A way to bring us together during lockdown

If there’s one positive thing to come out of the Coronavirus lockdown, it’s the outpouring of creativity and sense of community that it’s generating. The number of online seminars, exercise routines and social events is mind-boggling. For English speakers in Italy, however, there are fewer options. That’s why we at The Florentine launched TF Together, our regular online moment to meet up and share activities and interests. We've evolved throughout lockdown to bring you top notch encounters that keep you close to Florence.

Events are held on Facebook live and also streamed on our YouTube channel.

The schedule below will be added to every Friday, so bookmark this page! Also sign up to our newsletter to receive future communications.

All events are free, though if you’d like to contribute something to help us ensure our programming at this time, donations are welcome by clicking through to our support page.

Monday June 1, 5pm / Selvaggia Vel0

Artistic director and founder of the River to River Florence Indian Film Festival, Selvaggia Velo, speaks to The Florentine about their 20th anniversary celebrations and ongoing cultural projects.

Where to watch: This event will take place on Facebook live and stream on YouTube. 

Wednesday June 3, 5pm / Valeriano Antonioli

Valeriano Antonioli, CEO of the hospitality brand Lungarno Collection discusses staycations as a short- to mid-term tourism strategy for Florence with TF’s Helen Farrell.

Where to watch: This event will take place on Facebook live and stream on YouTube. Links available shortly.

Additional events are updated regularly.

Past TF Together Events

Did you miss one? Some - not all - of our events are recorded on video, others are turned into helpful articles. Here's our post-event replay section!

March 18 / Sommelier to the stars Filippo Bartolotta (see this article by him about wine and personality) of Le Baccanti Tours talks about drinking wine during coronavirus lockdown and leads a wine tasting in his inimitable style. Click to see see the video replay

March 19 / TF's music editor Michelle Davis speaks with Oxford-born singer-songwriter LMNL aka Simon Batten (here's her 2015 interview with him), who's on the verge of releasing his new album. He'll perform one song for us - an exclusive preview! - as well as a few items from his repertoire. Click to see the video replay

March 20 / TF's deputy editor Jane Farrell spoke with Paolo Molino, a Florentine psychotherapist and psychologist, about the emotions experienced in quarantine and how we can process them. Read the article produced from this chat: 5 tips for good mental health during coronavirus lockdown.

March 23 / Steve Brenner, co-owner of The Beehive Rome, home-chef extraordinaire and leader of cooking classes and culinary getaways, lead us in a simple act of cooking together and we made quiche from leftovers - a cheap and easy recipe. Click to see the video & read the quiche recipe 

March 24/ We held our usual TF Breakfast Drop-in (online) at 10am as the TF team greeted locked down readers in Milan, Florence and throughout Tuscany for a casual chat about current news.

March 25 / A BYOB participatory "drinking together" event in which we asked everyone to open a bottle of Sangiovese-led wine and talk about it. Helen Farrell moderated a discussion with an all-star panel of winemakers and sommeliers. Watch the video.

March 28 / Storytellers (Rome and Florence) online edition was held, and as per our tradition, no online record can be left of this oral storytelling event. Over 70 people were in attendance and it was a huge success that we will repeat.

March 31/ Memoir and diary writing workshop with Kamin Mohammadi. Watch the video.

April 1 / Wine Together with Filiippo Bartolotta - Italian whites part I: from Tuscany to Alto Adige. Watch the video.

April 3 / Hairdressing at home with Fabio Colucci. See the Facebook Live.

April 7 / Legal advice during the Covid-19 pandemic in Italy. See the Facebook Live.

April 8 / Drinking Together - with Filippo Bartolotta - White Wines part II. See the Facebook Live.

April 10 / Q&A about life in lockdown Florence with Travel Blogger Georgette Jupe - Girl in Florence. See the Facebook Live and on our YouTube channel.

April 17/ Charity in Florence: Fondazione CR Firenze - Communication consultant for the Fondazione CR Firenze and the Andrea Bocelli Foundation Daniel Hernández Lyon speaks about the Florentine charitable foundation's latest projects.  See the video.

April 20/ Wellbeing with Kamin Mohammadi guides us through tips for mindfulness and how to arrive at a sense of calm in these tumultuous times. See the Facebook Live. 

April 21/ Lungarno Chats hosted by Morgan Fiumi in conversation with Rod Christie: 'Industry, Global Economy, and Geopolitics in unprecedented times'. See the Facebook Live and on our YouTube channel. 

April 25/ Storytellers online hosted by Linda and Steve of The Beehive Rome (no recording).

April 29/ 'A Royal Tourist in Florence' with Simon Gammell, Director of The British Institute of Florence, telling the fascinating story of the three holiday visits Queen Victoria made to Florence between 1889 and 1893. See the Facebook live  and on our Youtube channel.

May 5/ Lungarno Chats hosted by Morgan Fiumi in conversation with David Bach, financial expert and 10x New York Times bestselling author in a talk titled 'Prospering in challenging times'. See the facebook live and on our YouTube channel.

May 8/ The Florentine welcomed The New York Times bestselling author Frances Mayes (Under the Tuscan Sun, Bella Tuscany, and Every Day in Tuscany and many more) in conversation with Alexandra Korey, speaking about travel in Italy and her new book Always Italy (published by National Geographic, with Ondine Cohane). Watch the replay: Facebook live or YouTube.

May 12/ Stylist, producer, cook-book author and style guru Annette Joseph spoke about "how to live the Tuscan dream lifestyle" with TF's Alexandra Korey. Watch the replay: Facebook live and stream on YouTube

May 15/ Salvatore Ferragamo, CEO of Il Borro Relais & Chateaux and organic winery in Tuscany discussed innovation in wine. Watch the replay: Facebook live and YouTube. 

May 19/ Simonetta Brandolini d'Adda, president and founder of the Friends of Florence non-profit organization, presented the association's latest and upcoming cultural projects.

Watch the replay: Facebook live and YouTube. 

May 22/ Experienced Tour guides Alexandra Lawrence, Elaine Ruffolo and Paola Vojnovic discussed the future of tourism in Florence. Watch the replay:  Facebook live and YouTube.

May 26/ Dottore Commercialista Dr. Tommaso Francalanci of the SBF Consulting tax and law firm explains the financial assistance and bonuses available during the Covid-19 crisis and answers your questions. Watch the replay: Facebook live and YouTube. 

Would you like to be a sponsor of TF Together?

Reach a highly engaged public and promote your activity with our sponsorship packages. If interested, please each out to Giacomo: [email protected]