Nardia Plumridge is a travel and lifestyle writer who began her career in magazine journalism in London before relocating to Florence in search of Italy’s famed ‘dolce vita’. Here, she began Lost in Florence, which has now been made into a book released through Hardie Grant.
Nardia will be in conversation with Mary Gray on April 11th at 6 p.m. as part of a Florence Writers event in St Mark’s (first floor).
How did you come up with the concept for Lost in Florence? Did it happen 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 to get under the skin of a city for more than one day, 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 with curated venue information beyond the tourist haunts? And the seed was planted.
Once my sister arrived, I 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. My first manuscript working out the creative was in 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, starting with this city and going from there made sense. Lost in Florence was born.
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