A LOVE LETTER TO ITALY

EXPERIENCE PARANZA. THE LATEST CULINARY CREATION BY MICHELIN-STARRED CHEF

MICHAEL WHITE.

AN ELEVATED EXPRESSION OF ITALIAN REGIONAL CUISINE WITH A PASSIONATE FOCUS ON SEAFOOD.

– OPEN EARLY 2023 –

A Sensory Wonderland

Those references end up in my jewelry: a vine motif, a bird’s nest. I don’t feel this when I’m working in New York; it’s an earthier relationship here.

And while my official work here is with my goldsmiths, my day then opens into making the rounds of the quarter. Whether you need a woodworker, a gilder, a bookbinder, a cobbler, or a marble worker, they’re here. After a trip to Kenya last year, I’m now obsessively painting the 54 species of birds I saw, and of course, I’m planning with Erin Ciulla at Il Torchio—where I’ve been going since my 20s—on creating a book of them.

I never miss a visit to Riccardo Barthel’s shop and workshops on via dei Serragli. Riccardo; his wife, Daniela; and his son Francesco scout the flea markets and estate sales of Europe and bring back the spoils. Anyone in Italy restoring a rustic farmhouse or villa knows this is the place to go for not just furniture but also textiles and tiles. Riccardo also carries my favorite Richard Ginori china pattern, so I’m always on the hunt for my next piece.

One of my favorite spots is one of the smallest: Tavoli di Marmo, a marble workshop on via de’ Barbadori. In a room no bigger than 10 feet by 10 feet at his worktable surrounded by marble stacked against the walls, Simone Fiordelisi carries on his father’s legacy of late 16thcentury scagliola and mosaic inlay. The marble boxes I designed to accompany some of the jewels in my book The Golden Menagerie came to life here. And of course, because it’s Florence the day is punctuated with food. I start the morning with a cappuccino and spremuta (juice) at the stand-up bar at Caffè degli Artigiani. If I need an afternoon or end-of-day break or snack, then I might pop across the Santa Trinità Bridge to Procacci for a slice of focaccia with peas and stracchino or a glass of prosecco and a truffle panino before meeting friends for dinner or cooking at home.

In Florence every flavor is so directly tied to the countryside, every bite a link to this place that fills me up. It’s a moving, beautiful connection that affects everything I do. Since the beginning I’ve been very much a student of Florence. And I continue to be. ✦

Discover Firenze

Seeking your own studio tour of Florence? Go to veranda.com/caroline-gidiere-florence for a peek into a bespoke tour designer Caroline Gidiere took of the city’s contemporary craft scene, curated by luxury advisers The Travel Studio, an Alabama-based travel firm.