Travel: Florence, Italy

Earlier in the year I had the pleasure of visiting Florence, in the heart of Tuscany, as part of a destination shoot for a client. It was a city I had flown into, and even driven round, but never actually spent proper time in. I’d previously sort of dismissed Florence because it seemed like a real tourist trap – but in the end I couldn’t help but be charmed (even though at times you feel like you’re drowning in a sea of American students doing their study abroad!). But generally people visit Florence for the food and the art…neither disappoint.

I always like to read something set where I’m traveling too and so on this trip I decided to read ‘Still Life’ by Sarah Winman. A lot of the book centres around Santio de spirito which is a lovely corner of the city to base yourself in if you decide to visit.

The challenge for me on these jobs is often trying to photograph a iconic city in a way in which they haven’t necessarily been captured before, trying to bottle the sense of a place if you like. Anyway it’s always an immense privilege to spend time in such cultural gems such as Florence.