A Guide to Florence's Fotoautomatica

In Florence, not every memory has to be a photo in front of the Duomo.

The Fotoautomatica turns a moment from your trip into a strip of photographs to take with you.

What is a Fotoautomatica?

Today, we take photos all the time. Our phone is always in our pocket, we can check the result right away, delete a shot and take it again. Florence’s Fotoautomatica offer something different: four shots, no filters and a strip of photographs to wait for and then keep.

They are analog photo booths. The project, active in Florence since 2010, uses machines that take four vertical black-and-white shots and produce a photo strip directly.

It’s simple: you step into the booth, insert the coin and get ready in front of the lens. Then the shots come. You can’t see the image on a screen or apply a filter afterward: you just have to wait for the result.

And that’s where the fun is.

During a trip, we collect hundreds of images on our phones. A Fotoautomatica, instead, is something physical: a strip of paper to put in your wallet, a book or your backpack. The images are in black and white and keep the machine’s analog aesthetic, without needing a vintage effect.

Four shots. 3 euros. A few minutes of waiting. And a memory that doesn’t stay only on your phone.

A little history

The story of the Fotoautomatica starts with a question: what happens to old photo booths when they stop being useful?

Matteo Sani, a Florentine and former set designer, came across old analog booths during his travels around Europe and started looking for them in Eastern Europe. Between Tallinn and Tirana, he recovered machines that had been abandoned with the arrival of digital photography. Some dated back to the 1950s.

The project arrived in Florence in 2010, when the first analog booth was installed in Largo Alinari, near Santa Maria Novella station. In the following years, other booths were restored and brought back into operation.

These machines aren’t simply vintage objects: they were restored to work according to the original principle, without a digital camera, screen or preview. Even the developing process takes place inside the booth.

And why Florence? There is no official explanation connecting the choice to a Florentine tradition. What we do know is that Sani is Florentine and that he chose to bring these machines back to his city.

Maybe that’s the best part of the story: it’s not a technology that was born in Florence, but something old that found a new life in Florence.

Where to find them in Florence

The Fotoautomatica can easily be added to an itinerary for exploring the city.

Google Maps list: https://maps.app.goo.gl/udDSjFLVcgcgMHRt6

📍 Largo Fratelli Alinari, 50123 Florence FI
🚶 1 km from the hostel. 20 minutes on foot
💶 €3

📍 Via Santa Monaca, 1, 50124 Florence FI
🚶 2 km from the hostel. 32 minutes on foot
💶 €3

📍 Borgo S. Frediano, 5r, 50124 Florence FI
🚶 2 km from the hostel. 30 minutes on foot
💶 €4 – This FOTOAUTOMATICA is in color 🌈

📍 Via del Proconsolo, 19r, 50122 Florence FI
🚶 2 km from the hostel. 32 minutes on foot
💶 €3

📍 V. dell’Agnolo, 117, 50122 Florence FI
🚶 3 km from the hostel. 37 minutes on foot
💶 €3

💡 Tip: as you can see in some of the photos, be prepared to wait in line! Some places can get pretty crowded, so bring a little patience with you 😄

How to get the best photo

A Fotoautomatica isn’t exactly the place to look for the perfect pose. There’s not much time, the flash goes off when you least expect it and you can’t check the result before you have it in your hands. And that’s exactly what makes it fun.

If you want to take home a strip to keep, here are a few tips:

• Go with friends. With two, three or four people, the photo instantly becomes more fun. At the hostel, it’s also an easy way to turn a new acquaintance into a travel memory.
• Think about your poses before you go in. Four shots go by quickly: a serious photo, a funny face, a change of position or a ridiculous pose. If you’re out of inspiration, you can check out some ideas online before you start: https://es.pinterest.com/emigonbrac/fotoautomatica/
• Don’t look for perfection. A Fotoautomatica isn’t Instagram. A half-finished laugh, a slightly crooked pose or an improvised shot can make the strip special.
• Keep the strip. In your wallet, in a book, in a travel journal or in your phone case: it’s small and takes up no space.

A little memory to take with you

Traveling also means collecting little moments: an improvised dinner, a new friendship made at the hostel, a walk with no particular destination or a night that ended much later than expected.

A Fotoautomatica can become one of those memories. All you have to do is step into a booth, spend a few minutes together and let yourself be surprised by the result.

Because, among all the perfect photos you’ll take during your trip to Florence, it might just be that slightly crooked, black-and-white strip that reminds you best of who you were with, where you were and how much fun you were having.

LINKS

• Official FOTOAUTOMATICA website
  https://www.fotoautomatica.com/fotoautomatica.com/Home.html
  https://www.instagram.com/fotoautomatica/?hl=es
• More about Florence on Yellow Blog
  https://yellowsquare.com/blog/5-things-to-do-in-florence-by-yellowsquare/
  https://yellowsquare.com/blog/the-ultimate-guide-to-vintage-markets-in-florence/