Nearly 80 years ago almost 300 Italian Jews were expelled from Florence and brought to concentration camps during the Holocaust. The city annually acknowledges the event with various initiatives. Officially inaugurated in 2019, the Italian Auschwitz Memorial will welcome visitors again this January 25 to 29, as the International Holocaust Remembrance Day falls on January 27. The day of remembrance is hallmarked all over the world, reflecting on when the last survivors were [...]
Florence will remain a “yellow” zone with relatively mild Covid-19 anti-contagion restrictions until at least January 30. Following the recent reopening of city and a few-state run museums, additional sites and exhibitions are becoming newly accessible from Monday to Friday this week, and beyond, if “yellow” status is maintained. Theatres remain closed; in compensation, a rich program of classical concerts in streaming, by the Orchestra della Toscana (ORT) and the Amici della Musica, is [...]
Italian Prime Minister Conte’s latest decree signed on January 15 is effective immediately and lasts until March 5, 2021. Most rules remain the same. The country’s regional color system is still in place, with a recent incorporation of a slightly stricter yellow zone – zona rinforzata – and a white zone. Tuscany is classified as this reinforced yellow zone at least until January 30. A self-certification form is not necessary to move around [...]
As we all know, 2020 was the year of the unexpected. The COVID-19 health emergency caused us to alter day to day life, from how we go to work to how we celebrate the holidays. Cultural events were no exception: concerts, museum exhibitions, and film festivals all went virtual after being forced to close their doors to the public. Palazzo Strozzi, however, made the best of this program interruption to strengthen the venue’s [...]
The second set of COVID-19 contagion restrictions in Italy, as decreed by Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, has put strains on feeling close to each other, especially when citizens must follow social distancing regulations to keep each other safe. Conversations around creating a sense of community in everyday life during a pandemic have inspired multidisciplinary artist Marinella Senatore to create a large, outdoor installation by the doors of Palazzo Strozzi. Until February 7, 2021, [...]
What a difference a year makes! This year Florence residents will not be regaled with their choice of music in the piazzas; no gala three-hour dinners followed by the midnight brindisi of spumante on December 31 and dancing till dawn. No jostling crowds of merrymakers can be seen filling the streets and alleys with cheer and joyful noise. But there is optimism for enjoyment with a calmer celebration. NEW YEAR’S EVE The Municipality, [...]
Light shows are illuminating the buildings, streets & squares of Florence along with sparkling Christmas trees through the first week of January. The Florence Light Festival (F-Light) is using video-mapping, projections, light shows, and art installations to create these special effects for the holidays. See a breathtaking video tour.
This Christmas, the Uffizi Galleries The Uffizi will be giving the gift of art to Florentines despite being closed for the holiday season. Starting tomorrow, December 23, and ending on Christmas day, the museum will be hosting an online “Christmas Special” in which selected art works from the Uffizi’s collection will be ‘on view’ through social media. All the events during the ‘Christmas Special’ will be free and accessible to the public [...]
The Orchestra della Toscana has been active during recent months of restrictions by doing regular concerts in streaming from their home stage at Teatro Verdi, free to their audience via the ORT’s Facebook and YouTube channels. On December 24, Christmas Eve day at 5 pm, the musicians will perform a program with an accent on the feminine. Leading the orchestra will be Beatrice Venezi, born in Lucca in 1990, and appointed as [...]
After a difficult year, many are struggling to hang on, but all can look to the Christmas season as a beacon of light during distressing times. In a recent initiative created by mayor Dario Nardella and commerce city councilor Federico Gianassi, the hashtag #ioComproFiorentino (Buying Florentine) raises awareness for the importance of supporting businesses and artisans within the Florence community. Though Italy remains cautious in its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, government officials realize [...]
