ART + CULTURE

5 reasons to read the Divine Comedy this spring

Alexandra Lawrence and The British Institute bring you a six-week guided reading of Dante’s Divine Comedy.

ART + CULTURE

5 contemporary Italian authors you have to read

Head for your local bookstore, take a leap of faith, and see what these 5 contemporary Italian writers have to offer.

ART + CULTURE

Bret Easton Ellis in Florence to present his latest novel

La Città dei Lettori hosts the author at Teatro della Pergola on October 18.

COMMUNITY

A Florentine Resistance story in English 

Remembering Renato Levi and the Radio CORA Resistance group.

THINGS TO DO

ABC, aka Alice’s Book Club

A bilingual book club, wine painting and a kids' book exchange begin this October.

ART + CULTURE

Beauty, differences + origins: Wallis Wilde-Menozzi

The author of Florence-based "Toscanelli's Ray" discusses the importance of writerly freedom.

ART + CULTURE

On dark academia: Joanna Margaret

The first-time novelist talks about the differences between academia and fiction.

COMMUNITY

Talking crime fiction with Tom Benjamin

The British crime writer shows a different side of Bologna in his Daniel Leicester novels.

THINGS TO DO

Alison MacLeod at The British Institute

The novelist of ‘Tenderness’ discusses her life and times as a writer and teacher.

COMMUNITY

Where writers write in Florence

For writers and poets, finding a place to work in Florence can be harder than you would expect.

ART + CULTURE

My Florentine heritage

Military historian and author Antony Beevor reminisces about his Florentine heritage ahead of a talk at The British Institute.

COMMUNITY

Children’s Lending Library

Co-chair at the Children's Lending Library Valerie Perkins shares her experience.

ART + CULTURE

Best Florence reads this winter

The Paperback Exchange share their picks of the best Florence-based books to read this winter.

ART + CULTURE

Before Baedeker: how literature opened the door to Italy for British tourists

In the century before Forster’s novel was published, travel underwent a radical transformation. Routes were standardised, the first guidebooks were published and group trips were organised. So, what did people do before Baedeker?

COMMUNITY

A conversation with Ross King

Canadian author Ross King discusses Florence, his many books and his current projects.

ART + CULTURE

Rediscovering Botticelli’s Dante drawings

The 19th-century rediscovery of Botticelli’s Dante drawings brought scholars and art lovers to their knees: this work embodied everything the Renaissance had come to mean.

ART + CULTURE

Meet Nafisa, artist and author of Tuscan Temptations

A conversation with artist Nafisa about her new book and her love of Florence.

ART + CULTURE

Defining home with Frances Mayes

Bestselling author Frances Mayes entertains us with anecdotes from her life in Cortona, and reading and writing tips ahead of the publication of her new book, A Place in the World.

ART + CULTURE

A chat with Sarah Winman

An instant Sunday Times bestseller with stellar reviews in the New York Times and the Guardian, Still Life is the one of the most spellbinding reads about Florence in recent ...

ART + CULTURE

Books inspired by Tuscany for cool weather reading

Writers have been busy in recent months, especially the literati yearning for Florence or all those shuttered in medieval palazzos during the darkest days of these pandemic times. This autumn, ...

ART + CULTURE

Summer reading list about Italy

Beach ball: check. Bikini: check. A good book: not yet. Here’s our pick of Italy-centric reads for the summer months ahead, wherever you plan to spend the dog days.   ...

ART + CULTURE

Women’s Latin reading group, Lupercal

Six hundred-plus women all over the world are connected by their shared love for the Latin language and invested in their goal “to close the gendered gap in Latinitas”. Established ...

ART + CULTURE

New reads

As we all seek ways to stay connected to each other and to Italy, these new publications have emerged in recent months, giving us plenty to sustain our appetites.    ...

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