Coronavirus & Culture: Florence’s New Scenario

 

The curtain has risen on Act 2 of the Coronavirus emergency in Florence and Tuscany.  In regards to American study-abroad campuses, nearly all of them have closed as have Italian institutes of learning—only through March 15—ranging from primary schools to universities in Florence, Pisa and Siena, to prevent the spread of infection. Many, but not all, cultural events have been postponed. In Tuscany, the number of Coronavirus (COVID-19) cases has tripled in the past several days to a current count of 62.

CULTURAL AGENDA

Given the national government’s March 4 ordinance that people must be seated no closer than a meter’s distance (3.2 ft.) to each other, chairs and tables have been moved in many restaurants to accommodate this decree.  Soccer games will continue to be played, but the public will not be admitted; and no exception will be made even at the Florence’s Artemio Franchi stadium.  For the moment, Florence’s civic museums have suspended free admission days; Palazzo Vecchio’s tower, the Torre di Arnolfo, is not accessible to visitors until further notice.  The Firenze Bio organic fair from March 20 – 22 and the both the Korea Film Festival (March 19 – 27) and Middle East Now film festival (March 31 – April 5) have been postponed to sometime in the spring, dates TBA.

The city’s 17th century Teatro della Pergola, which offers classical chamber concerts and theatre will remain closed through April 5.  The symphonic performances of the Orchestra della Toscana at Teatro Verdi have been canceled through April 3.  At the Teatro dell’Opera, home of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Orchestra, the March 7 symphonic concert conducted by Daniele Gatti and the March 8 family version of “The Elixir of Love” by Donizetti will not take place as scheduled.  Rehearsals, however, are continuing behind closed doors for “Rinaldo,” an opera composed by Handel, still in the works to be staged from March 22 to April 1.

The jazz, indie, electronic and new music concerts organized by Musicus Concentus at Florence’s Sala Vanni and at Livorno’s Cage Theatre will not be held until April 4 at the earliest.  Music Pool is in the process of finding new dates for many of the contemporary music performances—initially programmed during March and now postponed—at theatres in Florence, Pisa, Empoli, Vicchio, Poggibonsi and other Tuscan towns.

For culture aficionados, the Tomas Saraceno show at Palazzo Strozzi can be visited from 10 am to 8 pm (Thursdays until 11 pm) through July 19, and it has been confirmed that the Kurt Cobain retrospective “Come as You Are,” will be hosted at Palazzo Medici Riccardi from March 7 to June 14.  This month the Odeon Theatre in piazza Strozzi (see article here) presents three English language films, all with Italian subtitles.  Dark Waters, an environmental thriller, relates the story of huge corporations, their impact on ordinary people and one man’s quest to hold them accountable.  Two documentaries, Hare Krishna and Leonard and Marianne: Words of Love, shed light on the 1960s, its counterculture and spiritual growth movements and the influences on young artists of the era.

The British Institute Library is continuing its cultural activities, from lectures and readings for children in English to concerts; check the website for details.  The city’s other libraries will remain open and books can be borrowed, although all activities are canceled.

AMERICAN UNIVERSITIES

Nearly all U.S. students have been sent back, or are in the process of returning to their home campus.  The decision to close the current Florence program of California State University was communicated by Long Beach headquarters only on March 4; the school also sends a number of their art students to Florence’s Academy of Fine Arts (Accademia di Belle Arti), which is not presently offering classes to comply with the government’s decree.  According to an American student still in town, the Florence University of the Arts has suspended classes for those who are still in the city until March 15.

Back in the U.S.A., students who returned home from Harding program in Scandicci have chosen to be in voluntary quarantine for two weeks. Back in Florence, schools and agencies are dealing with settling of rental contracts prior to the original agreed departure date as well as other details involved in relocation.

And there is also the issue of classes to be made up from America.  Pepperdine in Florence has made the creative decision to continue the semester online by providing by fully synchronous courses with live, direct instruction from Florence using Zoom.  Students back in California log in more or less simultaneously to be able to participate and ask questions.

Florence director Elizabeth Whatley commented, “given the nine-hour time difference, this would not be possible without the willingness of local professors, all of whom have agreed to teach between 5 and 11 pm and be also available on Face Time. Florence itself is a classroom; we are thankful that we will be able to carry on as if the students were learning here.”  Pepperdine’s museum site visits are taking place as planned, the only difference being that they are filmed, with streaming provided.

Other programs, such as the University of California at San Diego through the Accent provider program, are allowing their students to complete work for their interrupted internships in Florence online.

CORONAVIRUS

Twenty-three new cases of Coronavirus have been confirmed in the region of Tuscany, bringing the total to 61.

They have been identified in provinces of Florence, including San Casciano and Empoli (nine); Massa Carrara-Lucca-Pisa-Livorno (14); Siena-Arezzo-Grosseto (13), mainly located in Chiusi and Montepulciano); and Prato (one).

Non-urgent surgery in local hospitals has been suspended until further notice. Residents who have flu symptoms such as fever, sore throat and cough, must stay home and call their family doctor, who is now on duty 12 hours a day, seven days a week, from 8 am to 8 pm. People arriving from countries with Coronavirus patients, or who believe they might be infected, must immediately call the medical hotlines 1500, operative 24/7. (rosanna cirigliano/additional reporting by rita kungel)