Now,
Sit down and look into your heart… stop for a moment in this rush of life, made up of responsibility.
Read the stories about the items inside the Box.
Enjoy your surprises, handmade with skill and passion in Italy.
Gold Body Cleaner on a Rope - Nesti Dante
Gold has always been considered the most precious metal.
The metal in nature is a conductor and for Chinese Medicine it carries energy throughout the body through the "breath" which is not only oxygen, but always according to Chinese medicine, it is understood as the ability to get in touch with others.
This is why it is thought that the Metal Element puts us in communication with the external environment and above all with other human beings.
Starting from this concept on the occasion of the sixty-year anniversary of when the young Dante cooked his first soap in Florence, the high mastery of Saponeria Nesti has created a precious soap with 23-karat gold leaf that I have chosen for you in the Dolce far niente Box.
If the gold inside the soap doesn't work for the connection with the outside world, at least its sweet scent will make you feel good.
Top quality ingredients selected without compromise. Whole vegetable oils from eco-sustainable and renewable plantations.
Free of sulphates, parabens, synthetic surfactants and mineral oils. Does not contain EDTA. Vegan friendly, does not contain ingredients of animal origin.
Fully recyclable wrapping.
Prepared in Florence with love and care since 1947.
Portagioie di carta (Paper jewelry box) - Alberto Cozzi
Another treasure of paper in this Box of surprises, to tell about the Alberto Cozzi Bookbinding Shop and Florence. A small jewelry box to keep your most precious memories, handmade with Fiorentina paper (marbled paper). In Florence this technique has found fertile ground and in a few centuries the capital of Tuscany has become a world excellence in this field, so much so that it has renamed this colored paper.
As you might know, marbling is a paper decoration technique of Chinese and Japanese origin. The first examples of decorative marbling, in fact, are found in Japan and date back to the 8th century. The merchants of the Far East used to cover the boxes for the goods with these decorations and thanks to this packaging the paper arrived in the West and spread around.
Each sheet of Florentine paper is unique.
Small defects or inconsistencies are the certifications of the craftsmanship of the product, and time and love of those who made it. That, of course, drives up the price. Only in Florence and Venice there is a strong tradition in this process, often Italians do not know marbled paper (or Florentine paper). Abroad, however, it is widespread and there are many foreigners who come to Florence to learn the technique in the artisan workshops!
Antique Silver Spoon - LUCCA ANTIQUE MARKET
Lucca is enclosed within an intact city wall ring. Try to imagine that you have found a treasure chest, you open it and find out what treasure it contains.
You are going to feel same emotion when visiting the historic center of Lucca.
It is accessed by 6 main doors. Crossing each of these doors, Lucca opens up, showing its treasures: every church, every narrow alley, every tower, every square, every shop reveals a small piece of the city's history.
It is easy to be fascinated by how well this town has been preserved over time. The center is relatively small, to get an idea of its size, in 15 minutes on foot you can cross the city from one side to the other, but it is a concentration of art, history and culture and its visit certainly requires a little ' more time.
From the top of the walls, which today are a public garden and are recognized worldwide for their particularity, looking towards the center, numerous towers and bell towers stand out above the roofs of the houses, among which the Guinigi Tower stands out, unmistakable due to the presence of holm oaks that make up its foliage. A few steps from the tower with trees, we find Piazza dell'Anfiteatro, the symbol of the city for its unique elliptical shape. Built on the ruins of the ancient Roman theater, today we see it surrounded by a row of medieval houses that frame it. Lucca is also nicknamed the city of a hundred churches, due to the large number of religious buildings dating back to different eras that can be counted inside. Worth mentioning are the Cathedral of San Martino (Duomo di Lucca), the Church of San Michele in Foro and the Basilica of San Frediano.
In Fillungo, the main street that cuts the city from north to south (originally the Roman decumanus), today the old shops and modern boutiques blend perfectly to offer a vast shopping opportunity for all budgets.
Lucca, the fulcrum of a fervent trade and export activity, sees the advent of a new style in the field of residential construction with Liberty, which brings with it architectural evidence from the early twentieth century. The Art Nouveau villas can be admired side by side all around the walls.
The whole territory of Lucca is dotted with villas. These are splendid creations of the proud aristocracy of the small republic of Lucca, with the villa-park combination with gardens and water features, in a harmony that extends into the panoramas of the Tuscan hills.
Did I make you want to visit Lucca?
On the third weekend of each month you will find the antiques market on the streets in the city centre, that I told you about in a few Instagram posts. It is considered one of the most beautiful in Tuscany.
I have selected for you an object that brings with it the atmosphere of Lucca and its lordly chink character. The particular shape of the shell, otherwise the shape of a scoop, also makes it suitable to use with sugar.
This small object has an elegant and discreet classic style, which goes well in a variety of combinations.
Glass bubble with Carrara marble powder & Brilliant square
TiMarmo Gioielli by Tiziana Guerra
With these pendants, I literally bring you a pinch of Tuscan land, or more precisely a pinch of Carrara marble dust and a small carved marble stone.
In 2021, Tiziana opened TiMarmo Jewelry, an original entrepreneurial project. Most of her creations are unique pieces, made from the scraps of artistic Carrara marble processing. Tiziana's soul and personality can be found in the care she puts into every step of the creation cycle of her products, all of which are designed to make her design eco-friendly. The raw material comes from the scraps from the art workshops in the Carrara area, and the water she uses for polishing is stored in a small bowl, where Tiziana leaves it to decant so that the powder goes down to the bottom and she can use the same water again and again. Even the white dust produced for its processing is given a second life. Marble dust is collected in a glass bubble to create the special pendant you found in this Box n° 4. Tiziana gives a second life to everything, a second chance.
(Read the article “Sculpture is the rigid shaped” in the News section to know more about Tiziana and TiMarmo).
Romantic Tea Cup - MUD MOISELLE di Sara Bardazzi
Do you also belong to that part of people who drink something hot to relax, especially on cooler evenings?
I do. I am also drawn to handmade ceramic tea size cups, so I have several different kind on my shelves in the kitchen. They not only remember me about the place and the artist who made them, but also I like to chose the one that goes with my mood.
From Sara I chose a tea cup that does not have the usual Florentine majolica decoration, but an imaginative and romantic decoration with an antique look, as light as the moments to which this cup is dedicated. Her creations are made even more delicate by the working method without lathe and by the coloring tones that Sara prepares by herself, together with the glazes.
Soon I will tell you more about her and her workshop.
Tacco Fiorentino in natural calf skin - Simone Taddei
The Tacco Fiorentino not only as a coin purse. Today is used by many also to keep earphones, small jewels or folded banknotes in their pockets. It is a small object to carry around on every occasion. If, like me, you too start walking to rest your mind, this little purse in your pocket will come in handy.
This authentic Florentine seamless leather purse is the historic pocket purse that Florentines have been using for over 200 years. The peculiarity is its seamless construction, which requires great craftsmanship. The traditional shape recalls the horseshoe from which its name 'Tacco' comes. Each piece is rigorously handmade and dyed entirely by hand, making each piece unique.
Its history begins thanks to the creativity of the Florentine monks who invented it and started using it as a wallet. Although there are new versions with modern lines, for the Dolce far niente Box I chose the classic model, the original design, which Simone Taddei still uses to create his Florentine purses. Its creation requires more than 20 steps, 23 steps Simone told me, but is a jewel created to last a lifetime.
I sincerely hope you enjoyed the selection of Italian treasures in this April edition!
Let me know in the comments or leave a review on website.
Please remember that My Box from Italy Boxes are limited in supply, so order yours before they are all gone.
