Although many of our readers pick up the paper in Florence or have it mailed to them in another city or country, an even larger number of TF aficionados read us online from abroad, mostly from the world’s English-speaking countries: in any given month, about 15,000 people from 127 countries read our articles at www.theflorentine.net.
After five years in print, The Florentine has a whole lot of content. On occasion of this milestone year, TF staff thought it would be interesting to know which articles on our online archive have been the most ‘clicked.’
1. Up close and personal:
An Interview with Natalia Guicciardini Strozzi
by Nita Tucker
Issue 56, May 17, 2007
Florentine actress, writer and vintner Natalia Giucciardini Strozzi was recently confirmed as a descendant of the Mona Lisa. She is the daughter of Prince Girolamo Giucciardini Strozzi and Irina Reine. Her autobiography, Facile da ricordare, published in Italian by Polistampa, was a best-seller in Russia. Her personal stories are crowded with celebrities, from Nureyev and Gregory Peck to Alberto Sordi, Amintore Fanfani, Andrea Bocelli and Tony Blair…
2. Sex and our city:
by Tova Piha
Issue 11, June 30, 2005
‘No, you’re wrong,’ a friend recently told me, ‘Italian girls are easy too.’ I countered with a sceptical look. This was news to me. And I’d certainly met un sacco di gente who would be equally incredulous. ‘So why is it that I’m always hearing about the girls here being so difficili?’ I ventured, trying to get to the bottom of the disparity in opinion…
3. Up close and personal:
An interview with Debi Mazar & Gabriele Corcos
by Nita Tucker
Issue 81, June 12, 2008
Debi Mazar, a New York native, made her feature film debut in Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas as Ray Liotta’s junkie mistress. From that auspicious beginning, she went to work with such noted directors as Jodi Foster in Little Man Tate, Barry Levinson (Toys) and Woody Allen(Bullets Over Broadway)…Debi also has a cooking show with her Florentine husband, Gabriele Corcos, UnderTheTuscanGun.com.
4. Italian Voices:
by Linda Falcone
Issue 3, May 5, 2005
In Italy, it is good luck to touch iron. Knocking on wood will do nothing for you. It is also good luck to touch the hump of a hunchback or stroke the nose of a wild boar. Fortune will also smile kindly upon you if you jump when you see a priest or play 98 on the lottery wheel after you dream of a dead relative. I am told that rain on your wedding day is really good too…
5. If the shoe fits:
Ferragamo museum is a shoe-lover’s paradise
by Vicci Recckio
Issue 52, March 22, 2007
The Ferragamo flagship on Santa Trinità, in the heart of Florence, houses more than designer shoes and bags. It is also home to the newly renovated design museum, Museo Salvatore Ferragamo. And it’s not solely a shoe museum, as many would think…
6. The oldest fast food in Florence: Lampredotto
by Deirdre Pirro
Issue 31, April 20, 2006
With their boiling cauldrons, marble or glass counters and stools on the pavement, these kiosks attract students, bankers, housewives, bricklayers, pensioners and, more and more often, discerning tourists-all with one common desire…
7. Expats in Florence:
by Melinda Gallo
Issue 98, March 26, 2009
Lisa McGarry, who has been living in Florence for the past four years, says that the moment she arrived, Florence felt like home. It already was, in a way: while studying architecture at university, she fell in love with Florence and its history…
8. Jane’s Gems:
by Jane Fortune
Issue 42, October 19, 2006
Florence’s Pantheon and my favorite church in Florence, Santa Croce hosts 270 tombstones that pave the floor of the church, honoring those who strongly impacted the course of history in the fields of art, history and music. The most famous tomb belongs to Michelangelo, followed by those of Machiavelli, Galileo, Bruni, Rossini and Ghiberti…
9. Sinking your feet into Italian soil: Steps to take when being a tourist is not enough
by Robert Nordvall
Issue 39, September 8, 2006
Many tourists, seduced by the beauty and lifestyle of Italy, fantasize about living here either temporarily or permanently. How does one do it? First, a dark secret: Although Italy is concerned about illegal immigration from some countries, if you arrive as a tourist from a nation that is not seen as an immigration problem, you most likely can just stay…
10. Tuscan beaches
by Brenda Dionisi
Issue 106, July 16, 2009
One of the best things about Florence in August is its proximity to Tuscany’s beaches, which offer a unique and varied combination of sandy beaches and shaded alpine woods, as well as venues for sport and fun in the sun and a roaring party scene that can easily rival that of Spain’s Ibiza or Greece’s Mykonos…
11. Put a roof over your head, under the Tuscan sun: Indispensable tips for prospective homebuyers
by Bill Thomson
Issue 57, May 31, 2007
Getting cold feet about investing in Italian property is understandable. But in 20 years of real estate experience in Italy, I have come to the conclusion that an unfulfilled dream makes for years of regret. And, surprisingly, buying property in Italy isn’t all that complicated…
12. Italian Sketches:
Alfonso Bialetti, the little man
by Deirdre Pirro
Issue 77, April 17, 2008
Between 1957 and 1977, Carosello (the Carousel) was a 10-minute spot of advertising broadcast every night on Italian national television immediately after the evening news… A familiar cartoon figure on Carosello was the ‘little man with a moustache’, who had his finger raised high in the air while his mouth formed the letters of the alphabet. He was a caricature of Alfonso Bialetti (1888-1970), founder of Bialetti Industrie S.p.A., the Italian cookware giant, and the inventor of the Moka Express coffee pot…
13. For the love of a city:
Friends of Florence, Fostering relationships, creating connections
by Alexandra Lawrence
Issue 85, September 4, 2008
What is it about Florence that makes people love it so? For many, it is the city’s world-renowned art treasures, the determined look in David’s eye, Botticelli’s fluttery-draped blondes, Leonardo’s crystal landscapes. It is the bronze of the baptistry doors and the story behind how they got there in the first place…
14. Florence News:
Piazza pulita, Duomo goes pedestrian
Issue 109, October 8, 2009
It’s about time, the majority of locals respond. Finally, one thing that Florentines agree to agree on: rid Piazza Duomo of vehicles and their pollutants to make one of the most famous squares in Italy pedestrian-only. Mayor Matteo Renzi announced the unexpected news in September and the city has been abuzz ever since…
by Jack Land
Issue 108, September 24, 2009
Peposo, ribollita, trippa, farinata, bollito. Not knowing how to pronounce them is no excuse for not trying Florence’s tastiest traditional bites. Florentine cuisine is known as ‘cucina povera’ for its robust and simple dishes made with local products…
