Imagine two hours of operatic entertainment interspersed with humour in the comfort of your own home: that’s what Canadian creative genius Hershey Felder has achieved in his latest (and perhaps greatest) musical film to be shot entirely in Florence. Mozart and Figaro in Vienna begins with a dusty scene set in […]
“The goal of life is rapture. Art is the way we experience it. Art is the transforming experience.” —Joseph Campbell, Reflections on the Art of Living What is it about Florence that makes us feel exhilarated, alive and connected to something beyond ourselves? The late Joseph Campbell, renowned American author on mythology and […]
Breakfast is often your first taste of Tuscany and it’s long been regarded as the most important meal of the day. A tourist attraction in itself, look out for authentic and traditional foods bearing the Vetrina Toscana logo and short descriptions at hotels and agriturismos on your next overnight stay in Tuscany. Serving breakfast based […]
I’m pleased to announce the launch of a new platform designed to bring artisans of the Oltrarno together with discerning shoppers – IN BOTTEGA. The pandemic has led to an increased demand for online access to artisanal work, but not all artisans have an online presence, which severely limits access to their creative products and […]
There’s far more to Pisa than the Leaning Tower, the sweeping curve of the River Arno and Galileo Galilei Airport. The Florentine spent a day exploring all things artistic in Pisa on behalf of Toscana Promozione Turistica, Tuscany’s regional tourism board. Keith Haring remains a permanent presence in Pisa due to […]
Chinking metal on metal and hissing naked flames form the soundtrack to lab time at the Oltrarno’s LAO – Le Arti Orafe jewellery-making school. Turn off bustling via dei Serragli and walk through the centuries-old courtyard into the bowels of the sprawling complex. This is where the next generation of jewellers are forged. […]
Freshly baked challah has been carefully wrapped in individual paper packages and arranged in a wicker basket by the entrance into the Jewish Community of Florence. While the copper dome of the Synagogue stands out on the city’s skyline, the community remains relatively little known locally and yet it offers a lifelong commitment […]
As life slowly returns to normal, the Artisan Quarter Association founders and its members are breathing a sigh of relief to have met our primary goal of ensuring all our members’ bottegas survived the pandemic. It has been a group effort and everyone in the association has contributed to its success. We are excited to […]
In June 2021, just two weeks before Advancing Women Artists’ definitive closure, the Ancient Hospital of San Giovanni di Dio in borgo Ognissanti welcomed two newly restored ovals by eighteenth-century artist Violante Ferroni. The Art of Healing began in 2019 and, for AWA, the permanent display of these large-scale works representing charity, new life and […]
