FIRENZE DA FIORENTINO
Born in Florence in 1972, Graziano Staino went to an artistic secondary school before studying painting at the Academy of Fine Arts.
In 1997, he moved to New York to specialise in photographic techniques and video editing.
Returning to Florence in 1999, he made some short films that were shown at important festivals, and also directed the Ofelia Festival for two years.
He began working with the group Afterhours in 2008, shooting a series of music videos and designing the images for their theatrical tours.
Then, in 2016, he founded and directed the Long Take Florence Film Festival. Together with Serre Torrigiani, just one year later he organised the annual Sequence Shot Film Festival, which explores different aspects of cinematic language and individual themes.
Then, in 2021, he created the programme for the National Theatre of Tuscany, featuring interviews with leading figures of the Italian music, theatre and cinema scenes, as well as dance performances and readings.
Since the opening of the 25hours Hotel di Firenze, Graziano Staino has also curated the programme of film evenings in the hotel's Cinema Paradiso.
Tips for Florence
To love Florence means sharing the city with tourists and locals alike. Both populate its streets, fill it with life and are an integral part of its fabric.
“My Florence” starts early in the morning with a stroll around the historic centre with its monuments all around me, lit by the first rays of the sun: living outside of the city centre is out of the question for me.
As a director, I prefer districts that have retained their own popular soul and an artistic and artisan fabric, such as Sant'Ambrogio, Santo Spirito and San Lorenzo. In these neighbourhoods, postcard motifs become real and find real settings.
I like experimenting with high-tech gadgets and alternating them with vintage gadgets and accessories that I find in the various flea markets of Via Vanni, such as "Tutto di più", or specialist shops like "ottica serraglini" on Via Pietrapiana. Alternatively, I wait until the last Sunday of the month for the antiques and vintage market at Piazza Ghiberti.
As far as make-up and hairstyling for the cinema and theatre are concerned, Florence is well catered for thanks to the historic studio 'Filistrucchi' on Via Verdi and the best-equipped make-up shop in all of Italy, 'Nicla' on Via Nazionale.
In my productions, I like to use small objects and furnishing accessories from the past, which I can find in the creative shop "UB" on Via dei Conti (the rare vintage wallpapers are a must-see) or in the "Galleria San Jacopo" in Borgo San Jacopo (which has a vast collection of mannequins interspersed with works of contemporary art).
When it comes to food, I cannot resist my favourite sandwich from 'Semel' for lunch (my three recommendations are the donkey sandwich, the snail sandwich or the ravioli and wild boar sandwich). In the evening, you cannot go wrong with the traditional Tuscan dishes served at 'Caffè Cibreo' (I recommend the taglierini with cheese and butter followed by Livorno-style chops), preceded by an unmistakeable glass of red wine from ‘Casa del Vino’ (organic, biodynamic and natural wines, also served by the glass). After dinner, it is straight to "Volume" for concerts and drinks in the shadow of the Santo Spirito church (there is even a house cocktail created by Piero Pelù called "Santo Spirito").
ottica serraglini – Via Pietrapiana, 26
Filistrucchi – Via Giuseppe Verdi, 9
Nicla Make-Up Artist – Via Nazionale, 67
UB – 50123, Via dei Conti, 4
Semel Street Food – Piazza Lorenzo Ghiberti, 44/r
Cibreo – Via Andrea del Verrocchio, 5R
Volume – Piazza Santo Spirito, 3
