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 [...]
Divine worship and cultural exchange collide in the Duomo with the “Baroque Musical Treasures Between the Old and New Worlds” concert this Wednesday, July 3, at 9:15 pm. Part of this year’s O Flos Colende, an annual series of religious music concerts now in its 23rd edition, this week’s show will feature music from the 17th and 18th centuries performed by the award-winning Spanish orchestra Al Ayre Español. The compositions are primarily by [...]
Listen to the beautiful voices of St. Mark’s choir, the Russian Orthodox choir, and other musical vocalists from various churches around Florence as they come together on June 30 at the Basilica of San Lorenzo to perform Firenze Canta Rachmaninov, Op.37. This free concert, which starts at 9:15 pm, is a rendition of Rachmaninoff’s acclaimed work All-Night Vigil, also known as Vespers, which will be performed as an interfaith celebration. The program will [...]
FESTIVAL DELLE ORCHESTRE GIOVANILI (F.O.G. or Florence Youth Orchestra Festival). June 23 — August 20. Free entrance. More information here. The 21st annual Florence Youth Festival will commence on Sunday, June 23 — the start of two months of celebration of music, young people, and Italy. To launch the festivities, the Sandnes Ung Symfoni, a youth orchestra from Sandnes, Norway, will play in Piazza della Signoria at 9:15 pm. The members are all [...]
Wed. June 5: GREAT AMERICAN CHORAL SERIES. Santa Croce. 8 pm. Free entrance. Choruses from across the United States are making their debut in one of the greatest churches in Florence. In a night dedicated to classical music, the Florence Chamber Orchestra will be performing in tandem with American choirs to make enchanting music. The set list this year is primarily based off of Ludwig van Beethoven with a singular piece by Franz [...]
Florence’s Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore continues its 23rd annual celebration of sacred music with a free concert on May 7 at 9:15 pm, starring the Duomo’s powerful Mascioni organ and internationally renowned organist Maurice Clerc. As the titular organist of Dijon’s Cathedral of St. Benigne for nearly 50 years, Maurice Clerc is one of today’s most celebrated representatives of the French organ tradition, having presented thousands of recitals around the world, [...]
Easter weekend has long passed, but religious celebrations continue in Florence in honor of the upcoming anniversary of Basilica di Santa Croce, founded on May 3, 1294 by Arnolfo Cambio. For the third year in a row, the so-called “Temple of Italian Glories” will celebrate this date with a free evening concert of classical music. The event will bring together Florentine pianist Gaia Federica Caporiccio, soprano Francesco Fedeli, Slovenian flutist Lara Salomon, saxophonist [...]
As an anticipation of the Christian Holy Week, the Duomo’s “O flos colende” program series will host Les Talens Lyriques for a free concert on Wednesday, April 10 at 9:15 pm. Founded by harpsichordist and conductor Christophe Rousset in 1991, the French ensemble sheds light on obscure works of the European musical tradition by performing a wide variety of vocal and instrumental genres, ranging from Baroque to early Romantic repertoire. Their extensive discography has [...]
Watch out for free museums openings and other perks marking International Women’s Day or Festa della Donna (March 8), an event universally signaled by gifting a bouquet of mimosa. No admission will be charged to women visiting the following city-run museums: Palazzo Vecchio and its tower (open 9 am – 2 pm); Santa Maria Novella (9 am – 5:30 pm); the Brancacci Chapel (10 am – 5 pm); the Bardini Museum (11 am [...]