Florence seen through the eyes of videomaker Virgilio Villoresi

Let's get to know better the world of the videomaker who has collaborated with great artists and brands

Unexpected perspectives, dreamlike visions and magical atmospheres. The world of Virgilio Villoresi, artist, digital artisan and filmmaker, born in Fiesole in 1979, is reminiscent of that of a nineteenth-century illusionist. In his hands, the stop motion technique and his imagination make inanimate objects come to life and become characters in auteur shorts, commercials and video clips shot for musicians such as Vinicio Capossela and John Mayer, brands such as Valentino, Bulgari, Fendi, Moncler and Fornasetti, but also organizations such as Emergency and the UN. He lives in Milan, but in Florence, where he grew up and often returns to see his family, he discovered the concept of beauty and wonder that he has never abandoned. “In this respect it is a city that shapes and moulds you - he tells us - I believe that my passion for beauty in general is due to the fact that I was born here and experienced Florence from the inside.” If you ask him about the place that most makes him feel that he belongs to this city, he smiles and replies: “There is a place, at the foot of Fiesole, that I remember with both nostalgia and joy. It was my refuge when I was a kid, the place of my thoughts, my dreams, my solitary escapes. From there you could see all of Florence. I felt as if I could almost touch it with my hand, as if it were a miniature illuminated by the moon”. 

Who knows if this miniature will come alive in one of his future works, meanwhile, we let ourselves his words show us around this Florence made of wonder, splendour and memories, discovering his favourite places, those of his childhood, the addresses where he loves to go hunting for inspiration, but also those to combine the pleasure of a taste break with the opportunity to make unique purchases.

5 LUOGHI:

Villa di Maiano Where Room with a View was filmed, a gorgeous, magical place, a must for movie lovers.

Bardini Garden. One Florence’s gems. That flight of steps with the view of the city skyline from the top is a real thrill…Church of San Salvi. “Not so much for its aesthetics, but for the memories tied to this place where I always went as a boy, to play football on the parish field or go to mass with my grandmother.”Stibbert Museum. “My Uncle Cesare always took me there, an experience that has greatly influenced my art. Now I take my 4-year-old son Martin, and he is also enchanted by it.”

The Giant at Villa Demidoff in Pratolino. “I was small when I saw it for the first time, and I was stunned. I imagined it going through the streets of Florence with me in its arms… Since then, I see it as the gentle giant, the guardian of Florence.”

SHOPPING FOOD & WINE

Amblé “Bellissima piazzetta (dei Del Bene, 7/A) nascosta tra Ponte Vecchio e via de’ Tornabuoni, dove sorseggiare un buon vino in mezzo a oggetti di modernariato”. Da Amblé, infatti, non solo si mangia (si definiscono maestri del tramezzino, provare per credere!), ma si fa anche shopping, perché tutto è in vendita, compreso l’arredo. Il menu è rigorosamente a km 0. Da provare le insalate, i crostoni, i centrifugati e i cocktail. Tutto mentre direttamente dal locale va in onda radioamblé.

Amblé, in Piazzetta dei Del Bene, 7/A

Move On Questa volta siamo nella piazza più centrale che c’è, piazza Duomo. È il locale per chi ama bere bene - oltre agli ottimi drink, c’è una selezione di birre artigianali davvero incredibile - e la musica. Al piano superiore di questo ‘Italian Pub’, c’è infatti “una vastissima raccolta di vinili da veri intenditori”. Tutti da scorrere, ammirando storiche cover, capolavori al pari delle canzoni contenute in questi oggetti così ricchi di fascino.

Move On, in Piazza San Giovanni, 1r

Buca Mario “Bistecca e accoglienza da fiorentini doc!” Basta dare un’occhiata all’antico frigo di legno e vetro dove vengono frollate lombate e costate per capire che questo è uno dei regni del piatto principe della tradizione fiorentina. Cotta su pietra lavica e rigorosamente al sangue. Una tipica ‘buca’ nei sotterranei di un palazzo cinquecentesco, dove sono passati personaggi come Anthony Hopkins, Billy Joel, Justin Bieber, Kirsten Dunst e Andrea Bocelli.

buca mario, ph. Dario Garofalo

Mercatino delle pulci in Largo Annigoni Una vera istituzione a Firenze. “Il posto perfetto per rovistare in cerca di qualche ispirazione”. Qua si trova davvero di tutto, vecchi oggetti d’arredo, mobili, libri, vestiti, bigiotteria e gioielli, con qua e là anche qualche oggetto da collezione. 

The Flea Market in Largo Annigoni

Antonella Pratesi Antichità Un’altra vera chicca per gli amanti del vintage e dell’antiquariato. Gli oggetti che Antonella Pratesi sceglie da più di 30 anni per il suo negozio in un delizioso cortile in via de Fossi (uno dei pochi a Firenze non privati) “hanno un’aurea che si può palpare”. La maggior parte proviene da case fiorentine, dove scova oggettistica di vario genere, in particolare giocattoli antichi, curiosità e, per il periodo di Natale, decorazioni e addobbi retrò.

Antonella Pratesi Antichità in Via dei Fossi, 7r