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Gilli, the best cappuccino in Florence (and the prettiest place as well)
The Roman fashion house of the Sorelle Fontana
The Sorelle Fontana fashion house was founded in Rome in 1943 by three sisters and Italian designers: Zoe Fontana (1911-1979), Micol Fontana (1913-2015) and Giovanna Fontana (1915-2004). I recently posted about their designs for Rita Hayworth in The Barefoot Contessa (1954).
There’s a fair amount of information available in the public sphere online, including on Youtube.
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=sorelle+fontana
The actual atelier is featured in Luciano Emmer’s film Le ragazze di Piazza di Spagna. The film was shot in the Sorelle Fontana’s atelier near Piazza di Spagna in Rome.
Above: Lucia Bosè and Zoe Fontana in Le ragazze di Piazza di Spagna.
Below: Anita Ekberg, testimonial of first perfume “Glory by Fontana” with Zoe Fontana.
Below: Raquel Welch, female costar in Eduardo De Filippo’s movie Spara forte più forte, wears Sorelle Fontana designs.
Rita Hayworth in The Barefoot Contessa; gowns by Sorelle Fontana
In 1954, the film The Barefoot Contessa was released, starring Rita Hayworth and Humphrey Bogart. I just watched the film on Amazon.it and loved it just for the settings and costumes. The fashion house of the Sorelle Fontana provided the gorgeous costumes worn by Hayworth and some of the other characters.
The Sorelle Fontana fashion house was founded in Rome in 1943 by three sisters and Italian designers: Zoe Fontana (1911-1979), Micol Fontana (1913-2015) and Giovanna Fontana (1915-2004). I’ll be posting strictly about the fashion house soon.
The Barefoot Contessa is considered one of director/producer Mankiewicz’s most glamorous “Hollywood” films, but it was produced out of Cinecittà Studios in Rome, Italy. The exterior scenes were shot at Tivoli (the olive grove), Sanremo, and Portofino. The film’s Italian production was part of the “Hollywood on the Tiber” phenomenon.
The Saturday Review called Ava Gardner “one of the most breathtaking creatures on earth.” It is hard to disagree.
I took a bunch of screen shots of the film to illustrate this post. The pictures aren’t great, but the costumes are.
Not your usual Italy story
Italy in the vanguard of climate change awareness
Paris by its (beautiful) bridges and other reasons to love it
Indigenous American with recipes to share!
The fragrance of history in Florence
Florence is home to several historical perfumeries that make essences out of top quality, completely natural ingredients.
The best-known of these is undoubtedly Officina Profumo Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella (via della Scala, 16). Its extensive products includes perfumes, soaps, cosmetics, historical pharmaceutical preparations, home fragrances, and syrups, including in its renowned Alkermes, found in many traditional Tuscan sweets. Open on Sundays, a visit will dazzle you with the wonderful scents you breathe when you step over its threshold and the endless charm of its interiors and variety of all natural products.
Since the 1980s, Lorenzo Villoresi (via de Bardi,14), has been designing custom fragrances for the home and perfumes designed to fit the personality of the person wearing it, like a tailor-made garment.
The Antica Officina del Farmacista Dottor Vranjes (via della Spada 9/R) has a great variety of home fragrances, all-natural and based on spices, flower and fruit. In addition to home fragrances, it has perfumes and body care products based on pure vitamins and minerals to treat yourself in spa style at home.
Antica Profumeria Inglese (via de’ Ginori 2/R) has been setting itself apart since 1843 for the quality and refinement of its products. It was here that Henry Roberts invented a something that made its way around the world: talcum powder.
Sileno Cheloni’s olfactory creativity spawned a new line of limited edition fragrances, called Teatro Fragranze Uniche (via Maragliano, 56), founded on the inspiration and dedication of three women with the support of profumiers.
Farmacia Santa Annunziata. In 1561, the chemist Domenico di Vincenzo di Domenico Brunetti was the 1st manager of the Santissima Annunziata Pharmacy. Since that time the Farmacia has always maintained a special tradition in preparing prescriptions and products for the beauty of the skin. Using ancient processes completely handmade, with pestle and mortar, to special quality controlled preparations made with modern and safe machinery, special attention is paid both with traditional and new raw products. Our ancient tradition has been mantained and the standards of our products have become better and safer.
Acqua dell’ Elba
Olfattorio Bar a Parfums The experience continues outside the boutique with the olfactory glasses designed by Giovanni Gaidano.
Antico Setificio Fiorentino
A visit to this amazing workshop in Florence has been on my list of things to do for several years. I finally made it recently and it was above and beyond my expectations.
Situated in the Oltrarno, not far from the extant medieval walls of the city, the factory is open to visitors by appointment. I went with a group from Florence and we had an excellent tour, ending in the showroom where we were surrounded by their beautiful fabrics on rolls and treated to tea and pastries. A lovely experience in every sense.
get back, lauretta! 
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