fiore popolare

Many things can change over the course of a year. Our little slice of the Prime Material saw itself invaded by githyanki, those dreadful astral pirates with a penchant for riding on the backs of red dragons. The devastation they wrought upon us, and our neighbours, can still be seen in the scars of the Dawnlands — for the farmers, the scare of whether there would be any crop left to harvest come autumn, let alone enough to feed the animals; for merchants, the worry of whether business will return to these strange lands that were once seen as a place of opportunity, now just a powderkeg counting down until the next “Happening”.

But it is the scars the people of the Dawnlands carry, be they visible or not, that can weigh the heaviest.

The small lilac building with its brass sign denoting the trendiest cocktail bar this side of the Great Sea is no more. Just as many homes on the north side of Daring were swept away by dreadful dragon fire, the fiore popolare did not survive the devastation. Miss Autumn herself has been heard to have said, “I was lucky to survive. If it had not been for my mother, I would not be here.”

However, as with any devastating forest fire, life finds a way to grow anew, sometimes even stronger and greener than before!

Miss Autumn has been busy since her return to Castleside. Not only continuing to break the mould with her cocktails worthy of writing home to your grandparents about, but (most importantly) rebuilding and rebranding the fiore popolare into something extraordinary!


Those of us who were fortunate enough to pass under the faded gold plaque of its predecessor will find some tricks have not changed. The beautiful, blue greenhouse/conservatory-like building still boasts the ‘it’s bigger on the inside’ that we know and love of the old fiore popolare. But that’s not all, dear reader. I do not wish to spoil it too much — Miss Autumn has outdone herself with her care for detail and design — but the term ‘easter eggs’ will be meaningful for those of you in the know.

What I can say is this: Upon crossing the threshold you are greeted with what is both the signature fiore style, but with a delightful and capriciously whimsical new twist. A little wooden bridge over a sparkling koi pond, followed by a waterfall. Then, greenery everywhere: bells of the green isles, calla lilies, carnations and chrysanthemums, orchids, ivy, holly, hydrangea, ferns, and so many more. Not everything is new though! The single crystal clear pane of glass that once presided overhead has been repurposed. Miss Autumn painstakingly found all the pieces, fitted together, and create the perfect copper and glass blossom that looks over the patrons.

Of course, I would be remiss to not mention the other gorgeous glasswork Miss Autumn got done! When asked how she could afford such exquisite art pieces — this writer’s personal favourite is the merchant vessel crossing some tumultuous sea as the sun rises — she had this to say:

“This place is not only my business, it is my home, the only one I have been able to make truly and completely my own. It will be filled with the art of my Craft, with the memories of these lands, and the beauty they hold.”

When asked which of the pieces Miss Autumn liked the most, she said, “The Willowmaid…”