Following the footsteps of the novel 'Still Life' in Florence

A new retreat this November

When we were in our second lockdown of 2020, I got an email from my friend Sarah Winman asking if I would mind reading the manuscript of the book she was working on and just checking it from the point of view of someone who knows Florentine well — did the characters move through Florence as they should, were the Italian phrases correct, did the food they were eating in those decades after the war make sense? I didn’t even think twice, of course I would be thrilled and honoured to do that!

I locked myself away for a couple of weeks and immersed myself in Still Life, in the intertwining worlds of British globe-maker Ulysses Temper and elderly art historian Evelyn Skinner, who have fallen in love with Florence in their own ways.

The characters, set (for the most part ) in the backdrop of 1950s and 1960s Florence, eat all my favourite foods — you’ll notice panini with lampredotto, budino di riso, new season olive oil, pappardelle and tortellini in brodo (“He asked her what the specials were, and she moved close to his ear. Tortellini in brodo, she purred. It was as erotic a moment as he’d had in years. He felt giddy and stumbled against the chair”.)

Sarah already had the most wonderful story in place, full of characters that I wanted to befriend and know, a knowledge of Florence, deeply studied from her previous visits, and a dramatic scene of the 1966 flood. I only had to tweak the tiniest of details so that even the littlest things fell into place, like names, streets, dishes they might be eating or drinks they’re holding in their hands. You might be able to find the references like little clues sprinkled throughout the book.

The scene where Claude, the blue and yellow parrot that graces the cover, carries a candle across Piazza Santo Spirito and drops it into the darkened window of the neighbour in the middle of a black out — his name is Signor Lami, my husband.

The characters take walks around the hills of Settignano — the same walk along the via degli Scalpellini (the stone cutter’s walk) that I took Sarah on the first time she came to visit me in Florence, when I was still living in Settignano.

On Christmas Eve, Ulysses offers his guests thin slices of my favourite panforte and spumante.

During the courtship of Cress and Signora Mimmi, they eat dishes from Artusi’s Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well, the book that my blog was built upon. And everywhere, food is present throughout the interactions between the characters:

Now, what’s on the menu tonight?

Bistecca and cannellini beans and spinach.

Des stopped. Bistecca? You can’t be serving nosh like bistecca, lad. I didn’t draw up a business plan for the margins on food to be so narrow. Feed ‘em cheap, we agreed. Brodo, brodo and more bloody brodo. And don’t skimp on the tomatoes. Steak’s for the Excelsior!

Ulysses laughed. It’s for you, Des. You’re the only one in tonight.

I am?

We’re eating together. You, me, Cress and the kid.

It’s a book that I just got drawn into immediately.

There were times when I couldn’t believe how my early life in Florence crossed over with these fictional characters who also chose Florence as their home. Ulysses admiring my very favourite fresco in all of Florence, Pontormo’s Deposition (I created my own deposition inspired by it for my senior thesis at art school in 2002). He gets his lithography and intaglio prints done by an artist in San Niccolò, where I went to Printmaking School in 2001. And, of course, the tangle of the artisan quarter of the Santo Spirito neighbourhood and its piazza, the backdrop of the story, where I studied art restoration for two years.

The brilliant characters I think are what make this such a heart-warming, beautiful story and what connects people to Still Life, but also the vivid imagery of Florence in this particular time period — in fact, it’s no surprise that it’s being adapted into a TV series right now, with Sarah co-writing, it will be produced by Downton Abbey producer Liz Trubridge.

When Sarah was asked in this interview to sum up what her book is about, she said, “A story of found family and opportunity and love and the value of art. My answer to right-wing rhetoric and division.”

I’ve heard of many people doing their own Still Life tour — one of my workshop guests told me of a trip she organised herself to walk in the footsteps of Ulysses and Evelyn. And somehow, with Sarah and another old friend, Paola Vojnovic, a historian, we began talking about arranging a Still Life-inspired retreat in Florence, set in the oltrarno, during the anniversary of the 1966 flood and here we are — finally, I can announce that we will be getting together to do this!

Join me, Sarah Winman and Paola Vojnovic in Florence for a Still Life Retreat, from November 3 (my birthday!) — November 8, 2025.

Immerse yourself in Florence’s history, art, and literary culture on this unforgettable six-day retreat. Inspired by Sarah Winman’s novel Still Life—a Sunday Times bestseller set in postwar Florence—you’ll explore the Renaissance city’s past and present through its people, places, and creative heritage with the author herself. Together with Sarah, Emiko Davies and art historian, Paola Vojnovic, you will walk the medieval streets, piazzas, and museums, tracing the impact of World War II and the devastating 1966 flood—both integral themes in Still Life.

We’ll stay in and explore Oltrarno (one of my favourite hotels, here), the city's quieter, artisan-filled neighborhood that’s the primary setting of Still Life. At Il Bisonte printmaking school, we’ll participate in a workshop with globe-maker Leonardo Frigo (below), whose work echoes that of Still Life’s beloved protagonist, Ulysses.

As the retreat takes place on the 59th anniversary of the historic 1966 flood, we’ll visit the Biblioteca Nazionale’s restoration lab, where I interned while studying book restoration, to understand the damage inflicted on Florence’s literary treasures. We’ll explore Florence’s culinary scene at local markets and trattorias and by cooking a feast inspired by Still Life. At some of Florence’s most cherished establishments, meals will be a time to share and connect with your fellow travelers and enjoy the best of the city’s cuisine.

What’s included:

• Accommodation for five nights at Oltrarno Splendid

• 5 breakfasts, 4 lunches, 2 dinners (some of my favourite places)

• Activities and meals in the company of Still Life author Sarah Winman

• Entrance tickets to all museums and private guided tours with historian Paola Vojnović

• Market visit and cooking class with cookbook author Emiko Davies

• Globe-making workshop and materials with globe-maker Leonardo Frigo

• Insider tips from Emiko Davies on where to eat in Florence for your free evenings

Click here for the full program and booking details:

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