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This article originally appeared in the October 2018 issue of Dream of Italy.  If you’re traveling in the region of Tuscany, a trip to the medieval city of Siena is a beautiful and quiet diversion. You won’t be disappointed. Some of the most unique treasures of art and history await you. Siena, originally an Etruscan settlement, was later established as …

This article originally appeared in the September 2018 issue of Dream of Italy. Find the main article here.  Facing a grassy square behind the Duomo is a narrow brick and stone building. Its dark wooden doors are usually closed. The windows’ shutters are often closed. There’s no shop sign, no indication that inside is not only Lucca’s oldest silversmith, but also the …

This article originally appeared in the September 2018 issue of Dream of Italy. Find the main article here.  A dozen or so years ago, harpist Genni Tommasi followed her great passion and curiosity for women’s work by taking weaving classes from expert weaver Lucia Nesi at Lucca’s Museo di Palazzo Mansi. Lucca has a long tradition of weaving luxury textiles. In …

This article originally appeared in the September 2018 issue of Dream of Italy. Find the main article here.  In a brick-walled workroom, just steps from busy Via Fillungo, Fabio Piagentini is touching a piece wood, inhaling its aroma. The light is intentionally low, classical music plays quietly in the background and the shop’s door is closed. Fabio is starting to fashion …

This article originally appeared in the September 2018 issue of Dream of Italy. My favorite pastime in Lucca is wandering. I poke around. There’s no set route. If I see a lovely garden, I head toward it. If I have never walked on a street, I will go turn the corner. If a shop looks intriguing, I will enter it. …

This article originally appeared in the September 2018 issue of Dream of Italy. Find the main article here.  Years back, Spaniard Matteo Valesi tired of the crowds walking on Via Fillungo, so he spontaneously turned down Via Santa Giustina. Those steps would change his life. During the stroll, he stepped into Antica Tipografia Biagini and chatted with its owner, Gino Biagini. That …