Deirdre Pirro

In the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, there is the monumental tomb of a man who had no desire or intention of ever being buried there. Instead he had prepared a magnificent tomb for himself, his first wife, María Osorio y Pimentel, the second marquise of Villafranca del Bierzo, and his descendants in the city he had ruled with an iron rod for more than 20 years.

In 2021, a unique blend of tea called Anniversario was produced by the La Via del Tè company, which could not be purchased and was only to be gifted. It was created to celebrate the six decades since the marriage of founder Alfredo Carrai and his Florence-born wife, Amelia, known as Lalla, as well as the 60th anniversary of the business. When this couple’s company began in 1961, Italy was a very different place from the country we know today.

The centre of Florence and surrounding areas are ablaze with Christmas lights, and the shop windows add to the joy with colourful displays of merchandise celebrating the festive season. Shoppers begin to fill the streets in search of the perfect gifts to put under the tree for their loved ones.