Nardia Plumridge is a travel and lifestyle writer who began her career in London working in magazine journalism before relocating to Florence in search of Italy’s famed ‘dolce vita’. Here she began, Lost in Florence, that has now been made into a book released through Hardie Grant.
Nardia will be in conversation with Mary Gray as part of a Florence Writers event in St Mark’s (first floor) on the 11th April at 6pm.
How did you come up with the concept for Lost in Florence? Was it something that happened over time or did you start with the idea and go from there?
It dates back to late summer 2011. I was travelling through Europe and was in Madrid at the time. I arrived two days before meeting my sister for a 24-hour whistle-stop trip. As I prefer more than one day to get under the skin of a city, I arrived a little earlier, and solo, and started exploring the city on foot. Over those two days, I wandered the streets, took the free tours offered by the local council and found these little nooks, stores, and bars off the main areas. It got me thinking – why isn’t there somewhere that has curated information on venues beyond the tourist haunts. And the seed was planted.
Once my sister had arrived, I had organically created a bespoke tour for her, and the ‘Lost in’ concept was ignited – showcasing what I came to phrase the ’boutique, chic, unique’ venues in a city. I always imagined it as a book, an insider’s guide that could be made for any city. In fact, my first manuscript working out the creative was on New York where I spent three weeks in November 2011 that formed the basis of sections: Wine, Dine, Fine, Notable Neighbourhoods, Tips & Tricks (now called The Essentials), and the introduction written as a postcard or personal letter in style. When I moved to Florence in 2012, it made sense to start with this city and go from there. Lost in Florence was born.