On July 8, Lisa Kaborycha will speak on New Jerusalem: Florence, the Medici and the Jews during the Renaissance as part of the British Institute of Florence’s Wednesday series of lectures in English via Zoom (meeting ID: 815 2527 3230, password: 0kZkjK). Throughout the Renaissance, the wealthy and powerful Medici family maintained a special relationship with the Jewish community. The period also saw intense political conflict and questioning of moral values, which led to a [...]
The former state-owned tobacco factory Manifattura Tabacchi will open its newly renovated spaces to the public from June 24 to September 13. Located near the Cascine Park and piazza Puccini, the industrial space consists of 16 buildings of rationalist architecture of the 1930s that have been renovated into gardens filled with plants, trees, flowers, and ponds. The factory closed in 2001 after 70 years of operation but reopened in 2018 as a new [...]
Three civic museums — Palazzo Vecchio, Bardini Museum, and the Novecento Museum of 20th and 21st Century Art — will be newly accessible to the public on a permanent basis for the first time since March 8, kicking off this grand re-opening with the return on July 5 of the “Domenica Metropolitana” — free entry on the first Sunday of the month. After months of lockdown, residents in the greater metropolitan area of [...]
As Florence continues along a positive track by following post-lockdown Phase 3 guidelines, a refreshing sign of normalcy is the return of exhibitions, one by a famous photojournalist, Massimo Sestini —that signals a revival of the cultural scene. “Indispensable Nurses,” is presently being hosted by the Santa Maria Nuova Hospital, with a multimedia section in the Sala d’Arme of Palazzo Vecchio is open to the public until July 5, from Monday to Sunday [...]
Wednesday, June 24 commemorates Florence’s patron city, John the Baptist (San Giovanni Battista) on his feast day (Festa di San Giovanni). A typical day would see city-wide parades, live music, and various contests. Instead, this year’s holiday will include socially distanced in-person activities and the online streaming of concerts and ceremonies. Despite safety protocols, the city has created an engaging schedule which will make this year’s festivities stand out in history, despite the [...]
The newspaper la Repubblica (Firenze) has initiated a conversation regarding the future of Florence, inviting readers to submit their own ideas about how to make the city more environmentally friendly, accessible, and safe during and after the coronavirus emergency. As Italy has transitioned from Phase 2 to Phase 3 of the emergency, the newspaper has shifted its focus to gathering perspectives from Florentines about which areas and buildings should be reopened now that [...]
This week Italy has entered Phase 3 of post-lockdown life, and a variety of venues, activities and events were authorized to reopen. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte signed the Dpcm on June 11, according to the Italian Government website. This kickoffs “Phase 3” of Italy’s measures and resumption of activities beginning on June 15th, which also gave regional governors the freedom to make additions. In Tuscany, Governor Rossi has authorized fairs, congresses and conferences [...]
The Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino will be the first Italian opera house to open its doors to the public. Beginning on June 17, after months of lockdown, an audience of 200 will be allowed to hear a live performance following national guidelines for social distancing. There are seven concerts scheduled (June 17, 20, 23, 27, 30 and July 3, 7) which will also be streamed live on the Idagio platform. Zubin Mehta, [...]
As waves of protest have taken place and continue to take place in the United States, from Milan to Naples and Sicily, Italy has taken its own steps to show solidarity with the “Black lives matter” (BLM) movement against deaths and injuries caused by unnecessary race-based violence by police. The latest episode in the U.S. is the death of Rayshard Brooks, an African American, on June 12, and locals are contemplating future public [...]
The Pitti Immagine 2020 summer trade fairs have been canceled, after being originally rescheduled for September of this year. Instead, the company will focus on amplifying their new online service––Pitti Connect––which will launch in early July. The Board of Directors also met online recently to make this painful decision. The video conference call was directed by president of the company Claudia Marenzi and also addressed concerns about holding the Pitti Uomo, Bimbo, Filati [...]
