Ferruccio Ferragamo is Chairman of the Ferragamo Empire - shops throughout the world selling luxury goods to the very wealthy. Seven years ago he purchased a Medieval ruin south of Florence called II Borro. Since then his wife has devoted most of her time and energy to restoring the ruin with infinite care and love to its former splendour as a palace. No cost was spared to restore the house and garden to all its original splendour. Architects, designers, decorators were engaged from all over the world. The result is a monument of astonishing beauty, admired all over Italy. Seven Years in Tuscany is Amanda Ferragamo's account of how this restoration came about. Apart from all the architectural, historical and cultural interest of the work itself, there unfolds in the pages of her book a human drama worthy of a television documentary. II Borro is one of Ferragamo's legacies to Italy. The son of a poor cobbler from Naples, he is now Chairman of one of the most successful commercial enterprises in modern Italy. To repay his country, Ferragamo has poured large funds into restoring II Borro which will surely be now one of the most visited sites in Italy.

Table of Contents

The story of the Palace at II Borro; How it was acquired; The restoration; The future

Author Biography

Amanda Ferragamo is English by birth. In her late teens, she married Ferruccio Ferragamo. They have five children. Signora Ferragamo is the sister of Sir Michael Peat, Controller of the Queen's Household.