books

ART + CULTURE

Bringing Pinocchio back to Tuscany

Pinocchio’s main message goes far beyond the story of a puppet with a lie-detecting nose. This multilayered text highlights what it means to be Italian, and more specifically, Tuscan.    ...

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 ...

VIDEO

Destination Florence Magazine Issue 2: out now

    Destination Florence Magazine: Issue 2 is out now!   Get the free digital download.     Destination Florence Magazine has now reached its second issue and continues to promote ...

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.    ...

ART + CULTURE

Best Dante books: a deep dive into the medieval poet

T.S. Eliot famously said, “Dante and Shakespeare divide the modern world between them; there is no third.” While Dante is still rigorously read in Italian schools, most English-speaking countries limit themselves to a ...

ART + CULTURE

Felix Le Monnier

The court case lasted almost 20 years and created a sensation at the time because it involved one of Italy’s most beloved authors and a prestigious French publisher, who had ...

ART + CULTURE

Best reads of 2020

We celebrate closing the door on 2020 by summing up the most popular articles read this year in The Florentine. From pandemic-centric pieces to interviews, cocktails and the spas of ...

ART + CULTURE

Julia O’Faolain: The Irish Signorina

A rare and delightful moment while roving around a secondhand bookshop in Dublin had me stumbling across a true (personal) literary treasure. It was during the brief period in the ...

ART + CULTURE

A homecoming for Sandro Cellini: “The Viper”

We’ve all been locked down, to one degree or another, for most of this year. From my nice house in the English countryside, I have felt awestruck by the courage, ...

ART + CULTURE

Unravelling the mystery of La Rossa

After British author Tom Benjamin moved to Bologna, he found writing a mystery novel the perfect way to make sense of his new surroundings.   I was never exactly what ...

VIDEO

Rental Diaries by Mary Gray

  BUY THE BOOK: theflr.net/rentaldiariesbook   After an endless hunt for an affordable one-bedroom in Florence, Italy, ran her ragged, Mary Gray launched her “Rental Diaries” column on all things ...

VIDEO

Rental Diaries: The Book

  BUY THE BOOK: theflr.net/rentaldiariesbook   After an endless hunt for an affordable one-bedroom in Florence, Italy, ran her ragged, Mary Gray launched her “Rental Diaries” column on all things ...

COMMUNITY

Frances Mayes, Always Italy

Frances Mayes usually spends her springs in Cortona, at her famous Bramasole, the villa that is at the center of her bestselling book Under the Tuscan Sun and the dream ...

COMMUNITY

Annette Joseph, Italy is my Boyfriend

Annette Joseph has made styling, decorating, entertaining, Italian lifestyle and all round having fun her life’s mission. She shares her passionate love for Italy, her home styling tips and recipes ...

ART + CULTURE

Wilde about Florence

In a city much loved by artists, musicians, writers and all those with a creative heartbeat, it is no surprise that Oscar Wilde (1854–1900) was as passionate and enthusiastic about ...

ART + CULTURE

An interview with Julian Barnes and Angela Hewitt

Award-winning author Julian Barnes and internationally renowned pianist Angela Hewitt are joining forces for an inspiring evening of prose, poetry and classical music at The British Institute of Florence this ...

ART + CULTURE

Living La Bella Figura

Ten years ago if you had told me that the holy grail of weight loss and healthy eating was pasta, red wine and gelato, I would have laughed in your ...

ART + CULTURE

The booksellers

  Since 1979, Emily Sue Rosner and Maurizio Panichi have driven the Paperback Exchange, an independent Anglo-American bookstore that has become a cultural hub for the international community with its ...

ART + CULTURE

Florence’s leading English bookstore for sale

Here’s an opportunity to capture a second wind, or set your kids up for life, owning a successful business in the heart of Renaissance Italy.   And what a life ...

THINGS TO DO

6 new books to deepen your knowledge of Tuscany

Tuscany is bursting with plenty to learn without ever seeming like a school trip. The last six months have provided us with several new reads about the region. Whether looking ...

ART + CULTURE

Find a book for Christmas in Florence

The countdown is on! It’s time to check gifts off the list and start wrapping things up. Whether you’re looking for the latest high-tech devices for your relatives or toys ...

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