A recently discovered gem from the bestselling author of Somewhere
Towards the End, A Florence Diary is the charming and vivacious
account of Athill's travels to post-war Florence.
In August 1947, Diana Athill travelled to Florence by the Golden Arrow
train for a two-week holiday with her cousin Pen. In this playful diary
of that trip, delightfully illustrated with photographs of the period,
Athill recorded her observations and adventures -- eating with (and paid
for by) the hopeful men they meet on their travels, admiring
architectural sights, sampling delicious pastries, eking out their
budget, and getting into scrapes.
Written with an arresting immediacy and infused with an exhilarating
joie de vivre, A Florence Diary is a bright, colourful evocation of a
time long lost and a vibrant portrait of a city that will be deliciously
familiar to any contemporary traveller.