Editor-in-Chief of The Florentine, Helen writes about food, wine and all things literary. She is also a freelance contributor to Decanter. Email her at [email protected] and follow her on Instagram @helencfarrell.
Creative community space Numeroventi is sparking a conversation between Florence and its communities after the Covid-19 lockdown with the collaborative new exhibition titled Past Florence Future – So Close So Good. Situated in Palazzo Galli Tassi, along via de Pandolfini, the show involves Tuscan-based artists and designers, who address issues […]
In the background stands an 1845 Pleyel grand piano with yellowed ivories once caressed by Chopin. In the foreground, actor, playwright and pianist Hershey Felder waxes lyrical about life in Tuscany and his Live From Florence brand, which will see him perform Beethoven in live streaming from his Italian home on July 12. […]
“Our hotel’s opposite the ski lift, I’ll meet you there,” wrote hotelier and tour operator Franz, in a WhatsApp exchange. Off I set, two hours south of Florence, climbing up into the woods lined with black-yellow snow poles and alpine chalets. The Florentine was forest bathing on the slopes of Monte Amiata. […]
“Don’t make me leave,” she said. “I wouldn’t dream of it,” he replied, stretching out on the sun lounger at just the right angle to gaze over the greenest of vineyards. “Anyway, I’ve only just started this classic by Boccaccio. Listen to this: ‘In the summer of 1348, ten young Florentines take refuge in […]
The Florentine‘s Helen Farrell speaks with Salvatore Ferragamo, CEO of Il Borro Relais & Chateaux and organic winery in Tuscany, and Vittoria Ferragamo, head of special projects at Il Borro, about the estate’s organic wines, farm delivery project and adapting to the needs of a post-COVID market. Helen Farrell: Could you […]
Modern Italian history teaches us that the country is at its finest when its collective back is to the wall. When the European Economic Community was created in 1957, Italy seized the opportunity, despite largely still being an agricultural nation. “Everywhere … there were entrepreneurs, engineers, designers and skilled craftsmen ready to meet […]
Pontassieve-based American-owned wine company Ruffino has reacted to the Covid-19 emergency by putting people first. Personal protective equipment was swiftly provided to employees and collaborators, teleworking introduced among office-based staff, and insurance policies stipulated for all workers in case of hospitalization caused by the virus. “Most of our production is linked with the countryside. Here […]
