Description
All morning it has been looming over our desks, ominous, carnivorous and invisible. The first signs of “re-entry” started a few days ago as the familiar snake of traffic began inching wickedly towards the city. That trail of cars brings Italy’s actors and actresses back to their everyday stages. September is here; the show is about to begin again. With September’s rientro, the spectacle inherent in Italian living once again finds its way to the surface. The lovers, the haters, the smart and the quick, the belligerent, the wily and the wise—all those characters who normally populate the Florentine stage-play—take up their roles once more. For Italians, il rientro is another way to say “Lights, camera, action!”
Nobody sums up the September feeling in Italy better than Linda Falcone, who penned these words for The Florentine back in 2006. Some things never change and the rientro, that “summer’s over, back to work” mood, is thankfully (or not, depending on your POV) one of them. Our September issue encapsulates the vibe: the edition always comes out a little later than other months, we struggle to put finger pads to keyboard and switch pages around at the last second. And yet, here it is: a bumper 48-page issue of your English magazine in Florence.
In this month’s issue, check out our full-to-capacity events section (pages 19-22) edited by Jane Farrell, who we welcome back from maternity leave. Work off the summer excess by joining one of the gyms or embrace a September wellness routine suggested by new columnist and co-founder of The22, Aparna Thadani on page 8. The wine windows are the target of a spot of investigative journalism on pages 10 +11, while Martin Holman eloquently elaborates upon the quixotic Nico Vascellari: MELMA show at Forte Belvedere (pages 16+17). On the interview front, Eric Stoen, aka @travelbabbo, chats about his immensely popular family travel blog (page 26), Mark Spyropoulos speaks about being the first British singer in the Sistine Chapel Choir and his ongoing research into Florentine Renaissance choral music (pages 28-29), and Alexandra Petros talks to interior decorator Paolo Tozzi of Domus Aurea (page 34). If Vinted is your go-to, you might like to check out student Giulia Corcos’s curated list of vintage and secondhand clothing stores in Florence (pages 32-33). Craving sustenance? Turn to page 40 for Gaetano Arnone’s spicy sausage pasta recipe or head to the recently opened Giacosa for the quintessential Negroni (page 38), plus a sweet treat in the form of Vivoli’s world-famous Gran Crema Caffè, an affogato that is as sensational IRL as it is on Instagram. Last but not least, columnist Deirdre Pirro takes us through how Palazzo Pitti came into being (page 47).
A graduate of Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze and Florence Classical Arts Academy, using artificial intelligence, Inna Morozova has styled our September cover with an oneiric illustration ahead of World Dream Day on the 25th and her forthcoming exhibition at Hotel Savoy. The multifaceted Florence-based artist blends classical oil painting, video making and jewellery design in an endless flow of creation. “Surrealist dreams are a reality for me. It’s how I perceive this world with all its metaphors and sense of life, architecture, city and people. They aren’t just beautiful shapes in the material world; there’s a profound sense and deep history within them. That’s why my art is not just academic proportions. Through my art, I share how I perceive the story of each object, infused with hidden meanings… Artificial intelligence is a new instrument of my creation, opening new creative avenues.” In short, dream bigger is our message this month—and beyond!
