WHY TUSCANY?
We visit Tuscany every season as this is where our private label ‘Scarpa the label’ is produced and this September was for Spring Summer 2024. It’s important that we work closely with our shoe maker friends on our designs to ensure the fit and finish is perfect and tailored to flatter the New Zealand woman. We spend the day carefully handpicking the colours, materials and hardware for each style and sketch our designs from there. We are fortunate that our chosen factory is a generational family business who have been making Italian shoes for over 100 years and have specialised skills that are unique to true Italian craftsmanship e.g. sacchetto construction and intreccio weaving of the leather.
STAY
We love to stay in the Ghibli hotel in Civitanova. It’s fashionable and modern in an ‘Italian way’ as they have gorgeous art throughout, their own designed sleepwear, and they have a fab new restaurant ‘Flamingos’. Both are on the beach front and are the perfect spot for after work Aperol Spritz while watching the sunset.
SUP
For breakfast on-the-go, we grab iconic Italian Pastries and espresso from PASTICCERIA LAURA. For a much needed long lunch in the Tuscan countryside, we suggest OSTERIA DEL TEATRO in Cortona for typical Tuscan-style dishes served in rustic chic rooms or on a terrace. Our favourite dish was the truffle fondue and raspberry panna cotta for dessert.
Dinner options are many but for a special occasion dinner (we went for my birthday this year!) we went to ANASTASIA RISTORANTE which is also a great cocktail bar. Its layout is stunning with luxury finishes and attention to detail-anyone who appreciates design will love it. The menu serves the specialties of the Adriatic Sea so the freshest seafood ever. We had amazing calamari to start and then Prawn Ravioli which melted in your mouth.
SHOP
When time allows, we pop across to Florence for the best shopping. Visit Via Roma and Via dei Calzaiuoli and see all the designer labels or we love to walk through Via della Spada which has the ideal mix of fashion and homewares.
SEE
Tuscany is well known for its history and rustic countryside, travelling from our hotel to the factory we love to visit and go sightseeing around the famous town of Assisi. A gorgeous medieval hilltop village that sets you back in time, and is the birthplace of Saint Frances. Of course visit Pisa for the famous Leaning tower and in the capital Florence you have so much to see and do. We enjoy the Florence Duomo, the Uffizi Gallery and the Boboli Gardens, all must-sees.
