Blog

SOF Candles added to the "Passeggiata" collection

by Joyce Rudge

SOF Candles added to the "Passeggiata" collection

Now this is the kind of "heavy metal" I appreciate!!

by Joyce Rudge

Now this is the kind of "heavy metal" I appreciate!!

I come to Florence every year in search of magic. There is so much of it in every direction I look— the centuries of art, the creations of the ...

Dinosaurs are alive and well...and living in Florence.

by Joyce Rudge

Dinosaurs are alive and well...and living in Florence.

People come from all over Europe to buy carved trees from this garden center just outside Florence, the Renaissance city!

Mayor says no to McDonalds in piazza Duomo

by Joyce Rudge

Mayor says no to McDonalds in piazza Duomo

News recently broke about the potential opening of a McDonald’s in piazza del Duomo, in the building currently occupied by Universo Sport. McD...

Top Five Street Foods of Florence, Italy.

by Joyce Rudge

Top Five Street Foods of Florence, Italy.

Florence is world renowned for having the finest restaurants offering a delectable Italian cuisines prepared according to recipes perfected over th...

Inside the Innocenti Museum

by Joyce Rudge

Inside the Innocenti Museum

The new Museo degli Innocenti, or Innocenti Museum, will open to the public on June 24, 2016. We got a sneak preview of the inside before the dis...

Can you guess what these are?

by Joyce Rudge

Can you guess what these are?

They were used for securing horses.......note how much higher the street was in Florence in the 15th Century!! White outline has been added to...

Why Hitler refused to bomb this bridge...

by Joyce Rudge

Why Hitler refused to bomb this bridge...

During WW2 the City of Florence suffered a lot of damage and all of her historic bridges were destroyed......all except one.  The Ponte Vecchio -...

My Florence: Early Morning Stroll

by Joyce Rudge

My Florence: Early Morning Stroll

My Florence by Florentine Ann Antonini… These are two entrances to private gardens in via dei serragli that I pass in the morning. The giardin...

Florence Artisans at Risk

by Joyce Rudge

Florence Artisans at Risk

There is an increased demand for hand-crafted products around the world, but at the same time the centuries-old artisan culture is seriously unde...

The World’s Best Sandwiches Come From Florence

by Joyce Rudge

The World’s Best Sandwiches Come From Florence

Florence holds a secret. In the heart of Tuscany, amidst the narrow, cobbled streets busy with pedestrians, cyclists, and roaming gypsy bands, ar...

Florence's Rich and Famous Remain Rich and Famous

by Joyce Rudge

Florence's Rich and Famous Remain Rich and Famous

Two Bank of Italy economists attempted to answer the question of how Florentine rich and famous families from centuries ago remain rich and fam...