This charming life...Photo booths in Florence
Florence is charming, this cannot be denied. From the soft lighting of the street lights to the carousel in Piazza della Repubblica, this city gives off a sweet vibe of being frozen in time. One of my absolute favorite things about Florence is that there are random vintage-style photo booths scattered around the city. It is always exciting to be wandering the streets of Florence and come upon one of these "Fotoautomatica" booths on the sidewalk. Like stepping back in time, you enter, sit on the stool, pull the flimsy curtain, and look at the mirror. You get four shots to take the perfect picture and after a few minutes (4-5 don't leave, they will come) it prints out for you to take home. The cost is 2 euro. The photos are printed in a film strip style and only in black and white and have a subtle glow about them, a softness. Let it sit to dry for a few seconds in the tray before you pick it up.
The first one I ever came across is located at Via del Proconsolo across from the Bargello. I was looking for an address of an old photo studio where my grandmother and her parents would go to take their family portraits. The back of all their photos are stamped with this address and I wanted to see if it was still in business. Upon finding it of course it is no longer there but lo and behold there was a Fotoautomatica booth directly in front of this address! I felt like my grandmother and great grandparents were with me at this moment; what are the chances that you can still take photos at this exact location some 75 years later!?! I take that as a sign...Maybe I am too nostalgic and sentimental but I hope you enjoy these photo booths as much as I do. It is now a tradition for me to take photos in one of these booths every time I am in Florence. It makes a great souvenir.
Here are the locations of the photo booths throughout the city. Take a day to explore and plan to visit them all, it will be fun to see what you discover along the way!
-corner of Via dell Agnolo & Via Giuseppe Verdi (near the Basilica Santa Croce)
-Via della Stazione 56r (behind Santa Maria Novella train station, where the bikes are parked)
-Via del Proconsolo 19r (across from the Palazzo del Bargello)
- corner of Via Santa Monaca 1 & Via dei Serragli (near the Basilica Santo Spirito (this is also built into the wall, not freestanding)
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