Raised in Tehran, Rozhia Tabnak, now an itinerant creative director and designer, calls Sydney, New York, and Italy home, embodying a true global citizen.

Florence

"It’s impossible to talk about Florence without talking about the Duomo, which is still the largest freestanding masonry dome in the world. I cannot say enough about just how important the cathedral is to art and design and the history that moves me about Florence."

Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore

"You can find me there every day. I will definitely be there to have my morning and maybe read the paper. And also if you want to sit there for a little while you see locals go by so it is a perfect place for people watching. Tourists don't really know about it is a little place."

I Dolci di Patrizio Cosi

"My number one place in the city for quiet introspection is the Loggia dei Lanzi, immediately in front of Palazzo Vecchio. There’s priceless artwork there, which is just sitting outside in the open air. This is the place where you will find me everyday when I'm in Florence, at all hours; one of my favourite sculptures in history is Giambologna's "The Rape Of The Sabines" and it's sitting there in the open air."

Loggia dei Lanzi

"And there is also a restaurant there (The Piazza above), which to me is the best restaurant in the city. It is called Gustaosteria. One of the classic rustic dishes of Florentine food is cinghiale - Italian for wild boar - and I have never had better cinghiale papardelle than at this place. They also do an excellent ribollita - which is a classic, ancient Tuscan soup - basically a vegetable soup. But it's a classic Tuscan recipe. And if you start talking about bread and olive oil, I will never shut up. Because the bread is amazing and fresh and you always find it at the table, and the olive oil in the Tuscan region is to die for."

Gustaosteria

"When I think about the hidden gems, there is another place that literally is a hidden gem. It’s Biblioteca delle Oblate, which is a couple blocks back from the cathedral. It's the type of building that you would think you're not allowed to go in and it feels like it's part of a university or something but it's actually a public library. You go in, you go upstairs onto the roof, and you see a cafe there. It is the best place to have aperitivo. So basically, an aperitivo is when you pay a flat rate and you have unlimited access to the food that is displayed like pasta and salads and it’s quite casual. And there's also unlimited Aperol Spritz. So that's where I was introduced to Aperol Spritz many years ago in my younger age!"

Biblioteca delle Oblate

Florence with Rozhia Tabnak

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Rozhia TABNAK

Florence with Rozhia Tabnak

Hidden Gem...

Hidden Gem...

Hidden Gem...

Hidden Gem...

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