CHECKING IN WITH HELEN FARRELL
How long have you lived in Florence, what drew you here initially, and what led you to make your home here?
I have lived in Tuscany for 18 years and moved here to work for a publishing company. I never actively made the decision to set up home here. Florence works its magic on you and becomes home, especially once you’ve developed a career and married a local.
Prior to the pandemic, what kinds of solutions had been implemented or were being discussed to address the overcrowding and quality of life issues in Florence?
Florence was struggling under the weight of its popularity, something we all realized, including the city’s administration. Measures had started to be introduced to encourage quality tourism, such as taxes on daytrippers (especially cruise tourists), but we weren’t really seeing any changes.
What kinds of adaptations have tour operators, hotels, restaurants and other businesses heavily reliant on visitors made during this time when travel is restricted?
Many tourism-dependent businesses are selling gift vouchers valid for 2021–22. Countless restaurants switched to home deliveries and takeaways. Some tour guides pivoted to successful online experiences. One thing we’re seeing at The Florentine, for example, is how our American readers are making donations to support our journalism and, in turn, we develop articles aimed at Italy lovers in the United States who want to buy from Italian businesses — the campaign’s called To Florence with
Love. Many of the museums, such as the Uffizi, now offer virtual tours. If there’s one thing Italy has in spades, it’s creativity: That’s what we’ll see more and more of this year.
Do you see any “silver linings” to come out of the current situation of restricted travel?
We will see a slow but incremental return of quality tourism, of Italy lovers, first and foremost. We will also see digital tools used for tourism purposes to keep Italy lovers connected to experiences here: That’s a whole new industry.
What are some areas or sites you think visitors may not be aware of or activities they might enjoy that aren’t well-known?
Active tourism, such as SUP on the Arno and hiking in the hills. Experiences like skydiving over the Duomo.
The outdoor sights, like tabernacles and street art. The lesser-known galleries, like Collezione Roberto Casamonti, and the libraries like the Riccardiana and the Biblioteca Nazionale. The suburbs, which is where you find the Florentines going about their daily lives: Gavinana; Campo di Marte; the Cascine with the incredible former tobacco factory, Manifattura Tabacchi, now a vibrant regenerated hub of contemporary culture. Wider Tuscany: the littleknown places, such as the islands and the Lunigiana and the Maremma.
What large events, festivals or gatherings (virtual or inperson) are planned for this coming year?
Florence commemorates its beloved son and supreme poet on the 700th anniversary of his death in Ravenna.
The full line-up of Dante events can be seen online at 700dantefirenze.it. More than 30 cultural institutions joined forces to celebrate Florence’s exiled son with a miscellany of study days, talks and exhibitions. [Also,] 2021 brings a raft of new Florence sustainable experiences. Forty-seven projects received financing from the Florence tourism board. [And] Palazzo Strozzi is gearing up for an all-american art year. From March 20 to July 25 … the major exhibition takes a new look at the history of modern art in the United States between two key moments in U.S. history, the Vietnam War and the attack on the Twin Towers.
What would you like our readers to know about Florence?
Florence is a contemporary city, famous for its past but with a here-and-now vibrancy and creativity like few places in the world. The Renaissance was a product of the Black Death … we can only imagine what the light and the beauty of this phenomenal city will spark in the years to come after the upheaval of the current world circumstances.
What do you see are Florence’s strengths as she moves forward toward life after restrictions are lifted?
Resilience. Imagination. Creativity. Genius. This is not the first time Florence has lived through the plague or thrived after devastation (World War II, the 1966 flood). The Renaissance happened here for a reason.