Welcome to a new Fall season...in Firenze

Dear all,

It’s the time of the "Rientro" (re-entry following summer holidays), when Italians pack up their beach bags and head back to routine. It’s always a period of mixed feelings as we cling on to the last of the summer, but look forward to the normal order of things also. Luckily, there’s plenty going on in Florence to make sure the transition is as painless as possible!

Here in the States we arrived to the Labor Day weekend and everyone start to slowly putting aside the white dresses that has per tradition will be worn for the last time. OK it is an old tradition that is barely followed but for the European readers of this newsletter here the explanation. Around the '30 wearing white clothes in the summertime became fashionable. Wealthy families in Northeast cities went on vacation for weeks or months in the summer. The white clothes they wore became linked to ease, beauty and money. But at the end of summer, around Labor Day, they put those white clothes away and returned to their lives in the city – as well as to their darker, heavier clothes.

Just few notes before indulging ourselves with some Florentine' news.

1) The new CUSTOMIZE IT tool for the ballerina flat has entertained many of you!! We had in the last 4 weeks 78 new custom orders where, for the first time, you did everything by yourself!! How fun was that? Here just an example of your new ballerinas

2) A new project is coming up in Palm Beach. We have just added a new location always on Worth Avenue and like for the main Atelier on 214 we took over a beautiful space, the RAPTIS RARE BOOK my favorite spot on the Avenue!!! There is a '60 edition of Dr. Seuss that will be my next purchase...sorry we need to always feed the kids within ourselves. Please visit Matthew and his new book atelier at 329 Worth Avenue, I guarantee is worth it!! Thank you also Marsha, our new landlord, for being flexible and super fast!

Now for you coming soon to Florence, the Firenze Jazz Festival from September 8 to 12 always gets the city swinging, with five days of performances in various locations allowing you to stretch out the last of the summer evenings. A "Serata" of fine dining at Forte Belvedere is set to be another night to remember, as 16 Tuscan chefs put together their best dishes, all in the name of charity. The Italian Chef Night takes place on September 7, with info at caffédelforte@gmail.com. It’s well worth heading up to the centuries old fortress built by Bernardo Buontalenti, even if just for the spectacular view!

The 700th anniversary celebrations for Dante Alighieri reach their climax this month as the date Dante is believed to have died - September 14, 1321 - is marked with a multitude of events, detailed at www.700dantefirenze.it. I’m keen to check out the live readings held at the Cinema La Compagnia, with actors Ralph Fiennes, John Nettles and Helen Mirren taking part from 7pm on September 13 to 7pm on September 14 in a reading of the 100 canti of the Supreme Poet’s masterpiece.

It’s time to start swapping out summer recipes for something more autumnal, and I can’t wait to get putting together "Schiacciata con l’uva", made with products purchased at the many "Sagra"(food festivals) this month. Harvests abound and grapes are celebrated in this delicious dish that consists of an oven-baked flat bread filled with grapes that’s the perfect mix of sweet and salty.

Make sure to plate up some "Pappardelle with a chunky ragù" sauce too, the ideal comfort food! The ribbon shaped pasta is best accompanied by a meaty sauce, but non-meat eaters have plenty to tuck into too as chestnuts are about to have their moment, becoming the star of many of the season’s dishes!

The annual celebration of the "Festa della Rificolona", Festival of Paper Lanterns also takes place this month, with the name coming from rificolo, traditional name for a lantern. Celebrated on September 7, the Christian holiday is held for the birth of the Virgin Mary on September 8, which Florentines traditionally marked with a parade into "Santissima Annunziata". Expect to see plenty of kids parading around the streets with their homemade creations, and feel free to dangle your own lanterns from your balcony (safely, of course!)

Let’s step into September in style! See you there is a little while!!