ONLINE LECTURE IN ENGLISH: “The Acton-Mitchell Family at Villa La Pietra: Writing, Gardening and Collecting” is the focus of the weekly Wednesday evening British Institute series, scheduled for April 14 at 6 pm. The talk will be presented by Larry Wolff and Perri Klass, co-directors, NYU Florence at Villa La Pietra; Francesca Baldry, Collection Manager, Villa La Pietra; and Nicholas Dakin-Elliot, Horticultural Associate, Villa La Pietra. Villa La Pietra, the villa in [...]
While Tuscany has been designated a “orange” zone starting on Monday, April 12, with consequent more lenient anti-Covid regulations, both the province of Prato and the Florence metropolitan area with its 995,000 residents, will remain in the “red” zone until April 17 at 2 pm. The two areas have a contagion rate that exceeds 250 people per 100,000 inhabitants. While the number of new cases are beginning to drop, the situation is close [...]
LIVE CONCERT IN STREAMING: Jader Bignamini will be on the podium at Teatro Verdi to conduct a free online performance of the Orchestra della Toscana to a virtual audience on the evening of April 8 starting at 9 pm. Featuring soloist Marco Ortolani on the clarinet, the program includes a 2019 composition, Terranuova Light Cloud/Dark Cloud (d’après Rothko); Aaron Copeland’s Clarinet Concerto and Mendelssohn Symphony N. 3 in A minor (known as the [...]
“Patterns of Patronage” is the title of the Wednesday, April 7 talk in English at at the British Institute Library. 6 pm. The Capponi, Nerli and Nasi Altarpieces in the Basilica di Santo Spirito are the point of departure for Ellie Walker’s exploration of the relationships between the patrons and the artists, and the network of patronage in Renaissance Oltrarno. These outstanding altarpieces by Piero di Cosimo, Filippino Lippi, and the lesser known [...]
Although not as well known as its more famous neighbors the Uffizi Galleries and the Pitti Palace, the Vasari Corridor over Ponte Vecchio is home to one of the world’s most celebrated collections. After five years of being closed to the public, work on the corridor will begin after Easter, in view of a planned reopening date of May 27, 2022. The project will involve restoration as well as the inclusion of safety [...]
Residents of Florence who hail from the U.S., Canada, Australia and the U.K. can incorporate their Easter home traditions during festivities in the city of the Renaissance, whether culinary or church services in English. TREATS Foreigners know that in Italy brown eggs are sold almost exclusively. To buy white eggs to dye for the Easter basket, head to Vignoli, piazza San Piero Maggiore 1 (hours: 8 am – 1 pm, 4:30 – [...]
Unlike 2020, when all events were canceled, Florence’s Easter traditions–with a creative twist–will take place in 2021 despite the pandemic and the restrictions imposed by the “red zone,” with limitations designed to lower the number of contagions. The “Scoppio del Carro,” (the Explosion of the Cart), returning to Piazza Duomo on Easter morning in front of the Cathedral, can be watched only starting at 9 am via streaming or TV broadcast beginning [...]
French artist JR is exhibiting his work on the façade of the Palazzo Strozzi. The livestream of its unveiling is available on Facebook at https://www.palazzostrozzi.org/archivio/eventi/la-ferita-presentazione-del-progetto/ The title of the work, La Ferita, reflects on the inaccessibility of cultural sites in the age of Covid-19. With two previously planned exhibitions at Palazzo Strozzi being postponed due to increasing Covid-19 restrictions, JR’s exhibition will be presented on the façade of the Palazzo, inviting passersby to [...]
This Thursday, March 25, the Orchestra della Toscana (ORT) will resume its virtual concerts, performing live to an audience beyond Florence’s Teatro Verdi. Tonight’s performance marks the first of a new series: “Light and Darkness,” which combines themes of Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy, to highlight the beginning of his tribute year on the same day. The performance is freely available for listeners on ORT’s Facebook page and Youtube channel. Thursday’s concert will be conducted by Daniele Rustioni, [...]
This year Italians commemorate the 700th anniversary of the death of Dante Alighieri, known in Italy as Il Sommo Poeta, the Supreme Poet. Numerous events, exhibitions and activities, organized in the cities of Florence, Ravenna, Rome and Verona, are open to the public to learn more about Dante. INAUGURAL INITIATIVES The Council of Ministers has established Thursday, March 25 officially as “Dantedi’,” or Dante Day, kicking off on Dantedi’ with events planned [...]
