June might just be our favorite month yet..

Dear all,

June feels like skin warmed by the sun at seven in the evening, like outdoor tables filling up without any rush, and like car trips with the windows down after an aperitivo that lasts too long.

It is the month when the city changes its pace, and the mood lifts for no reason: everything feels lighter, simpler, and inevitably happy.

The days stretch out as if they don't want to end, and fashion moves along with them, guided by instinct and naturalness.

June is about the simple style of those who already understand that you don't wait for summer; you wear it.

The wardrobe makes its most awaited change, favoring a palette inspired by icy summer colors: raspberry pink, sorbet yellow, and milky blues that recall the cool freshness of evenings outdoors.

It is the month for easy-chic outfits: flowing dresses and raffia accessories. June works through good vibes, not effort!

FIRENZE

First and foremost...WELCOME BACK!!

The summer sun is upon us here in Florence, and it’s been a hot start to the month! Luckily, the events calendar keeps us cool with plenty of riverside spotsshowcasing local talent with outdoor venues open for the season and a whole host of new exhibitions if you prefer escaping to where there’s air con!

A new restoration project is underway at the Museo Nazionale del Bargello, where conservators are carefully working on the marble base of Benvenuto Cellini’s Perseus, a masterpiece of 16th-century Florentine sculpture. Most interestingly, members of the public are able to observe the conservators at work and follow along the different stages through to its expected completion on September 5.

The Estate Fiorentina program covers June 1 to September 30, with a wide variety of performances and festivals making up the ample calendar. Apriti Cinema right in from my Florence Atelier in piazza de’ Pitti is bound to be a highlight, when the atmospheric square in front of Palazzo Pitti is set up with a cinema screen under the stars and open-air seats from June 15 to July 26 for free-entry screenings that cover a vast range of genres. There’s nothing quite like it!

Orchestra della Toscana performs in some of the region’s most striking venues from June 11 to August 1. The Ville e Giardini incantati (Enchanted villas and

gardens) series sees Mendelssohn and Schubert at Villa Medicea La Petraia and Beethoven, Hoffmeister and Haydn at Forte di Belvedere for memorable evenings of classical music and history combined, with plenty more set to take place throughout the season.

A traditional Japanese festival will be in the lovely park of Villa Vogel from June 27-28. Festa Tanabata is all about making a wish, which you write on a strip of colored paper and hang on bamboo branches, while connecting with other cultures through a market selling crafts and accessories, enjoying traditional dance and music, and engaging in workshops on fascinating things like calligraphy.

June 24 is a local celebration of the city’s patron saint, San Giovanni (St. John the Baptist). The occasion is marked with historic parades with traditional costumes, always creating a unique atmosphere, not to mention the spectacular fireworks display by the Arno River and the Calcio Storico Fiorentino final in piazza Santa Croce! To say a little more on the city’s historic “soccer,” the game is essentially a mix of American football, mixed martial arts, rugby and wrestling, with a lot of pageantry thrown in for good measure!

It takes place between the city’s oldest quarters: the Greens from San Giovanni, the Blues from Santa Croce, the Reds from Santa Maria Novella and the Whites from Santo Spirito....needless to say: GO WHITE!!

In the kitchen, recipes shift to cope with the heat! Cannellini beans get adapted for every season, evolving from the hot, thick stews of winter to a room temperature version with tomato and sage that serves as a great side dish alongside grilled meat.

Called fagioli all’uccelletto, it’s a quick and easy mix of cooked cannellini beans, cloves of garlic, fresh sage leaves and crushed or peeled tomatoes, with a dash of extra-virgin olive oil, salt, black pepper and a pinch of chili flakes if you feel like an extra kick! Wondering about the name? Uccelletto means little bird, which may seem confusing until you learn that it’s actually referring to the sage-garlic combination that was traditional for roasting game!

Jennifer