CASINI FIRENZE - Palazzo Pitti

05/07/2018

Dear all,

With the Fourth of July behind us (there were lovely celebrations in Tuscany at Harding University’s campus, the riverside Rari bistrot and at the US consulate, among others), we can now officially say...

IT'S SUMMERTIME!!

I don’t know about where you are, but in Florence a serious heatwave has arrived in full force! ‘Tis the season to switch from morning espressi to caffe’ shakerati (served in classy martini glasses, ideally on the terrace of JT Caffè facing Piazza Pitti), to wind down the work day with an Aperol Spritz and to escape to the beach on the weekends.

There’s much to be said for summer in the city, though. An evening respite from the brutal temperatures comes in the form of open-air cinema once the sun goes down. For the second year in a row, the picturesque piazzale degli Uffizi—yes, the same square that houses the world-famous museum—is hosting free films every night at 10pm until August 11.

I’ve taken a peek at the program and it’s top notch, but let’s be candid: no one’s really going for the cinema itself. The experience of viewing a film in a Giorgio Vasari-designed “theatre” however, is something that stays with you!

By day the square can be a madhouse…by night, it’s simply majestic.

One of my personal favorite summertime fixtures is back, too: the Florence Dance Festival. It’s had an impressive nearly three-decade run, but for this new edition it’s switching gears, moving to Santa Maria Novella from its previous home in the Bargello courtyard.

But it’s not just a move to the basilica. No, this is big: if you missed the news last year, the huge Dominican complex has finally reopened its Grand Cloister to the public, and the always-fabulous dance festival will be headquartered there this year.

Since the early 20th century, the cloister was the site of a police school – which meant the magical interior was kept cordoned off to the general public. This year’s edition of the Florence Dance Festival is, like the Uffizi cinema, another one of those summer events where the venue is just as memorable as the show (and by the way, there are around 25 of them!)

Of course, I won’t ignore the obvious. Beating the heat in Florence can be a real challenge – especially when you have the crowds to contend with, too.

But lately I’ve been developing a real soft spot for strolls in the green spaces just outside the center. Of course everyone loves an amble through Boboli or Bardini, but the Villa Strozzi, just a smidge off the beaten path on via Pisana, has earned a spot on my list, opening early enough to where sometimes it’s just you and the breeze, and offering some surprisingly stunning views.

The Cascine is another classic, but you won’t exactly be on your own if you head there this weekend: there’s a giant, international, mega-inspiring sporting event taking place from July 6 to 8, the International Breast Cancer Paddlers’ Commission Participatory Dragon Boat Festival. Thousands of strong and beautiful breast cancer survivors from every single continent have descended on the Tuscan capital for a weekend rowing tournament designed to transmit a triumphant message.

Tomorrow there’s even a “Pink Parade” of all the participating nations taking place downtown—with the starting point set for just outside our boutique in piazza Pitti! We can’t wait to watch.

Keep refreshed, wear sunscreen, and enjoy your summer!

Yours,

Jennifer

12/06/2018

Dear all,

Summer is almost here!!

As of Memorial Day weekend, our atelier in the Hamptons is open for the season, which to us officially signals the start of summer (who says you have to wait until the solstice?) We’re already dreaming of beach days, popsicles and preppy fit-for-a-picnic dresses … how about you?

This summer I decided to add something...in addition to the Hamptons Atelier on 126 Main Street -Westhampton Beach- I decided to take over a former Calypso store -opposite to the Atelier- and bring to the Hamptons my first love...CASINI FIRENZE by Jennifer Tattanelli will open soon on 123 Main Street and will carry a contemporary collection with sneakers, clothing and beach bags spicing up your summer 2018.

As you many of you know, CASINI FIRENZE was my father Giorgio first store, who started his careers as leather artisan.

Giorgio has always had an entrepreneurial side, so he started to visit all the trade fairs around Europe also in the military bases offering its family leathergoods creations.

Giorgio’s dream was to create and offer a wide variety of florentine traditional goods tailored around his clients, with a perfect fitting and a reasonable price compared with the quality and craftmanship used.

Giorgio then decided to open his first store in Piazza Pitti, located in a very special part of Florence known as "Oltrarno" on the other side of the Arno River from Piazza della Signoria and the Duomo.

Despite the presence of "Palazzo Pitti", "Costa S.Giorgio" and "Boboli's garden" historically, this area was one of the poorest parts of Florence but during the Renaissance this was the center for the small artisans workshops, better known as "bottegas".

This tradition continues today and for the first time crosses the Atlantic Ocean and lands in the Hamptons!!

Then across the pond in my "Bella Firenze", of course, summer is a full six months long.

This might sound dramatic, but the city-wide Estate Fiorentina (“Florentine summer”) festival is a half-year showcase of art and culture events worth savoring, with many of them packed densely during the warmest months.

If you’re going to be around Florence in June and July, an highlight this year (and most years) is the exhibition up at the Forte Belvedere, which besides being a bastion of contemporary art, offers some of the most striking views over the city (minus the selfie-stick crowds seen at more famous overlooks like piazzale Michelangelo and the Basilica of San Miniato).

This year’s spotlighted artist is avant-garde pioneer and Cagli native Eliseo Mattacci, in an exhibition titled Gong. Mark my words: even if you’re not a highbrow museum buff, this show is worth a stop for the breathtaking views of Brunelleschi’s dome and the ample room to wander.

Less beautiful and more brutal—but quintessentially Florentine—is the longstanding tradition of "Calcio Storico Fiorentino". If you’re a Florence buff, you no doubt know of it; if you’re learning, let’s just say the Guardian has referred to calcio players as modern-day gladiators.

In a series of matches culminating with a final on the feast day of patron saint John the Baptist (San Giovanni, June 24), Florence’s four historic neighborhoods—Santa Croce, Santa Maria Novella, San Giovanni, and Santo Spirito (my Atelier’s home district)— face off in a rugby-esque game on a sandy pitch in piazza Santa Croce, set up specially for June.

It’s all done in full medieval garb and with flag throwers and a parade preceding it. Prideful Florentines, no matter how posh or not, sure love a bit of pomp and circumstance!

The fanfare surrounding the calcio proceedings is probably my favorite part of the whole ordeal—you probably won’t catch me at the matches, but the parties, parades, revelry and deeply felt neighborhood friendships during the weeks leading up to San Giovanni, it’s something truly magical to see pervading the city.

Perhaps even more spectacular, however, is the elaborate fireworks show that comes on the same day, June 24, once the "Calcianti" have hung up their costumes and crowds have dispersed from the square out to the Arno banks.

From about 10pm, bright-light spectacle shot from piazzale Michelangelo delights onlookers young and old on the streets below; every year people passionately argue over whether this one was the best show yet or not. (The one you’re seeing before you is always the best, right?).

If you’re around, snag a spot on the “Arno beach” below piazza Poggi or prepare to stand on your tiptoes along the bridges or waterfront. This is a spectacle not to be missed.

Whether your summer will take you to Tuscany, to sandy shores or on a much-deserved staycation…I wish you well and hope to see you soon, on the road to the Hamptons or in the Renaissance city.

Yours,

Jennifer

07/05/2018

04/04/2018

Dear all,

Happy Spring!!! OK is not here yet but....we will soon be able to enjoy it, needeless to say this has been a crazy winter!!

My Spring Atelier on 1122 Madison is open, new collection is arriving every day and we are ready to go....you will all love the new styles and the color palette as well as the limited editions I created for you.

My inspiration from the sunset in the Hamptons to the one that lights up the Pitti Palace stones. Hand crochet stitching with leather intrecciato optical and other hand-worked details add volume to flat surfaces imposing shape on flowing leather that is all in my new designs.

Shoes...shoes, shoes and more shoes now available for any occasions you will may have, for the evening at your preferred Gala to the lunch in our beloved Piazza Pitti....sipping my favourite rosè LUMERA from the siclian vinery DONNAFUGATA.

This Spring I will be divided between Florence and New York, the shows will start soon and I will be happy and honored to welcome you at 1122 Madison Avenue between 83rd and 84th.

In Florence despite the chill in the air, spring has officially arrived after Tuesday’s equinox, and the Uffizi Galleries are celebrating with a Twitter campaign dedicated to Sandro Botticelli’s seasonal masterpiece, Primavera, which is housed in the museum.

Active on social media since August 2016, the Uffizi has invited museumgoers to participate in a "Botticelli Marathon" by tweeting their most original, personal or evocative photographs of the monumental painting, using the hashtag , all throughout the day on March 21.

From March 21, a plaque will be placed below the artwork inviting anyone who desires to share their experience viewing the masterpiece on social media. The best shots will be selected to be part of a virtual exhibition Con la Primavera negli occhi… (With spring in our eyes), which will be displayed on the Uffizi Galleries’ website. To encourage worldwide participation, the rules are lenient: the painting itself need not be featured in users’ photos, but the images must relate to the themes of Botticelli’s painting.

For the 10 days following March 21, the marathon will continue, with the Uffizi Galleries ( on Twitter) tweeting daily short clips of the other Botticelli artworks kept in the galleries and Palazzo Pitti, still keeping the focus on the springtime theme.

What else....See you soon!!!! Cannot wait....

Yours,

Jennifer

14/11/2017

NYC Fall-Winter 2017/2018: well the shows have just ended and while we are crafting all the goods like Santa' Elves the scouting for the showroom in Manhattan is going on. During this activity we stumble upon this lovely and cozy location in the Upper East Side and...we decided to open our first Leather Artisan Atelier in Manhattan for the coming Holidays!! See you all very soon...in the UES!! Yours, Jennifer