Tuscany

Once a season, See All This organizes a special (short or longer) trip associated with the magazine. You could already read about it in the new spring issue: next fall we’re going to Tuscany! A trip that invites you to discover the rich history of the city and the surrounding area, and that brings you to places that are normally inaccessible.

A guide through Florence & Santa Croce

In Florence, guide and master storyteller Klaas Tonckens takes you to the Florence of the Medici “with today’s knowledge through the eyes of the past”. You’ll also visit a place you wouldn’t normally have access to: a private palazzo with a spectacular view of Brunelleschi’s famous Duomo. Florence guide Miriam Welsing, founder of Agency Miracoli, leads you around this palazzo.

You’ll also visit the monumental complex of the Santa Croce with Miriam Welsing. A place where the “Stendhal syndrome” can overwhelm you. In the largest Franciscan church in the world, you will see some of the highlights of Western art history: the impressive frescoes by Giotto, Renaissance altarpieces, sculpture by Donatello and monumental tombs of great Italian figures such as Michelangelo, Galileo and Machiavelli.

On your free morning, visit the new exhibition Helen Frankenthaler: Painting Without Rules at Palazzo Strozzi, opening Sept. 27. This retrospective explores Helen Frankenthaler’s artistic practice, influences and friendships, interweaving paintings made between 1953 and 2002 with extraordinary works by her contemporaries, including Anthony Caro, Morris Louis, Robert Motherwell, Kenneth Noland, Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, David Smith and Anne Truitt. In addition to loans from the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, international museums and private collections, the exhibition also includes works by other artists who were part of the artist’s personal collection.

Walking across the threshold at I Mosaici di Lastrucci is like stepping into the Renaissance. In this marble atelier, near the Santa Croce, you can see up close how masters Bruno and Iacopo keep alive the age-old craft of inlaid marble. They work with original techniques and tools: with modern technologies they proved unable to “recreate the same sense of beauty.

You’ll also get a tour of the legendary Florentine perfume house Aquaflor, just a few steps away from Piazza Santa Croce. In the historic Palazzo Corsini Antinori Serristori, you will discover the unique perfumes of this house that also contains a laboratory.

From Florence, on the third day, you will be brought to Tenuta di Forci, near Lucca. A beautiful route through the untouched nature of Tuscany will bring you to this special estate, where you will spend the last days of the trip.

Tuscany’s age-old appeal – to artists, dreamers, healers and travelers – is still unmistakable as you drive through the hills toward Tenuta di Forci: one of the province’s most pristine spots. On this agricultural estate from the 14th century, with 350 acres of forest, vineyards and olive groves, vegetable garden and fruit trees, a new generation has dedicated itself to a regenerative agricultural practice in harmony with nature. The Dutch family that settled on this piece of land protects and shares the impressive wealth and legacy of this place by offering retreats and art residencies, creating exhibitions, and connecting visitors to the land and its history.

On the last evening, there is a festive dinner in the old palazzo: an interactive opera evening. Opera singer Mattia Campetti is the master of ceremonies for this evening full of music and Puccini. Who knows, you might also sing an aria with him at the end of the evening.