilate?

Well, my job helps, but I am just very, very chatty and outgoing. I found it really easy to fit in Florence,the people I met when I first got here were a great help, and it is many years ago I last thought of myself as an expat.

____

This is why I like people like Trine, they throw themselves into the experience and never look back. You can join her for a prosecco at Lochness Lounge most nights – the red hair and high heels can’t be missed. Plus the way she does social media is just the kind I like – full of witty sarcasm and cartoon characters!

Thanks again Trine! I am sure I will see you very soon, probably lining up for my 2nd vodka tonic this weekend .

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