May 13 – 15, 2022: FIRENZE DEI BAMBINI FESTIVAL – Give Me Your Hand. Organized by the Municipality of Florence and MUS.E. Children can engage in free, all in-person activities at Florence’s annual festival, Firenze dei Bambini. The 2022 edition is three days long, allowing children up to 12 years old to participate in various events throughout the city. While events are free, some require a reservation. This year’s festival is entitled “Qua [...]
With Easter just around the corner, many organizations are preparing for the holiday, including Florence’s Children’s Lending Library. Saturday, April 9: Children’s Lending Library’s Easter Party. Undercroft of the church of St. James, via Rucellai 9, Florence. 4 – 6 pm. Entrance: 1 child: €3. Families with 2 or more children: €5. Accompanying adults and children under the age of two are free of charge. All children must be accompanied by an adult. [...]
To celebrate International Mother Language Day, the Children’s Lending Library, together with Bee – Bilingual, is hosting a free event at the Giardino dell’Orticoltura (located on Via Vittorio Emanuele II n.4), on Sunday, February 20, starting at 10:30 am until 12:30 pm. In case of rain, the event will be postponed. The event is set up to promote linguistic/cultural diversity and multilingualism around the world. Mothers, who come from different countries and [...]
The new Museum of Russian Icons has just opened in the Palazzo Pitti. Housed in four large rooms previously inaccessible to the public, the 78 ancient pieces are the oldest collection of icons outside of Russia. Permanently exhibited, the icons, in a setting graced with 17th century frescoes on walls and ceilings, have captions in Italian, English and Cyrillic translating the wording. The Medici and Lorraine ruling families, well known for patronizing [...]
In a holiday season filled with gift giving, the toy stores of Florence want to provide a drop-off point for those wishing to help children of economically distressed families. The “Sospeso” Toy Project brings an opportunity for people in the city to donate gifts that they wish to give to the less fortunate, named after caffè sospeso tradition in Naples which involves paying for someone else’s coffee when they cannot buy one [...]
After a two year hiatus, the British Institute’s Storytime and Afternoon Tea is returning this month to the Library, Lungarno Guicciardini 9. Thursday, November 25: Elmer the Patchwork Elephant, followed by Afternoon Tea This event is in English and will take place in the Children’s Room of the Library, which is located on Lungarno Guicciardini 9. This program is designed for children aged 3 to 8, but all ages are welcome. Author David [...]
Museumgoers rejoice! After months of waiting, the Uffizi Gallery reopened starting May 4 with not one, not two, not three, but 14 new rooms showcasing over 120 self-portraits from the 16th century. Newly displayed works by artists including Daniele da Volterra, Rosso Fiorentino, and Bartolomeo Passerotti will be showcased, with 13 rooms dedicated to the masterpieces by artists of Florentine, Emilian, and Roman origin. The 14th and final room will display the self-portraits of the artists along [...]
San Lorenzo Market will have a new ‘anti-Covid’ pavement put in as a safety precaution to reduce the future spread of virus transmissions in public spaces. The new non-slip and resistant flooring has recently been approved by the Superintendency and was announced by the Councillor for Public Works, Titta Meucci and the President of the Mercato Centrale, Massimo Manetti as the new project for keeping the market safe and sanitary. The new flooring [...]
“Don’t judge, beauty will save the world.” The Florentine street artist collective Lediesis includes this caption on their Instagram @lediesis alongside a photo of their latest mural of Spanish-Italian actress, model, and TV presenter, Vanessa Incontrada, who recently posed nude for the cover of the latest Vanity Fair. Incontrada’s decision to model naked for the cover shoot and Lediesis’ mural in response both comment in favor of the body positivity movement. The [...]
Takeout is arriving in Florence and Tuscany in a big way. Easing into Phase 2 of the current Coronavirus lockdown, the kitchens of restaurants, cafeterias, cafés, diners, pastry shops, pizzerias and artisanal chocolate shops in addition to gelaterie that make gelato by hand in the location where the product is sold, can re-open on Friday, April 24 in a way inspired by the handling of the health emergency in the United States. [...]