Warm weather is arriving in Florence, and in turn Estate Fiorentina 2023, the Florence Summer Festival is immediately on the horizon. The festivities span nearly four months and feature projects encompassing music, dance, film, literature, and a variety of other live performances. The free outdoor events are hosted by a plethora of iconic venues around the city, both in the city center as well as the surrounding suburbs. The venues are headlined [...]
Three hundred and forty-two autographed letters by Michelangelo Buonarroti, restored by Antonella Brogi, can now be found in the Casa Buonarroti Archive. One of Italy’s most beloved artists, Michelangelo was a sculptor, painter, architect and poet. Born in the small Tuscan town of Anghiari, he purchased a home in Florence, where generations of his descendants lived and is now a museum where the archive is housed, at (Casa Buonarroti, via Ghibellina 70). [...]
Over 30 private gardens, courtyards and historical buildings in Florence will be participating in the Italian Historic Houses Association (ADSI) initiative and opening their doors to the public on Sunday, May 21. The event, which takes place annually, gives tourists and residents of Florence alike the chance to enjoy the heritage of the city through a botanical and architectural lens. Admission is free, but reservations are required. Extended descriptions and further [...]
Free Sundays at State-Run Museums, May 7 On the first Sunday of each month, entrance to state-run museums of Florence will be free for all. Museums include: Uffizi Gallery (8:15 am – 6:30 pm); Palazzo Pitti complex (8:15 am – 6:50 pm); Boboli Gardens (8:15 am – 6:30 pm); Galleria dell’Accademia (8:15 am – 6:50 pm); Bargello Museum (8:15 am – 1:50 pm); and the National Archaeological Museum of Florence (8:30 am – [...]
Walking down via dei Serragli, a door opens to reveal a woman – foreign, no less – who is actively upholding the artisan tradition of Florence’s Oltrarno neighborhood. Stephanie Leman from Germany has been working in the leather industry for close to 10 years now. The name of the shop is “Frau Leman” Leman in tribute to her roots, and her work is extremely unique in the way it is created because [...]
The wisteria at Villa Bardini is blooming and will continue until May. The wisteria is featured at one of the best views, overlooking the city of Florence. This picturesque city panorama only improves with the bloom of the vibrant purple flowers. The annual Villa Bardini wisteria Instagram photo contest ‘Sotto il Glicine’ will highlight the theme of friendship this year. Five of the best pictures that showcase the wisteria will be shared on [...]
Currently accessible for residents and visitors to enjoy during most of April, the town of Scandicci, adjacent to Florence, inaugurated a tulip garden dubbed “Wander and Pick” in 2018 in the Parco degli Acciaioli city park. Open from 10 am – 7 pm, 65 variants of the flower are now blooming thanks to the planting of 150,000 bulbs across a large open field. The Parco degli Acciaioli (via Pantin 63) can be reached [...]
Good Friday, April 7: ORCHESTRA DELLA TOSCANA EASTER CONCERT. Teatro Verdi, Florence. 9 pm. Conducted by Alevtina Ioffe, the musicians of the Orchestra della Toscana and guest soloist Anna Tifu (violin) will interpret a varied program. The compositions include Brahm’s concerto for violin and orchestra op. 77, Tchaikovsky’s Orchestral Suite no. 4 Mozartiana, which was composed as a tribute to Mozart, and Dvorak’s Czech Suite, op. 44. HISTORICAL PROCESSION AND REENACTMENT OF THE PASSION OF [...]
Serving the English-speaking community of Florence is Lisa Robbins, a licensed homeopath with her practice located behind the Arno river in the Porta al Prato neighborhood. Robbins is a U.S. native but has spent most of her life on other continents. Her eclectic background has led her to gain an education in various fields, from English literature in the U.S. to studying the Chinese language in Asia to homeopathy in the U.K. [...]
Until May 14: ELEONORA DI TOLEDO AND THE MEDICI COURT. Palazzo Pitti, Piazza Pitti, 1. Open Tuesday – Sunday from 8:15 am – 6:30 pm, closed Monday. Last entrance at 5:30 pm. Admission: €10, reduced €2. Florence’s Palazzo Pitti, part of the Uffizi Galleries, has opened a new exhibition of over 100 exquisite artworks detailing the life of Eleonora di Toledo, Duchess Consort of Florence from 1539 to 1562. Curated by Bruce Edelstein, [...]
