Florence Openings for ‘FAI Spring Days’ 2025

 

The Fondo Ambiente Italiano (FAI), Italy’s National Trust, invites residents and visitors of Florence to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the foundation with the return of its annual FAI Spring Days, schedule for March 22 and 23, 2025. The weekend offers a rare opportunity to explore some of Italy’s most treasured but otherwise inaccessible historical landmarks, with all the sights open to the public only once a year. Four locations will be open in Florence. 

In the past five decades, FAI has opened the doors to over 16,000 locations, attracting over 13 million visitors. This year’s Spring Days will allow guests to enjoy Florence’s artistic and architectural heritage through guided tours at Villa Vittoria, Palazzo Lenzi Quaratesi, palazzo Benini, and the Allori Cemetery. 

The Allori Cemetery is located on the outskirts of Florence. Established in 1878 following the closure of the English Cemetery in Donatello Square, the Cemetery offers a serene and contemplative experience, and visitors will be able to take part in tours led by architect Gobbi Sica on March 22 at 3 pm and March 23 at noon.  It is divided into two sections: a flat area near the entrance and a hillside section, where visitors can enjoy a tranquil and beautiful environment while learning about expatriates who were drawn to Florence throughout history. 

The cemetery is an open-air museum, with avenues bordered by tall cypress trees and resting places for numerous influential foreigners who once lived in Florence, such as historians Ulrich Middeldorf, artist Howard Pyle, and collector Friedrich Kriegbaum in addition to art collectors Frederick Stibbert (whose home is now a Florence museum) and Sir Harold Acton, who bequeathed Villa La Pietra to NYU.  Other notables buried at the Allori include Swiss artist Arnold Bocklin (who painted the famous ‘Island of the Dead.’ inspired by the original English cemetery in Florence where his daughter was laid to rest) and Alice Keppel, Camilla, UK queen consort, great-grandmother and mistress of King Edward VII.

Open from 10 am to 5 pm (last entry), tours will last 45 minutes. The cemetery is easily accessible by public transport, with bus routes 6, 11, 36, and 37 all taking visitors to the location in via Senese. 

The Palazzo Lenzi Quaratesi, home to the Istituto Francese Firenze, is the first French cultural institute in the world. Located near the church of Ognissanti, its 17th century façade honours the Umiliati monks, who settled in the area in 1251 and specialised in wool processing. The Lenzi family, who moved to Florence in the mid 14th century, originally owned the building, which changed hands several times over the centuries due to lack of direct heirs. In 1949, the heirs of art dealer Luigi Pisani sold the building to the Frencg state, which had established the French Institute in the location in 1911, following its founding in 1907 by Julien Luchaire. Though heavily altered over time, the palazzo still retains traces of its Renaissance influence. Its 19th century facades, divided into three levels, are characterised by graffito decoration thanks to the graphic rendering of wall facings, cornices, and columns. Visitors will have the opportunity to explore Luchaire’s reading room, preserved with its post-war layout designed by architects Moreux and Gamberini, and see the fusion of past and present that characterises this building. 

Open from 2 – 5 pm (last entry) on Saturday, March 22, and from 10 am – 5 pm (last entry) on Sunday, March 23, with tours lasting 40 minutes. Located on Piazza Ognissanti, 2. 

Villa Vittoria, known as the Palazzo dei Congressi, was originally built between 1886 and 1891 by the Strozzi family of Mantua to a design by Gerolamo Passeri and was later remodelled with the addition of the belvedere by Michelucci in 1925. Purchased by Alessandro Contini in 1931, the villa housed the collection of ancient and contemporary Italian art that the owner had collected. It was then sold in 1965 to the Florence Tourist Board. The tour will allow visitors to admire its Renaissance-style coffered ceilings, inlaid doors, and the original stained-glass windows, while learning about the villa’s rich history and its evolution into the largest conference centre in Florence. 

Open from 10 am – 5 pm (last entry), with tours lasting 50 minutes. Access to the site from Piazza Adua. 

For those venturing a little beyond Florence, Palazzo Benini in Campi Bisenzio offers a fascinating blend of historical and contemporary architecture. Once known for its straw manufacture and numerous farms, the area was transformed into an industrial hub in the second half of the 20th century. The 19th century Dante Theatre, designed by architect Mario Falcini, features a neoclassical façade with a tympanum that was transformed into a cinema in 1993 by arch. Enrico Fantappiè. After a complete restoration in 2003 by Firouz Galdo and Ugo Perut, the auditorium was rebuilt, and the east façade redesigned with a new wall. The Municipality Building, with its exposed brick construction, recalls the industrial past of the former straw-hat factory that once occupied the space. Visitors will be able to explore areas of the theatre typically closed to the public and admire the Council Chamber, designed by architect Marco Dezzi Bardeschi. The complete tour, covering both the Town Hall and the theatre, will be available until 2 pm (last entry), after which only the Municipality will be open for visits. 

Open from 10 am – 5 pm (last entry), with tours lasting 60 minutes. Located on Piazza Dante Alighieri 23 (Teatrodante) and 36 (Pal. Benini), Campi Bisenzio, Fl.  (Mina Lozanova)