‘Firenze dei Bambini’: A Festival for Children

Looking for some informative, interactive family fun this spring?  Look no further than the newly revamped Firenze dei Bambini, sponsored by the city of Florence and organized by Mus.e. Watch the city transform into a mental playground with this year’s theme, “L’ingegno” (creativity).

Each venue offers events around a theme.  The program is as follows:

Friday, May 4

In Palazzo Vecchio’s Salone dei Cinquecento at 6 pm, Venti Lucenti and the Musicale Fiorentino Foundation have organized a magical evening with Mozart to kick off the weekend.

Saturday, May 5 & Sunday, May 6

During the weekend the whole family is invited to choose among eight free workshops around the city, each exploring a different theme instrinsic to a well-rounded individual.

Palazzo Vecchio – Us – Florence’s town hall will serve as the headquarters for the weekend’s events, with workshops related to relationship building, cooperation, and effective communication in the public and private sphere. Featured activities include an emergency preparedness game, civil rights workshops, and much more. At 6:30 pm, children and families will have a chance to experience performances and lectures from Lorenzo Baglioni, Massimo Temporelli, and Omar Schillaci. At 9 pm, kids are invited to camp out in the Salone dei Cinquecento after a fun scavenger hunt. Participants will receive breakfast in the morning thanks to sponsors.

L’Istituto degli Innocenti – the Self – The initiatives featured at this historical landmark will allow children to discover their individual identity and reflect on their personal wellbeing.  Activities offered include meditation and yoga, and many craft workshops including engraving, mandala crocheting, and ceramics.

La Biblioteca delle Oblate – Language – The magnificent library behind the Duomo will host workshops and events centered on the ingenuity and invention of language. Activities will focus on the potential and the challenges of linguistic communication, from simple narratives with puppets and marionettes to classics such as the Odyssey. Odysseus. Writers Emma Perodi, Gianluigi Tosto, and Mario Pietramala will be giving readings for all ages, and children and families will have the opportunity to explore language through food under the guidance of Eataly.

Le Murate – the Arts – This one-time convent, later prison turned cultural center will feature  workshops surrounding the arts. Many professions will be examined, from painting to photography to fashion design. Role playing games, shadow puppet and contemporary art activities will be featured, as well as interactive illustration and animation. Kids will also have the opportunity to be designers for a day thanks to the Ferragamo Foundation.

L’Orto Botanico (Botanical Garden) – Nature – The garden will be the setting for a sensory experience allowing children to explore the world around them. Participants will be able to discover about plant life, climate change, and sustainability through gardening workshops and informative performances.  

Novecento Museum of 20th Century Art – Logic – This will be the headquarters for workshops challenging the frontiers of new technology, media education, space exploration, robotics, and artificial intelligence. Kids will have the chance to explore new worlds, real and imagined, through interactive games and activities like Minecraft and digital sandbox, and the classic chess.

Piazza Gui e il Teatro del Maggio – Music – The heart of the music scene in Florence will be the setting for these workshops and performances focusing on different styles of music from classical to jazz. A collaboration between the theater, the Luigi Cherubini Conservatory, the Rossini Philharmonic Band and the Fiesole Music School allows participants to immerse themselves in guided tours of the theater as well as performances with instruments of their choice. Lessons are offered for percussion, wind instruments, woodwinds, brass, and more.

Cascine Park– the Body – The activities held at this beautiful park on the river Arno will allow children to explore the potential of the body’s movement through athletic and dance workshops. Children of all ages are invited to explore dance, movement, improvisation, and exploration and expression of the body through guided workshops.

Additional activities will be offered throughout the weekend at the museums at the Duomo, Museo Casa Siviero, Palazzo Strozzi, Boboli Gardens, Teatro della Pergola, and many more.   

All events are designed to be accessible to families with babies and toddlers, children aged 9 to 12, and children with special needs.

Some offerings require reservations, which will be open from Thursday, April 26 to Friday, May 4. Participants are required to come with their booking confirmation printed, and children will receive a wristband for entry. To make reservations or for more information on the program visit www.firenzebambini.it or email info@firenzebambini.it.  (kaylah grant)