October 2023 – Finding Florence

The Tricks, Treats, and Traditions of an Italian Halloween

By Meredith Bach

All around Florence, landscapes are changing as October comes to a close. Colored leaves pepper the trees and scatter through the streets, residents sport sweaters and coats, and the wind carries on with a little more bite across the Arno. Across the city, most restaurants and shops stay the same, although there are a select few that change their scenery. Between buildings and in corners of Florence, there are hints of Halloween decorations that emerge at the end of the month—but why only so few? With the holiday at the end of the month, one is left to wonder how Florence celebrates, if at all. Is Halloween a thing in Italy? What about the pumpkins and the costumes? How is Halloween celebrated in this part of the world?

Florence is a Morning Person

By Meredith Bach

Florence, like a morning person, rises early and gets her work done in the first hours of the day. After all, when else would the piazzas and palaces come to life? Such a birth of movement and livelihood is only made possible by the rhythm and pulse of a Florentine morning. No sooner are the dark alleyways filling with light than the workings of the city inhale and breathe.