Lighting candles, buying presents, baking cookies… That is what makes Christmastime so cozy and comfortable. But what some of us experience as the best time of the year can be even harder for others. For those who are not able to access enough food, clothes, or even a roof over their head, Christmas presents aren’t the priority. A program organized by Caritas is “La spesa che vale” is where you can donate [...]
Until October 29: HALEY MELLIN: SIAMO NATURA. Museo Novecento of 20th and 21st Century Art, piazza Santa Maria Novella 10. Open 11 am – 8 pm, closed Thursday. Admission: €9.50 for museum entry, exhibition included. Further concessions are available on the museum’s official website. Inside the former Ospedale di San Paolo, now the Museo Novecento, medieval frescoes mingle with Haley Mellin’s paintings of the tropics. Mellin is an American environmental activist and artist. [...]
Sat. 21: NOTTURNA DI SAN GIOVANNI 4 & 10K RACES start and finish in Piazza San Giovanni. 9 pm. Registration fee: €15. Runners, walkers, joggers, and their families are welcome to come explore and appreciate the exquisite views of Florence at night in athletic events that celebrate the patron saint of Florence, St. John the Baptist, whose feast day is June 24. Three races will be offered this year, a competitive 10k (6.1mi) [...]
Thousands of enthused runners will share the joy, excitement, and labor of running during Florence’s 40th annual marathon on Saturday, November 23 and Sunday, November 24. Runners have the option to complete the marathon or opt for several shorter races ranging from three to ten km. All runners will be provided with a chip, a medal, and end-of-race refreshments. Registration here. San Benedetto Ginky Family Run – Saturday, November 23 The Ginky [...]
A virtual exhibition created by the Uffizi Galleries commemorates the 80th anniversary of the Night of the Bridges, a crucial moment in the history of 20th century Florence. Through the photos of Nello Baroni, it gives a vivid account of the dramatic days preceding their destruction by the Nazis in an attempt to prevent the advance of the Allied armies, and the consequent evacuation of residents from the historic center to the the [...]
Enjoy a variety of free open-air sports at no charge this summer in each of Florence’s five districts. From fitness and light exercise classes to pilates and Tai-Chi, the initiative provides something for everyone. Until August 9, the outdoor sports project will allow people of all ages to do sports for free in parks and gardens, following and assisted by qualified leaders. Classes will be suspended for a summer break from August 9 [...]
A benefit concert organized by the American International League of Florence (AILO) will take place on Sunday, June 23 in the open courtyard of Innocenti Museum in piazza Santissima Annunziata starting at 7 pm. AILO is a group which does volunteer work and raises money for local charities. The museum’s rooftop bar will be open before and after the concert. The performance features the jazz quartet, Aletheia, which takes its name from the [...]
Two paintings damaged at the Uffizi during the 1993 Georgofoli bomb blast will be displayed at the museum until Sunday, July 28 in commemoration of the 31st anniversary of the explosion. The paintings, The Concert and The Card Players, both by the Baroque painter Bartolomeo Manfredi, a follower of Caravaggio, and dated between 1617 and 1618, are the first and last paintings to be reconstructed from the effects of the bomb damage. The [...]
Runners take your marks; the International Half Marathon Firenze is this Sunday, April 7. Buses that run downtown will be detoured from their normal routes that morning until early afternoon. The organization strives to be as eco-friendly as possible, and supports a charity each year. The popular Half Marathon Village, full of sports themed events and information booths, will be set up all weekend in Piazza Santa Croce as a gathering point for [...]
Florence’s La Specola (via Romana 17) reopens February 26 after pre-Covid closure for renovations and expansion. The works, both enlarging the space and restoring much of the collection, allow visitors to explore two new wings of the science and natural history museum. The new sections, dedicated to mineralogy in addition to depictions and dissections of plants and flowers in wax, contain never before displayed works. La Specola (which means observatory in Italian) claims [...]