With the major winter holidays behind us, I find myself looking forward to my favorite holiday: Valentine’s Day!

In Italy Valentine’s Day has a long and interesting history. There are ancient roots to this holiday in Roman culture. Juno Februtis, god of purification and fertility, was worshipped, and the feast of Lupercalia took place on February 15. The eve of Lupercalia, February 14th, the names of young Roman women were drawn from an urn by young men. They became “betrothed” for at least the following year.

To help celebrate Valentine’s Day, I am going to assemble a curated catalogue of Tuscan artisan gifts. I am currently working with several of my favorite artisans, and will have more information in the coming weeks. Here is one of the items I am considering: a long silk and wool scarf in cherry red.

And just for fun, here is a photo of the display window at Valentino in Florence.