The Biennale Internazionale dell’Antiquariato is expanding its repertoire. This edition, which will be inaugurated on September 21, celebrates 60 years of the event, the first of its kind in Europe. For the special occasion, antiques dealers from across the world will be putting never-before-seen pieces on display in the grand setting of Palazzo Corsini, via del Parione 11. In the spirit of the inextricable link between antiquity and the arts, the Antiques Fair is simultaneously [...]
A highly original September 16 event will feature an international group of Italian and English poets—including Elisa Biagini and Julia Bolton Holloway—who will each read a piece of their original verse as well as a poem by a chosen author in the setting of Florence’s historical “English Cemetery,” piazzale Donatello 38 (5:30 pm). The selections have been chosen to create a dialogue with celebrated foreign residents whose families chose the setting as a [...]
SEPTEMBER IN PIAZZA DELLA PASSERA. Jazz Festival. Free entry. Though this is the event’s 18th rendition, 2019 is ushering in some really major new changes for the September in Piazza della Passera jazz festival. This year’s performances will not unfold in Piazza della Passera exclusively; concerts will alternate between the original space and a new one, the Piazzetta dello Sprone, a few steps away. Spread out over four days, this edition is dedicated to the [...]
It’s uncommon for a Florentine festival to focus on contemporary art, but then again, Firenze Suona Contemporanea is no ordinary festival. Created in 2008 with the mission of combining music and art through new experimentation, Firenze Suona Contemporanea returns for its 11th edition through September 27 with a series of exhibitions, installations and concerts across four locations: The Museum of 20th Century Art (Museo Novecento); the Tepidarium, a massive, Art Deco greenhouse in [...]
Sat. 7: RIFICOLONA (Paper Lantern Festival). History provides the cornerstone, like the one placed on September 8, 1296 for the Florence Cathedral (Duomo), underlying Florence’s annual Rificolona (Feast of Lights) festivities. During the Renaissance, Tuscan farmers and shepherds would arrive in Florence on the evening of Sept. 7 Often traveling from the countryside and mountains at night, lanterns (rificolone) provided visibility for their path. The pilgrims would congregate in Piazza Santissima Annunziata (Holy Annunication [...]
Now that residents are returning to Florence after their summer vacation, you might be looking for a nice place to relax with a cold drink. Here are two summer cool spots we’ve scouted, Villa Vittoria and OFF Bar, and our thoughts about what they have to offer. VILLA VITTORIA Viale Filippo Strozzi, 2. Open from 7 pm to 3 am every day except for Tuesdays and Wednesdays, when it is closed. Free entry. [...]
To escape the grueling queues outside city museums under the August sun, seek out unique Florence summer exhibitions off the beaten path: graphic design at Palazzo Medici Riccardi; photography at Museo degli Innocenti; and paintings at the Horne. Until October 20: OBEY. MAKE ART NOT WAR Palazzo Medici Riccardi. Open 9 am – 7 pm every day except Wednesdays. Considering the current political climate in the United States, the knowledge that Barack Obama was [...]
Wednesday 28 – Saturday 31: New Generation Festival Corsini Garden, Via della Scala. 7:30 pm. Prices vary. It’s the epitome of a fairytale dream: A fancy dinner in an elegant garden owned by a princess to the tune of a classical orchestra. New and rising stars in the music and culinary worlds will debut at this beautiful space for the New Generation Festival. Opening night features a performance of “Le Nozze di Figaro,” directed by [...]
Florence has long been heralded as the city so astronomically rich in cultural value that it can be likened to a living, breathing museum. It’s newest project affirms this assertion — the city’s historical defense system, consisting of towers, gates, and fortresses, is now open for tours and visits. The network of structures was born a very long time ago, around 1284, under the instruction of the Signoria di Firenze, the council that [...]
Until September 22: DANCE STEPS: ISADORA DUNCAN AND THE FIGURATIVE ARTS IN ITALY AT THE TURN OF THE CENTURY Villa Bardini, 10 am – 7 pm, €10. Stefano Bardini Museum, Monday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday, 11 am – 5 pm. Free admission on August 18 and 25 to the show and the garden; entrance €7, on other days. Artwork of the dancer Isadora Duncan might capture the woman herself, but never her character, especially when [...]
