Some of the tours in this book were originally conceived by Christopher Catling, who has worked on over 50 travel guides and specialises in Italy. Maria Lord is a freelance author specialising in the arts and travel, particularly in Tuscany. With her Tuscan partner, she often travels to Florence and knows its art and architecture, and especially food and drink, extremely well. Susie Boulton is a long-established travel writer who has written and updated numerous guidebooks to various Italian destinations, including Florence.