Who is coming to Palm Beach or Florence..

Dear all,

Spring has just started, and summer is already in the bullseye!! Time, please stop and let us enjoy a bit more these enjoyable season full of events and holidays.

I am back in Palm Beach and already setting up the Hamptons Atelier and next season events. Time is glorious, maybe April has started with a little hiccup, now the sun is shining on Worth Avenue.

The shoes collection kicked fully in and the Worth Avenue Shoes Atelier has never been this busy, I will need to boost the production next season or even my shoes will fly on your shopping bags!!

Now, tag me in your stories, write to me, stay in touch with social networks and if you need a special personal shopper session online, you can ask to:

personalshopper@jennifertattanelli.com

PALM BEACH

This March between the travel back from Florence, the College visits with our youngest son and the Senior Day with our eldest, time in Palm Beach has not been enough!! 

Likely the weather has been great and even those few moments I was able to be on Worth Avenue, they were memorable.

We had several great restaurants opening in our neighbor, Palm Beach has reached its own limits I believe, so a quick stroll over the bridge is quite welcome for new places to check.

I do like Milos Estiatorio, I have started many (many!!) years ago in New York and now it is nice to have a local version to head to when in need of a superb fish under the salt crust.

FIRENZE...

April is no-doubt one of the best months in Florence. The weather is usually mild and pleasant, and it’s one exhibition after another as the museums start the season strong with a lineup of illustrious names. 

One such exhibition is Caravaggio and the 20th century – Roberto Longhi, Anna Banti, on display at Villa Bardini until July 20. Admire Caravaggio’s masterpiece, Boy Bitten by a Lizard, as part of a wider show around the couple and their extensive cultural reach, with some 2500 correspondents from the literary and art scenes worldwide. Over 40 works from their collection are on show, with a varied selection of paintings, letters, photographs, sketches and film forming the display.

There’s more than one reason to head to Villa Bardini this month, as the picture-perfect Wisteria makes its return in mid-April for only about ten days. Not going to catch it? A webcam streams the spectacle! 

MIDA, the International Handicraft Exhibition, takes place at the magnificent Fortezza da Basso from April 25 to May 1. Now in its 89th edition, the fair hosts more than 500 exhibitors coming from all over the world, sharing their artisanal excellence. You can even enjoy guided tours of the Medici fortress, being led into the underground tunnels to learn more about its fascinating past that dates to 1537.

The whole of Florence feels like a flower show this month, but if you’re looking for some truly stunning buds, make sure to see the Firenze Flower Show in Giardino Corsini from April 5-6. Rare and unusual plants make up the market exhibition, with a whole series of side events bringing you to learn even more about flora. 

Traditional Easter celebrations get going with the exciting Scoppio del Carro(explosion of the cart) in piazza del Duomo. On Easter Sunday, the cart packed with fireworks is pulled into the piazza led by two white oxen, where it releases a (fake!) dove into the cathedral, which flies to the altar and back, (hopefully) setting the cart alight to signal a good harvest to come. A whole host of figures in historical dress accompany the proceedings, as well as flag bearers and musicians, making a memorable occasion.

To everyone that is asking about restaurants, this month I will add to the list (ask me by email the entire list) Osteria Del Pavone, right behind my Atelier in Piazza Pitti. This is Trattoria Cammillo spin-off restaurant, a cozy setup, a Mediterranean menu inspired from the Florentine tradition and a great wine list...what else do you need? Book in advance, it is always busy!!

Typical Easter treats fill the stores and bakeries, with the appropriately named dove-shaped Colomba cake a popular choice. A cloud of butter, eggs, flour and sugar, various types exist, but it’s most often topped with almonds for a light crunch to contrast with the soft dough. The cake is said to date back to the 1930s to Motta, a company in Milan that was famous for its Panettone and Pandoro, the Christmas “cousins” of the Colomba. It was quickly taken up by bakeries all over Italy, fashioned into the shape of a Dove (Colomba) and containing candied orange peel....and if you do not like the orange peels like me, do not worry we have plain versions too!Have a great April!

With love,

Jennifer