A Tradition of Florentine Craftsmanship Distilled into a Cup
Text by Amy Brecount White • Photography Courtesy of La Via del Tè
If you head south across one of the many bridges over the Arno River in Florence, Italy, you’ll leave behind the long lines at the Uffizi Gallery and the bustling piazzas to find your way to La Via del Tè, an intimate and elegant tea shop and café in the Palazzo Frescobaldi on the Via di Santo Spirito.
This street “may be one of the last, true artisan Florentine streets,” says Regina Carrai, the daughter of La Via del Tè’s founder, Alfredo Carrai. Run by three generations of the Carrai family since 1961, this tearoom—and the more than 300 teas and infusions they offer—celebrates the Florentine tradition of craftmanship. In Florence, “you are surrounded by beauty and history and heritage,” observes Regina, who focuses on marketing and team training. “If you have to do something, you want to live up to that.”
