The Tufts Symphony Orchestra will give a free concert at St. James Church (via Rucellai 9) on Saturday, January 11 starting at 7 pm. A stop on their concert tour in central Italy. The orchestra will be conducted by maestro John Page, and the program will include Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E minor featuring soloist Sarita Uranovsky, and Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5 in D Minor, Op. 47. The public is welcome. Shostakovich composed [...]
December 8, the Catholic feast day of the Immacolata, a legal holiday in Italy, brings the gift of two free Florence state-run museums. Located five minutes away from each other, all day visitors will be granted no-cost entrance to the Accademia Gallery (via Ricasoli, accessible from 8:15 am to 6:50 pm) and the San Marco Museum (piazza San Marco, open from (8:15 am to 6:50 pm). The Accademia contains Michelangelo’s iconic David and Slaves in addition [...]
Two American university centers in Florence will offer free architecture, wine, and tourism talks in English to both students and the public in a series taking place from Monday, Nov. 11 until Wednesday, Nov. 13. On Monday, Alessandro Melis, a professor of Architecture Innovation at the University of Portsmouth, and co-founder of Heliopolis 21 Architects will reveal secrets of how to become a successful architect. Melis received a Master’s and a Ph.D. in [...]
Notes at the Museum, Concerts in the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo For the fifth consecutive year, Cathedral Museum (Museo dell’Opera del Duomo) will be hosting the free the ‘Note al Museo’ concert series starting on October 31 through March 20. The concerts will be held in front of the original Baptistry doors and the recreated original façade of the Santa Maria del Fiore. The museum hopes that the varied and dynamic music will [...]
At the end of this article is a complete schedule of October dates when no-cost access to Florence’s state run-museums. As decreed by former Minister of Culture Alberto Bonisoli, the 2019 agenda has substituted the former first Sunday free museum day. Tourists who happen to be in town on those days are sure to be pleasantly surprised, which may have been a consideration given the long lines on the former well-established and easy-to-remember [...]
The musicians of the Tuscan Regional Orchestra (ORT) will return to the Abbey of San Miniato al Monte above Piazzale Michelangelo for two classical music evenings on Friday, September 27 and Saturday, September 28 at 9:30 pm. The series was put together by young composer, Beatrice Venezi, and the choice of music was meant to match the atmospheric setting. Guests can enjoy the performances for free, though availability is limited; seating is first [...]
An internationally renowned German boys’ choir will give a free concert at the Duomo, the Cathedral of the Santa Maria del Fiore on Thursday, September 12 at starting at 9:15 pm. Founded in 1956, Tölzer Knabenchor is an award-winning choir comprised of 28 boys based in Munich that presents more than 200 concerts a year and opera productions. The ensemble is returning to Florence scene after a 15 year absence thanks to 2019 [...]
The Pitti Palace museums and the Boboli Gardens are offering an open day with free access to its treasures on Tuesday, August 27. The event will celebrate the anniversary of the founding of Grand Duchy of Tuscany, precursor of today’s region, on the date in 1569, when Cosimo I de’ Medici was crowned Grand Duke. This was the immediate sequel to Florence’s conquest of Siena, which was the obstacle in the creation of [...]
All the museums in the Pitti Palace, along with the Boboli Gardens, will be accessible at no cost on Sunday, August 4 to commemorate the date in 1944 when the Germans retreated from Florence. To slow an Allied pursuit, they mined all the bridges except Ponte Vecchio and several medieval streets, such as Por Santa Maria and via de’ Bardi, leaving destruction and chaos behind them. Florentines who lost their homes or simply [...]
July 10, 11 & 12: FESTIVAL AU DESERT. Cascine Park, Florence. Free admission. It may seem like Florence is already feeling the heat of the desert, but now, the city will be treated to the corresponding sounds: the Festival au Desert, a diverse, multifaceted affair devoted to Arab language and music, is back for the 10th time to celebrate the manifold traditions and identities in Arab culture. The annual event creates a space [...]