News
28/03/2008 - Fattori and Naturalism in Tuscany
During the whole 2008 some events are scheduled to celebrate a big Tuscan painter of the 19th century, Giovanni Fattori. For the most famous of the Macchiaioli painters, who died in Florence in 1908, a very important exhibition at Villa Bardini: Fattori and the Naturalism in Tuscany.
Fattori and Naturalism in Tuscany is being promoted and produced by the Cassa di Risparmio in collaboration with the Soprintendenza Speciale per il Patrimonio Storico, Artistico ed Etnoantropologico e per il Polo Museale Fiorentino under the sponsorship of the municipality of Florence. Even if it may seem strange, considering the great interest in this period, this exhibition offers a totally new approach.
The grand old man of Italian art had never been deliberately placed side by side with Cannicci and Cecconi, Ferroni and Micheli, the Gioli brothers, the Tommasi cousins, Sorbi and Panerai, that is, with those younger Tuscan painters - for some of whom he had been the teacher and for all of whom he had been a great friend.
With the 35, mainly large-sized works, some of which have never been seen in public, the exhibition highlights affinities, suggests influences, shows differences, even big ones, and thus restores the true relationship between the master, the leader of the movement who never aspired to be so, and his brave art companions, that is between the protagonists of a beautiful and fleeting painting season where the Risorgimento idealism was to grieve for the disillusions of the post unity period and the idea of an imminent progress that was soon tinged with longing.
Francesca Dini is the curator of the exhibition. A well-known scholar of 19th century Tuscan art, she has also edited the catalogue published by Polistampa.
To help visitors enjoy the exhibition better, it is divided into five sections (Painting in the Fields, ‘Courtly’ Naturalism, the Maremma, Urban Views and A Great Painter of Nature limited to Fattori’s paintings), according to the most common themes found in these eleven artists’ works. They portray the Tuscany of small but important things , a humble everyday life, beautiful virgin lands, anonymous labour, busy streets and squares, rustic idylls, the “wild Maremma west”. Moments of life caught in their immediacy and often magnified to eternal glory with a striking visionary power and incredible technical skills.
Fattori and Naturalism in Tuscany
19 March – 23 June
Villa Bardini, Costa S. Giorgio 2 - Firenze
Info: Sigma, tel. 055.243140
www.firenzeperfattori.it
Opening time 9 – 19
Entrance: € 6
credits: www.firenzeturismo.it
04/03/2008 - Ottone Rosai at Palazzo Medici Riccardi
An important monographic exhibition dedicated to the great Florentine painter, one of the most significant artists of 20th century art in Italy.
Fifty years after his death, the great Florentine painter Ottone Rosai (1895-1957) is tributed a personal exhibition in the Palazzo Medici Riccardi in Florence, from January 27th to March 25th, 2008.
The exhibition, with fifty paintings coming from both public and private collections, describes the production of Rosai from 1910 to 1950.
The exhibition showcases works that offer a rich albeit concise vision of Rosai’s unmistakeable expressive language: nudes, portraits, monuments, streets, interiors, still lives, all interpreted with a still relevant style, dense of expressive energy and humanity. Among the works on show, some not so well-know and others extremely famous, there are The man on the bench of 1930; the Portrait of the artist’s father and Via Toscanella of 1922; Vallesina, painted in 1916 when Rosai was fighting at the front during World War One; and a series of dramatically plastic bodies: Lying Nude (1947), Athlete (1948), Nude of a boy (1950), examples of a monumental figurativeness that put Rosai at the very apex of 20th century art.
A conference of studies on Rosai man and artist will take place in the Palazzo Medici Riccardi at the beginning of February 2008.
Ottone Rosai – Fifty works on show
Janury 27th – March 25th, 2008
The exhibition is open every day from 9 am to 7 pm; it is closed on Wednesdays.
The full entrance ticket costs 5 €, reductions at 3,5 €. The ticket entitles the owner to visit the Palazzo Medici Riccardi, with the Benozzo Gozzoli chapel, the Luca Giordano hall and the Museum of the Marbles.
Info: Palazzo Medici Riccardi, via Cavour 3 ph. 055 2760340
or Tourist Information Office APT Florence ph. 055 290832-3
credits www.firenzeturismo.it
28/01/2008 - Three artists to rediscover Florence
Discovering the works of “il Cronaca”, of Bernardo Buontalenti and of Giambologna on the anniversary of their deaths
Architects, painters, sculptors, masters of art: Simone del Pollaiolo, known as il Cronaca, Bernardo Buontalenti and Giambologna, are only a few of the artists who contributed to the golden age of Florentine art. The year 2008 is for all of them the anniversary of their deaths, dating from 1508 in the case of Pollaiolo and 1608 for the other two. No events are planned as yet for the celebration of these anniversaries, but the city and the neighbouring communes are rich with examples of their work, all of which are absolutely worth a visit.
During the 16th century, while the whole architectural layout of Florence was being reorganized, the rich Florentine burghers, and no longer only the nobility, began to commission their town houses from fine architects, such indeed as were il Cronaca, Giambologna (pseudonym of the Frenchman Jean de Boulogne), and Buontalenti, entrusting them with the entire work from the design stage to the finishing touches.
A destiny the three artists shared throughout their lifetimes. From the Galleria degli Uffizi to Palazzo Vecchio, their art is to be found everywhere.
Simone del Pollaiolo (nicknamed Il Cronaca following a trip he made in 1470 to Rome, where he was so struck by the ruins that, on his return to Florence, he was wont to describe what he had seen to all and sundry, and in great detail, making a lengthy chronicle out of his experience), was responsible as an architect for a number of fine buildings in Florence, such as the courtyard and the upper part of Palazzo Strozzi, the Sacristy of Santo Spirito, the church of San Salvatore al Monte, and the Salone dei Cinquecento in Palazzo Vecchio. He was also asked to design a façade for the basilica of Santa Croce, but this project was never realized, due to disagreements between the friars and the Quaratesi family, who had commissioned the work.
Giambologna was the most important sculptor of Mannerism, the current in 16th-century Italian art (though mostly in painting) inspired by the “manner”, that is the style, of the great artists working in Rome in the immediately preceding years, and especially Raphael and Michelangelo. He left such a mark on the city of Florence that his “manner” was followed long after his death. Among his chief works are the Rape of the Sabines and Hercules with Nessus the Centaur in the Loggia della Signoria, and the Fontana dell'Oceano in the Boboli Gardens .
Another leading personality of the Mannerist period, Bernardo Buontalenti, enjoyed numerous important commissions, such as the decoration of Palazzo Pitti and the Boboli Gardens , including the famous Grotta, and that of the park of Pratolino with its colossal statua dell'Appennino. He devised machinery for grandiose court spectacles and festivities, for which he made many drawings still preserved in the Uffizi. Just outside Florence, at Grassina, we may combine a pleasant country walk with a visit to the grotto known as the Fonte della Fata Morgana, which Giambologna designed for the Vecchietti family.
credits: www.firenzeturismo.it
07/01/2008 - Furini, a master of the 17th century in Florence
The classical nude, soft and mellow, between sacred and profane: A different Beauty on show
Nymphs, Graces, but also byblical characters, depicted with an extremely personal trait, soft and mellow, that made Francesco Furini a master of Classicism not only in Florence. A Different Beauty is the the first international monographic exhibition ever dedicated to an artist of the Florentine seventeenth century.
credits: www.firenzeturismo.it
16/12/2007 - Renato Guttuso’s masterpieces on display
The Sala delle Colonne, the new exhibition area situated in the centre of Pontassieve, starts its activity with an art show dedicated to the master of Italian painting Renato Guttuso, “A signature in red. Guttuso in Pontassieve”: an exhibition of high historical and documentary value, celebrating one of the most famous and appreciated Italian artists of the XX century, twenty years after his death.
The exhibition will open on 15th December 2007 and consists of 36 works of art, including 20 large oil paintings and 16 drawings, coming from the collection of the Foundation Francesco Pellin in Varese, to honour the creativity and the commitment of the Sicilian artist.
The unique setting of the exhibition aims at enhancing the strong expressiveness of the artist, through the presentation of works from the various periods that have characterized the intense activity of Guttuso.
A SIGNATURE IN RED. GUTTUSO IN PONTASSIEVE
15th December 2007 – 16th March 2008
Sala delle Colonne - Via Tanzini 32 Pontassieve – Florence
Opening hours: every day 9,30am -12,30am and 16,00pm-19,00pm except Monday all the day and Friday morning.
Admission free
Information: Municipality od Pontassieve - Cultural Dptm. ph: 055 8360303; fax: 055 8360265
credits: www.firenzeturismo.it
20/11/2007 - Capucci: “back to the origins” of a master of fashion
Opening of a permanent museum at Villa Bardini, sculpture-dresses on display
A foundation, a museum and an exhibition, all in the name of Roberto Capucci. The Capucci Foundation has inaugurated its new premises in the Villa Bardini with the exhibition "Back to the Origins – A Tribute to Florence". The master returns to the city that launched him in 1951, when he was barely twenty, on the international fashion scene.
And the tribute to Florence is well represented by the incredible assets of the Foundation: four hundred haute couture and sculpture-dress creations, sketches, drafts, audio-visuals, press articles and forty thousand pictures, all for the city of Florence to enjoy thanks to the Ente Cassa di Risparmio di Firenze.
The exhibition that inaugurated the opening of the permanent museum on 27 October presents eight previously unseen works, including the sculpture-dress entitled Leaves, an interpretation of a garden in autumn that is reminiscent of the Bardini Gardens. The exhibition also features other sculpture-dresses selected from the Archives of the 80s and 90s, and the 1992 wedding dress inspired by Tiepolo, with two bridesmaids.
Back to the Origins - A Tribute to Florence
Until 27 February 2008
Opening hours: 10am–4pm
Closed on the first and last Monday of the month.
Admission: € 5
Concessions: € 4 for under 18- and over-65-year-olds, COOP and Touring Club members; €3 for school children, groups of over 25 people, visitors to the Bardini Gardens or the CONTROMODA exhibition (upon presentation of ticket)
Free: tour guides, teachers, the disabled.
Info and bookings: Tel. 055 2654321 www.fondazionerobertocapucci.com
credits: www.firenzeturismo.it
12/11/2007 - The wine in Tuscany
"There is a place in the world where the hills are cultivated waves", recites an inspired ad about Tuscany as it approaches the third millennium. Hills characterised by majestic cypress trees, ancient olive groves and vineyards stretching as far as the eye can reach. Tuscany and Florence, a perfect and inseparable combination which brings to mind something truly wonderful, smiled upon by God. Tuscany extends eastwards from the Tyrrhenian coast as far as the Apennines, and south from the gulf of Liguria as far as the gentle hills of Maremma, but its true heart is in Chianti. This almost triangular region offers a land created specifically for the wine, which is to be found almost everywhere throughout the ten provinces which make up the regional territory.
Tuscany and Florence are rightfully still a landmark in the history of world oenology. Effectively nowhere in the world can we talk about wine without thinking about the vineyards of the Tuscan hills. The area under vine in Tuscany extends over 64,462 hectares, with an annual production of 2,220,000 hectolitres in which the DOC and DOCG wines account for 45 per cent. A heritage of no less than 39 designations, 5 of them controlled and guaranteed, 5 IGTs and a large number of Super Tuscans.
The following grape varieties are more or less extensively cultivated in the region: Canaiolo, Chardonnay, Grechetto, Malvasia del Chianti, Moscato bianco, Pinot bianco Sauvignon, Trebbiano toscano, Vermentino, Vernaccia di San Gimignano, Aleatico, Brunello di Montalcino, Canaiolo nero, Merlot, Montepulciano and Sangiovese. A good part of the Tuscan vineyards are now being planted out almost everywhere.The area is famous throughout the world for its great red wines, such as Chianti, Chianti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino and the Nobile di Montepulciano.
The soul of Tuscany is the Sangiovese variety, with its fruity fragrance and aromatic notes, balanced by the acidity of the mature tannins. A red grapes of extraordinary quality and character, but not easy to cultivate, which produces very different results depending on the microclimate and the soil in which it is grown. A variety which has now finally been revalued as it rightly deserves.
Since the nineteen-nineties, Tuscan producers have also begun to use international varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah which, combined with the Sangiovese, have given rise to the Super Tuscans, table wines of quality, great wines of an innovative character which have conquered the world market thanks to the personality of unquestionable origin. The Tuscan terroir can effectively not be reproduced elsewhere, and Sangiovese will continue to express itself to the full in the Tuscan vineyards. It is no coincidence that in California, and in other areas, experiments are being carried out in the vinification of this most ancient variety, which has earned its rightful place in the elite of international grape varieties. Recently excellent results have also been achieved using Sangiovese in purity, and through the discovery of several indigenous varieties which risked disappearing such as the Colorino, once used by the peasants for the governo (the later addition of must to the wine), and the Foglia Tonda, whose origins date back to the 17th century.
In Tuscany there has never been a strong tradition of white wines. The principal white variety of the territory is the Trebbiano Toscano, an excellent natural base for blending with Chardonnay or Malvasia del Chianti. Malvasia and Trebbiano are also used to produce the Vin Santo, a natural dry or sweet wine for meditation produced trough a very lengthy process of vinification, which is consequently also very costly. In the Tuscan countryside the few bottles of this precious nectar produced would be hoarded jealously; expensive to make because of its lengthy preparation times, it was a true treasure to be drunk only on special occasion such as weddings or christenings, or as a restorative after serious illness. Its revival, which dates to only a few years ago, have rapidly made it one of the most popular natural passito wines in Italy, to be drunk as an accompaniment not only to desserts, but also with mature cheeses and liver pate. For some years now the wines of Tuscany are achieving significant success, and the recognitions at high level have not been lacking. (text from the leaflet "Wine in Florence" edited by the Chamber of Commerce)
Most events aiming to promote the wine culture are organised by the association Movimento del Turismo del Vino, which was created some years ago to enhance the wine tourism. For more information visit the general website and the Tuscany section.
credits: www.firenzeturismo.it
15/10/2007 - ControModa
Florence and fashion are inextricably bound together. The Sala Bianca, the stylists, Pitti Immagine… and now ControModa, a new, must-see exhibition of contemporary fashion featuring pieces from the permanent collection of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Running from 12 October to 20 January at Palazzo Strozzi, the event is an imaginary catwalk, a colourful whirl of clothes designed by stylists who have contributed, with their own personal and inimitable styles, to redefining women’s fashions in the last two decades.
The exhibition features fifty of the most well-known stylists from the world of haute couture and pret-a-porter who, with their work on shape, cut and materials, have revolutionized the style and evolution of fashion.
The show is divided into four sections: production methods, material, shape and concept, the aim being to shed light on how the most important novelties came into being. There is also an interactive workshop section where visitors can try on some of Issey Miyake’s creations and experience the real significance of the four sections.
The exhibition is being held on the piano nobile of Palazzo Strozzi which, facing as it does onto Piazza Strozzi, Via Tornabuoni and Via Strozzi, lies right in the chic heart of the city, where all the big names in the fashion world have a presence.
An international panel of experts consisting of Kaye Spilker, Sharon Takeda, Holly Brubach, Franca Sozzani, Stefano Tonchi and Maria Luisa Frisa were responsible for the exhibition concept, the choice of clothes and stylists, and the sequencing of the exhibits.
The catalogue, in Italian and English, is published by Skirà.
The exhibition runs from 12 October 2007 to 20 January 2008, daily from 10.30am to 8.30pm. Information and bookings: 0552469600.
credits: www.firenzeturismo.it
01/10/2007 - Gold, silver and semi-precious stones
15 masterpieces of Italian jewellery
The cooperation between the Opificio delle Pietre Dure and Palazzo Medici Riccardi has produced the exhibition Ori, argenti, gemme (Gold, silver and semi-precious stones), offering to the public the magic of goldsmith's work on the one hand (over a period of time going from the early 12th century to mid-17th century), and on the other the extraordinary restoration tecniques, practised in Florence by the Opificio.
The 15 masterpieces come from several areas of Italy: Enna, Modena, Pistoia, Castiglion Fiorentino, Ascoli Piceno and Florence. They have been selected according to typology, preciousness and exquisite manufacturing. To explain to visitors the complexity of the restoration of such works, two pieces are still to be restored and five are currently being restored. The last section of the exhibition shows works which have already been restored by the expert hands of the Opificio restorers, coordinated by Clarice Innocenti.
On show there are crosses, silver chalices, reliquaries, ostensories. The portable altar in silver and granite is the most ancient piece, dating back to the beginning of 12th century; the most charming piece is the Pelican feeding its young, a pendant in gold, enamel and stones coming from Enna and made at the beginning of 17th century. The most spectacular work is the Ostensory of Saint Ignatius martyr, or Golden Sphere, restored by the Opificio with extremely sophisticated techniques.
The exhibition is hosted in Palazzo Medici Riccardi in four halls overlooking Michelozzo's courtyard, and it has a particularly detailed section regarding the explanation of the restoration techniques and of the complexity of the restoration work, enriched by explanatory texts and photographs.
restauratriceThe exhibition is open from 30 September to January 8
Opening times: 9 am to 7 pm, closed on Wednesday.
Entrance ticket: € 5,00 (reductions at € 3,50).
credits: http://www.firenzeturismo.it
24/09/2007 - Michelangelo’s architectural work at San Lorenzo
The artist’s designs on display at Casa Buonarroti
The death of Lorenzo the Magnificent in 1492 and the exiling of the Medici from Florence two years later meant that San Lorenzo, the large basilica designed by Brunelleschi, remained incomplete. There was no façade and the project, strongly sponsored by Lorenzo himself, to build a new funerary chapel to mirror Brunelleschi’s Old Sacristy had probably gone no further than a preliminary stage.
It was only with the return to power of the Medici in 1512 that San Lorenzo once again became a focus of attention. Antonio and Giuliano da Sangallo, Jacopo Sansovino, Raphael and Michelangelo all submitted proposals when a competition was announced in 1515, and the commission was awarded to Michelangelo in autumn of the same year.
The years between 1516 and 1534 were very troubled ones for Michelangelo, both personally and professionally. He was wracked by an aesthetic tension that yielded some supreme masterpieces but also various projects that never saw the light of day.
In the extensive and on-going debate about San Lorenzo, some themes have been studied in depth while others have received relatively little attention. Closer investigation of these would be very useful for an understanding of Michelangelo’s architectural work, and his drawings in Casa Buonarroti offer considerable scope for assessment and in-depth study of many unresolved issues.
The core of the exhibition consists of drawings held in Casa Buonarroti, but it also features works from eminent Italian and foreign institutions. Furthermore, three-dimensional models and digital renderings help to clarify the various issues relating to the different themes and to shed light on the extent of Michelangelo’s intervention in what is one of the world’s most celebrated and visited art monuments.
Michelangelo architetto a San Lorenzo. Quattro problemi aperti
(Michelangelo’s Architecture at San Lorenzo. Four Open Questions)
Casa Buonarroti, Florence, via Ghibellina 70
20 June – 12 November 2007
Admission: € 6.50, concessions € 4.00, school parties € 3.00
Opening hours: 9.30am–2pm, closed Tuesday and 15 August
Group visits can be arranged outside normal opening hours.
credits: www.firenzeturismo.it
07/09/2007 - Timeline of the history of Florence
Salient events in the city’s history, from its foundation to the present day
1st century BC
Florentia is founded by the Romans.
285
Diocletian makes Florentia the seat of the regional governor of Tuscia.
405
The city is besieged by the barbarian army of Radagaisus; Bishop Zenobius encourages the Florentines to hold out until the arrival of the Roman imperial army, an episode that marks the population’s mass conversion to Christianity.
540
The city is destroyed by the Ostrogoth king, Baduela (Totila).
854
Unification of the contado [rural area surrounding an urban centre] of Fiesole and Florence under the jurisdiction of the margrave of Tuscany, who resides in Florence.
1035
Giovanni Gualberto founds a monastery at Vallombrosa, which becomes a centre for the reform movement.
1055
After having been greatly affected by ecclesiastical reform, Florence hosts a council attended by Pope Victor II and Emperor Henry III.
1076-1115
Countess Matilde is the feudal overlord of Florence and Tuscany.
1078
Building of the city walls. These largely correspond to the perimeter of the square-shaped city of Roman times.
1116
After the death of Matilde, the city becomes a Comune, governed by a college of consules, flanked by consilium and sometimes by a people’s assembly. The process of conquering the contado begins.
1125-82
Conquest of Fiesole and the middle stretch of the Arno valley from Figline to Empoli.
1172-75
Building of a new circle of city walls; the original square becomes an octagon straddling the river. Inside the walls are towers (over 150), churches and palaces.
1185
Emperor Frederick I strips Florence of its rights to exercise jurisdiction over and levy taxes in areas outside the city walls. Two years later these rights are restored by Henry VI. The conquest of castles and lands in the contado resumes.
1216
The failure to maintain a promise of marriage and the resulting murders and acts of vendetta lead to a rift between Florence’s leading households, who split into Guelphs (pro-pope) and Ghibellines (pro-emperor).
1260
Guelph Florence is defeated at Montaperti by Siena, with the help of the German cavalry of Manfredi of Swabia. Many Guelphs go voluntarily into exile, leaving power in the hands of the Ghibellines until the death of Manfredi (1266).
1267
Charles of Anjou, King of Sicily, rules Florence for seven years. Florence conducts successful wars against Pisa (1268) and Siena (1269).
1282
After a provisional peace between the Guelphs and Ghibellines, the government of the Arti (guilds) begins.
1289
Florence defeats Arezzo at the Battle of Campaldino. 1300The Guelphs split into Whites and Blacks; the following year the Blacks control all the government posts and drive their rivals, including Dante Alighieri, out of the city.
1306
Pistoia is defeated after a long siege. The city’s contado is split between Florence and Lucca. The latter is sold to Florence a little over thirty years later by Mastino della Scala. However, having suffered defeat at the hands of Pisa, Florence is unable to take control of it.
1333
Work is completed on the final ring of city walls. The city occupies a surface area of 500 hectares.
1346
Famine and then plague kill thousands. The plague forms the background to Boccaccio’s Decameron.
1350-60
Florence consolidates its control over San Gimignano, Colle di Val d’Elsa, Prato, Pistoia and Volterra. The bitter conflict with Pisa ends with victory for Florence in 1364; the Florentines acquire customs exemptions in the port of Pisa.
1378
Revolt of the ‘Ciompi’ (wage labourers in the textile industry). The woolworkers and other artisans are initially granted corporative rights and a say in government affairs, but are soon cruelly repressed by the upper classes.
1440
Florence defeats Milan at Anghiari, putting an end to a decades-old conflict.
1464
Death of Cosimo il Vecchio de’ Medici (‘the Elder’), who had exercised a masked control over the city in the Republican period. Five years later the big families confer on Lorenzo and Giuliano, the sons of Piero, the power previously granted to their grandfather and then to their father.
1478
The Pazzi Conspiracy, instigated by Pope Sixtus IV, is intended to overthrow the Medici. Giuliano is killed but Lorenzo is only injured. With the support of the city, Lorenzo reaches a peace agreement first with Naples and then with the Pope himself.
1492
Lorenzo dies in April, and is succeeded by his oldest son, Piero (the younger one is to become Pope Leo X). Two years later Piero is forced to flee the city when Charles VIII invades Italy. With the reestablishment of the Republic, Pisa wins back its independence.
1496
The sermons of Girolamo Savonarola against the laxity of moral costumes and in favour of a general reform of society win growing consensus. Excommunicated as a heretic, he is burnt at the stake two years later in Piazza della Signoria.
1501-09
Recapture of Arezzo and Pisa.
1512
During the crisis provoked by the French presence in Italy, the Medici return to Florence. Seven years later Giulio rules the city in his capacity as archbishop and in 1522 is elected pope, taking the name of Clement VII.
1527-30
Restoration of the Republic, following a dizzying shift of alliances on the part of Pope Clement VII and the sack of Rome. The Medici are driven out of the city, but return after the defeat of the Republic following a long siege. Alessandro de’ Medici becomes the first Duke of Florence.
1533
Caterina de’ Medici marries Henry, Duke of Orléans, the future King of France. Alessandro is succeeded by Cosimo. This is the beginning of two centuries of conquest and power consolidation. The city expands and is endowed with art works, palaces and fortifications. Siena is annexed definitively.
1737
The death of Gian Gastone marks the end of the Medici dynasty. According to the terms of international treaties and agreements between the royal families in the rest of Europe, the Grand Duchy of Tuscany is given to the Lorraine family.
1766-89
Pietro Leopoldo carries out important economic, judicial and civil reforms.
1799-1814
French and Napoleonic occupation from 1799 to 1814.
1814
Grand Duke Ferdinando III returns to Florence.
1841-48
Building of the Florence-Pisa-Livorno railway line, the first long-distance line in Italy.
1859
Following the 1848 uprisings, Leopold II, having lost the consensus of his subjects, leaves Florence. Bettino Ricasoli heads a provisional government prior to the unification of Italy.
15 March 1860
A plebiscite sanctions the Grand Duchy of Tuscany’s entry into the Kingdom of Italy.
1865-71
Florence is capital of Italy.
1932-34
The first stretch of the motorway linking Florence with the coast is opened. Building of the city’s stadium to a design by the architect Pier Luigi Nervi and the railway station of Santa Maria Novella, designed by Giovanni Michelucci. Opening of the direct railway line between Florence and Bologna.
1943-44
Florence suffers heavy damage as a result of Anglo-American bombing and, on 3 August 1944, by the retreating Germans, who blow up all the bridges over the Arno with the exception of Ponte Vecchio. On 11 August the city is liberated by partisans organized by the Tuscan Committee for National Liberation, who symbolically precede the arrival of the Allies.1966
On 4 November the River Arno bursts its banks, and the city and surrounding area experience one of the most devastating floods in its history.
27 May 1993
A bomb planted near the Uffizi kills five, damages the museum and destroys the offices of the Accademia dei Georgofili.
2001-03
Drawing up of the strategic plan for the development of the city in the first decade of the new millennium.
credits: www.firenzeturismo.it
28/08/2007 - Cabianca e la civiltà dei Macchiaioli
12 July–14 October 2007
Florence, Villa Bardini, Bardini Gardens - Costa San Giorgio 4
"It is an unmissable opportunity – apart from anything else it is free of charge, as is the bus scabiancahuttle service and the pre-booked guided tours – to admire landscapes, faces and patterns of light as interpreted by Cabianca and other exponents of the Macchiaiolo movement such as Telemaco Signorini, Giovanni Fattori, Silvestro Lega, Cristiano Banti and Nino Costa. The last exhibition devoted entirely to the Veronese painter dates all the way back to 1927.
Now, finally, about one hundred fine works have been brought together for public view, including such masterpieces as L’Abbandonata (Deserted), the previously unshown Vendemmia in Toscana (Grape Harvest in Tuscany), the celebrated Il Mattino (Morning) and the Marmi a Carrara Marina (Marble at Carrara Marina), which has not been on public display for almost a century.
And after Cabianca’s atmospheric rural scenes, it is worth visiting the villa’s splendid garden, with its marvellous mix of terraces and lawns, traditional and exotic plants.
Giardino BardiniThe smells and colours of the Tuscan countryside, a dwarf orchard and a multicoloured tunnel of wisteria and hydrangea, together with a host of other surprises, botanical and otherwise, in quintessential 19th-century style – all this can be discovered by walking up the splendid Baroque staircase that runs up to Belvedere and its fine views of the city."
credts: www.firenzeturismo.it
26/07/2007 - Galleria dell'Accademia nights Open
The Galleria dell'Accademia extend its opening hours every thursday until 22.00
Night opens will begin from 1 of July 2007 and will finish 30 of September 2007
27/06/2007 - Under the stars with the stars of jazz
The now regular annual appointment with the Vivere Jazz Festival kicks off in Fiesole on Thursday 28 June
The organizers of the Vivere Jazz Festival, now in its third year, have made some changes to the format of the event and are also celebrating an important aspect of so-called improvised music with an exhibition of ECM record labels.
The festival was a success right from the word go, and immediately established itself as the region’s most prestigious jazz event. The reasons for that success can be put down to the artistic direction of the inspired pianist Stefano Bollani, a former prodigy of Italian jazz and now an internationally acclaimed musician, whose programme choices are a mix of prestigious names and unusual, imaginative ones; and the atmospheric setting of the Teatro Romano, where all the evening concerts are held.
Over the years the richly inventive afternoon and evening sessions in the spectacular natural theatre of the Maiano Quarries have gone by the wayside, probably for organizational and financial reasons. Nonetheless, the concerts with some of the big names on the Italian and international music scene have survived.
For starters there is the English saxophonist John Surman, who will play with the Orchestra Regionale Toscana. Then there is the quartet of the Polish trumpet player Tomasz Stanko; the octet of Italian saxophonist Gianluigi Trovesi, who will be joined for the occasion by Stefano Bollani; a homage to Pasolini by Stefano Battaglia; the prestigious quintet of Enrico Rava; the ground-breaking Ukrainian pianist Misha Alperin; and, to round things off in style, the Jan Garbarek Group.
The novel feature of this year’s programme is the artistic collaboration with the famous ECM record label, which has brought out many of the works of the jazz musicians featuring in this year’s festival. The exhibition, titled Signs Among Us: ECM Cover Exhibition, offers a fascinating graphic-photographic view of the history of covers – from vinyl to CD – over decades of jazz.
For more information about sessions and concerts, visit http://www.viverejazz.it/ and www.estatefiesolana.it
or call freephone 800414240 (from Italy only).
credits: www.firenzeturismo.it
15/06/2007 - The return of Donatello -Fifty-five works by great masters of the Italian Renaissance
Having 'emigrated' to France in the 19th century following their acquisition for the Jacquemart-André Collection in Paris, the masterpieces have returned to Florence for the Donatello e una casa del Rinascimento (Donatello and a Renaissance House) exhibition (until 24 July), one of the highlights of the Genio Fiorentino 2007. The Jacquemart-André Museum was set up by collector Eduoard André and his wife, the famous portraitist Nélie Jacquemart, who were passionate lovers of Florentine Renaissance art.
Towards the end of the 19th century the couple invested a considerable amount of their time and wealth travelling the length and breadth of Italy in search of masterpieces by the great masters, in a period in which political events and economic vicissitudes forced many eminent families and religious institutions to sell off properties and furnishings. Even after the death of her husband, Nélie Jacquemart continued to collect furniture, paintings, sculptures, majolicas, 'deschi da parto' (special trays used to bring refreshment to mothers who had just given birth), rugs and chests.
The exhibition, which is in Palazzo Medici Riccardi, features a number of significant and previously unshown works by artists active in the Medici circle, such as Donatello, Verrocchio and Giambologna.
Nélie Jacquemart, who had no heirs, left various furniture items, paintings, sculptures, Della Robbia ceramics, chests, deschi da parto, majolicas and rugs to the Istitut de France. Amongst the finest items there is a Saint George and the Dragon by Paolo Uccello, later bought by Stefano Bardini, a bronze Saint John the Baptist by Donatello and two panels of chests depicting a Battle and a Triumph, produced in Verrocchio's workshop for the Florentine Mannelli family; exhibited at the National Gallery in London in 1999, they have never been on public display in Florence. There are also works by Botticini, Luca della Robbia, Francesco Salviati and Sandro Botticelli.
Palazzo Medici Riccardi
Via Cavour, 3 - Tel. 055 2760340
From 12 May 2007 to 24 July 2007
Opening hours: 9am–7pm
Closed: Wednesday
Admission: € 5.00, concessions € 3.50 (museum admission)
credits: http://www.firenzeturismo.it
18/05/2007 - MUV Music and Digital art festival
Releasing the energies of the third edition of MUV, the visual and acoustic intermittent collective
Make a note of these dates: from 6-10 June, and of this venue: the “Limonaia” of Villa Strozzi in Florence. The festival presents and investigates the connections between the digital arts and electronic music, and studies audio-visual research programmes.
MUV hosts audio-visual installations, vj sets, dj sets, performances and video exhibits. The idea of the festival is to widen knowledge of electronic music and the digital arts not only through art exhibitions, but also by means of instruction by professionals in the sector who can both introduce and deepen people’s knowledge of the subjects under consideration.
credits: http://www.firenzeturismo.it
09/05/2007 - Completion of the open-air display of the collection of plants in tubs in the gardens of Petraia
Medici Villa of Petraia
Open-air display of plants in tubs
until 31/10/2007
From the month of May, in the gardens of the Medici villas of Castello and Petraia, the open-air display of all the plants in tubs previously conserved for the winter in the lemon groves and hothouses will be completed. More specifically, on display in the gardens will be the plants of the famous citrus fruits collection, amounting to a total of approximately 500 exemplars, comprising over 70 varieties of lemons, citrons, pomelos, grapefruit, bitter and sweet oranges, bergamot oranges, chinotto oranges, mandarins, clementines, calamondins, limes and kumquats
In the secret garden of Castello (that can be visited on request) also on open-air display is the special collection of jasmines, including the intensely fragrant Arabian jasmine (known as “jessamine of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany”) introduced from India in 1688 and acclimatised in the eighteenth-century pavilion known as the “stufa dei mugherini”.
credits: www.polomuseale.firenze.it
03/05/2007 - Giorgio De Chirico exhibition in Fiesole
Sixteen fascinating works by the great metaphysical artist
The exhibition Giorgio de Chirico e un Novecento prima e dopo la Transavanguardia is currently running in Fiesole, mostly in the basilica of Sant’Alessandro with a small section in the Archaeology Museum. Focusing on the figure of Giorgio de Chirico and his close ties with Fiesole, the exhibition includes well-known masterpieces, important previously unshown works and recent finds. de_chirico_cavallo_e_cavaliereThe core of the exhibition, curated by Giovanni Faccenda, consists of sixteen paintings, including Cavalli in riva al mare (1934), Castello di Rapallo (1947), Interno metafisico con biscotti (1950), Venezia (1952), Trovatore (1954), Piazza d’Italia (1962) and Gli Archeologi (1965). Alongside these are a selection of works by other leading 20th century artists, such as Massimo Campigli, Pietro Annigoni, Renato Guttuso, Ottone Rosai, Filippo de Pisis, Mario Sironi, togther with works by the brothers Antonio and Xavier Bueno, by Mino Maccari and by Primo Conti. The work of Conti is also accompanied by pieces by other artists who were either born or chose to live in Fiesole, for instance Baccio Maria Bacci, Guido Peyron, Fernando Farulli and Leopoldo Paciscopi.
The exhibition itinerary is rounded off with work by a number of contemporary artists: Alberto Sughi, Ugo Nespolo, Luca Alinari, Antonio Possenti and Angiolo Volpe.
On the occasion of the De Chirico exhibition a special all-in ticket deal has been reactivated. This grants admission not only to the exhibition but also to other places of interest in Fiesole: the Archaeological Museum and Site, the Bandini Museum, Villa Peyron di Fontelucente and its park, and the Primo Levi Foundation.
Giorgio de Chirico e un Novecento prima e dopo la Transavanguardia
14 April–3 June 2007
Fiesole, Basilica di Sant’Alessandro, via San Francesco
and the Museo Archeologico, via Portigiani, 1
Opening hours: daily, 9.30am–7pm
Admission: € 5.00 – € 3.00; special all-in ticket, €13.00
resource from: http://www.firenzeturismo.it
20/04/2007 - Giorgio de Chirico in Fiesole
april 14 - june 3 2007
Fiesole, Basilica di Sant’Alessandro, via San Francesco
and Museo Archeologico, via Portigiani, 1
Opening: every day from 9.30 to 19.00
Prices: € 5.00 - € 3.00; full pass €13,00 for all the places included in the show
10/04/2007 - ART 2007 - International Handicraft Fair
The International Handicraft Market Fair is held every year in the charming exhibition halls of Fortezza da Basso. With its 70 years of history, the Fair is one of the most prestigious events for artistic quality crafts, able to attract more than 200,000 visitors every year. The Fair is a gigantic showcase of ideas and novel projects, perfect for the customer whose taste and needs are constantly changing, as well as for sector operators.
The 71st edition will have a special focus: a look to the future in search of new shapes, materials and colors, keeping in mind the traditional style and refined elements that make quality items timeless.
The fair will focus on 8 topics: Lands, Interiors, Visions, Taste, Harmony and Wellness, Rich Backgrounds, Fashion stages, Handicrafts, and Surroundings.
A wide range of exhibits: house accessories, giftware, ornaments, furnishings, fabrics, cosmetics, regional and international foods, clothing, jewelry, gemstones, custom jewelry, creative gadgets.
Florence, Fortezza da Basso - from April 14 to 22
Hours: 10 am - 9.30 pm
21/03/2007 - Easter in Florence: Scoppio del Carro Festival
On the morning of Easter Sunday, the Florentine gather in Piazza del Duomo to see the traditional Scoppio del Carro (explosion of the cart). The cart, which is pulled by a pair of oxen adorned with flowers and escorted by 150 soldiers, musicians and flag bearers, reaches Piazza del Duomo. A rocket resembling a dove, the Colombina, darts forth from the Duomo, setting on fire the big cart on the square which is laden with firecrackers and fireworks. The deafening sound of the firecrackers spreads around the city a symbolic holy fire.
This ceremony dates from the First Crusade, carried out to free the Holy Sepulcher from the hands of the infidel. In the year 1099 the crusaders, led by Goffredo di Buglione, lay siege to the city of Jerusalem. According to tradition, the Florentine Pazzino de' Pazzi is credited as being the first to go over the walls of the Holy City. After the liberation of Jerusalem on Holy Saturday, the crusaders distributed the holy fire as a sign of purification.
After Pazzino returned, and on Holy Saturday, the youth of all the families burnt a small torch using the holy fire from the cathedral and brought the purifying flame in processions around the city. With time, the use of a cart was added to transport the holy fire and towards the end of the 14th century fireworks were used in place of the normal torch. The present three-level cart dates back from the 15th century and even though it has been restored several times it is still in good shape.
15/03/2007 - Planetarium: meetings with the public
2007, from January to May and from October to December ( on Thursdays at 9pm. and on Sundays at 3.30pm. and 5pm)
Planetario, via G. Giusti 29 - tel. 0552343723
15/03/2007 - Grand Tour. Journeys in Tuscany made by British and French Travelers from the late 17th Century to the early
from March 23 to April 21
Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale di Firenze, Piazza Cavalleggeri, 1 - tel. 05524919322
02/03/2007 - Cezanne in Florence
Go to the website of the art show in Florence
During the whole 2008 some events are scheduled to celebrate a big Tuscan painter of the 19th century, Giovanni Fattori. For the most famous of the Macchiaioli painters, who died in Florence in 1908, a very important exhibition at Villa Bardini: Fattori and the Naturalism in Tuscany.
Fattori and Naturalism in Tuscany is being promoted and produced by the Cassa di Risparmio in collaboration with the Soprintendenza Speciale per il Patrimonio Storico, Artistico ed Etnoantropologico e per il Polo Museale Fiorentino under the sponsorship of the municipality of Florence. Even if it may seem strange, considering the great interest in this period, this exhibition offers a totally new approach.
The grand old man of Italian art had never been deliberately placed side by side with Cannicci and Cecconi, Ferroni and Micheli, the Gioli brothers, the Tommasi cousins, Sorbi and Panerai, that is, with those younger Tuscan painters - for some of whom he had been the teacher and for all of whom he had been a great friend.
With the 35, mainly large-sized works, some of which have never been seen in public, the exhibition highlights affinities, suggests influences, shows differences, even big ones, and thus restores the true relationship between the master, the leader of the movement who never aspired to be so, and his brave art companions, that is between the protagonists of a beautiful and fleeting painting season where the Risorgimento idealism was to grieve for the disillusions of the post unity period and the idea of an imminent progress that was soon tinged with longing.
Francesca Dini is the curator of the exhibition. A well-known scholar of 19th century Tuscan art, she has also edited the catalogue published by Polistampa.
To help visitors enjoy the exhibition better, it is divided into five sections (Painting in the Fields, ‘Courtly’ Naturalism, the Maremma, Urban Views and A Great Painter of Nature limited to Fattori’s paintings), according to the most common themes found in these eleven artists’ works. They portray the Tuscany of small but important things , a humble everyday life, beautiful virgin lands, anonymous labour, busy streets and squares, rustic idylls, the “wild Maremma west”. Moments of life caught in their immediacy and often magnified to eternal glory with a striking visionary power and incredible technical skills.
Fattori and Naturalism in Tuscany
19 March – 23 June
Villa Bardini, Costa S. Giorgio 2 - Firenze
Info: Sigma, tel. 055.243140
www.firenzeperfattori.it
Opening time 9 – 19
Entrance: € 6
credits: www.firenzeturismo.it
04/03/2008 - Ottone Rosai at Palazzo Medici Riccardi
An important monographic exhibition dedicated to the great Florentine painter, one of the most significant artists of 20th century art in Italy.
Fifty years after his death, the great Florentine painter Ottone Rosai (1895-1957) is tributed a personal exhibition in the Palazzo Medici Riccardi in Florence, from January 27th to March 25th, 2008.
The exhibition, with fifty paintings coming from both public and private collections, describes the production of Rosai from 1910 to 1950.
The exhibition showcases works that offer a rich albeit concise vision of Rosai’s unmistakeable expressive language: nudes, portraits, monuments, streets, interiors, still lives, all interpreted with a still relevant style, dense of expressive energy and humanity. Among the works on show, some not so well-know and others extremely famous, there are The man on the bench of 1930; the Portrait of the artist’s father and Via Toscanella of 1922; Vallesina, painted in 1916 when Rosai was fighting at the front during World War One; and a series of dramatically plastic bodies: Lying Nude (1947), Athlete (1948), Nude of a boy (1950), examples of a monumental figurativeness that put Rosai at the very apex of 20th century art.
A conference of studies on Rosai man and artist will take place in the Palazzo Medici Riccardi at the beginning of February 2008.
Ottone Rosai – Fifty works on show
Janury 27th – March 25th, 2008
The exhibition is open every day from 9 am to 7 pm; it is closed on Wednesdays.
The full entrance ticket costs 5 €, reductions at 3,5 €. The ticket entitles the owner to visit the Palazzo Medici Riccardi, with the Benozzo Gozzoli chapel, the Luca Giordano hall and the Museum of the Marbles.
Info: Palazzo Medici Riccardi, via Cavour 3 ph. 055 2760340
or Tourist Information Office APT Florence ph. 055 290832-3
credits www.firenzeturismo.it
28/01/2008 - Three artists to rediscover Florence
Discovering the works of “il Cronaca”, of Bernardo Buontalenti and of Giambologna on the anniversary of their deaths
Architects, painters, sculptors, masters of art: Simone del Pollaiolo, known as il Cronaca, Bernardo Buontalenti and Giambologna, are only a few of the artists who contributed to the golden age of Florentine art. The year 2008 is for all of them the anniversary of their deaths, dating from 1508 in the case of Pollaiolo and 1608 for the other two. No events are planned as yet for the celebration of these anniversaries, but the city and the neighbouring communes are rich with examples of their work, all of which are absolutely worth a visit.
During the 16th century, while the whole architectural layout of Florence was being reorganized, the rich Florentine burghers, and no longer only the nobility, began to commission their town houses from fine architects, such indeed as were il Cronaca, Giambologna (pseudonym of the Frenchman Jean de Boulogne), and Buontalenti, entrusting them with the entire work from the design stage to the finishing touches.
A destiny the three artists shared throughout their lifetimes. From the Galleria degli Uffizi to Palazzo Vecchio, their art is to be found everywhere.
Simone del Pollaiolo (nicknamed Il Cronaca following a trip he made in 1470 to Rome, where he was so struck by the ruins that, on his return to Florence, he was wont to describe what he had seen to all and sundry, and in great detail, making a lengthy chronicle out of his experience), was responsible as an architect for a number of fine buildings in Florence, such as the courtyard and the upper part of Palazzo Strozzi, the Sacristy of Santo Spirito, the church of San Salvatore al Monte, and the Salone dei Cinquecento in Palazzo Vecchio. He was also asked to design a façade for the basilica of Santa Croce, but this project was never realized, due to disagreements between the friars and the Quaratesi family, who had commissioned the work.
Giambologna was the most important sculptor of Mannerism, the current in 16th-century Italian art (though mostly in painting) inspired by the “manner”, that is the style, of the great artists working in Rome in the immediately preceding years, and especially Raphael and Michelangelo. He left such a mark on the city of Florence that his “manner” was followed long after his death. Among his chief works are the Rape of the Sabines and Hercules with Nessus the Centaur in the Loggia della Signoria, and the Fontana dell'Oceano in the Boboli Gardens .
Another leading personality of the Mannerist period, Bernardo Buontalenti, enjoyed numerous important commissions, such as the decoration of Palazzo Pitti and the Boboli Gardens , including the famous Grotta, and that of the park of Pratolino with its colossal statua dell'Appennino. He devised machinery for grandiose court spectacles and festivities, for which he made many drawings still preserved in the Uffizi. Just outside Florence, at Grassina, we may combine a pleasant country walk with a visit to the grotto known as the Fonte della Fata Morgana, which Giambologna designed for the Vecchietti family.
credits: www.firenzeturismo.it
07/01/2008 - Furini, a master of the 17th century in Florence
The classical nude, soft and mellow, between sacred and profane: A different Beauty on show
Nymphs, Graces, but also byblical characters, depicted with an extremely personal trait, soft and mellow, that made Francesco Furini a master of Classicism not only in Florence. A Different Beauty is the the first international monographic exhibition ever dedicated to an artist of the Florentine seventeenth century.
credits: www.firenzeturismo.it
16/12/2007 - Renato Guttuso’s masterpieces on display
The Sala delle Colonne, the new exhibition area situated in the centre of Pontassieve, starts its activity with an art show dedicated to the master of Italian painting Renato Guttuso, “A signature in red. Guttuso in Pontassieve”: an exhibition of high historical and documentary value, celebrating one of the most famous and appreciated Italian artists of the XX century, twenty years after his death.
The exhibition will open on 15th December 2007 and consists of 36 works of art, including 20 large oil paintings and 16 drawings, coming from the collection of the Foundation Francesco Pellin in Varese, to honour the creativity and the commitment of the Sicilian artist.
The unique setting of the exhibition aims at enhancing the strong expressiveness of the artist, through the presentation of works from the various periods that have characterized the intense activity of Guttuso.
A SIGNATURE IN RED. GUTTUSO IN PONTASSIEVE
15th December 2007 – 16th March 2008
Sala delle Colonne - Via Tanzini 32 Pontassieve – Florence
Opening hours: every day 9,30am -12,30am and 16,00pm-19,00pm except Monday all the day and Friday morning.
Admission free
Information: Municipality od Pontassieve - Cultural Dptm. ph: 055 8360303; fax: 055 8360265
credits: www.firenzeturismo.it
20/11/2007 - Capucci: “back to the origins” of a master of fashion
Opening of a permanent museum at Villa Bardini, sculpture-dresses on display
A foundation, a museum and an exhibition, all in the name of Roberto Capucci. The Capucci Foundation has inaugurated its new premises in the Villa Bardini with the exhibition "Back to the Origins – A Tribute to Florence". The master returns to the city that launched him in 1951, when he was barely twenty, on the international fashion scene.
And the tribute to Florence is well represented by the incredible assets of the Foundation: four hundred haute couture and sculpture-dress creations, sketches, drafts, audio-visuals, press articles and forty thousand pictures, all for the city of Florence to enjoy thanks to the Ente Cassa di Risparmio di Firenze.
The exhibition that inaugurated the opening of the permanent museum on 27 October presents eight previously unseen works, including the sculpture-dress entitled Leaves, an interpretation of a garden in autumn that is reminiscent of the Bardini Gardens. The exhibition also features other sculpture-dresses selected from the Archives of the 80s and 90s, and the 1992 wedding dress inspired by Tiepolo, with two bridesmaids.
Back to the Origins - A Tribute to Florence
Until 27 February 2008
Opening hours: 10am–4pm
Closed on the first and last Monday of the month.
Admission: € 5
Concessions: € 4 for under 18- and over-65-year-olds, COOP and Touring Club members; €3 for school children, groups of over 25 people, visitors to the Bardini Gardens or the CONTROMODA exhibition (upon presentation of ticket)
Free: tour guides, teachers, the disabled.
Info and bookings: Tel. 055 2654321 www.fondazionerobertocapucci.com
credits: www.firenzeturismo.it
12/11/2007 - The wine in Tuscany
"There is a place in the world where the hills are cultivated waves", recites an inspired ad about Tuscany as it approaches the third millennium. Hills characterised by majestic cypress trees, ancient olive groves and vineyards stretching as far as the eye can reach. Tuscany and Florence, a perfect and inseparable combination which brings to mind something truly wonderful, smiled upon by God. Tuscany extends eastwards from the Tyrrhenian coast as far as the Apennines, and south from the gulf of Liguria as far as the gentle hills of Maremma, but its true heart is in Chianti. This almost triangular region offers a land created specifically for the wine, which is to be found almost everywhere throughout the ten provinces which make up the regional territory.
Tuscany and Florence are rightfully still a landmark in the history of world oenology. Effectively nowhere in the world can we talk about wine without thinking about the vineyards of the Tuscan hills. The area under vine in Tuscany extends over 64,462 hectares, with an annual production of 2,220,000 hectolitres in which the DOC and DOCG wines account for 45 per cent. A heritage of no less than 39 designations, 5 of them controlled and guaranteed, 5 IGTs and a large number of Super Tuscans.
The following grape varieties are more or less extensively cultivated in the region: Canaiolo, Chardonnay, Grechetto, Malvasia del Chianti, Moscato bianco, Pinot bianco Sauvignon, Trebbiano toscano, Vermentino, Vernaccia di San Gimignano, Aleatico, Brunello di Montalcino, Canaiolo nero, Merlot, Montepulciano and Sangiovese. A good part of the Tuscan vineyards are now being planted out almost everywhere.The area is famous throughout the world for its great red wines, such as Chianti, Chianti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino and the Nobile di Montepulciano.
The soul of Tuscany is the Sangiovese variety, with its fruity fragrance and aromatic notes, balanced by the acidity of the mature tannins. A red grapes of extraordinary quality and character, but not easy to cultivate, which produces very different results depending on the microclimate and the soil in which it is grown. A variety which has now finally been revalued as it rightly deserves.
Since the nineteen-nineties, Tuscan producers have also begun to use international varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah which, combined with the Sangiovese, have given rise to the Super Tuscans, table wines of quality, great wines of an innovative character which have conquered the world market thanks to the personality of unquestionable origin. The Tuscan terroir can effectively not be reproduced elsewhere, and Sangiovese will continue to express itself to the full in the Tuscan vineyards. It is no coincidence that in California, and in other areas, experiments are being carried out in the vinification of this most ancient variety, which has earned its rightful place in the elite of international grape varieties. Recently excellent results have also been achieved using Sangiovese in purity, and through the discovery of several indigenous varieties which risked disappearing such as the Colorino, once used by the peasants for the governo (the later addition of must to the wine), and the Foglia Tonda, whose origins date back to the 17th century.
In Tuscany there has never been a strong tradition of white wines. The principal white variety of the territory is the Trebbiano Toscano, an excellent natural base for blending with Chardonnay or Malvasia del Chianti. Malvasia and Trebbiano are also used to produce the Vin Santo, a natural dry or sweet wine for meditation produced trough a very lengthy process of vinification, which is consequently also very costly. In the Tuscan countryside the few bottles of this precious nectar produced would be hoarded jealously; expensive to make because of its lengthy preparation times, it was a true treasure to be drunk only on special occasion such as weddings or christenings, or as a restorative after serious illness. Its revival, which dates to only a few years ago, have rapidly made it one of the most popular natural passito wines in Italy, to be drunk as an accompaniment not only to desserts, but also with mature cheeses and liver pate. For some years now the wines of Tuscany are achieving significant success, and the recognitions at high level have not been lacking. (text from the leaflet "Wine in Florence" edited by the Chamber of Commerce)
Most events aiming to promote the wine culture are organised by the association Movimento del Turismo del Vino, which was created some years ago to enhance the wine tourism. For more information visit the general website and the Tuscany section.
credits: www.firenzeturismo.it
15/10/2007 - ControModa
Florence and fashion are inextricably bound together. The Sala Bianca, the stylists, Pitti Immagine… and now ControModa, a new, must-see exhibition of contemporary fashion featuring pieces from the permanent collection of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Running from 12 October to 20 January at Palazzo Strozzi, the event is an imaginary catwalk, a colourful whirl of clothes designed by stylists who have contributed, with their own personal and inimitable styles, to redefining women’s fashions in the last two decades.
The exhibition features fifty of the most well-known stylists from the world of haute couture and pret-a-porter who, with their work on shape, cut and materials, have revolutionized the style and evolution of fashion.
The show is divided into four sections: production methods, material, shape and concept, the aim being to shed light on how the most important novelties came into being. There is also an interactive workshop section where visitors can try on some of Issey Miyake’s creations and experience the real significance of the four sections.
The exhibition is being held on the piano nobile of Palazzo Strozzi which, facing as it does onto Piazza Strozzi, Via Tornabuoni and Via Strozzi, lies right in the chic heart of the city, where all the big names in the fashion world have a presence.
An international panel of experts consisting of Kaye Spilker, Sharon Takeda, Holly Brubach, Franca Sozzani, Stefano Tonchi and Maria Luisa Frisa were responsible for the exhibition concept, the choice of clothes and stylists, and the sequencing of the exhibits.
The catalogue, in Italian and English, is published by Skirà.
The exhibition runs from 12 October 2007 to 20 January 2008, daily from 10.30am to 8.30pm. Information and bookings: 0552469600.
credits: www.firenzeturismo.it
01/10/2007 - Gold, silver and semi-precious stones
15 masterpieces of Italian jewellery
The cooperation between the Opificio delle Pietre Dure and Palazzo Medici Riccardi has produced the exhibition Ori, argenti, gemme (Gold, silver and semi-precious stones), offering to the public the magic of goldsmith's work on the one hand (over a period of time going from the early 12th century to mid-17th century), and on the other the extraordinary restoration tecniques, practised in Florence by the Opificio.
The 15 masterpieces come from several areas of Italy: Enna, Modena, Pistoia, Castiglion Fiorentino, Ascoli Piceno and Florence. They have been selected according to typology, preciousness and exquisite manufacturing. To explain to visitors the complexity of the restoration of such works, two pieces are still to be restored and five are currently being restored. The last section of the exhibition shows works which have already been restored by the expert hands of the Opificio restorers, coordinated by Clarice Innocenti.
On show there are crosses, silver chalices, reliquaries, ostensories. The portable altar in silver and granite is the most ancient piece, dating back to the beginning of 12th century; the most charming piece is the Pelican feeding its young, a pendant in gold, enamel and stones coming from Enna and made at the beginning of 17th century. The most spectacular work is the Ostensory of Saint Ignatius martyr, or Golden Sphere, restored by the Opificio with extremely sophisticated techniques.
The exhibition is hosted in Palazzo Medici Riccardi in four halls overlooking Michelozzo's courtyard, and it has a particularly detailed section regarding the explanation of the restoration techniques and of the complexity of the restoration work, enriched by explanatory texts and photographs.
restauratriceThe exhibition is open from 30 September to January 8
Opening times: 9 am to 7 pm, closed on Wednesday.
Entrance ticket: € 5,00 (reductions at € 3,50).
credits: http://www.firenzeturismo.it
24/09/2007 - Michelangelo’s architectural work at San Lorenzo
The artist’s designs on display at Casa Buonarroti
The death of Lorenzo the Magnificent in 1492 and the exiling of the Medici from Florence two years later meant that San Lorenzo, the large basilica designed by Brunelleschi, remained incomplete. There was no façade and the project, strongly sponsored by Lorenzo himself, to build a new funerary chapel to mirror Brunelleschi’s Old Sacristy had probably gone no further than a preliminary stage.
It was only with the return to power of the Medici in 1512 that San Lorenzo once again became a focus of attention. Antonio and Giuliano da Sangallo, Jacopo Sansovino, Raphael and Michelangelo all submitted proposals when a competition was announced in 1515, and the commission was awarded to Michelangelo in autumn of the same year.
The years between 1516 and 1534 were very troubled ones for Michelangelo, both personally and professionally. He was wracked by an aesthetic tension that yielded some supreme masterpieces but also various projects that never saw the light of day.
In the extensive and on-going debate about San Lorenzo, some themes have been studied in depth while others have received relatively little attention. Closer investigation of these would be very useful for an understanding of Michelangelo’s architectural work, and his drawings in Casa Buonarroti offer considerable scope for assessment and in-depth study of many unresolved issues.
The core of the exhibition consists of drawings held in Casa Buonarroti, but it also features works from eminent Italian and foreign institutions. Furthermore, three-dimensional models and digital renderings help to clarify the various issues relating to the different themes and to shed light on the extent of Michelangelo’s intervention in what is one of the world’s most celebrated and visited art monuments.
Michelangelo architetto a San Lorenzo. Quattro problemi aperti
(Michelangelo’s Architecture at San Lorenzo. Four Open Questions)
Casa Buonarroti, Florence, via Ghibellina 70
20 June – 12 November 2007
Admission: € 6.50, concessions € 4.00, school parties € 3.00
Opening hours: 9.30am–2pm, closed Tuesday and 15 August
Group visits can be arranged outside normal opening hours.
credits: www.firenzeturismo.it
07/09/2007 - Timeline of the history of Florence
Salient events in the city’s history, from its foundation to the present day
1st century BC
Florentia is founded by the Romans.
285
Diocletian makes Florentia the seat of the regional governor of Tuscia.
405
The city is besieged by the barbarian army of Radagaisus; Bishop Zenobius encourages the Florentines to hold out until the arrival of the Roman imperial army, an episode that marks the population’s mass conversion to Christianity.
540
The city is destroyed by the Ostrogoth king, Baduela (Totila).
854
Unification of the contado [rural area surrounding an urban centre] of Fiesole and Florence under the jurisdiction of the margrave of Tuscany, who resides in Florence.
1035
Giovanni Gualberto founds a monastery at Vallombrosa, which becomes a centre for the reform movement.
1055
After having been greatly affected by ecclesiastical reform, Florence hosts a council attended by Pope Victor II and Emperor Henry III.
1076-1115
Countess Matilde is the feudal overlord of Florence and Tuscany.
1078
Building of the city walls. These largely correspond to the perimeter of the square-shaped city of Roman times.
1116
After the death of Matilde, the city becomes a Comune, governed by a college of consules, flanked by consilium and sometimes by a people’s assembly. The process of conquering the contado begins.
1125-82
Conquest of Fiesole and the middle stretch of the Arno valley from Figline to Empoli.
1172-75
Building of a new circle of city walls; the original square becomes an octagon straddling the river. Inside the walls are towers (over 150), churches and palaces.
1185
Emperor Frederick I strips Florence of its rights to exercise jurisdiction over and levy taxes in areas outside the city walls. Two years later these rights are restored by Henry VI. The conquest of castles and lands in the contado resumes.
1216
The failure to maintain a promise of marriage and the resulting murders and acts of vendetta lead to a rift between Florence’s leading households, who split into Guelphs (pro-pope) and Ghibellines (pro-emperor).
1260
Guelph Florence is defeated at Montaperti by Siena, with the help of the German cavalry of Manfredi of Swabia. Many Guelphs go voluntarily into exile, leaving power in the hands of the Ghibellines until the death of Manfredi (1266).
1267
Charles of Anjou, King of Sicily, rules Florence for seven years. Florence conducts successful wars against Pisa (1268) and Siena (1269).
1282
After a provisional peace between the Guelphs and Ghibellines, the government of the Arti (guilds) begins.
1289
Florence defeats Arezzo at the Battle of Campaldino. 1300The Guelphs split into Whites and Blacks; the following year the Blacks control all the government posts and drive their rivals, including Dante Alighieri, out of the city.
1306
Pistoia is defeated after a long siege. The city’s contado is split between Florence and Lucca. The latter is sold to Florence a little over thirty years later by Mastino della Scala. However, having suffered defeat at the hands of Pisa, Florence is unable to take control of it.
1333
Work is completed on the final ring of city walls. The city occupies a surface area of 500 hectares.
1346
Famine and then plague kill thousands. The plague forms the background to Boccaccio’s Decameron.
1350-60
Florence consolidates its control over San Gimignano, Colle di Val d’Elsa, Prato, Pistoia and Volterra. The bitter conflict with Pisa ends with victory for Florence in 1364; the Florentines acquire customs exemptions in the port of Pisa.
1378
Revolt of the ‘Ciompi’ (wage labourers in the textile industry). The woolworkers and other artisans are initially granted corporative rights and a say in government affairs, but are soon cruelly repressed by the upper classes.
1440
Florence defeats Milan at Anghiari, putting an end to a decades-old conflict.
1464
Death of Cosimo il Vecchio de’ Medici (‘the Elder’), who had exercised a masked control over the city in the Republican period. Five years later the big families confer on Lorenzo and Giuliano, the sons of Piero, the power previously granted to their grandfather and then to their father.
1478
The Pazzi Conspiracy, instigated by Pope Sixtus IV, is intended to overthrow the Medici. Giuliano is killed but Lorenzo is only injured. With the support of the city, Lorenzo reaches a peace agreement first with Naples and then with the Pope himself.
1492
Lorenzo dies in April, and is succeeded by his oldest son, Piero (the younger one is to become Pope Leo X). Two years later Piero is forced to flee the city when Charles VIII invades Italy. With the reestablishment of the Republic, Pisa wins back its independence.
1496
The sermons of Girolamo Savonarola against the laxity of moral costumes and in favour of a general reform of society win growing consensus. Excommunicated as a heretic, he is burnt at the stake two years later in Piazza della Signoria.
1501-09
Recapture of Arezzo and Pisa.
1512
During the crisis provoked by the French presence in Italy, the Medici return to Florence. Seven years later Giulio rules the city in his capacity as archbishop and in 1522 is elected pope, taking the name of Clement VII.
1527-30
Restoration of the Republic, following a dizzying shift of alliances on the part of Pope Clement VII and the sack of Rome. The Medici are driven out of the city, but return after the defeat of the Republic following a long siege. Alessandro de’ Medici becomes the first Duke of Florence.
1533
Caterina de’ Medici marries Henry, Duke of Orléans, the future King of France. Alessandro is succeeded by Cosimo. This is the beginning of two centuries of conquest and power consolidation. The city expands and is endowed with art works, palaces and fortifications. Siena is annexed definitively.
1737
The death of Gian Gastone marks the end of the Medici dynasty. According to the terms of international treaties and agreements between the royal families in the rest of Europe, the Grand Duchy of Tuscany is given to the Lorraine family.
1766-89
Pietro Leopoldo carries out important economic, judicial and civil reforms.
1799-1814
French and Napoleonic occupation from 1799 to 1814.
1814
Grand Duke Ferdinando III returns to Florence.
1841-48
Building of the Florence-Pisa-Livorno railway line, the first long-distance line in Italy.
1859
Following the 1848 uprisings, Leopold II, having lost the consensus of his subjects, leaves Florence. Bettino Ricasoli heads a provisional government prior to the unification of Italy.
15 March 1860
A plebiscite sanctions the Grand Duchy of Tuscany’s entry into the Kingdom of Italy.
1865-71
Florence is capital of Italy.
1932-34
The first stretch of the motorway linking Florence with the coast is opened. Building of the city’s stadium to a design by the architect Pier Luigi Nervi and the railway station of Santa Maria Novella, designed by Giovanni Michelucci. Opening of the direct railway line between Florence and Bologna.
1943-44
Florence suffers heavy damage as a result of Anglo-American bombing and, on 3 August 1944, by the retreating Germans, who blow up all the bridges over the Arno with the exception of Ponte Vecchio. On 11 August the city is liberated by partisans organized by the Tuscan Committee for National Liberation, who symbolically precede the arrival of the Allies.1966
On 4 November the River Arno bursts its banks, and the city and surrounding area experience one of the most devastating floods in its history.
27 May 1993
A bomb planted near the Uffizi kills five, damages the museum and destroys the offices of the Accademia dei Georgofili.
2001-03
Drawing up of the strategic plan for the development of the city in the first decade of the new millennium.
credits: www.firenzeturismo.it
28/08/2007 - Cabianca e la civiltà dei Macchiaioli
12 July–14 October 2007
Florence, Villa Bardini, Bardini Gardens - Costa San Giorgio 4
"It is an unmissable opportunity – apart from anything else it is free of charge, as is the bus scabiancahuttle service and the pre-booked guided tours – to admire landscapes, faces and patterns of light as interpreted by Cabianca and other exponents of the Macchiaiolo movement such as Telemaco Signorini, Giovanni Fattori, Silvestro Lega, Cristiano Banti and Nino Costa. The last exhibition devoted entirely to the Veronese painter dates all the way back to 1927.
Now, finally, about one hundred fine works have been brought together for public view, including such masterpieces as L’Abbandonata (Deserted), the previously unshown Vendemmia in Toscana (Grape Harvest in Tuscany), the celebrated Il Mattino (Morning) and the Marmi a Carrara Marina (Marble at Carrara Marina), which has not been on public display for almost a century.
And after Cabianca’s atmospheric rural scenes, it is worth visiting the villa’s splendid garden, with its marvellous mix of terraces and lawns, traditional and exotic plants.
Giardino BardiniThe smells and colours of the Tuscan countryside, a dwarf orchard and a multicoloured tunnel of wisteria and hydrangea, together with a host of other surprises, botanical and otherwise, in quintessential 19th-century style – all this can be discovered by walking up the splendid Baroque staircase that runs up to Belvedere and its fine views of the city."
credts: www.firenzeturismo.it
26/07/2007 - Galleria dell'Accademia nights Open
The Galleria dell'Accademia extend its opening hours every thursday until 22.00
Night opens will begin from 1 of July 2007 and will finish 30 of September 2007
27/06/2007 - Under the stars with the stars of jazz
The now regular annual appointment with the Vivere Jazz Festival kicks off in Fiesole on Thursday 28 June
The organizers of the Vivere Jazz Festival, now in its third year, have made some changes to the format of the event and are also celebrating an important aspect of so-called improvised music with an exhibition of ECM record labels.
The festival was a success right from the word go, and immediately established itself as the region’s most prestigious jazz event. The reasons for that success can be put down to the artistic direction of the inspired pianist Stefano Bollani, a former prodigy of Italian jazz and now an internationally acclaimed musician, whose programme choices are a mix of prestigious names and unusual, imaginative ones; and the atmospheric setting of the Teatro Romano, where all the evening concerts are held.
Over the years the richly inventive afternoon and evening sessions in the spectacular natural theatre of the Maiano Quarries have gone by the wayside, probably for organizational and financial reasons. Nonetheless, the concerts with some of the big names on the Italian and international music scene have survived.
For starters there is the English saxophonist John Surman, who will play with the Orchestra Regionale Toscana. Then there is the quartet of the Polish trumpet player Tomasz Stanko; the octet of Italian saxophonist Gianluigi Trovesi, who will be joined for the occasion by Stefano Bollani; a homage to Pasolini by Stefano Battaglia; the prestigious quintet of Enrico Rava; the ground-breaking Ukrainian pianist Misha Alperin; and, to round things off in style, the Jan Garbarek Group.
The novel feature of this year’s programme is the artistic collaboration with the famous ECM record label, which has brought out many of the works of the jazz musicians featuring in this year’s festival. The exhibition, titled Signs Among Us: ECM Cover Exhibition, offers a fascinating graphic-photographic view of the history of covers – from vinyl to CD – over decades of jazz.
For more information about sessions and concerts, visit http://www.viverejazz.it/ and www.estatefiesolana.it
or call freephone 800414240 (from Italy only).
credits: www.firenzeturismo.it
15/06/2007 - The return of Donatello -Fifty-five works by great masters of the Italian Renaissance
Having 'emigrated' to France in the 19th century following their acquisition for the Jacquemart-André Collection in Paris, the masterpieces have returned to Florence for the Donatello e una casa del Rinascimento (Donatello and a Renaissance House) exhibition (until 24 July), one of the highlights of the Genio Fiorentino 2007. The Jacquemart-André Museum was set up by collector Eduoard André and his wife, the famous portraitist Nélie Jacquemart, who were passionate lovers of Florentine Renaissance art.
Towards the end of the 19th century the couple invested a considerable amount of their time and wealth travelling the length and breadth of Italy in search of masterpieces by the great masters, in a period in which political events and economic vicissitudes forced many eminent families and religious institutions to sell off properties and furnishings. Even after the death of her husband, Nélie Jacquemart continued to collect furniture, paintings, sculptures, majolicas, 'deschi da parto' (special trays used to bring refreshment to mothers who had just given birth), rugs and chests.
The exhibition, which is in Palazzo Medici Riccardi, features a number of significant and previously unshown works by artists active in the Medici circle, such as Donatello, Verrocchio and Giambologna.
Nélie Jacquemart, who had no heirs, left various furniture items, paintings, sculptures, Della Robbia ceramics, chests, deschi da parto, majolicas and rugs to the Istitut de France. Amongst the finest items there is a Saint George and the Dragon by Paolo Uccello, later bought by Stefano Bardini, a bronze Saint John the Baptist by Donatello and two panels of chests depicting a Battle and a Triumph, produced in Verrocchio's workshop for the Florentine Mannelli family; exhibited at the National Gallery in London in 1999, they have never been on public display in Florence. There are also works by Botticini, Luca della Robbia, Francesco Salviati and Sandro Botticelli.
Palazzo Medici Riccardi
Via Cavour, 3 - Tel. 055 2760340
From 12 May 2007 to 24 July 2007
Opening hours: 9am–7pm
Closed: Wednesday
Admission: € 5.00, concessions € 3.50 (museum admission)
credits: http://www.firenzeturismo.it
18/05/2007 - MUV Music and Digital art festival
Releasing the energies of the third edition of MUV, the visual and acoustic intermittent collective
Make a note of these dates: from 6-10 June, and of this venue: the “Limonaia” of Villa Strozzi in Florence. The festival presents and investigates the connections between the digital arts and electronic music, and studies audio-visual research programmes.
MUV hosts audio-visual installations, vj sets, dj sets, performances and video exhibits. The idea of the festival is to widen knowledge of electronic music and the digital arts not only through art exhibitions, but also by means of instruction by professionals in the sector who can both introduce and deepen people’s knowledge of the subjects under consideration.
credits: http://www.firenzeturismo.it
09/05/2007 - Completion of the open-air display of the collection of plants in tubs in the gardens of Petraia
Medici Villa of Petraia
Open-air display of plants in tubs
until 31/10/2007
From the month of May, in the gardens of the Medici villas of Castello and Petraia, the open-air display of all the plants in tubs previously conserved for the winter in the lemon groves and hothouses will be completed. More specifically, on display in the gardens will be the plants of the famous citrus fruits collection, amounting to a total of approximately 500 exemplars, comprising over 70 varieties of lemons, citrons, pomelos, grapefruit, bitter and sweet oranges, bergamot oranges, chinotto oranges, mandarins, clementines, calamondins, limes and kumquats
In the secret garden of Castello (that can be visited on request) also on open-air display is the special collection of jasmines, including the intensely fragrant Arabian jasmine (known as “jessamine of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany”) introduced from India in 1688 and acclimatised in the eighteenth-century pavilion known as the “stufa dei mugherini”.
credits: www.polomuseale.firenze.it
03/05/2007 - Giorgio De Chirico exhibition in Fiesole
Sixteen fascinating works by the great metaphysical artist
The exhibition Giorgio de Chirico e un Novecento prima e dopo la Transavanguardia is currently running in Fiesole, mostly in the basilica of Sant’Alessandro with a small section in the Archaeology Museum. Focusing on the figure of Giorgio de Chirico and his close ties with Fiesole, the exhibition includes well-known masterpieces, important previously unshown works and recent finds. de_chirico_cavallo_e_cavaliereThe core of the exhibition, curated by Giovanni Faccenda, consists of sixteen paintings, including Cavalli in riva al mare (1934), Castello di Rapallo (1947), Interno metafisico con biscotti (1950), Venezia (1952), Trovatore (1954), Piazza d’Italia (1962) and Gli Archeologi (1965). Alongside these are a selection of works by other leading 20th century artists, such as Massimo Campigli, Pietro Annigoni, Renato Guttuso, Ottone Rosai, Filippo de Pisis, Mario Sironi, togther with works by the brothers Antonio and Xavier Bueno, by Mino Maccari and by Primo Conti. The work of Conti is also accompanied by pieces by other artists who were either born or chose to live in Fiesole, for instance Baccio Maria Bacci, Guido Peyron, Fernando Farulli and Leopoldo Paciscopi.
The exhibition itinerary is rounded off with work by a number of contemporary artists: Alberto Sughi, Ugo Nespolo, Luca Alinari, Antonio Possenti and Angiolo Volpe.
On the occasion of the De Chirico exhibition a special all-in ticket deal has been reactivated. This grants admission not only to the exhibition but also to other places of interest in Fiesole: the Archaeological Museum and Site, the Bandini Museum, Villa Peyron di Fontelucente and its park, and the Primo Levi Foundation.
Giorgio de Chirico e un Novecento prima e dopo la Transavanguardia
14 April–3 June 2007
Fiesole, Basilica di Sant’Alessandro, via San Francesco
and the Museo Archeologico, via Portigiani, 1
Opening hours: daily, 9.30am–7pm
Admission: € 5.00 – € 3.00; special all-in ticket, €13.00
resource from: http://www.firenzeturismo.it
20/04/2007 - Giorgio de Chirico in Fiesole
april 14 - june 3 2007
Fiesole, Basilica di Sant’Alessandro, via San Francesco
and Museo Archeologico, via Portigiani, 1
Opening: every day from 9.30 to 19.00
Prices: € 5.00 - € 3.00; full pass €13,00 for all the places included in the show
10/04/2007 - ART 2007 - International Handicraft Fair
The International Handicraft Market Fair is held every year in the charming exhibition halls of Fortezza da Basso. With its 70 years of history, the Fair is one of the most prestigious events for artistic quality crafts, able to attract more than 200,000 visitors every year. The Fair is a gigantic showcase of ideas and novel projects, perfect for the customer whose taste and needs are constantly changing, as well as for sector operators.
The 71st edition will have a special focus: a look to the future in search of new shapes, materials and colors, keeping in mind the traditional style and refined elements that make quality items timeless.
The fair will focus on 8 topics: Lands, Interiors, Visions, Taste, Harmony and Wellness, Rich Backgrounds, Fashion stages, Handicrafts, and Surroundings.
A wide range of exhibits: house accessories, giftware, ornaments, furnishings, fabrics, cosmetics, regional and international foods, clothing, jewelry, gemstones, custom jewelry, creative gadgets.
Florence, Fortezza da Basso - from April 14 to 22
Hours: 10 am - 9.30 pm
21/03/2007 - Easter in Florence: Scoppio del Carro Festival
On the morning of Easter Sunday, the Florentine gather in Piazza del Duomo to see the traditional Scoppio del Carro (explosion of the cart). The cart, which is pulled by a pair of oxen adorned with flowers and escorted by 150 soldiers, musicians and flag bearers, reaches Piazza del Duomo. A rocket resembling a dove, the Colombina, darts forth from the Duomo, setting on fire the big cart on the square which is laden with firecrackers and fireworks. The deafening sound of the firecrackers spreads around the city a symbolic holy fire.
This ceremony dates from the First Crusade, carried out to free the Holy Sepulcher from the hands of the infidel. In the year 1099 the crusaders, led by Goffredo di Buglione, lay siege to the city of Jerusalem. According to tradition, the Florentine Pazzino de' Pazzi is credited as being the first to go over the walls of the Holy City. After the liberation of Jerusalem on Holy Saturday, the crusaders distributed the holy fire as a sign of purification.
After Pazzino returned, and on Holy Saturday, the youth of all the families burnt a small torch using the holy fire from the cathedral and brought the purifying flame in processions around the city. With time, the use of a cart was added to transport the holy fire and towards the end of the 14th century fireworks were used in place of the normal torch. The present three-level cart dates back from the 15th century and even though it has been restored several times it is still in good shape.
15/03/2007 - Planetarium: meetings with the public
2007, from January to May and from October to December ( on Thursdays at 9pm. and on Sundays at 3.30pm. and 5pm)
Planetario, via G. Giusti 29 - tel. 0552343723
15/03/2007 - Grand Tour. Journeys in Tuscany made by British and French Travelers from the late 17th Century to the early
from March 23 to April 21
Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale di Firenze, Piazza Cavalleggeri, 1 - tel. 05524919322
02/03/2007 - Cezanne in Florence
Go to the website of the art show in Florence