June Blooms
Notes on floral wines, spotlight on Florence, the city of flowers, a fragrance lovers’ guide + interview with a perfumer
Issue #9
My favorite Italian word is sfiorare.
The first time I read it, I whispered it out loud. I hear it that way now, low and slow across my lips. It’s one of many emotive Italian verbs that expresses both motion and emotion.
Both literal and figurative, sfiorare means:
to lightly brush up against (something or someone)
to just barely touch on something, ie, a topic of conversation
to come very close to something (but not all the way)
At its heart is the Italian word for flower, fiore.
Figuratively, fiore is the pinnacle, the prize, something to aspire to.
Literal Cream of the Crop
For the foodies out there, fior di latte describes both mozzarella made from pure cow’s milk (as opposed to bufala), and gelato, made without eggs, ie, pure creamy whole milk.
Fiore is the quintessence, everything. To be deflowered in our own language is to no longer be whole or pure.
Fiorare the verb means to bloom and to flourish. One letter ‘s’ in front of fiorare changes everything to almost.
Sfiorare means come very close, but not all the way. It’s a missed opportunity or a barely-there caress.
The flower, fiore, on the other hand, is everything.
A Guide to Floral Wine
June is blooming. There’s no better time to stop and smell the roses, along with the magnolias, jasmine, lilacs, freesia, honeysuckle, and peonies.
We’re well past the blooming season of the Linden and the Bradford Pear blossoms, which for some people read as warm, white and earthy, and for others, less pleasant.
Brush up on your bouquets, learn more about the science of scent, and how to recognize floral notes in wine in this guide.
Florence for Fragrance Lovers
For this month’s issue of Tastefully, I ventured to the city of flowers, Florence, Italy.
Firenze, once known in Latin as Florentia ( flourishing” or “blooming), is the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance. Art, architecture, and commerce blossomed here as Italy emerged from the dark ages.
The city is steeped in floral symbolism, most famously the iconic, fleur-de-lys, a depiction of a Florentine Iris. It is also home to the imposing and impossibly beautiful Santa Maria del Fiore cathedral.
Florence is also host to one of the world’s oldest apothecaries, where monks of the Santa Maria Novella order once prepared curative tinctures and balms from flowers and plants.
Catarina de’ Medici famously hired a perfumer trained in the arts of natural essence extraction for her scented charms and gloves, an antidote to the era’s uncleanly odors.
Grab our olfactory itinerary here, and add these boutiques, museums, and immersive experiences to your list.
Behind the Scenes with Florentines
Unsurprisingly, Florence is also a massive tourist destination. Inundated with 15 million visitors last year, numbers are on rise.
The crowds can be intimidating. Everything in Florence appears both alluring yet questionably authentic.
In a place so uniformly fascinating and beautiful, it’s hard to tell the difference between the overhyped and the true treasures.
The gems are hidden in plain sight.
To help cut through the noise, I’m launching an ongoing series, The Crown Jewels of Florence.
The series relies strictly on local recommendations.
I spoke with native Florentines whose ties to the city extend for centuries, as well as long-time residents who fell in love with Florence and forged their sense of home there.
Among the sources who will be featured in the coming months are restaurant royalty (and literal royalty), heritage artisans, bar managers, architects, event organizers, hair stylists, fashion designers, travel consultants, coffee roasters, and perfumers, like Zisis Kapsalis.
Read more about how he fell in love with Florence, made a total career pivot into perfumery, and find out where he goes for drinks after work (hot tips!).
Everyone I spoke to not only offered recommendations, but connected me to someone else, who in their opinion, would round out my experience. Follow along to meet them all!
Tastefully Premium Content
Much of the series will be available for free.
Upgraded subscribers have access to all articles and the full archives, plus premium perks, for example, 15% off Florence Platinum Tours.
The enterprising band of brothers know the city inside and out, and they’ll show it to you in a fully electric vintage Fiat 500 convertible. Keep your eyes out for a full recap our day together.
Welcome to summer! It’s 37°C/ 98.6°F here today. Feverishly hot.
Excuse me while I pour myself a glass of something floral and bubbly.
XO,
Annie