Florence’s Ferragosto Holiday Weekend 2017

Lungarno Beach

Since Tuesday, August 15 is the national Ferragosto holiday and banks, most shops will be shut although many museums will have special openings. Ferragosto also brings free initiatives at the city’s Lungarno Beach and ArtCultura in the Giardino di Orticoltura park (via Vittorio Emanuele II, 4).

Normally on Monday state-run museums have their closing day, but during the upcoming long weekend, the Uffizi, the Accademia (both from 8:15 am – 6:50 pm) and the Boboli Gardens (8:15 am – 7 :30 pm) will be accessible both on Monday and Tuesday, along with the Pitti Palace museums on Tuesday only (8:15 am – with a special late closing at 9:50 pm).

The Bargello National Sculpture museum (open 8:15 am – 5 pm, which is also currently hosting the Ginori porcelain sculpture show), the Medici Chapels (8:15 am – 5 pm) and the Palazzo Davanzati Renaissance home museum (8:15 am – 1:50 pm) can be visited on Monday and Tuesday as well, along with the Orsamichele (10 am – 5 pm) on Tuesday.  Families who are guests at the Bargello will given an educational play kit for children — available in English and Italian.

The Opera del Duomo (Cathedral Museum) will observe normal hours on August 14 and 15 from 9 am – 7 pm.

City-run museums — the church of Santa Maria Novella (1 – 5:30 pm), Palazzo Vecchio (9 am – 11 pm), Arnolfo’s Tower (9 am – 9 pm the Novecento Museum of  20th Century Art (11 am – 8 pm) will also be open on August 14 and 15.  Forte Belvedere (9 am – 7 pm) featuring the Ytalia exhibition of modern and contemporary Italian art, the Pratolino park (10:30 am – 7:30 pm), and the Medici villas of Poggio a Caiano (8:30 am – 7:30 pm) and La Petraia (8:30 am – 6:30 pm) can also be toured on Ferragosto, Castello and its garden (8:30 am – 6:30 pm) on the day before.

Lungarno Beach (Piazza Poggi) offers free deck chairs, beach umbrellas, a kid’s play area and free showers (the only method to cool off) daily from 10 am to 8 pm.  A waterfront café serves meals including spaghetti with clams, fried fish and hamburgers.  The beach will also hoss the annual Ferragosto sand castle building competition.  The contest is open to teams of minimum of three and a maximum of 10 participants: to sign up, send an email to info@easylivingfirenze.it.  A jury will award prizes to the top three works.

The Giardino dell’Orticoltura will host an entire week of free evening concerts in a green space: Cuban music on August 14; jazz, swing and boss nova on August 15; rock music on August 16; a Pink Floyd tribute on August 17; blues on August 18; jazz and blues on August 19; and neo soul and pop on August 20.  All performances start at 7 pm; aperitivo and food is available through midnight.

The traditional Ferragosto picinic ending with watermelon is an all-day event at San Salvi (via di San Salvi 12, behind Bellariva). The grande finale will be a 9:30 pm concert by Riccardo Tesi and Banditaliana (admission €10; for reservations callo 335 62 707 39 or send an email to info@chille.it.