Samantha Vaughn

    Samantha Vaughn came to Italy to study museums in grad school and hasn't found any reason to leave yet. After living in various cities across Northern Italy, she finally settled in Tuscany, an ideal place to follow her passion of protecting and celebrating cultural heritage. Between museum visits, she's likely to be found reading in cafes.

    Articles by the author

    THINGS TO DO

    How Florence pioneered the art of tattoos in Italy

    As beloved as they are hated, even in 2019, tattoos are an artform that can lead to intense judgement and the utmost admiration. But while society still comes to terms ...

    ART + CULTURE

    Street artists of Florence

    As women artists begin to reclaim their rightful role in the history of art in recent years—in Florence, we can thank the valuable work of Advancing Women Artists, whose mission ...

    FOOD + WINE

    Sustainable Tuscan businesses

    A landmark report announced by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Service in May 2019 confirmed an alarming fact: the planet as we know it is in grave ...

    ART + CULTURE

    Firenze Jazz Festival returns for a 3rd edition

      The Firenze Jazz Festival is back for another edition, sweeping through the Oltrarno with its fast beats and smooth sounds. Dropping the “fringe” of the first two editions, the ...

    COMMUNITY

    Parents supporting parents with coming out

    When looking for support in the aftermath of their child’s coming out, parents need look no further than A.GE.D.O., a non-profit volunteer association active throughout Italy that offers guidance to ...

    ART + CULTURE

    Sustainable Thinking: exhibition review

    Sustainable fashion is about more than recycling scraps. As the Sustainable Thinking exhibition at the Salvatore Ferragamo Museum demonstrates, clothing can be crafted from the most unexpected resources.

    ART + CULTURE

    Science for culture: a chat with Maurizio Seracini

    With the Year of Leonardo da Vinci upon us, you’d be hard-pressed to find someone with more interest invested in the Renaissance master than Maurizio Seracini, a born-and-bred Florentine and ...

    ART + CULTURE

    A return to piazza del Carmine

    Il Bronzetto is changing the way Florence’s long tradition of craftsmanship operates

    ART + CULTURE

    What’s in a wine label?

    In the vast world of wine, non-connoisseurs are wont to select a bottle with anything but quality in mind. Unsure of what makes a red rich or a white right, ...

    FOOD + WINE

    Lunchtime judgement from Italian colleagues

    “No, Samantha, no.” “How can you eat all that? “You’ll never be able to digest it!” “I could never eat that.” “Dio mio, what.is.that?”   After nearly eight years of ...

    ART + CULTURE

    The Bargello Museum in Florence

    A visit to the Bargello Museum is a must for anyone looking to fully understand the Renaissance, home to a vast collection of history’s most renowned sculptures by the likes of Michelangelo and Donatello.

    ART + CULTURE

    Talking with American artist Kiki Smith

    Internationally renowned American artist Kiki Smith is at Palazzo Pitti with her exhibition What I Saw on the Road, running until June 2, 2019 in the Andito degli Angiolini, exploring ...

    ART + CULTURE

    Don’t call it an exhibition: the “art immersion” experience

    Some say the permanent exhibition is dead. A static display unchanged over the centuries, save for the occasional rotating piece, may appear unattractive in comparison to the ever-evolving exhibits and ...

    ART + CULTURE

    The AMIR Project in Florence and Fiesole

    At the height of tension between the Italian government and the European Union over the steady stream of refugees arriving on the continent, stories abound of a country grappling with ...

    ART + CULTURE

    Museo Marino Marini revamped

    There’s a closely held secret in the heart of Florence, a place worth reverence but known to so few. The Museo Marino Marini is a stone’s throw away from piazza ...

    ART + CULTURE

    Talking with the Uffizi’s newest restorers

    The Uffizi Galleries recently introduced two new in-house restorers to their team, adding further skills and experience to the Florentine institution. Assisting with restorations in the Gabinetto dei Disegni e ...

    ART + CULTURE

    Palazzo Medici Riccardi in Florence

    You’ve likely heard of Palazzo Pitti and you’ve certainly walked by Palazzo Vecchio on your evening strolls through the centre of Florence, but there’s an even older Medici residence in ...

    ART + CULTURE

    Medici Chapels in Florence

    Standing majestically behind the Basilica of San Lorenzo, the Medici Chapels are one of the five museums that make up the Bargello Museums, reorganized in 2015 into a single institution, ...

    THINGS TO DO

    Nativity creativity: presepi around Tuscany

    The most magical time of the year sees Christmas lights dangling, trees adorning piazzas and the return of our favourite holiday markets (mulled wine, anyone?) as we scout for presents. ...

    ART + CULTURE

    Leonardo through the looking glass

    Artist, mathematician, engineer, scientist, wonderer, thinker: if he were alive now, Leonardo da Vinci might be a modern-day Bill Gates, a Steve Jobs, maybe even an Elon Musk. Ahead of ...

    ART + CULTURE

    Four-legged friends in Florence’s museums

      Ancient Egyptian cats, Renaissance hunting hounds, Futurist horses galloping wildly: no matter the era, no matter the style, pets have been a mainstay across cultures and their artistic expressions ...

    NEWS

    Arezzo to host Tuscany’s first Take Back the Night

    University of Oklahoma's Arezzo campus brings US tradition to Tuscany

    NEWS

    Conference in Florence for the Capitals of Culture

    The conference will be the first of its kind in the initiative's history

    ART + CULTURE

    San Lorenzo Church in Florence

    The Basilica of San Lorenzo is one of the oldest churches in Florence, said to have been consecrated by St. Ambrose on Easter day, 393 CE, even though the building we see ...

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