The city of Florence, in hibernation for the past 15 months, now begins to resume its position as a cultural and historical capital. Nine days of art, cinema, dance and music coordinated by five international organizations signifying and celebrating the post-pandemic cultural rebirth of Florence offer Tuscans and visitors rejuvenation with the sixth edition of Secret Florence. In tune with the theme of the project, performances happen in spaces and buildings not normally [...]
May 29 – June 6: Ceramic Grand Tour. Corsini Garden, via della Scala 115. Open weekends 10 am – 7 pm, weekdays 3 – 7 pm. Free admission. A craft omnipresent throughout Italy, the tradition of handmade and vibrantly-colored ceramics will be showcased at the “Grand Tour.” The formal garden of Palazzo Corsini and its limonaia, where citrus trees were once housed during the winter month, is hosting the event. The 170 unique pieces [...]
CORTILI E GIARDINI APERTI (Open Courtyards and Gardens in Florence). The public is welcome from 10 am – 1 pm, 2 – 6 pm (unless otherwise stated). Free admission. In a once-a-year opportunity, the history and beauty that draws tourists to Florence will be celebrated during “Open Courtyards and Gardens” allowing access to 30 historic homes, monumental parks and courtyards on Sunday, May 23. These venues will be available to the general public thanks [...]
Home to Michelangelo’s iconic David, the Accademia Gallery finally reopened to the public in early May 2021. Like most other Florence museums, the Accademia was closed for nearly five months due to the pandemic. This enforced isolation was interrupted only by a brief accessibility on weekdays from mid-January to mid-February. This period of seeming hibernation, before the grand reopening, paved the way for a process of renovation and renewal yet to be completed. [...]
Michelangelo’s David now has a digital twin: a digitized version of the famous sculpture has been completed in a laboratory workshop in Florence. The original sculpture remains in the Accademia Gallery in Florence while its twin has traveled to Dubai to represent Italy at the Universal Exposition in Dubai, which kicks off on October 1, 2021. The digital David was officially presented to the public in Dubai on April 27, with Florence mayor [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 – [...]
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 [...]
