Buona Pasqua

March 2004. We almost missed the entry to Caffe Giacosa in Firenze, seeing as it has been practically incorporated into Roberto Cavalli’s wraparound shop on the via Tournabuoni. We had come in the afternoon to have a Negroni cocktail at the birthplace of Negronis. Small bar, rich wood paneled, clerk in the front – the typical Italian affair. The Negroni was tremendous, made just as I had practiced at home. Good gin, Campari, rosso vermouth, orange slice, ice, old fashioned glass. We sat on Cavalli zebra patterened upholstered cubes, sipping and nibbling aperitivi. The small room was full of gorgeous Italians – the ubiquitous Belstaff Tourmaster slung over designer tailoring and the (then newly fashionable) pointed toe loafers. Haute bourgeois Florence on a plate. As Easter was approaching, the cases in the window and in the caffe were full of the most finely wrapped eggs. We brought one back to the States, a white and dark zebra patterned chocolate decorated with a pale green ribbon and a spray of small cala lilies.

The decorative floral element absolutely captures the aesthetic of Italian Easter, Pasqua.

March, 2008. The lilies have been reappropriated to adorn a tabletop votive this holy week. The maribou fluff chicks seem to fit perfectly. Now for that Negroni...