Victor Rees

London, UK

2026

After spending his childhood in Fiesole, writer, performer and academic Victor Rees, who is currently living in London, decided to return to Florence after finishing his PhD on The Mystic and the Visionary in the works of Brian Catling, to get ideas for his newest work in progress.

Victor took Il Palmerino as a chance to write about the connection of past memories and new experiences to integrate in his upcoming novel, which he states is probably his most personal work yet. Being fascinated by the estate and its ideal location at the edge of Florence – a balance between the pulse of the city and calmness of nature – he’d spend most of his time wandering around, rediscovering the urban side of Florence as well as the rural one and putting his thoughts and ideas on paper by the end of the day. He did this in a mix of both writing and collage making.

“Being here you have time and opportunities to just be in this space and absorb it.”

His interest in the works of Vernon Lee was another reason for Victor to seek Il Palmerino as a kind of creative sanctuary. Drawing his inspiration mainly from fables, fairytales and folklore since his early childhood, he aims to weave a kind of fantastical atmosphere into his descriptions of Fiesole and its surroundings, resembling and extending the experiences he has made during his two weeks here.

“I want to write about this sense of not directly belonging to Italy but also still having a love for it.”