Florence

I have now been living in Florence and Tuscany for over 15 years. In that time I have grown passionate about the craftsmanship that Tuscans excels in, from creating leather goods, to how they make olive oil. To preserve the authenticity and even existence of these skills feels ever-more urgent in this globalised world of mass production where the connection between producer and consumer is stretched to breaking point. In Florence there are many master craftsmen still at work, and a younger generation keen on bringing these skills into the modern world. In the Tuscan countryside, there are oil and wine producers who are passionate about respecting traditions and young people returning to work the land. I wish to connect those of us who live an urban life with this slower, more delightful way to create – be it a handbag or a litre of olive oil. To that end, I can leading a tour around Florence and Tuscany on request. If you would like to meet me and experience some aspects of my Florence, visit some of the Bella Figura sites and meet some of the characters from my book, contact me to discuss. I can also arrange a bespoke Bella Figura weekend or full week(s) in the gorgeous and unknown Tuscan countryside where I live and produce my olive oil and balm, to include foraging walks, food direct from the land, and wine tasting as we sit among the very vines that produced the wine – contact me to discuss. On application, I can also put together a 3- to 7-day Bella Figura Writing Experience which combines my love of the city with the holistic writing practices which I now teach in my Memoir-Writing courses.