Why I was interested in this book:

Last fall, my family took a lovely vacation to Italy. We started in Rome, took the high-speed train up to Venice and the ended our trip in Florence (with a final flight back out of Rome). In preparation for the trip, my sister and I had found some interesting local places we wanted to visit, including the Cinema Teatro Odeon, a film theatre-turned-bookstore.

I love buying books when I travel, especially about the places I’m visiting, so I was excited to see The Secrets of Florence in the English language section. While my family loves learning and soaking up information about the cities we visit, we did not do many formal tours on this trip so I knew we were missing out on lots of contextual details for the beautiful things we were observing. There’s nothing wrong with appreciating something for what you perceive it to be, but there’s a whole other level of understanding that comes from knowing the story behind an object, artwork, architectural style, city planning choice, flag design, culinary tradition, etc.

I knew that my relatively quick tour around the city was a rather cursory glance — which was partially why I wanted to purchase this book — but after reading The Secrets of Florence, months after we returned home, I’m confident that I missed SO MUCH of Florence by relying only on my eyes.

Basic Info

• Author: Giuliano Cenci, Italian
• Genre: nonfiction | history, culture, travel, architecture, art, geopolitics
• Book concept: anecdotal snapshots of the city of Florence
• Published in 2008 in Italian, 2025 in English | Leonardo Libri

Did I like The Secrets of Florence?

Mostly yes. Not to say I didn’t like the book — I certainly now have a greater appreciation for the unique details that make Florence the stunning, and historically important city that it is. I think that anyone who has been to Florence or is going soon would find the information super interesting. I’m guessing some historical facts are covered on typical tours and others are “little known mysteries.”

My chief complaint was that the writing of the book just felt a little flat — which I’m guessing is a byproduct of language translation. I appreciated the photos since from titles alone, I wasn’t always familiar with a described place or space. But, that could have been a personal problem. I was rather sick during our time in Florence and while I enjoyed walking around the city, I am sure that my brain fog was inhibiting my retention of the names of important streets, museums, piazzas and churches.

This book may be for you if you also like: Florence; Italy; historical context; Ponte Vecchio; the Arno River; the Middle Ages; architecture; old churches; Guelps & Ghibellines; loggias, pontes, palazzos; sculptures & frescoes; Dante Alighieri; dramatic stories of star-crossed lovers and political assassinations; festivals; Medici family history; Santa Maria del Fiore; traveling; random cultural traditions.

SDG