For pool scene during summer 2020, the most obvious new rule to comply with, will of course be the continuation of social distancing, in all facilities at all times. In swimming pools, guests will be asked to keep a distance of at least one meter – 3.2 ft. (except for members of the same household). A distance of at least a meter-and-a-half (5 ft.) will have to be observed by those using deckchairs, [...]
There are several summer spots — including one that is new — to check out for outdoor events and fine dining in Florence. From Serre Torrigiani on via Gusciana near Porta Romana to other cultural aperitivo venues including the Villa Vittoria, Parc Bistrò, and La Toraia on the Arno River, summer 2020 welcomes a new socializing normal post-pandemic. Serre Torrigiani, which opened on June 18 and is situated in the heart of the [...]
The Conventino Literary Cafe (Il Conventino Caffè Letterario Arte) located on Florence’s via Giano della Bella 20 has reopened, resuming a summer schedule of events and workshops after months of lockdown. The former cloister will be open daily from 9 am to 11 pm (closed Sunday and Monday). Those interested will be able to participate in painting workshops, conversations in English, crochet lessons, and guided tours throughout the Conventino to learn more about [...]
The former state-owned tobacco factory Manifattura Tabacchi will open its newly renovated spaces to the public until 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 urban center which [...]
Three civic museums — Palazzo Vecchio, Bardini Museum, and the Novecento Museum of 20th and 21st Century Art — will be newly available to the public on a permanent basis for the first time since March 8, inaugurating 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 Florence [...]
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 [...]
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, [...]
A hope and a prayer—that is what local U.S. university institutions and their directors are holding on to regarding the arrival of students for fall semester 2020. With respect to programs that have not already been suspended temporarily by home campuses, the hope is that revamped and redesigned offerings will be able to give educational and cross-cultural experiences. Most certainly, this will be welcomed by a far smaller percentage of Americans than usual [...]
June 2 is the date in 1947 that Italians, including women for the first time, voted in favor of a republic instead of a monarchy as a form of government, and the day is a national holiday known as la Festa della Repubblica. In 2020 it is also when many museums and gardens in Florence once again become accessible after nearly three months of Coronavirus lockdown. All are obliging visitors, who must wear [...]
Having surpassed the peak of the coronavirus pandemic, museums and libraries—but not all—will be reopening to the public starting on May 18, after having been closed for over two months due to the national March 9 Dcpm decree. Before going ahead, institutions in Florence are waiting to receive the finalized list of safety protocols from the Cultural Heritage Ministry, in turn compiled by a committee of doctors and scientists. Below is the schedule [...]