Pharmacies, drugstores, chemist’s shops, dispensaries– whatever you call them – are not exactly the kind of place most of us like to hang around. We go there to buy some medicine and sometimes a few other items, and that’s about it.
There is one pharmacy in Florence, though, that I love to linger at, and I’m not the only one to feel this way. Continue Reading →
“I’m really fond of these plates, Katharina. Where did you get them?
– A little less than a thousand kilometers from here.
– Let me guess… In Italy, right?”
Yes, in Italy. In a little town south of Padua, to be exact. Continue Reading →
One of my closest friends has been dreaming of that for years: a dark green belt made of the best Italian leather.
She’s lucky because Christmas is around the corner, and I know exactly where to find the belt of her dreams: in Florence, in one of the three leather boutiques I want to tell you about this week. I am also going to have her initials marked next to the buckle: ZZ. No link to Zorro or ZZ Top.
No, I did not know what good, real good pasta was until…
Here is the story of one the great gastronomic discoveries of my life. I was dwelling in a Tuscan farmhouse near Mercatale Val di Pesa, a tiny little town located in the well-known Chianti area, between Florence and Siena, and surrounded by olive groves, vineyards and dense woods.
The last time I ran into Mrs. Loiseau, one of my Paris neighbours – I introduced her to you in my very first article, – she was wearing flashy sling back shoes which she had just bought. Skeptical about her choice – and I personally think she had every reason to be, – she wanted my opinion.
You are a stone broke student with three pennies in your pocket and an immoderate passion for antiques. Wandering up and down the alleys of a colourful flea market, you stumble upon – and fall in love with – a superb garden chair with three missing legs and a broken seat. Continue Reading →
