Tod's 'Aria d'Italia' Emphasizes the Italian Spirit

In a new book, Tod’s celebrates the contemporary Italian lifestyle.

What defines Italian culture? Is it food? Architecture? Language? Art? In truth, it’s a combination of these things, all embodied by the Italian people—something Tod’s recognizes and celebrates in its new book Aria d’Italia. With such a rich, multi-millennial history, the very idea of “Italianness” has become a complex and organic concept. To pinpoint a beginning would seem, for many, futile. Yet, in convening a curation of Italian creatives—from entrepreneurs to artists to chefs—about the connections they have with their country and the special places they find comfort within its borders, Aria d’Italia synthesizes Italian values down to eight keywords: pleasure, timelessness, imagination, joy, craftsmanship, passion, heritage, and boldness.

Through a series of quotes and visuals, the book, published by Rizzoli and out February 2023, certainly illustrates these eight guiding concepts: bright portraits and landscape photos are inviting and bold, while images of friends gathering and laughing depict an ages-old conviviality. Among them, distinct works of art highlight a sense of dedication to craft.

Two people carrying tomatoes on a residential background

Interior design of a villa with a garden on the background

A group of people arranging flowers on a sea background

Photographs by Guido Taroni.

However, it’s not just the content of the book that shows us what it means to be Italian. The subjects themselves embody the same energy.

Some have a clear connection to Italian life: Sofia Cacciapaglia is the youngest artist to present at the Venice Biennale; chef Marco Baldeschi incorporates his local Tuscan community into his farm-to-table restaurant, Villa Lena; Gemma Richards and Niccolò Rignano have refurbished two neighboring villas just outside of Milan that they now run as the hotel La Foleia. Others have embraced a less tangible connection to their roots, like Marcello Mereu, who turned his passion for detailing vintage cars into a profession, or the model Matilde Rastelli, who explains, “I have an Italian heart that fills me with joy.”

"Aria d’Italia synthesizes Italian values down to eight keywords: pleasure, timelessness, imagination, joy, craftsmanship, passion, heritage, and boldness."

Two people on a living room with dogs around them

Photographs by Guido Taroni.

These are only some of the stories that Aria d’Italia highlights in its quest to showcase both the vastness and simplicity of the Italian identity. So that, centuries from now, when new Italian generations start to want to understand their heritage, they’ll only have to remember those eight keywords. The volume, written by Paola Jacobbi and edited by Stefano Tonchi and Michaela Sessa, features photography from noted photographer Guido Taroni.

horizontal manhattan new york flower arrangement flower plant dining table table restaurant indoors dining room flower bouquet candle

vertical manhattan new york jacket coat handbag person woman adult female man male shoe

vertical manhattan new york standing person shelf man adult male shoe plant coat pants

horizontal manhattan new york person woman adult female man male dining table restaurant dining room people

Photographs courtesy of Tod's.

In celebration of Aria d'Italia, Tod's brought the elegance and opulence of Italy to New York with an exclusive dinner at Sant Ambroeus SoHo on December 13. Guests included Tonchi, Katie Holmes, Thomas Doherty, Kristin Davis, Sarita Choudhury, Nicole Ari Parker, Willa Fitzgerald, Karlie Kloss, Derek Blasberg, Lily Allen, Violetta Komyshan, Princess Marie-Chantal, Prince Pavlos, and more.