Browsing AuthorPaco Neumann

Author Gravater

Paco Neumann

Paco Neumann is a journalist, photographer, proofreader, flâneur and perpetual amateur currently living in between Florence, Berlin, Paris and Tenerife. He´s been a regular contributor to fashion, art, trend and lifestyle magazines and worked for news, advertising and communication agencies
The custom-made perfumes of AquaFlor Firenze
Fashion & Shops & Markets

The custom-made perfumes of AquaFlor Firenze

17 julio, 2023 / By:
PHOTOS & SPANISH VERSION BELOW

This perfumery handcrafts made-to-measure perfumes and it is located in the Palazzo Serristori Corsini Antinori, a few steps from the Santa Croce Basilica. The store consists of three spacious rooms connected through a sublime olfactory experience. The furniture is composed of ancient pieces, chosen carefully as an invitation to laxity, delight and contemplation. The old shelves of the Hall of Essences contain more than 1500 unique substances. «Creating an original perfume» — says Sileno Cheloni, master artisan at AquaFlor Firenze — «is like building the biography of an individual: cut the present in half, as if it was a tree, to read the circles of life representing years, important events and emotions.»
AquaFlor – Borgo Santa Croce 6, 50122 Firenze FI…

Continue Reading
No Comments 3391 Views 3391 Views
Surviving the night in Florence with an anti-mosquitoes kit
Moments & People

Surviving the night in Florence with an anti-mosquitoes kit

16 julio, 2023 / By:
PHOTOS & SPANISH VERSION BELOW

Without a doubt, the most unpleasant thing occurring in Florence is mosquitoes. Actually, none of the tourist guides alert (especially to those sensitive to the bites) about this annoying particularity. Thus, it is advisable to get an anti-mosquitoes kit in any supermarket, even if it´s only for one night. I have tried them all and can recommend as most effective the electric type, either liquid or in tablets. Best so to enjoy the pleasure of open windows or a terrace at night. Due to its humidity, mosquito repellents are indispensable in Florence, even during the winter!…

Continue Reading
No Comments 2416 Views 2416 Views
Galleria Frilli, the legendary studio and sculpture gallery of Florence
Fashion & Shops & Markets

Galleria Frilli, the legendary studio and sculpture gallery of Florence

15 julio, 2023 / By:
PHOTOS & SPANISH VERSION BELOW

Founded in 1860, the family run Gallery-Studio Frilli quickly achieved international recognition for its marble replicas of classical, Renaissance and neoclassical sculptures. Indeed, walking through its comfortable rooms one feels in a Renaissance theme park. The sculptures seem just about to talk. Conceived with the purpose of decorating ostentatious residences in Europe, America and Asia, Frilli has the largest collection of models derived directly from the original pieces, museums and monuments from the Western world. That is why the works are considered real replicas and not mere copies. The family also created the bronze replicas at Lorenzo Ghiberti´s Gates of Paradise in the baptistery of Florence. Perfect for an LSD trip.
Galleria Frilli -Via dei Fossi, 26, 50123 Florence FI 
…

Continue Reading
No Comments 2978 Views 2978 Views
La Via del Tè: it’s tea time in Florence!
Fashion & Shops & Markets

La Via del Tè: it’s tea time in Florence!

14 julio, 2023 / By:
PHOTOS & SPANISH VERSION BELOW

During my daily walks around Oltrarno, I had always noticed this tearoom in Via Santo Spirito. It is undoubtedly the typical place that catches your attention and makes you stop until the curiosity is satisfied. La Via del Tè (The Way of Tea) was founded in 1961 by Alfredo Carrai who, fascinated by the world of tea, took the personal challenge of introducing the tea culture in Italy, by then almost unknown. La Via del Tè conceptual stores sell more than 250 products, including whole-leaf tea from China, India, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Japan and Africa; scented blends; fruit infusions; herbal teas and all La Via del Tè own brand products: from classic cans, single-dose filters in transparent cloth or cotton muslin, to gift boxes, along with a selection of teapots, cups and accessories brought to the stores from all over the world. La Via del Tè has two other branches in Florence: one in Piazza Ghiberti and the other in Via della Condotta. They not only serve tea in its exquisite rooms, but also sell teapots, ad hoc utensils and homemade pastries.
La Via del Tè – Via di Santo Spirito 11, 50125 Florence
…

Continue Reading
1 Comment 2203 Views 2203 Views
La Cité: books, music, coffee and wine in the heart of San Frediano
Wine & Food

La Cité: books, music, coffee and wine in the heart of San Frediano

13 julio, 2023 / By:
PHOTOS & SPANISH VERSION BELOW

Books, art, wine and music. La Cité is defined as a polyvalent cultural space, responding to demands for the eclectic interacting of today. Since 2007, this two-storey café-bookshop of Borgo San Frediano (Oltrarno, Florence) has become a small cultural island, a city within the city itself. La Cité is just the antithesis of the classic bookstore-supermarket franchise and is described as a place of research and meeting, as well as a reading room, where cultural diversity and languages ​​are mixed. Their selection of texts is preferably of critical, independent and creative publications. Over the 5000 titles included in its catalogue one can find new and used books, newspapers and editorial oddities. Before sale browsing and reading books is allowed. In addition, each week, book presentations are organized with the presence of authors, critics, musicians and artists, as well as public debates on current affairs. Ideal spot for blind dates, too.
La Cité – Borgo San Frediano 20R, Florence. Open every day, from 9 to 2 a.m. On Sunday it opens at 3 p.m. – WIFI connection
…

Continue Reading
No Comments 2253 Views 2253 Views
On the Road: a Florentine travel bookstore with added-value
Fashion & Shops & Markets

On the Road: a Florentine travel bookstore with added-value

12 julio, 2023 / By:
PHOTOS & SPANISH VERSION BELOW

On the Road is not only the title of the Beat Generation best-known novel. It is also a charming bookshop in Florence specialized in travel, the only one of its kind in the city. Opened in 2012, in this bookshop, the continents are classified by colors. “For me, Africa is red and not black – the color that anyone would associate with this continent,” says Martina. Martina owns the business. A bellissima donna italiana, kind, graceful, and refined who is, in fact, a simple woman bursting with life and sweetness. She is a great expert in travel literature and, no need to say, she is passionate about her job. But being a bookseller not only implies selling books: “It is exhausting.” There are many tasks hinter den Kulissen: select books, stay tuned for editorial novelties, accounting, expert advice, and affection. In addition to all these duties, Martina has time to organize book presentations with authors or workshops on photography and travel literature. On the Road not only sells guides but also novels focused on travels, maps, books on hiking and cycling routes, travel literature for children and last but not least, it gives priceless personalized attention.
On the Road – Via Vittorio Emanuele II, 32 A/R – 50134 Florence
…

Continue Reading
No Comments 1894 Views 1894 Views
Fiaschetteria-Osteria Nuvoli, «crostini» for 1 euro
Wine & Food

Fiaschetteria-Osteria Nuvoli, «crostini» for 1 euro

9 julio, 2023 / By:
PHOTOS & SPANISH VERSION BELOW

In Florence, the small and narrow premises usually stand as an attraction impossible to refuse. However, and although the Fiaschetteria-Osteria Nuvoli has a dining space on the lower floor, it is much more pleasing to eat and drink outside its door, watching all, as well as being seen. Ideally, it is a place to take a bite when not having much time or hunger. Among its snacks are crostini cheese, mushrooms, salami, prosciutto, panini tartufati and more. The wine selection looks as almost endless. Crostini for 1 euro, each meatball costs 1,5 euros and a large wine glass 5 euros. Count on a rustic location and definitely friendly service, and is right in the heart of the city.
Fiaschetteria-Osteria Nuvoli – Piazza dell’Olio, 15/r
…

Continue Reading
No Comments 2192 Views 2192 Views
The synagogue of Florence, example of Jewish architecture for worship
Art & Culture

The synagogue of Florence, example of Jewish architecture for worship

10 marzo, 2023 / By:
PHOTOS & SPANISH VERSION BELOW

Considered one of the best examples of Jewish architecture for worship, the Florentine synagogue, located in the heart of nineteenth-century Florence, is not only a building in which to profess one’s faith, but also a social and cultural centre. The temple was designed by the Piedmontese architect Marco Treves and opened in 1882. Today is still a place of prayer, but also of meeting and memory. The synagogue also houses the Jewish Museum of the Community of Florence, where great importance is given to the remembrance of the Holocaust and to the persecutions and sacrifices of the Florentine Jewish community. This building descends stylistically from the architectural eclecticism of the 19th century. The Moorish style predominates in conjunction with some Romanesque winks, typical of the Florentine tradition. The external decorative elements, as well as all in the interior, use coloured Venetian tiles to shape geometric ornaments.
Synagogue of Florence -Via Luigi Carlo Farini 4
…

Continue Reading
No Comments 2623 Views 2623 Views
Carnival of Viareggio, magic and fantasy on the Tuscan coast
Within Tuscany

Carnival of Viareggio, magic and fantasy on the Tuscan coast

25 febrero, 2023 / By:
PHOTOS & SPANISH VERSION BELOW

—Have you ever been to Viareggio carnival? Is it worth it?
—It’s a little decadent … It makes me sad.»
—Interesting, you just convinced me, I’ll go!

Although not as popular as the Venetian, the Carnival of Viareggio is one of the most important and acclaimed in Italy. I am from Tenerife, in the Canary Islands, where the carnival is the most outstanding festivity. It is the first big celebration of the year. It involves a massive exhibition of colour, enthusiasm, and frenzy, and that is why, probably, it drives me to discover other facets and versions of the same event. It is said that “diversity is equal to cultural richness.”

…

Continue Reading
No Comments 3361 Views 3361 Views
Villa Puccini in Torre del Lago: where Giacomo Puccini still feels alive
Within Tuscany

Villa Puccini in Torre del Lago: where Giacomo Puccini still feels alive

19 febrero, 2023 / By:
PHOTOS & SPANISH VERSION BELOW

Torre del Lago (Viareggio, province of Lucca) is known for being the gay mecca in the Tuscan coast, but most especially for Giacomo Puccini ́s villa. Attracted by its peaceful surroundings, such as the Lake di Massaciuccoli nearby, the composer bought it in 1898 and lived there until his death in 1924. The simplicity of the two-storey building is offset by inner eclecticism, with highlights as his piano room and the chapel where the master, his wife, son and daughter-in-law are buried. It is great to know that tragic characters such as Floria Tosca, Mimì or Madama Butterfly were given birth within these walls. The house-museum was inaugurated in 2012 and is managed by her granddaughter Simonetta Puccini. Since 1930, the Puccini Festival is celebrated near the lake in summer, with works of the composer represented in an outdoor stage.
Practical info…

Continue Reading
No Comments 3987 Views 3987 Views