Florence's vintage photo booths bring analogue joy for €3

Film-set designer Matteo Sani has restored seven analogue photo booths across Florence, offering black-and-white or colour portrait strips for €3-4. Since 2008, Sani has sourced disused booths from Berlin, Paris, and other European locations, repairing them himself. The booths are placed on street corners and piazzas, drawing queues of students, residents, and tourists. Sani aims to preserve the analogue experience, which he says offers a 'sense of mystery' absent from digital photography. Four of the seven booths face heritage-protection and permit challenges under Florence's regulations. Sani's long-term goal is to establish a 'Museum of the Automatic Portrait' to display historically significant booths too delicate for public use.