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City Gets New Logo
Image of Armed David Shocks Art World
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A Guide to Italian Easter Food
Discover Tuscany’s Leisure Activities
WWW.FLORENCENEWSEVENTS.COM APRIL 2014, NO.6
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Taking Back April 25
Explosive April
NATALIA PIOMBINO
A Month of Tradition & Spectacle Concludes with ‘White Night’ on April 30 AVANI KAPUR April brings exciting events and festive celebrations to Florence. From April 7 to 10, the British Institute of Florence hosts once again its Shakespeare Week, this year focusing on the Bard’s Italian-set plays (see page 20). For runners and walkers alike, the Half Marathon Firenze Vivicittà on April 6 is a great way to get moving and get to know the city. For lovers of international cinema, check out the “Middle East Now” film festival at the Odeon Cinema from April 9 to 14.
On Easter Sunday, one of Florence’s oldest and most intriguing traditions, the Scoppio del Carro, or Explosion of the Cart, takes place in Piazza del Duomo. This folk festival begins in the morning with a historic procession and flag-wavers, leading up to the main event at noon: the arrival of the ornately decorated cart and the release of a mechanical dove to ignite sacred relics within the cart (see page 10). Major exhibits such as Pontormo and Rosso Fiorentino at the Palazzo Strozzi continue this month. Smaller, more eclectic events are not lacking, such as Galleria360’s
one-person exhibit of works by Japanese architect and artist Masaaki Hasegawa, which starts on April 4 (see page 19). April excitement culminates on April 30 with La Notte Bianca, or White Night, Florence’s all-night event that transforms city streets and piazzas into havens of modern culture, with art installations, film screenings, readings, concerts, free access to museums, and more (page 7). With its modern and ancient traditions, art exhibits, and various other cultural events, this Florentine April is sure to delight all.
In 2011, on the occasion of the celebration of the Sesquicentennial of the birth of the Italian state, as many recalled the Risorgimento (the nation’s unification) as the founding myth of the nation, it became evident that the values of honor, sanctity, and family that inspired this nation-building movement could not be considered today as the foundation of our sense of belonging. On the other hand, in the wake of Habermas’ thought, a “constitutional patriotism” (that is, the need to identify the Republican Constitution as the source of our allegiance to the nation), seems closer to our sensibilities. This constitutional pact is therefore that which unites us and the ethics of anti-fascism represent a “civic religion” that in turn makes us a community. At least from the early 90s (a period when there was a strong request for pacification of national memory), anti-fascism and the Resistance were the subjects of revisionist interpretations, which tried to give equal treatment as patriots to partisans and RSI fascist fighters. Furthermore, this revisionism has also attempted to undermine the concept of anti-fascism as the source of national identity and sentiment. Instead, anti-fascism should be emphasized as not only an integral part of the Italian Constitution, but as its fundamental feature, its bedrock. Today, our Constitution is understood as the CONTINUED ON PAGE 5
Pontormo and rosso exhibit until July 20
Vivicitta marathon on April 6
Getting Ready For pitti fashion
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FLORENCE NEWS & EVENTS APRIL 2014 NO. 6
EXHIBITIONS Florence News & Events is the monthly supplement to www.theitaliannewspaper.com Florence News & Events is distributed throughout Florence in all key reference points for the English-speaking community, including hotels and hostels, universities and language schools, libraries, tourist information points, restaurants and cafes.
Pontormo and Rosso Fiorentino
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: LORENZO PICCHI EDITOR: AMY GULICK GRAPHIC & WEB DESIGN: NAZ KANGAL THIS MONTH'S CONTRIBUTORS: DEVON ARAGONA, AMBER BROWN, LEE FOUST, AVANI KAPUR, DEJOU MARANO, SARAH MASTROIANNI, LARA MAY, DYLAN NIKOLETOPOULOS, NATALIA PIOMBINO, IVANA SCATOLA, JAMES TAYLOR & RICK ZULLO PUBLISHER: IAF PRINT: Nuova Cesat SRL Via B. Buozzi 21, 50145, Firenze Registered at the Tribunale di Firenze No. 5801, 3/11/2010
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Mannerist painters at Palazzo Strozzi Last month, Palazzo Strozzi launched a major exhibition entitled Pontormo and Rosso Fiorentino. Diverging Paths of Mannerism. The exhibit features the works of painters Pontormo and Rosso Fiorentino, who were considered unconventional and open-minded in understanding art in the 16th century, which Giorgio Vasari called the “modern manner”. Pontormo and Rosso trained under Andrea del Sarto, but continued to maintain an independent approach and freedom of expression to their art. Pontormo was known for being open to stylistic variety and to a new idea of the traditional method of art, while Rosso didn’t stray too far from tradition but was still adept in working in his own originality and innovation. This unique exhibition brings together for the first time the masterpieces of the two artists in Italian and foreign collections, and many of the
pieces have been restored especially for the exhibition. A lively and engaging way to experience this exhibit is through Palazzo Strozzi’s guided conversations that take place on the third Thursday of the month at 6 p.m. Upcoming conversations are scheduled for April 17, May 15, June 19, and July 17. The activity is available in English upon request, and is included in the cost of the entry ticket.
Family Matters exhibit on display at Palazzo Strozzi The Palazzo Strozzi Museum opened a contemporary exhibition last month that explores the definition of family in the modern world. Family Matters. Portraits and Experiences of Family Today displays the works of eleven international artists: Guy BenNer, Sophie Calle, Jim Campbell, John Clang, Nan Goldin, Courtney Kessel, Ottonella Mocellin and Nicola Pellegrini, Trish Morrissey, Hans Op de Beeck, Chrischa Oswald and Thomas Struth. The videos, photographs and installations by the artists featured in this exhibit encourage viewers to question two different aspects of the contemporary family: the representation of the family and its relational dynamics, and the image of the family versus what truly exists behind the image. This show challenges the notion that individuals each experience family differently, while attempting to provide a shared definition of family even as the concept has changed over the centuries. Family Matters reflects on the sociological idea that family is the primary place for socialization and education as well as a place of inequality, and explores the
cultural, moral, ethical and biological ties that societies use to define and characterize a family. A bilingual catalog in English and Italian published by Mandragora accompanies the exhibition, with critical texts by the historian Paul Ginsborg (University of Florence) and the sociologist Chiara Saraceno (Honorary Fellow at the Collegio Carlo Alberto in Turin, formerly a professor at the University of Turin and the Centre for Social Research in Berlin).
Family Matters: Portraits and Experiences of Family Today Until July 20, 2014 Centre for Contemporary Culture Strozzina Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi Cost: €5; Reduced €4; € 3 Students and other discounts (ticket valid for 30 days) Tuesday to Sunday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m.; Thursdays, 10 a.m.-11 p.m.; Closed on Mondays Free admission Thursdays 6 p.m.-11 p.m. www.strozzina.org
Pontormo and Rosso Fiorentino: Diverging Paths of Mannerism Until July 20 Palazzo Strozzi Monday to Friday 9 a.m.-1 p.m.; 2-6 p.m. Tickets: €10 full price; €8 reduced www.palazzostrozzi.org
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Armed David Shocks Art World
Duomo’s Windows to be Restored
Last month restoration work began on the Florence cathedral’s monumental stained glass window as part of an ongoing comprehensive program of facade restoration. The rose-shaped “Ghiberti window” consists of 44 panels, 36 of which were designed by Lorenzo Ghiberti. Other Renaissance artists who worked on the window include Agnolo Gaddi, Donatello, Paolo Uccello, and Andrea del Castagno. Over time, chemical and biological elements build up on glass, and moisture condensation causes disintegration as well, resulting in patches that not only darken the beautiful colors but also risk breaking the glass.The glass panels comprising the window have been removed to a restoration lab, where eroded portions of images will be restored in addition to the
cleaning. The project is expected to be completed in summer 2015. The Ghiberti window represents an elaborate iconographic theme on the exaltation of the Virgin Mary, to
Art lovers the world over were scandalized last month when an image of Michelangelo’s David appeared in an advertisement for American weapons company Armalite, Inc. The image depicted David carrying a costly rifle produced by the Illinoi s-b a s e d gun maker, with the caption ‘a work of art’. Italian officials responded whom Florence’s cathedral is dedicatto the ad, ed. It is considered especially importcalling it ‘ofant due to the unique chronological fensive and arrangement of the panels that depict illegal’. Culepisodes from the story of Mary. ture Minister Dario Franceschini added, “We will take action against the American company so has prompted the art community to that it immetake a closer look at the drawings and diately withchapel ceiling. draws the c a mp a ig n.” In Florence, super intendent Cristina Acidini also condemned Armalite’s use of the image, noting that the use of a work of art from a Florentine museum requires permission. Angelo Tartuferi, director of the Accademia museum, where David has been housed since 1873, stated that permission to use the image of David had not been requested, and that it would not have been granted had Ar-
Sistine Chapel Design Sketches Possibly Found Scholar Adriano Marinazzo has discovered what he believes to be Michelangelo’s first sketch of the Sistine Chapel. After conducting research on the Renaissance artist’s sketches on archival papers in the Buonarroti Archives in Florence (Michelangelo’s hometown), Marinazzo’s discovery was published in the Italian art journal Commentari d’arte in November 2013. In his article he argues that geometric drawings of triangles and crescents seen on the archival papers are the architectural structure of the Sistine Chapel vault. He believes that it was jotted down by Michelangelo no earlier than the spring of 1508 as a remind-
er while he was studying the surfaces to be painted and planning the arrangement of the scaffolding. Marinazzo, who has previously published on Italian Renaissance architecture (especially on Michelangelo’s work), made the discovery as a scholar-in-residence at the Muscarelle Museum of Art at the College of William & Mary, where he is currently developing an artistic multimedia project on the painted architecture of the Sistine Chapel. Before moving to the United States, he worked as an architectural researcher at the University of Florence. While this sketch has puzzled scholars for years, Marinazzo’s research
malite made the request. Tartuferi noted that the law also says that in using a work of art for such purposes, “the aesthetic value of the work cannot be distorted.” He described Armalite’s actions as “not only in bad taste but also completely illegal.” Distorting David’s image for commercial or other purposes is not a new phenomenon. David’s form is seen on e ve r y t h i ng from tacky men’s underwear and aprons to individual Photoshopped recreations, such as David as Ronald McDonald or obese David “returning from a trip to the United States.” Before Armalite decided to arm David, street artist Banksy had transformed him into a kamikaze-style terrorist, strapped down with explosives. Perhaps most bizarre of all, over the past year a 20-year-old Japanese man has been funding a personal plastic surgery campaign through crowd-sourcing with the aim of redesigning his face to look like David’s.
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A Resistant Italy NATALIA PIOMBINO CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 fruits of the remarkable, visionary capacity of the Republic’s founding fathers. Within it, there are references to concepts such as “social utility,” and “social purpose,” concepts proclaiming the superiority of the general interest of the public and the configuration of a state whose guiding principle is constituted by bene comune, or common good. The fundamental rights (beni comuni) indicated within the Constitution as those deserving protection, include labour, health, education, equality and liberty, namely all “goods” which affect each of us. It is therefore evident that the attacks on the Constitution and its cardinal principles impact all of us. The Constitution most certainly needs to be upheld, yet not in a manner that distorts its guiding principles, but instead in a way in which these principles are implemented. Unfortunately, the amendments to the Constitution that have been proposed and advocated by several factions (one example being the hypotheses of presidentialism) tend to erode— behind a veneer of efficiency—the democratic equilibrium that the document outlined and to prefigure an authoritarian drift. In other instances, such revisions resulted in a relinquishment of sovereignty in favour of supernational entities, as has recently occurred (in the realm of control of our public finances) with the amendment of ART.81. TODAY, WHAT’S THE POINT OF COMMEMORATING APRIL 25? Revisionism and negationism have made it possible to underestimate the threat of fascism and have allowed
Obama Visits Italy
On March 27, U.S. President Barack Obama met with Pope Francis for just under an hour. Amid great internathe diffusion of a dangerous belief pertaining to the existence of a “good” tional anticipation, the two discussed topics such as poverty, Syria, and or “acceptable” fascism; this has thus peace, avoiding topics thought likely paved the way for associations like to have caused tension, such as aborCasa Pound—a fascist, xenophobic tion, contraception, and same-sex and sexist association—which has marriage. opened headquarters in many Italian On the same day, Obama met with cities including Florence, where, in Italian President Giorgio Napolitano, December 2012, an activist associatwith whom Obama is said to have a ed with Casa Pound shot and killed “cordial” relationship. Later at a press Modou Samb and Mor Diop and conference with Premier Matteo Renwounded three other members of zi, Obama expressed confidence in the city’s Senegalese community. A Renzi’s reform plan and praised the “constitutional patriotism”, a patriyoung premier’s energy. Obama conotism that entails inclusion without tinued his Roman day with a special homologation, can be an antidote to the anti-liberal, anti-union, and xenophobic currents that have infiltrated our society. In fact, the link between April 25— that is to say anti-fascism—and the Constitution is inseparable. It’s not by chance that the legal scholar Piero Calamandrei asserted that our Constitution was born in the mountains, a product of the partisan struggle against fascism. April 25 embodies the re-foundation of Italy thanks to The Costa Crociere cruise line is exthe Resistance; the best part of the pected to announce which port will country—that for once emerged victoreceive the wreckage of the Concorrious—sought a more just, democratic dia for dismantling, yet unconfirmed society and found later, in the Conreports from the Turin daily La Stamstitution, the codification of its vision pa point to Genoa as the destination. of civic life and its own conception of The port towns Piombino and Civitacitizenship. vecchia have been ruled out as inadIn Florence, the ANPI (National equately equipped ports, or for reaAssociation of Italian Partisans), sons of timing. college students, and the Circolo The operation is expected to require ARCI S. Nicolò), have for many years 300 workers and last 1.5 years with a organized, on April 25, an “anti-fastotal cost of 200 million euro. cist” lunch in a city square. Far from The president of the Genovese Port rhetorical celebrations, these lunches Authority, Luigi Merlo, said of the present an opportunity for a festive likely event that Genoa will take gathering, an occasion to reclaim charge of the operation, “It shows public space and promote the idea of the importance of investing in the active citizenship centered on the idea naval repair sector and demonstrates of the common good. our professionalism and capabilities.
Costa Concordia Wreckage to be Dismantled
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tour of the Colosseum, accompanied by a single Italian guide and escorted by guards. Obama is reported to have requested the visit especially, which was organized by the Department of Archeological and Cultural Treasures. Archeologist Barbara Nazzaro led the President on a detailed lecture of the Colosseum’s history. Nazzaro has sinced discussed her experience with Obama in the Italian press, calling him “extremely courteous” and “a real gentleman.” President Obama was in Italy as part of a series of European meetings, including a summit on nuclear security. He last visited Italy in 2009 for the G8 summit in L’Aquila.
Hopes are that the Concordia will arrive here.” Tugboats will drag the Concordia wreckage toward the port of Voltri on the Ligurian coast. The 280-kilometer voyage should take at least 5 days, for which reason it was thought the move would take place at the beginning of summer, when maritime conditions are more favorable. The dismantling will involve gutting the boat and taking it apart layer by layer, and disposal of the materials must be in accordance with European law. Thirty-two people died on January 13, 2012 when the Concordia capsized off the coast of the island of Giglio, where it has remained since. It was emptied of fuels in March 2012 and righted in September 2013.
Bocelli Marries
Internationally-acclaimed Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, 55, married his companion Veronica Berti, 31, on March 21 near Livorno. The blind singer’s second marriage took place on his daughter’s second birthday. The wedding was a small affair following by a banquet at Bocelli’s Forte dei Marmi villa. Bocelli is considered one of the world’s most successful classical solo artists. His albums have sold 80 million copies worldwide. He is called a crossover artist, credited with taking classical music to the top of international music’s pop charts and has collaborated with pop singers like Jennifer Lopez and Nelly Furtado. Bocelli has performed worldwide for presidents and royals.
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City Gets New Logo Graphic Arts and Collections Last July, the City of Florence and Audi launched a contest to design a new logo for Florence that would complement the official Florentine lily motif seen on the city’s flag, coat of arms, and current logo. After 5,000 submissions were narrowed down to 29 finalists, the €15,000 prize went to Fabio Chiantini last month. C h i a nt i n i’s logo has an interesting concept: spelling out the name of Florence in four different languages—Latin, English, German and Spanish—which when put together form the Italian spelling of Firenze among the letters in a cross-
Tourist Strips Before Botticelli’s Birth of Venus On the afternoon of March 22, a tourist visiting the Uffizi Gallery stripped off his clothes in front of Sandro Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus. According to witnesses, the 25-yearold Spanish male began taking off his shirt, pants, and socks while standing in front of the Renaissance masterpiece, followed lastly by his underwear. He then posed in the manner the goddess Venus is portrayed in the painting, placed rose petals on the floor, and kneeled down in a prayerlike position. Uffizi employees intervened, attempting to cover the man with a sheet of cloth, but not before several photo-
on Display at the Uffizi
word-like pattern. The logo contest called for an image that would work for “the promotion of Florence on a national and international level; for the communication of innovation and change in the territory; for the communication of culture and tourism; including activities of merchandising and licensing; as a mark of quality, venues, products and services and the municipal administration of the territory.” The new logo will not replace Florence’s giglio, but will instead be used for the national and international promotion of the city.
graphs were taken of the naked tourist that have since appeared throughout social and international media (with strategic blurring). The carabinieri arrived and took the man away, who dressed himself and, although shouting the word “freedom,” did not otherwise resist. Officials described the episode as “peaceful.” Can art itself be the inspiration of such actions? In July 2010, a naked man stretched out on the floor in front of Raphael’s tomb inside the Pantheon in Rome, an episode similarly captured by tourists who witnessed the event.
The Uffizi Gallery’s Department of ing for Italian and foreign works be imitated for its conservation and Prints and Drawings is hosting an ex- representative of the contemporary management procedures, as well as hibition until May 4 entitled History market, including innovations in the historiographical choices. and Events Concerning the Prints and graphic arts increasingly appearing Drawings Collection of the Uffizi from on the Italian scene with acclaim History and Events Conthe mid-19th Century to the First World from critics and the public. cerning the Prints and War (1848-1918). The diverse nature of the exhibition’s Drawings Collection of the Curated by Marzia Faietti, Miriam works intentionally reflects the multiFileti Mazza, Giorgio Marini, this ple factors that affected art in that peUffizi from the mid-19th detailed and extensive collection is riod of commotion, from the mid-19th Century to the First World characterized by a complex inter- century to the First World War. From weaving of history, tradition, and cri- that period onwards, the history of War (1848-1918) tique and focuses on the events that the Uffizi’s collection was subjected Until May 4 saw a mid-19th and early 20th-cen- to new regulations on the protection Entrance with ticket to the tury century transition towards an of cultural assets, regulations extendUffizi Gallery interest in modernity, with great at- ed to all parts of the country. Uffizi Gallery hours: Tues – Sun tention on contemporary art. The Uffizi’s collection was so vast 8:15 a.m. - 6:50 p.m. It deals with a time in which public in terms of chronology and artistic Closed Monday and private collectors began search- schools that it represented a model to
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Analysis of Sewage Water Reveals High Drug Use in Florence Toxicological analysis of wastewater in 2012 and the first half of 2013 has shown Florence to have the highest concentrations of cannabis, cocaine, and heroin of the 17 cities analyzed. With regard to cocaine, the results show a sharp increase in consumption in Florence: nearly one out of every 100 inhabitants use cocaine, according to the observed data, up from 4.9 daily doses per 1,000 inhabitants in 2011 to 9.5 daily doses in 2012. Similarly, heroin use has more than doubled in the same period, from 3.4 doses to 8.3 doses daily per 1,000 inhabitants. The data is scientifically sound. “This type of control is an extremely accurate indicator,” explains Giovanni Serpelloni, head of the Italian government’s anti-drug policies department. “It measures the amounts of various drugs in the urinary metabolites present in wastewater. The metabolites do not lie.” Drugs are easy to find in Florence, and cheap. A nighttime visit to the train station is enough to observe this reality, as is passing by the porticoes of Piazza della Repubblica, the
San Pierino arch, Piazza Santo Spirito, or Piazza Santa Croce—in short, throughout the historic city center of Florence. In 2013, police seized 62 kilograms of cocaine and 241 kilograms of hashish and marijuana, and arrested 400 people for drug dealing. Although Florence is a popular tourist destination, tourism alone does not account for these high levels of substance use. Tourist drug users or those seeking drugs are more likely to be present elsewhere, namely Amsterdam. Alongside the drug use phenomenon in Florence is a growing awareness of another social emergency, alcohol abuse, especially among younger people. “We realize the dangers only when intoxicated youths end up in the emergency room, unfortunately a frequent occurrence,” says Valentino Patussi, head of the Tuscan Region’s center for alcohol abuse. Last month Florence’s city council approved a resolution to decriminalize the use or transfer of small quantities of cannabis, but not without conflict: only 17 votes were favorable of the resolution.
Farewell to Peter Porcal Professor Peter Porcal passed away on March 28. Peter was an extraordinary person, a teacher and mentor whose vast Art History knowledge and passionate lecturing inspired hundreds of American students to love Italian art. His kindness, wit, and charisma were
but a few of the qualities that made Peter special. He loved life and he loved humanity. We join his family in mourning the loss of this truly exceptional person. A memorial for Professor Peter Porcal will be held at Richmond University on Friday, May 16 at 6 p.m.
‘We needn’t act with him as we did with Berlusconi’ Paul Ginsborg warns about Renzi
Speaking after a Florence event, historian Paul Ginsborg said to the press, “I don’t see Renzi as a man of the po-
litical left. He will be on the left when it suits him, as he will be on the right. One need only consider his pact with
UNESCO Nominates Florence for Traditional Hospitality DYLAN NIKOLETOPOULOS UNESCO has nominated Florence as a traditional hospitality world heritage site. The organization contributes to peace and security by promoting international collaboration, and uses international cooperation agreements to secure world cultural and natural heritage sites. UNESCO protects both material and immaterial sites across the world, such as Yellowstone National Park in the United States and Quito in Ecuador. During a March 10 press conference,
the manual for the world heritage site and the certificate of the Del Bianco Foundation were released. These documents indicate the standards of traditional and quality hospitality. Florence helped create this opportunity and was the first city chosen for this candidacy because of the work of the Del Bianco Foundation. The goal of the foundation today is to create international integration between people of different cultures, countries and religions. UNESCO also released information on the ways in which two websites
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Berlusconi on this terrible electoral law that destroys the minority.” “I call upon everyone to not make the same mistake that was made with Berlusconi, that is underestimating the person, his ability, determination, and awareness. We must understand that here, perhaps, a new phase is beginning,” added the professor. “Renzi,” Ginsborg continued, “has many questionable qualities. I do not agree with his method nor his agenda, yet as an historian I will say, be careful. This is a unique person. We needn’t act with him as we did with Il Cavaliere (Berlusconi). How often have we heard the prophetic phrase ‘don’t take this or that initiative, don’t protest, in the end he will fall on his own.’ Twenty years have passed and Berlusconi still has not fallen.”
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FLORENCE NEWS & EVENTS APRIL 2014 NO. 6
NEWS
Half Marathon Firenze Vivicittà on April 6 The 31st edition of the international city, participants will receive a DiaHalf Marathon Firenze Vivicittà is dora technical t-shirt, a voucher for set to take place this year on Sun- -30 surgelati products, and snacks ofday, April 6. Participants range from fered by Azienda Olearia del Chianti, running enthusiasts to families with and a small backpack from -30 surgechildren, and runners from around lati. The Florence event has come to the world are expected to partake in be known as a cultural activity as this classic race along the streets of well as an athletic one. Half MaraFlorence. thon Firenze Vivicittà hosts a charity Runners choose between a half mar- event every year and the organizaathon, suggested for professional tion makes efforts to be eco-friendly. and amateur athletes, and a 10-km, Its plans to protect the environment non-competitive run open to all. Both are to minimize the environmental start at Santa Croce and follow a cir- impact of the Half Marathon Firenze cuit around famous Florentine sites Vivicittà and maximize engagement such as Piazza della Signoria and the of key stakeholders (sponsors, conDuomo, and through the Oltrarno. tractors, charities, competitors, auOther options are the 5-km walking dience) in taking up sustainability course or the 1.5-km “Tommasino initiatives. These initiatives mean all Run” charity race for children. Half participants run for a good cause. Marathon Firenze Vivicittà’s courses are completely asphalted and flat. The Half Marathon Village, located in Piazza Santa Croce, is a popular Sunday, April 6 scene where racers can find different Piazza Santa Croce sporting events and fun. www.halfmarathonfirenze.it In addition to a running tour of the
La Notte Bianca
Firenze Vivicittà
‘White Night’ returns on April 30 After several successful editions of La Notte Bianca, or White Night, Florence will once again host this openair, all-night festival that come sunset turns streets and squares into stages for live shows and concerts. Organized by the City of Florence, La Notte Bianca, with its art installations, film screenings, readings, tours, and free night-time access to museums, is for many a means of renewing the city’s image. On White Night, Florence becomes modern, inclusive, and lively, with a feel of multiculturalism and solidarity alongside art and music.
But for many locals, La Notte Bianca is seen as merely an extended version of the ongoing loud nightlife scene in Florence. Weekend nights are often sleepless ones for those who live in the center, where an excessive concentration of noisy young people late into the night has become a concern. La Notte Bianca simply adds to this nighttime chaos, and for some locals events such as White Night are not worth the disturbance. The theme of this year’s White Night is La Città Continua, encouraging an idea of Florence as a city without boundaries, a global meeting place,
in contrast with a common perception of Florence as an insular city museum. Undoubtedly, a feeling of cultural vitality fills the streets of Florence on this night. What’s more, restaurants and bars remain open until late, and for children there is a separate program that includes theater, workshops, and tours starting in the afternoon. While not popular with everyone, La Notte Bianca represents the city’s effort to gather together people interested in spending a long night of culture, history, and entertainment in the company of others.
Lorenzo de’ Medici
RESTAURANT & PIZZERIA
LIVE SPORTS
Lorenzo de’ Medici Restaurant and Pizzeria is an elegant yet reasonably priced spot situated right in the heart of Florence, just a few steps away from the Medici Chapel, the church of Santa Maria Novella and San Lorenzo market, and no more than 200m from the Fortezza da Basso. It is the ideal restaurant to try traditional Florentine dishes or pizza cooked in the wood-fired oven. The perfect restaurant for tourist groups, business dinners, meetings or private dining.
GET 20% OFF WITH YOUR STUDENT DISCOUNT CARD Via del Giglio, 49 // 055 21 29 32 www.lorenzodemediciristorante.com
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FLORENCE NEWS & EVENTS APRIL 2014 NO. 6
CULTURE
Adapting to the Change of Seasons
An American closet and Italian closet dangerous afflictions endemic to the Italian population. Last month, the “official” calendar According to some scientists (predeclared that spring had arrived, but sumably Italian scientists), climatic we shouldn’t let that small detail fool variations in temperature, humidity, us. You see, it’s not yet time for the and pressure disrupt certain chemchange of seasons—at least not in ical pathways, such as neurotransItaly. There are other indicators of mitters, involved in mood regulation. springtime that supersede the vernal When approaching the two extreme equinox. seasons (summer and winter), our What am I on about? Well, the body prepares for the environmental change of seasons in Italy has more change with endocrine adjustments. to do with wardrobe choices than me- For example, greater exposure to light teorological conditions. causes variations in the level of melGenerations of collective wisdom atonin, a hormone involved in sleep have bestowed an innate sense of regulation, while lower temperature practical fashion among our Italian raises thyroid function. (It is unclear, friends. But it’s not just about style, however, whether these changes can of course. Keeping your body at the induce the severe medical conditions proper temperature is essential for alleged by some of my Italian amici.) optimal health. To do otherwise puts All of this scientific nonsense to tell you at mortal risk from such menac- us what nonne have been saying for ing conditions as la cervicale, il colpo generations: put on your scarf before d’aria, il colpo della strega and other you leave the house!
RICK ZULLO
Closets Beyond the health risks associated with selecting an outfit are the logistical realities. For one thing, storage spaces in Italy are significantly smaller than in the US, where a walk-in closet is the size of most living rooms in Italy. More common in Italy are the floor-to-ceiling wall units which have been retro-fitted into the old palazzi. The original inhabitants of these smallish apartments didn’t require the amount of space needed to accommodate our modern consumer appetites. These towering cabinets are split into two vertical sections, and the upper section can only be reached if you’re standing on a ladder. (Unless you’re a lanky American like me, in which case you just need to stretch your reach a bit.) So twice a year the ritual known as cambio di stagione is performed. The entire winter wardrobe is stowed away and
THE IRISH PUB IN SAN LORENZO BhSalon Firenze is a refined and contemporary salon, visibily focused on the world of fashion. Located in Borgo Ognissanti near near Ponte alla Carraia and Santa Maria Novella Square.
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A semi-circular counter, wooden furniture and a Guinness mug make Dublin Pub an Irish haven in the middle of central Florence. The historic bar opens at 5 p.m. every evening and offers quality beer, fresh cocktails, sandwiches and snacks amidst a traditional Irish pub atmosphere. Located on Via Faenza, just a short walk from the Duomo, the pub also offers various promotions and contests with many exciting prizes. The genuine atmosphere together with the helpful and inviting staff make Dublin Pub an ideal place to spend fun nights in good company or enjoy a beer any time while listening to great background music.
summer-weight apparel awakens from its dormant state. In the fall, the whole procedure is reversed. (A fun tip for the spring: now is the time to take your bulky winter jacket to the dry cleaners for a good washing. You can pick it up in late September, thus freeing up precious closet space.) This is also a good time to doing some serious introspection regarding your couture. By making the cambio di stagione, you will have an opportunity to evaluate the clothes that are no longer in style or (let’s be honest) don’t fit anymore due to a bit of weight gain during the winter months. You can donate the unwanted items to charity or pass them off to your younger siblings, who probably won’t want them either. By adhering to this semi-annual tradition, Italians only have half of their wardrobe available at any given time. There can be some advantages to this. For one thing, you won’t fall into the temptation of mixing unmatchable clothes from different seasons. Also, the limited choices will save you time when picking the proper outfit according to the occasion at hand. However, the careful reader might have also noticed a potential problem here. What if, after one glorious weekend preview of spring, the excitement gets the better of you and you have locked away all your winter garments—only to have the weather turn cold again for several more weeks? Once you’ve changed your wardrobe for the year, there’s no going back. Now what? Well, this becomes a sort of game where you try to outguess the weath-
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erman…and your friends. Never miss a chance to tease someone who has imprudently stowed his or her winter clothes away a couple of weeks too early. The practical Italian anticipates this possibility and is not fooled by a few spring days in early March. That’s why you’ll often see Italians still wearing winter clothes (including very heavy jackets) well into May. There is one little trick, however, to help you hedge your bets against unseasonal temperature swings this time of year… The Scarf This post would be incomplete if I didn’t mention that handy little accessory, so indispensable to Italian fashion, la sciarpa. Scarves are essential accoutrements for both men and women, and can be a real “wardrobe expander” for travelers. They can spice up an outfit that you’ve already worn three days in a row and can be thrown into a messenger bag or purse to pull out when the sun sets and the weather gets chilly. Nothing says European-chic like a light-weight scarf worn with jeans and a casual jacket. These little swaths of cloth are perfect for expressing personality through color and fabric choices while the rest of the outfit remains the mere backdrop to showcase this versatile accessory. Not only can it dress up even the most drab couture, but as it turns out, it’s an effective personal thermostat as well. Are you sitting near a cold draft? Cinch it up tight and the colpo d’aria can’t touch you. Getting a little warm? Loosen it up a bit and let your skin breathe. But don’t ever remove completely, at least not until July, or you will put yourself in mortal danger. If you happen to be Italian, that is. To read more visit www.rickzullo.com.
THE SPIRIT OF PIAZZA SANTO SPIRITO Alfredo Ricchi opened Caffè Ricchi in Piazza Santo Spirito in 1957. Since that time, the historic bar has witnessed the transformation of the piazza while keeping the spirit of the past alive within its walls. The Caffè Ricchi dining room is a great place to enjoy a peaceful break and to admire the displayed art. Coffee, considered an art here, is chosen and roasted with care to ensure a quality product. The ice cream cakes and desserts offered are homemade by Caffè Ricchi, along with many other specialties served in the restaurant: first and second courses, salads, savories, and sweets.
Open daily from 5 p.m. Via Faenza, 27 055 27 41 571 info@dublinpub.it www.dublinpub.it
Borgo degli Albizi, 91/r 055 24 69 318 centroluce09@gmail.com
Piazza di Santo Spirito, 8 055 21 58 64
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FLORENCE NEWS & EVENTS APRIL 2014 NO. 6
CULTURE
Why Study Italian? SARAH MASTROIANNI Let’s just get this out in the open right from the start: Italian is not considered a particularly useful language. I may love Italy and all things Italian, but I know the score. In the grand scheme of the world, not that many people speak Italian. The big discussions between political leaders don’t happen in Italian, and not many people (other than those living in Italy) are forced to learn Italian at school. You don’t need to understand Italian to read Dante any more, and you don’t need to speak Italian to get a job unless you live in Italy. You don’t need it in order to travel around Italy because a ton of people here speak at least some English, and you don’t need it for immediate access to pop culture anywhere outside of Italy. In today’s world of immediate gratification and propelled by the widespread need to do things for the main purpose of “getting ahead,” why push yourself to eke out a bit of time from your jam-packed schedule to learn a language that isn’t going to help you in pretty much any tangible way? At least, that’s what you may be thinking. English is the language of the world, and any of us who speak it as our mother tongue should count ourselves lucky. English is it. Italian, and every other language is out. Isn’t that the general consensus? It’s useful, it’s helpful, and it’s a language that, through its nature and the nature of its speakers, lends itself to being fun. Knowing a second language in general is a good thing. It’s like gymnastics for your brain when you switch back and forth between the two. They say that people who know and use a second language, ward off Alzheimer’s disease longer than their monolingual counterparts. Also, if you tell me that Italian hasn’t been useful in my job hunts, I’ll eat my hat. I have had four, count them, FOUR jobs that knowing Italian has helped me get: my job working for a tour operator in Tuscany, a group leader for summer abroad students in Italy, writer for an Italian-Canadian magazine, and Italian instructor at a university. In a couple cases, my knowing Italian was the deal maker/breaker in my get-
ting those job offers. Now tell me that it hasn’t been useful. And tell me that those jobs aren’t at least somewhat cool! Then there’s the more “Italian” side to this argument, the touchy-feely side. Think of how many more people you can talk to if you know a second language. And think about the people who speak Italian. There are a lot of real personaggi (“characters”) on this peninsula, and by knowing Italian, you get to talk to them. You get to get to know them. You get to read Dante in all his original 13th century splendour, and you get to listen to songs like “We No Speak Americano” and understand all the words. We don’t study Italian because we need to, like everyone who studies English does. We don’t have that pressure. Our jobs (well, most of them), our livelihoods, our families don’t depend on our knowledge of la bella lingua. But maybe that’s just it—the beautiful part of it all. We study Italian because we want to, not because we need to. Because the music of the language moves us to learn it, to engage in this impracticality, to throw some of our precious time to the wind and do something simple for the pleasure of being able to pronounce words like piacere. And if I wasn’t convinced of the merits of knowing Italian before, a conversation with the owner of a language school in Rome one summer really tipped the scales for me. “Sarah,” he said, cigarette in hand, leaning casually on the railing of one of the school’s small balconies. “In this Italian school, we used to also share the space with an English school. Our two sets of students were completely different. The English ones, well, they didn’t want to come to class, they walked around with their heads down, all grey, you know,” he shrugged. “But the ones who were studying Italian,” his eyes lit up and his voice took on a breathy quality, “Sarah, the ones who were studying Italian were just more…” he waved his hand casually as he searched for the word. It didn’t take him long before he plucked it out of the Roman sunshine and gave it to me through a slow smile—“Beautiful.” To read more visit notjustanotherdolcevita.com.
New Biography of David Due Out in May
Local book publisher The Florentine Press has announced the forthcoming publication of “From Marble to Flesh: the Biography of Michelangelo’s David,” by American art history professor Victor Coonin. The first general public book about Michelangelo’s David to tell the comprehensive story of the world-famous sculpture, “From Marble to Flesh” addresses the frequently asked question “Why is the David so famous?” The answer can be found in the David’s story, which art history professor Victor Coonin tells as a fascinating centuries-long biography. To fund “From Marble to
Flesh,” The Florentine Press is relying on the public’s fascination with this Italian cultural icon to prompt donations on the American crowdfunding platform, Kickstarter. Through Kickstarter, people can donate any sum towards a project in exchange for tangible rewards. The publishing house hopes to raise $5,000 and will use the funds to cover printing costs, and project backers will receive copies of the book and other rewards. “An independent press like ours has to contend with market realities,” explained Marco Badiani, Director of The Florentine Group. “It can use tools like crowd-
funding not just to raise monies but also to determine public interest.” “From Marble to Flesh” is believed to be the first crowdfunding project related to Italian art history and is expected to achieve its goal due to the public’s deep affection for and love of Florentine art and, in particular, of Michelangelo’s David, whose story has been a profoundly Florentine one since the 15th century. The Kickstarter campaign runs until April 17 (www.theflr.net/ davidkickstarter) and the book will be released in May. For more information, contact Alexandra Korey at info@theflorentinepress.com.
International & national shipping service Packing material Full color digital copies Fax service Storage service Free pick up at school or home Monday to Friday: 9:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. & 3-6 p.m.
Corso dei Tintori, 39/r | Tel.: 055 24 66 660 | Fax.: 055 24 66 067
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FLORENCE NEWS & EVENTS APRIL 2014 NO. 6
EASTER
An Explosive Easter
Florentine festivities originate with the First Crusade Every Easter Sunday, Florence’s Piazza del Duomo becomes the setting of a spectacular folk festival that culminates with a unique event known as the Scoppio del Carro, the Explosion of the Cart. The morning’s pageantry begins with an historic processional through town and a performance of flag-wavers, preparations leading up to the central event of the Easter festivities: around noon, a large, ornately-decorated cart arrives at the steps of Santa Maria del Fiore, accompanied by medieval-costumed revelers, city officials, and church representatives. Loaded with fireworks, the cart is drawn by massive white oxen adorned with floral headdresses and draped with the Florentine banner. When Easter mass is over, a sacred mechanical dove called the colombina is lit by the Archbishop of Florence and sent soaring down from the altar
of the cathedral to ignite the cart’s fireworks. The tradition of the Explosion of the Cart originates with Florentine Pazzino de ‘Pazzi, who scaled the walls of Jerusalem during the First Crusade in 1099. Rewarded with two stone shards from the Holy Sepulchre, de’ Pazzi returned to Italy with these religious relics, symbolic of the “sacred fire” meant to light up the city via a procession in the streets during the holy season. The de’ Pazzi family are said to have constantly elaborated and added to the cart’s grandeur, resulting eventually in a cart that towered some 30 feet over Florentine street crowds. The cart is as central to this tradition as the dove and the fireworks. It even has a nickname, Brindellone, which derives from another Florentine festival, the feast of St. John the Baptist. Every June 24, Florence honored its
patron saint with a similar procession wagon or cart, in which a figure dressed as a hermit was led from the city’s zecca, or mint, through town, stumbling and making merry along the way. Brindellone translates roughly in Florentine to any unkempt, haggard, or poor person, yet in folkloristic terms is really a mirthful character, one who receives charity in the form of food and wine and redistributing treats to others. Over time, Florentines came to apply the word brindellone to any such wooden cart used in the city’s festive parades. The Scoppio del Carro is a tradition at once religious and civic—as a celebration of both the holy spirit and the city’s past military success—making it an especially fascinating occasion, one unique to Florence. Hundreds of visitors turn out to this event, so arrive early to experience up close Florence’s explosive Easter celebrations.
A Guide to Italian Easter Food
DEJOU MARANO Easter is a time of joy, observance, revelry, and celebrating through food traditions. An Italian Easter is no exception. Classic dishes vary from region to region, yet much Easter fare remains common throughout the country. Le Uova. Eggs are an essential component of an Italian Easter, as both symbol and ingredient. Brightly-colored hard boiled eggs and chocolate eggs are the delight of children and adults alike, while a number of traditional Easter time dishes include egg as a key ingredient. Pizza piena. These stuffed pies are tall, quiche-like rounds of pastry filled with eggs, cheese, cured meat and/or sausage. While variations on the pizza piena exist across the country, the velvety richness of this pie makes it a welcome staple at the Easter table. Uovo di Pasqua. An oversized egg made of chocolate and stuffed with a surprise treat, the Italian chocolate egg is a whimsical confection traditionally presented to family and friends as an Easter present. Adding to the festive nature of the chocolate egg gift is its often colorful, painstakingly-decorated wrapping.
Colomba Pasquale. This dessert bread is named after the Italian word for dove: colomba. It’s baked in the shape of this symbolic bird, meant to represent a sign of peace, and is made according to the same method used for the Christmas cake panettone, omitting the candied fruits. Pastiera. Rooted in pagan celebrations of the arrival of spring, pastiera is a mainstay of Easter celebrations, particularly in Naples. This unique dessert is a cross between a cake and a pie, with a filling of ricotta, eggs, egg yolks, sugar, milk, boiled wheat, cinnamon, vanilla, lemon zest. and candied citrus fruits. L’agnello. Lamb is both a religious symbol and an essential dish in the Easter meal. In northern regions lamb is used in hearty stews with beans and potatoes, and in braised variations with herb-infused broths and root vegetables. Lamb meatballs and pastas filled with a mixture of lamb and ingredients such as cheese, garlic, onion or herbs, are also commonly prepared. In other regions roasted lamb is served with artichokes, peas, or other spring vegetables. For more about Dejou visit www.countrybred.com/bredblog. She can be reached at dejou@countrybred.com.
Open daily 12 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Artisan gelato near Santo Spirito Via Toscanella, 15/r www.gelaterialapassera.wordpress.com
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FLORENCE NEWS & EVENTS APRIL 2014 NO. 6
ART
Preserving the True ‘Made in Italy’
Galleria360 Exhibits Masaaki Hasegawa
Association promotes Florentine artisanal traditions DEVON ARAGONA Leather goods are one of Italy’s top products. But finding a truly authentic Italian leather coat or purse can be tricky in Florence, where leather goods are not always artisan-crafted nor made with Italian leather. The practice of stamping items with a Made in Italy mark dates to the early 20th century with the Fascist era. Mussolini wanted to promote local economies and minimize importing, with a focus on goods made entirely in Italy, from the raw material to the finished product. Today, due to outdated laws, this once-certain symbol of quality is no longer an absolute guarantee. “We don’t have a law that says you can only use ‘Made in Italy’ if the entire process is made in Italy,” says Costanza Menchi, fashion historian
and member of the artisan guild Associazione Osservatorio dei Mestieri d’Arte (OMA). “But the label can be used if two-thirds of the product is made abroad, then brought here and assembled.” In the local leather craft, family-owned artisan workshops face buyouts from larger companies who import the leather from abroad and mass produce at half the cost. Those who know the craft well, who know the care and skills that go into making quality Italian leather products, are having a tough time surviving. Yet custom shoes, original textiles, and other goods made by trained craftsmen can still be found. Local artisan guilds like the OMA are working to preserve and promote enterprises that produce genuine Made in Italy goods. “We promote both the craftsman as
well as young artisans who are just getting started,” Menchi says. “We have a blog, conferences, the portal. I organize educational projects for students where we take students into the workshops to have hands on experience with these handmade products.” Other measures are being taken as well such as the vero cuoio (‘real leather’) stamp that certifies the leather’s Italian origin. Finding that perfect, authentic Italian leather bag (and on a budget) takes a little hunting around, but it is possible. “You are going to get what you pay for,” reminds Menchi, “so if the salesman says he will give you a 400euro bag for 150 euro, there should be some suspicion.” Window shop, compare prices, and don’t miss the sidestreet shops. Visit the Santo Spirito area, the Loggia del Mercato Nuovo and San Lorenzo.
Galleria360 is presenting a solo exhibition of the Japanese architect and artist Masaaki Hasegawa titled “Paintings to give voice to the subconscious and allow the free association of thoughts,” from April 4 to 30. After working as an architect for a long time in Japan, Hasegawa began his artistic experience as an autodidact. Fascinated by the striking beauty of Mount Fuji and under the spell of its colors, he selected it as protagonist of his early paintings. He began his study related to color by discovering the definition of “sense of color,” that is the power of colors to generate free association and creative processes stimulating the beholder’s subconscious. To pursue this objective, Hasegawa chooses to use a limited range of colors and focuses each time on just a single color that he combines while opposing it with black. A look at his works easily shows a certain partiality for green, the emblem of the close and intimate relationship that has always linked man to nature and the surrounding environment. Through
the oil painting technique, he obtains the effect of the Japanese lacquer, with simple forms. This is the cultural foundation of Hasegawa’s works: in his paintings he creates simple but elegant forms, defined by sinuous and wavy lines that continuously play with opposition and complementarity, union and opposition. In the bold synthesis of opposites carried out by Masaaki Hasegawa, one can discern the echo of the words of Heraclitus, the ancient Greek and pre-Socratic philosopher, who argued that “the opposites tend to be reconciled with themselves and the most beautiful harmony is always born from things in contrast.”
Masaaki Hasegawa at Galleria360 April 4 – 30 Via il Prato, 11r Tues to Sat: 10 a.m.–7 p.m. Sun: 3–7 p.m. Free entry
Bottega dell’Orafo JEWELS AND WATCHES
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The Galleria360 is a gallery of modern and contemporary art that offers its visitors a culturally eccentric experience. It features works by artists who are specially selected by a highly qualified staff, and presents a virtual exhibition of the gallery at 360 degrees, so that viewers, clients and art lovers all over the world can visit the gallery online and browse the exceptional artworks without leaving their house. The extraordinary cultural universe is supplemented by a kind and skillful staff who remain at the disposal of visitors in order to offer the best service possible.
Tue. to Sat.: 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. Sunday: 3-7 p.m. Via della Mosca, 11/r 055 28 95 09 labottega-dell’orafo@libero.it
Via il Prato, 11/r 055 23 99 570 www.galleria360.it
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FLORENCE NEWS & EVENTS APRIL 2014 NO. 6
ART & LITERATURE
Revisiting Forster’s Florence: The Play’s the Thing Shakespeare week returns at the Charmingly Misanthropic Satire British Institute of Florence
LEE FOUST One hundred and five years after the publishing of A Room with a View: The city of Florence, its many Anglo-Saxon tourists, their illogical and unhealthy social norms, and even walks in the violet-bestrewn hills between Settignano and Fiesole are still with us. Gone are most of Florence’s horse-drawn carriages, casual stabbings in the Piazza della Signoria, and Baedeker’s travel guides. Still, E. M. Forster’s self-proclaimed “nicest novel” abides. A century on, his satirical romance novel is still well worth a read, its message of accepting the clear light of one’s true desires over the muddle of middle-class conformity as powerful as ever. If you’re like me, perhaps you harbor the mistaken idea that A Room with a View is a mere prototype of the kind of insipid romance abroad film that one who dabbles in travel or loves Europe frequently has fostered upon one by
well-meaning friends. Actually, the satirical element shines brightest in Forster’s novel, the view itself symbolic of an escape from the narrow-mindedness of late-Victorian social mores. I laughed out loud frequently at the novel’s witticisms—all of them at its stuffy, upper-class characters’ expense. I will also admit to shedding tears at Mr. Emerson’s heartfelt speech to Lucy Honeychurch in the penultimate chapter—it’s the finest literary expression I can remember of the “follow your heart” sentiment that is so overdone in insipid memes of the Hallmark school of turning all that is human into an appealing slogan for some Me Generation or other. On the critical side, for a novel aimed at corroding the slim parameters of narrow-mindedness and convention, its view is rather less than broad. The Italian characters, from whom we might expect something grand or wise, either in words or deeds, since they people a country so transforma-
SNACK BAR ANNA
tive as the Italy presented us, are given the usual British literary treatment— they rut like dogs and stab each other like banditti. Neither the servants nor any working-class characters get any attention at all, except for the Cockney Signora who runs the Pensione Bertolini. Her character represents perhaps the one interesting modern aspect of the narrative—could it be that abroad, in turn-of-the-century Florence, her risible and uncouth accent was not an impediment to social mobility? Still, the general impression of the novel is that no one works, need work, or ever worries about money at all—a pretty picture postcard from the Downton Abbey set, featuring the scenic Arno, sent to a fellow toff. Do read the novel, however, as the Merchant/Ivory film of 1985, despite sporting the best supporting cast since Casablanca, is rather lacking, mostly in getting at the piquant social satire of the piece. Daniel Day-Lewis steals the movie as the priggish aesthete Mr. Vyse, Dame Judy Dench and Maggie Smith are each delightful as Miss Lavish and Bartlett respectively—and doubly so in their scenes together. The unheralded Denholm Elliott is an inspired bit of casting as earnest Mr. Emerson, and Julian Sands makes a handsome and believable George. Sadly, there were no actresses available for the central role of Lucy Honeychurch so we are forced to watch Helena Bonham Carter stand around looking dazed and confused for 117 minutes. It’s rather like watching a terrific band playing behind a tone-deaf lead singer. Well, Meryl Streep can’t be in them all. Read more from Lee Foust at www.leefoust.com.
LEE FOUST April 7-10 will be Shakespeare Week at Florence’s British Institute. This year’s celebration will focus on one of the Bard’s 15 Italian-set plays, The Tragedy of Othello, The Moor of Venice. If you haven’t read it or seen it produced, it comes highly recommended as a fascinating portrait of a tragically flawed man who becomes the victim of a relentless and, at times, inexplicably evil follower (Iago) as well as his own male pride and jealousy, flaws which allows Iago to plant the seeds of distrust between the Moorish captain and his Venetian wife, Desdemona. The play’s narrative has its roots firmly planted in the medieval novella tradition, echoing a tale, The Three Apples, from the Arabic One Thousand and One Nights and the Barnabò da Genova novella from Giovanni Boccaccio’s Decameron. Textual echoes suggest that Shakespeare lifted the play’s plot directly from Italian author Cinthio’s Un Capitano Moro (A Moorish Captain) from Cinthio’s post-Boccaccian collection of novellas Gli hecatommithi of 1565— a tale that might have been based upon an actual event that occurred in Venice in 1508. (If Shakespeare could learn to read Italian in Stratford-upon-Avon so can you!) The four days of events kicks off on Monday, April 7 at 3 p.m. with a live dramatic reading of Othello and features the screening of three glorious film adaptations of the drama: Oliver Parker’s fairly recent 1995 version on Monday at 7:30 p.m. (with Laurence Fishburne and Kenneth Branagh),
Stuart Burge’s 1965 effort on the following day at 3 p.m. (starring Laurence Olivier and Maggie Smith), and lastly, my own personal favorite, Orson Welles’s 1952 classic starring the director himself, Micheál MacLiammóir, and Suzanne Cloutier on Wednesday at 8 p.m. Tuesday, April 8 at 6 p.m. there will be an exhibition by the students of the Ontario College of Art and Design presenting contemporary art responses to Othello in various media curated by Sara England. On Wednesday, April 9 at 6:00 p.m. there is a lecture, Reinterpreting Shakespeare: Boito’s and Verdi’s Otello, by musicologist Matteo Sansone. The festival finishes off on Thursday with a daylong graduate conference (beginning at 9:30 a.m.), Shakespeare and his contemporaries: Forms of nationhood, chaired by Professor Alessandra Petrina (Università degli Studi di Padova) and Professor Gabriella Del Lungo (Università degli Studi di Firenze). Attendance is free for library members or you can buy a daylong membership for 5 euro or a special Shakespeare festival membership for all four days for 10 euro. For more information see the British Institute’s events page on their website: www.britishinstitute.it. Mundy Walsh and Lyall Harris have begun an online literary and art magazine for English-language writers and artists based in Tuscany called The Sigh Press. Their first issue’s theme will be A Deliberate Leap and submissions will be open until May 15 for the inaugural issue. For more information see www.thesighpress.com.
Your pizza & covaccino near Santo Spirito
THE FIRST BAGEL POINT IN FLORENCE SINCE 1990 Enjoy the relaxing atmosphere and the jumbo cappuccinos while having a chat with Anna and Stefano, who will welcome you in a warm and friendly way. Grab one of the many homemade bagels, the bar’s perfected specialty since 1990. These bagels and sandwiches have made this snack spot one of the most popular among local Americans. While taking a break in the back seating area you will be pleased to experience the nocharge table service, which places Snack Bar Anna far from the ‘tourist traps’ in the city.
Mon. to Sat.: 8:30 a.m.–7:30 p.m. Via de’ Ginori, 26/r 055 23 81 143 stevebar@hotmail.it
Special Offer:
HAMBURGER + 1 DRINK € 10
SPECIAL OFFERS
Slice of pizza + 500ml water: €3.50 Whole margherita pizza + 500ml water: €5.50 Whole margherita pizza + Coke: €6 Maxi 19.6” pizza margherita (for 3-4 people): €15 Cover & service charge included
Piazza di San Felice, 2/r - 055 22 07 091
Tue. to Sun.: 6 p.m.–2 a.m.
Via G. Verdi, 47r, 055 38 80 034 www.saloonbargrill.com
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FLORENCE NEWS & EVENTS APRIL 2014 NO. 6
FASHION
Getting Ready Accademia Italiana Exhibits for Pitti Fashion Reinterpreted Work Uniforms Pitti Immagine, the fair of all fashion marketing trade fairs, returns to Florence with four events during the months of May and June: Modaprima 76, Pitti Uomo 86, Pitti W 14, and Pitti Bimbo. Modaprima (May 23-25) is the return of quality fast fashion. The international fair will feature ready-to-wear men’s and women’s clothing and accessories from names such as Algis, Valentina by Guerzon, Tavus Milano, Moda Milena, Edas Italia, and many more. Pitti Uomo (June 17-20) focuses on contemporary global lifestyle as the world’s most important platform for men’s clothing and accessory collection, and also launches new projects in men’s fashion. Pitti Uomo is held in Florence twice a year (in June and
in January). Pitti W 14 (also June 17-20) is dedicated to special innovative and experimental projects in women’s fashion, including single-product and capsule collections. Pitti W is held in Florence twice a year on the same dates as Pitti Uomo. Pitti Bimbo (June 26-28) is the only international fair in the world that offers a complete depiction of every possible aspect of children’s fashions. Created in 1975, Pitti Bimbo launched the first runway shows and events dedicated to this market, and is held in Florence twice a year. The fairs, strictly reserved for specialist buyers, take place at the Stazione Leopolda. For details on all Pitti events, visit www.pittimmagine.com.
Students at the Accademia Italiana ence and Rome schools, using over company’s hangar for an on-location will showcase their latest project, a 100 meters of Klopman’s environmen- photo shoot. Photography students lively collection of work uniforms tally and ethically certified cotton in will take pictures and create a video reinterpreted by imaginative young colors chosen by the company, pro- to be used in the company’s media designers, at the Obihall Theater on duced 39 original uniform designs for campaigns, including exhibits, inApril 17, during the Accademia’s year- a new promotional campaign for the dustry fairs, and Klopman’s 2015 calend event to celebrate its 30th anni- technical fabric industry that range endar. versary. from a fireman to a flight attendant, The inventive project was developed The project, which integrates fashion a chef to a beekeeper, a mailman to from the ideas of the Accademia Italand photography, was developed in a police officer. Provocative pieces, iana’s President, Vincenzo Giubba, collaboration with Klopman, a leader such as the police officer’s uniform and Klopman’s CEO, Alfonso Marra, in high quality technical fabrics for that leaves the navel exposed, or the offering a great opportunity for both the past 40 years, and involves the road worker’s reflective vest and mini- future designers and students of phoAccademia’s Fashion Design and Pho- skirt, will inevitably draw attention. tography who have been asked to tography and New Media students. A collection inspired by the technical create Klopman’s 2015 calendar with Twenty-nine Fashion Design students clothing market, these designs will their photographs of their peers’ crefrom the Accademia Italiana’s Flor- soon be presented in Frosinone at the ations.
BISTRO, WINE AND COCKTAILS AT BORGO OGNISSANTI San Carlo bar offers continental and American breakfast and brunch, simple but refined lunch, a large aperitivo buffet, and an extensive wine and cocktail list. Music and art create a warm, lively atmosphere while friendly staff members are always ready to cater to any requests. San Carlo is a bar suited to any time of day: great for a quick coffee or snack, a leisurely aperitivo or meal, or simply an after-dinner drink with friends.
LIFESTYLE SALON & SPA Via de' Neri 53-55/r 055 23 98 553 CONCEPT SALON - without appointment Via de' Neri 49/r 055 28 28 41 CONCEPT SALON Via dei Benci 5/r 055 21 92 27
Specialty:
TUNA STEAK
Borgo Ognissanti, 32-34/r 055 21 68 79 info@sancarlofirenze.it www.sancarlofirenze.it
www.salonecontrasto.it
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FLORENCE NEWS & EVENTS APRIL 2014 NO. 6
FOOD & WINE
A Taste of Naples
Pizzeria O’Vesuvio serves pizza while preserving Neapolitan traditions While Florence undoubtedly has a surplus of pizzerias, Neapolitan native and Pizzeria O’Vesuvio owner Marco Spagnuolo sets his apart by adhering to the guidelines of the classic pizza napoletana. Pizza here means passion and pride, and from the pounding of the impasto to its toasted perfection in a woodfired oven, this pizza exceeds even the most stringent codes required by the True Neapolitan Pizza Association (AVPN). “Unlike some pizzerias that prepare the dough in the morning or shortly before making the pizza, we prepare all the dough two days in advance, which makes for a light and perfect
crust,” says Marco. With this advanced preparation, the cooking time of each pizza does not exceed 50–80 seconds. A wood-fired oven is essential to the process–no Neapolitan pizza is made without one–and ingredients are imported from Naples, including coveted peeled Italian tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella, and are entirely fresh: “I don’t have any other option but to use fresh ingredients as I don’t own a microwave or a freezer here,” Marco says. “They’re unnecessary.” Pizzeria O’Vesuvio’s fans have voted with their feet: since its inauguration three years ago, the pizzeria has received a Certificate of Excellence from
travel review website TripAdvisor each year, and it regularly produces up to 400 handmade pizzas a day for the hordes of customers eagerly queueing up outside. Its popularity was heightened by American MTV’s decision to use the pizzeria as the workplace of the Jersey Shore cast in season four. “I didn’t know anything about the show but figured it would be amazing advertising for the pizzeria,” says Marco. “What’s more, when I met the guys from the show, there was something about them that reminded me of my Neapolitan friends down south. They were loud, annoying, passionate, dramatic and real.”
Indeed, the pizzeria’s Neapolitan roots are seen and felt in the fervour generated by soccer: Diego Maradona is venerated on walls plastered with memorabilia, and matches are regularly screened on Sky (just make sure that you’re cheering for Naples). Even the Neapolitan streetscape is replicated, courtesy of clothes hanging from two small terraces within the restaurant—a nod to pizza’s origins as the popular street food of the working class before it caught the attention of Queen Margherita in 1889, after whom the pizza margherita takes its name. Marco finds the most challenging element of his business is trying to
explain to tourists why Neapolitan pizza is simply the best. “Tourists and students come over here and assume that any pizza they have in Florence must be incredible as they’re in Italy, right?” he says. “But that’s not the case at all. In fact, some are really quite terrible.” With American influence dominating prevailing views on what constitutes a ‘good’ pizza (plentiful toppings, thick crusts), it can also be difficult to convince Americans that they need to try the leaner-looking but intensely flavored Neapolitan original: “If you’ve never tried Neapolitan ingredients, then you can’t possibly know what you’re missing,” he says.
A corner of Naples in the center of Florence Pizza-making classes at the “Jersey Shore” pizzeria While Florence undoubtedly has a surplus of pizzerias. Neapolitan native and owner of O‛ Vesuvio, Marco Spagnuolo, sets his apart by respecting the rules of the classic ‘Pizza Napoletana‛. Pizza here means passion and pride, and from the pounding of the impasto to its toasted perfection in a wood-fired oven, the pizza exceeds even the most stringent of expectations. The staff at O‛ Vesuvio are warm and friendly, and the pizzeria‛s Neapolitan roots can also be seen and felt in the fervor generated by soccer - here you can watch all the matches on Sky (just make sure that you‛re cheering for Naples).
HOME DELIVERY • Pizza Lessons Available Via dei Cimatori, 21/r // Tel.: 055 28 54 87 // www.ovesuviofirenze.com
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FLORENCE NEWS & EVENTS APRIL 2014 NO. 6
FOOD & WINE
Drawing from the wine well
The Dwell at Pozzodivino
Take a wine-tasting tour alongside Pozzo Divino’s 700-year-old well JAMES TAYLOR & IVANA SCATOLA For a wine-tasting tour with a difference, look no further than Pozzo Divino on Via Ghibellina just north of Santa Croce. Owned by Pino, wellknown among students as a famous local identity, ‘Pozzo Divino’ is a witty play on words: literally meaning ‘divine well’, it also translates as ‘wine well’ when read as ‘Pozzo di Vino’. The ancient well in question is now part of a cellar that hosts Pozzo Di-
vino’s wine tours. Dating back to 1312, the well is seven centuries old and was originally built to supply water through a vast system of underground tunnels and pipes to the prisoners of the local prison, known as the Stinche (now Teatro Verdi), that stretched as far as the Bargello. Pino bought the location in 2006 and restored it himself with the help of some friends. Despite its restoration, Pino reveals that it was always his principal intention to maintain a tan-
gible sense of history when stepping into the cellar. This is something he has undoubtedly achieved; the place is almost like a time-machine propelling you back a few centuries into a part of authentic medieval Florence – albeit in excellent condition. Pino’s sommelier training is at the forefront of Pozzo Divino’s wine tours. He imparts his impressive knowledge while taking guests around the cellar, offering a range of Italian wines to sample with an appetizer of com-
CELLAR WINE-TASTING NEAR SANTA CROCE
GASTRONOMIA NEAR SANTA CROCE
There are few places more apt to sample Tuscan wine than Pozzo Divino (‘The Wine Well’), where wine-tastings take place in a spectacular cellar dating back to 1312. The cellar features an ancient pozzo (well), while the quality of the niche wine hand-picked by owner Pino easily justifies an interpretation of ‘divine’ in this cosy enoteca’s title. Pozzo Divino also arranges Chianti Classico wine tours and sells olive oil and a superb range of balsamic vinegar aged up to 45 years.
Salumeria Verdi is a prime spot for quality food. This gastronomia has been serving the Florentine public since 1900, and offers a range of fresh pasta, bread, meat, cheese and more. It’s an ideal spot to stop by for a quick and satisfying lunch, and also offers catering services. Salumeria Verdi is also the sister company of nearby enoteca Pozzo Divino and therefore offers a cornucopia of quality wine selections.
Mon. to Sat.: 9.30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.; & 2–6:30 p.m. Sun.: Wine-tasting by appointment
Mon. to Sat.: 8 a.m.–8p.m.
Via Ghibellina, 144/r 055 246 69 07 info@pozzodivino.com www.pozzodivino.eu
Via Verdi, 36/r 055 24 45 17 www.salumeriaverdi.it info@pozzodivino.com
plementary regional cheeses, cuts of meats, bread, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Guests are offered a spectrum of Tuscan flavors to try, from a variety of the region’s renowned Chianti Classico to white wines that include Chardonnay, Sauvignon and Pinot Grigio. The wine-tasting ends with the most exclusive reds of the cellar: Bolgheri, Super Tuscan, Morellino and Montepulciano. Pino proudly boasts that 90 percent of the wines he holds are
of Tuscan origin, and that his tours prove so popular that he often ships back boxes of the wine sampled to America in order to appease impressed customers. Tours can be organized for tourist groups, families and universities, and cost only €15 a head – which not only makes it an experience to enjoy over the festive season but also an ideal Christmas gift for lovers of Tuscany’s finest vintages. For bookings and more info visit: www.pozzodivino.eu
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FLORENCE NEWS & EVENTS APRIL 2014 NO. 6
CITY INFO Tourist Information Firenze Turismo ......... 055 29 08 32 // 055 29 08 33 Via Cavour, 1/r Mon–Sat: 8:30a.m.–6:30p.m. (Closed on Sundays and public holidays; see Commune info points below for Sunday hours.) info1@firenzeturismo.it www.firenzeturismo.it Florence Airport ............................ 055 31 58 74 Via del Termine, 1 Daily: 8:30a.m.–8:30p.m. infoaeroporto@firenzeturismo.it Commune ..................................... 055 21 22 45 Piazza Stazione, 4 Mon–Sat: 8:30a.m.–7p.m. Sundays & public holidays: 8:30a.m.–2p.m. turismo3@comune.fi.it www.comune.fi.it Bigallo loggia ................................ 055 28 84 96 Piazza San Giovanni Mon–Sat: 9a.m.–7p.m. Sundays & public holidays: 9a.m.–2p.m. bigallo@comune.fi.it
Emergency Services Police – emergency ........................................ 113 Police – carabinieri ......................................... 112 Police – municipal ...................... 055 32 83 333 Ambulance ........................................................ 118 Fire department .............................................. 115 Tourist medical service .................. 055 21 22 21 Poison Center ................................ 055 79 47 819 Pharmacies (open) ...................... 800 42 07 07 Vehicle breakdown (ACI) ................................ 116 Obstruction& towed vehicle ....... 055 42 24 142 Civil protection services .................. 800 01 5 161 Child abuse hotline .......................................... 114 Emergency vet services ............. 055 72 23 683 Environmental emergency response ........ 1515 Lost & Found (Florence office) ... 055 33 48 02
Transport BUS & COACH ATAF (www.ataf.net) .................. 800 42 45 00 BluBlus (www.blubus.it) ............. 800 27 78 25 SITA Nord (www.fsbusitalia.it) ... 800 37 37 60 CAP (www.capautolinee.it) ......... 055 21 46 37 Vaibus (www.vaibus.com) ....... 058 35 87 897 TRAIN Trenitalia (www.trenitalia.com) ......... 89 20 21 Italo (www.italotreno.it/en) ............... 06 07 08 TAXI Radio Taxi Firenze .............................. 055 42 42
Museums & Galleries Accademia Gallery* Alinari National Photography Museum* Bargello National Museum* Bigallo Museum* Cathedral Museum (Museo dell’Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore)* Costume Gallery (Palazzo Pitti)* Dante House Museum* Galileo Museum * Horne Foundation Museum * Jewish Museum* Michelangelo’s House (Casa Buonarroti)* MUDI Children’s Museum Museum & Florentine Institute of Prehistory Museum of Natural History sections: Anthropology & Ethnology* Geology & Paleontology* Minerology & Lithology* Zoology ‘La Specola’* National Archaeological Museum* Orsanmichele* Palatine Gallery (Palazzo Pitti)* Palazzo Davanzati* Palazzo Medici-Riccardi* Palazzo Pitti* Palazzo Strozzi* Palazzo Vecchio* Porcelain Museum* Science & Technical Foundation* Uffizi Gallery* Vasari Corridor
Religious Sites Baptistry of San Giovanni* Brancacci Chapel* Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore (Duomo) ‘Dante’s church’ (Santa Margherita de’ Cerchi) Jewish Synagogue* Medici Chapel* Ognissanti San Lorenzo San Marco* Santa Croce* Santa Felicità Santa Maria Novella* Santissima Annunziata Santo Spirito
Gardens Boboli Gardens* Botanic Gardens* Rose Gardens
Key Sites Forte Belvedere Giotto’s bell tower (campanile)* Piazza della Repubblica Piazza della Signoria Piazzale Michelangelo Piazza San Giovanni Ponte Vecchio S.M.N. train station (*) included in the FIRENZE CARD. See www.fi renzecard.it for more information.
Markets ANTIQUES Borgo Allegri, Via dell’Agnolo, Piazza dei Ciompi, Via Martiri del Popolo Last Sunday of each month (except July): 8:30 a.m.–7:30 p.m. CENTRAL MARKET Fresh produce, local and Italian food products. Via dell’Ariento Monday–Friday: 7 a.m.– 2 p.m. ; Sat: 7 a.m.–5 p.m. July and August: Monday–Saturday: 7 a.m.–2 p.m. CASCINE PARK Food products, clothing, antiques and homewares. Viale Lincoln, Viale Lecci, Piazzale J. F. Kennedy Every Tuesday: 8 a.m.–2 p.m. FLEA MARKET Piazza dei Ciompi Daily: 9 a.m.–7:30 p.m. FLOWERS & PLANTS Via Pellicceria (under the loggia) Every Thursday (except public holidays): 8 a.m.–2 p.m. PORCELLINO Clothing, textiles, Florentine straw products, leather and souvenirs. Piazza del Mercato Nuovo, Via Porta Rossa Daily: 9 a.m.–7:30 p.m. SAN LORENZO Leather goods (bags, shoes, clothing) and souvenirs. Piazza San Lorenzo and neighboring streets Daily: 9 a.m.–7:30 p.m.
SANT’AMBROGIO Fresh produce, flowers, clothes and homewares. Piazza Ghiberti Indoor market: Monday, Tuesday & Thursday: 7:30 a.m.–2 p.m.; Wednesday & Friday: 7:30 a.m.–7 p.m.; Saturday: 7:30 a.m.–5 p.m. Outdoor market: Monday–Saturday: 8 a.m.–2 p.m. SANTO SPIRITO Piazza Santo Spirito Fresh produce: Monday–Saturday: 8 a.m.–2 p.m. Handicrafts & antiques: 2nd Sunday of each month (except July & August): 9 a.m.–7 p.m. Organic produce: 3rd Sun of each month (except August): 9 a.m.–7 p.m.
Shuttle Service - Florence Airport From Florence S.M.N. train station to Florence Airport (Peretola): Every hour and half-hour from 5:30 a.m. till 11 p.m. Bus stop located outside train station near taxi stand. From Florence Airport to Florence S.M.N train station: Every hour and half-hour from 6a.m. till 11.30p.m. ‘Vola in Bus’ ATAF/SITA service .... 800 42 45 00 www.ataf.net Florence Airport ............................ 055 30 61 300 (Peretola) www.aeroporto.firenze.it/en Pisa International Airport ............. 050 84 93 00 (Galileo Galilei) www.pisa-airport.com
Taxi discount for women Florence’s taxi service offers a 10 percent discount for women travelling home alone from the city center. The discount is valid between 9 p.m.–2 a.m. but you must remember to ask for it! Call a taxi on one of the following numbers: 055 42 42 // 055 43 90 055 47 98 // 055 44 99
Il Cencio Unto
STUZZICHERIA LETIZIA
TUSCAN COLD CUTS AND FRESH SANDWICHES
SPECIALTIES: VEGAN & VEGETARIAN
Located in Via de’ Cerchi, Il Cencio Unto is the place where you can taste various typical Tuscan cold cuts and tasting plates. Il Cencio Unto is very selective in its choice of products and offers fresh ingredients, made-to-order dishes with delicious toppings, and a wide selection of wines.
Open daily: 10-12 a.m. Specialty:
Step into Stuzzicheria Letizia for a mouth-watering panino con porchetta: whole suckling pig slow-roasted in a wood-fired oven for at least six hours and served on a fresh bread roll. Named for its range of light meals and freshly made snacks (stuzzichini), such as sandwiches, pasta, omelets and rice-filled arancini, Stuzzicheria Letizia also offers traditional Florentine dishes that change daily, where you can enjoy a starter or main with a glass of wine for only €4.90.
COCCOLI
Via de’ Cerchi, 25/r 055 21 99 90 info@ilcenciounto.it www.ilcenciounto.it
Via de’ Neri, 18 055 26 70 481 tittil@live.it
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FLORENCE NEWS & EVENTS APRIL 2014 NO. 6
CITY INFO Opening Times BAPTISTRY OF SAN GIOVANNI* Piazza San Giovanni 055 23 02 885 Mon–Sat: 11:15 a.m.–7 p.m.; Sun and 1st Sat of every month: 8:30 a.m.–2 p.m. July 4– Sept 28: Thurs–Sat: 11:15 a.m.–11 p.m. Easter Week (Thurs, Fri, Sat before Easter & Easter Mon), April 25 & May 1: 8:30 a.m.–7 p.m. Closed Jan 1, Easter Sunday, Sept 8, Dec 24 & 25. BOBOLI GARDENS* 055 23 88 786 March Daily: 8:15 a.m.–5:30 p.m. (6:30 p.m. with daylight saving) April–May & Sept–Oct Daily: 8:15 a.m.–6:30 p.m. (5:30 p.m. with standard time) June–Aug Daily: 8:15 a.m.–7:30 p.m. Nov–Feb Daily: 8:15 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Closed 1st and last Mon of each month; Jan 1, May 1 & Dec 25. CATHEDRAL CUPOLA* Piazza del Duomo 055 23 02 885 Mon–Fri: 8:30 a.m.–7 p.m.; Sat: 8:30 a.m.–5:40 p.m. Closed Sun; Jan 1; Jan 6; Thurs–Fri– Sat before Easter; Easter; June 24; Aug 15; Sept 8; Nov 1; Dec 8; Mon & Tues of the first week of Advent; Dec 25 & 26. Note: 463 stairs by foot only, no lift. GIOTTO’S BELL TOWER* Piazza del Duomo 055 23 02 885 Daily: 8:30 a.m.–7:30 p.m.; January 6: 8:30 a.m.–2 p.m. Closed Jan 1, Easter, Sept 8 & Dec 25. Note: 414 stairs by foot only, no lift VASARI CORRIDOR Piazzale degli Uffizi, 6 055 29 48 83 Available to private groups only: contact Uffizi Gallery for information. MUSEUMS ACCADEMIA GALLERY* Via Ricasoli, 58/60 055 23 88 612 Tues–Sun: 8:15 a.m.–6:50 p.m. Closed Mon, Jan 1, May 1 & Dec 25. PALAZZO MEDICI-RICCARDI*
Via Cavour, 3 055 27 60 340 Mon–Tues & Thurs–Sun: 9 a.m.–6 p.m. Closed Wed. BARGELLO NATIONAL MUSEUM* Via del Proconsolo, 4 055 23 88 606 Daily: 8:15 a.m.–1.50 p.m. Closed 1st, 3rd & 5th Sun and 2nd & 4th Mon of each month; Jan 1 & Dec 25. CATHEDRAL MUSEUM (Museo dell’Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore)* Piazza del Duomo, 9 055 23 02 885 Mon–Sat: 9 a.m.–7:30 p.m.; Sun: 9 a.m.–1:45 p.m. Closed Jan 1, Easter, Sept 8 & Dec 25. DANTE HOUSE MUSEUM * Via Santa Margherita, 1 055 21 94 16 April–Sept Daily: 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Oct–March Tues–Sun: 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Closed Mon (Oct 1–March 31), Dec 24 & 25. GALILEO MUSEUM * Piazza dei Giudici, 1 055 26 53 11 Mon & Wed–Sun: 9:30 a.m.–6 p.m.; Tues: 9:30 a.m.–1 p.m. Closed Jan 1 & Dec 25. JEWISH MUSEUM * Via Farini, 6 055 23 46 654 June–Sept: Mon–Thurs & Sun: 10 a.m.–6:30 p.m.; Fri: 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Oct–May: Mon–Thurs & Sun: 10 a.m.–5:30 p.m.; Fri: 10 a.m.–3 p.m. Closed Sat, Jan 1, Dec 25 & Jewish holidays. MICHELANGELO’S HOUSE (Casa Buonarroti)* Via Ghibellina, 70 055 24 17 52 Mon & Wed–Sun: 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Closed Tues, Jan 1, Easter & Dec 25. NATIONAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM* Piazza Santissima Annunziata, 9b 055 23 57 720 / 23 575 Tues–Fri: 8:30 a.m.–7 p.m. Sat–Mon: 8:30 a.m.–2 p.m.
Closed Jan 1 & Dec 25. PALAZZO DAVANZATI * Via Porta Rossa, 13 055 23 88 610 Daily: 8:15–1:30 p.m. Closed 2nd & 4th Sun, and 1st, 3rd & 5th Mon of the month; Jan 1, May 1, Dec 25. PALAZZO PITTI* Piazza Pitti, 1 Palatine Gallery 055 23 88 614 Tues–Sun: 8:15 a.m.–6:50 p.m. Royal Apartments closed every year during Jan for maintenance. Closed Mon, Jan 1, May 1 & Dec 25. COSTUME GALLERY 055 23 88 801 / 23 88 713 March Daily: 8:15 a.m.–5:30 p.m. (6:30 p.m. with daylight saving) April–May & Sept–Oct Daily: 8:15 a.m.–6:30 p.m. (5:30 p.m. with standard time) June–Aug Daily: 8:15 a.m.–6:30 p.m. Nov–Feb Daily: 8:15 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Closed 1st and last Mon of each month; Jan 1, May 1 & Dec 25. GALLERY OF MODERN ART 055 2388601 Tues–Sun: 8:15 a.m.–6:50 p.m. Closed Mon, Jan 1, May 1 & Dec 25. SILVERWARE MUSEUM (Museo degli Argenti) Piazza Pitti, 1 055 2388709 March Daily: 8:15 a.m.–5:30 p.m. (6:30 p.m. with daylight saving) April–May & Sept–Oct Daily: 8:15 a.m.–6:30 p.m. (5:30 p.m. with standard time) June–Aug Daily: 8:15 a.m.–6:30 p.m. Nov–Feb Daily: 8:15 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Closed 1st and last Mon of each month; Jan 1, May 1 & Dec 25. PORCELAIN MUSEUM 055 2388709 March Daily: 8:15 a.m.–5:15 p.m. (6:15 p.m. with daylight saving) April–May & Sept–Oct Daily: 8:15 a.m.–6:15 p.m. (5:15 p.m. with standard time) June–Aug Daily: 8:15 a.m.–6:15 p.m. Nov–Feb Daily: 8:15 a.m.–4:15 p.m. Closed 1st and last Mon of each month; Jan 1, May 1 & Dec 25.
Sixty museums in 72 hours with the Firenze Card Become a Friend of the Uffizi For €40 for youth under 25, €60 for an adult and €100 for a family (two adults and two children), the card offers a calendar year’s worth of free privileged entrance to the following museums: Uffizi Gallery Accademia Gallery The Pitti Palace The Palatine Gallery & Royal Apartments The Gallery of Modern Art The Costume Gallery The Medici Treasury The Porcelain Museum The Boboli Gardens The Bardini Gardens Bargello National Museum Museum of the Medici Chapels Museum of Palazzo Davanzati Museum of San Marco Garden of the Medici Villa of Castello Medici Villa of Petraia Medici Villa of Poggio a Caiano Medici Villa of Cerreto Guidi & Historical Hunting and Territorial Museum Cenacolo of Ognissanti Cenacolo of Andrea del Sarto Cenacolo of Fuligno Cenacolo of Sant’Apollonia Cloister of the Scalzo www.amicidegliuffizi.it
The Firenze Card is your one-stop pass to the museums, churches and gardens of Florence. For €72 it offers: • 72 hours of free access to 60 of Florence’s most popular and important museums, churches and gardens, including current exhibitions, permanent collections and museum activities; • Free use of public transport within Florence; • Immediate access to busy museums – skip long queues and pre-booking; • Your choice of start date: the clock doesn’t start ticking until you enter your first museum; • Dedicated smartphone application to help find the museums, access free wi-fi and give you updated information on exhibits and events; • Though the card can only be used once in each museum by one person, it also allows free entrance for EU citizens under 18 who are members of the same family unit of the cardholder. See the website for full details: www.firenzecard.it
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FLORENCE NEWS & EVENTS APRIL 2014 NO. 6
LIFE
Salamanca Offers Salsa Lessons on Wednesdays Salamanca is adding another ingre- and Bachata. As members of the asdient to its menu, a Salsa dancing sociations, students enrolled in the school. Located at Via Ghibellina lessons pay €20 for 10 lessons, and 80/r, Salamanca offers Salsa dancing classes are offered from 8:15 to 9:15 lessons every Wednesday. and 9:15 to 10:15 every Wednesday The project is a collaboration orga- evening. Space is limited and interest nized by two non-profit organiza- high (over 60 students expressed intions: ISF, or International Students terest on the school’s Facebook page), of Florence, which specializes in so be sure to sign up soon! providing services for exchange stu- After class each Wednesday Salamandents; and St. Alma Sabrosa, a cultur- ca hosts Latin night, where dance stual association that organizes profes- dents can practice their moves with sional dance courses, including Salsa others.
Orata all’Isolana: A Tuscan Seafood Specialty Da Que’ Ganzi, located at Via Ghibellina 70/r, is known to many as “the restaurant of the Florentines.” One recognized specialty at Ganzi is their Orata all’Isolana, or baked sea bass made “in the island style.” To prepare this delicious dish, first the chef cleans the entire sea bass and puts it in a large pan along with sliced potatoes, tomatoes, onion, olives, capers,
salt, pepper, and white wine. The pan with all of the ingredients goes into the oven for about 45 minutes, or until the white wine evaporates. In the last two minutes of cooking, the chef adds hot water and fresh parsley to the pan. The Orata all’Isolana is then ready to be served at the table where the waiter will filet it. All that is left is for the customer to enjoy it!
A Bit of Venice Near Santa Croce
Murano glass and carnevale mask of products starting at merely €5, acenthusiasts need not travel to Venice cording to owner Paola. for quality souvenir items. Alvise Gi- Alvise Giustinian’s spacious space ustinian, located at Corso dei Tintori, allows for an abundant selection of 19 (near Santa Croce) is a gift and art gifts and a comfortable shopping exstore specializing in Murano-made perience. Paola’s customers tell her items and that guarantees the sale that prices in this beautiful, museof purely Murano products, with um-like shop are lower than those in no importation. Products include Venice. If you’re in Florence but lookmasks, jewelry, and glass objects for ing for classic Venetian crafts such as the home. Jewelry has proven to be paper-mache masks and handmade the shop’s most popular item, due to glass, then Alvise Giustinian is a the ease of transport and availability store worth a visit.
Dine with Dante
Named after Dante Alighieri’s most famous work, The Divine Comedy, this homely, rustic restaurant fittingly lies on Via dei Cimatori, only a few meters away from Dante’s House. The venue prides itself on its innovative and creative idea of preparing solely traditional dishes based on medieval recipes. Some are adapted and revisited for the modern age but in a way that one maintains the omnipresent feeling of Florentine history and tradition – so much so that Dante himself could walk in and dine next to you. As a matter of fact, this is a regular occurrence at Taverna La Divina Commedia, as the venue regularly hosts recitals from Dante’s great work by professional costumed performers. Traditional medieval-style dishes include home-made ribbon pasta with wild boar and mushroom sauce, roast shin of pork with new potatoes and
seasonal vegetables, risotto inspired by medieval Tuscan flavors, and tasting plates of assorted cheeses accompanied with fresh fruit and jams, including the taverna’s specialty hot red pepper jam. Also serving as a wine bar and pizzeria, the restaurant offers an eclectic selection of wines from its cellar, an outdoor summer terrace, and is fittingly decorated in a medieval style with armour and banners – and, of course, a mandatory bust of Dante himself.
Taverna la Divina Commedia Via dei Cimatori, 7/r 055 21 53 69 Open daily: 11.30 a.m.–12.30 a.m.
BHC Hosts Craft Brewers on April 15 Beer House Club, located at Corso dei Tintori, 34/r, will host the artisanal beer maker Montegioco on April 15. Montegioco will specially deliver kegs of their craft brews for the occasion, travelling from the Tortona area, near Alessandria in the Italian region of Piedmont. Montegioco brewers produce more than 20 labels, many of which are seasonal, including blondes, wheat beers, white, bitters, and stouts. Pizza, sandwiches, and other snacks are available at Beer House Club to accompany your craft brew. The event kicks off in the early evening.
Pour Wine at Il Santo Vino KATHLEEN CULLITON Vino da tavola, or table wine, is a basic wine served with food. These wines vary by region but what all table wines have in common is their low price. Since they are made from inferior grapes and not destined for barrels, these fresh wines are inexpensive to produce and purchase. But this does not mean they are not worthy of respect. Bring your bottle to be filled for less than €1.50 to Borgo Tegolaio, 46/r, straight from the barrels of Il Santo Vino. Here patrons can choose from a wide range of Italian wine in bottles or barrels sourced throughout Tuscany and Italy, as well as spirits and digestives. Il Santo Vino also provides
a home-delivery service alongside selected local specialty and organic products, such as truffled goods, honey, jam, coffee and a variety of Sicilian spreads. I have spent some time getting to know Italy’s table wine culture, with very satisfying results. Fattoria San Fabiano is a vineyard near my old residence owned by a local duke who makes his own wine. It was at here I bought my first cinque litri (about a gallon) jug of vino sfuso. I discovered that vino sfuso, or bulk wine, is economic and enjoyable. In the stockroom of Fattoria San Fabiano, I gave my empty gallon jug (borrowed from my school) to a man loading boxes of wine onto a truck. He led me inside the back room of the
farm to an enormous metal tank; set up with the pump, hose, and scale. I watched in awe as he fit the nozzle to my jug and Chianti came gushing out of the tap. The gallon cost six euro; I threw a party and had an amazing night. Some local enotecas offer vino sfuso. Look for sign in the window or take a quick look inside: it comes in vats that look like two-feet-tall Chianti bottles. The wine’s name, region, and alcohol content should visibly written near the containers. Di Vino on Via Taddea and Enoteca Bacco Nudo on Via de’ Macci are two sure places to find Italian “wine on tap.” www.ilsantovino.jimdo.com mariella.croda@yahoo.it Skype: ilsantovino
HAIRDRESSER AND BEAUTY SERVICES Located in the central area of Sant’Ambrogio in Santa Croce, Alchimia offers a variety of women’s hair and beauty services using the finest brands. Services include: • • • • • • • • •
Haircuts Long-length extensions Keratin reconstruction Paul Mitchell product retailer Shellac reconstruction and permanent enamel Waxing Massage (healing and relaxation) Custom make-up Cut, color and highlight
9 a.m.– 7.30 p.m. Via dell’Agnolo, 47–49–51/r 055 24 16 04 www.alchimia-hairdesign.com
Spanish Restaurant Mexican Grill Latin Disco Bar
Tues.: Latin Disco Wed.: Live music with Mambokids Latin band Thurs.: International Student Night Fri. & Sat.: Latin Disco Bar
Via Ghibellina, 80/r 055 23 45 452 www.salamanca.it
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FLORENCE NEWS & EVENTS APRIL 2014 NO. 6
SAN GIMIGNANO
Michelle’s Gelato
The Origins Between History and Legend
According to legend, San Gimignano The town is famous for its towers, was founded by two young patrician once numbering 72, of which today brothers who escaped from Rome and only 13 remain. built the town’s first two castles in 63 Around the first half of the 14th cenB.C.: the Castle of Mucchio and the tury, the commune of San Gimignano Castle of Silvia would later become ceded to Florence and experienced a the groundwork of San Gimignano. drastic depopulation and economic The town grew principally in the first decline. three centuries of the Millennium, Towers fell down or were torn down, with a geographical position com- palaces damaged, and subsequently prised of hills, valleys, and streams San Gimignano fell into a period of that was extremely advantageous to historical inactivity. The historical inhabitants. center therefore remained virtually Like many medieval towns, San untouched during the period of gothGimignano developed around the pil- ic renovation. grimage route from France to Rome, Since the 15th century, a few modern known as the Via Francigena. renovations have taken place, in-
Dondoli creates new flavor in honor of America’s First Lady
cluding the Rocca di Montestaffoli, a fortress built by the Florentines for defense against Siena. San Gimignano benefited from reforms in the 18th century. Agriculture expanded, the population began to rise, and the historical center experienced an incredible revival in the rediscovery of the Middle Ages. Several buildings were repaired and renovated, followed by exponential growth in cultural tourism. Today the “town of towers” attracts millions of visitors yearly, is home to 8,000 inhabitants, and enjoys prosperous agricultural and agro-touristic activities.
Last month President Obama and his family visited the Netherlands, Belgium, and Italy. In honor of the visit, the Gelateria Dondoli of San Gimignano created a special new flavor of gelato: Michelle. The gelato ‘Michelle’ is a mix of four distinctive ingredients: almond from Avola in Sicily, bitter orange peel, orange and honey syrup, and saffron cantuccini (with Italy’s only D.O.P. certified saffron). When asked why he chose these particular flavors, Sergio Dondoli said the ingredients were dictated by a choice of the principal raw materials of Italy. Gelateria Dondoli is known worldwide and frequently visited by celebrities. Sergio, the master gelato maker and creator of the Michelle gelato flavor, is also known for several past creations, such as Crema di Santa Fina, Champelmo, Dolceamaro, and Vernaccia Sorbet. The European visit was busy for the Obamas—it focused on nuclear security and a first-time meeting
with the pope, but took on new urgency as international allies sought responses to Russia’s movement into Ukraine—and although they couldn’t carve out time to taste the dedicated flavor, visitors to San Gimignano can try Gelateria Dondoli’s charming new flavor created just for the Obamas.
Gelato World Champion 2006/2007 - 2008/2009
1
°
SAN GIMIGNANO Piazza della Cisterna, 4 - 0577 942 244 - www.gelateriadondoli.com
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FLORENCE NEWS & EVENTS APRIL 2014 NO. 6
SAN GIMIGNANO
Two Ways to Experience San Gimignano on Foot
AVANI KAPUR Walk the city walls. Take a step back in time by walking along the city perimeter. Some 2,176 meters in length, the second circle of San Gimignano’s walls are remnants of the 13th century. Along the walk enjoy the scenic hills of the Elsa Valley surrounding the city as well as other landmarks like the main access gates to the town: Porta San Giovanni, Porta Quercecchio, Porta San Matteo, Porta San Jacopo and Porta delle Fonti. Located a short distance downhill from Porta delle Fonti are the public fountains from which the gate takes its name. According to legend, the local people prayed to St. Geminiano, the bishop of Modena, when the town was under threat of invasion by barbarians. St.
Geminiano miraculously appeared after his death on the Porta delle Fonti and saved the town. This walking tour can start from multiple access points both inside and outside of the town. Walk a portion of the ancient Via Francigena. The ancient road known as Via Francigena was used throughout the Middle Ages by pilgrims headed to Rome from the North, particularly from France. Nearly 400 kilometers of the Via pass through Tuscany, accounting in part for the development of a number of the region’s historic settlements and trade and religious centers. Today, tourists and history buffs can enjoy the Via Francigena by following one or all of the 15 Tuscan legs, beginning with the journey from Passo della Cisa to
Pontremoli and ending with another from Radicofani to Acquapendente. First documented as the Lombard Way and then the Frankish Route in 725, according to the travel records of Willibald, Bishop of Eichstätt in Bavaria, the route was named Via Francigena in 876, given its crossing with French territories (Francia, in Italian) at the Abbey of San Salvatore al Monte Amiata in Tuscany. In addition to the natural beauty of the countryside, along each trail centuries-old churches and fortresses give visitors a feel for what the pilgrimage of centuries past was really like. The Via passes through San Gimignano and its Fortress of Montestaffoli. Originally a castle for the Lombard Astolfo and later a Dominican Convent, the fortress took on a defensive role in the 14th century against the threat of attack from Siena. The Via Francigena’s appeal to modern “pilgrims” extends beyond scenic Tuscany. Next year, the Council of Europe’s Cultural Routes, St. Olav Ways and the Via Francigena network will bring together today’s pilgrims who wish to walk along the famous roads. The initiative is set to begin at the Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim, Norway and continue for over 3,000 kilometers to Rome before moving on to Jerusalem. To get to Rome, at a pace of 20 kilometers per day, participants will need about five months; however, the program’s aim is focused less on the long journey and more on the gathering of pilgrims from different countries. Walkers from countries such as Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Austria and Italy are expected to join. For more information visit www. viefrancigene.org
A Guide to Select Sites of San Gimignano Information Courtesy of the Pro Loco Association of San Gimignano – Tourist Information Office www.sangimignano.com PODESTA’S PALACE, TOWER, AND ART COLLECTION Piazza Duomo, 2; Tel: 0577 990 312 Entrance: €5; children between 6 and 17 €5; free entrance to children under 6; combined ticket good for all civic museums €7.50 March: daily 11 a.m.- 5:30: after April 1: 9:30 a.m. -7 p.m. THE COLLEGIATE CHURCH OF SANTA MARIA ASSUNTA (DUOMO) Piazza del Duomo; Tel: 0577 940 152; email: prenotazioni@duomosangimignano.it Entrance: €4; Combined ticket with the Sacred Art Museum: €6 March: Mon to Sat: 10 a.m.-4:40 p.m.; Sun/Holidays: 12:30 p.m.-4:40 p.m. (Apr-Oct) Mon to Fri: 10 a.m-7 p.m.; Sat: 10 a.m - 5 p.m.; Sun/Holidays: 12:30 p.m. - 7 p.m. SAN GIMIGNANO MUSEUM 1300 Centro per le Arti, Via San Giovanni, 50/Via Berignano, 23 Tel: 327 43 95 165; email: info@ sangimignano1300.com Entrance €3; children under 10 free Daily 10 a.m.-7 p.m. ARCHEOLOGICAL MUSEUM - SANTA FINA HERBARIUM - MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY ART GALLERY Via Folgore, 1; Tel: 0577 940348; prenotazioni@sangimignanomusei.it March: 11 a.m.-5:30p.m. After April 1: 9:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Entrance € 3.50; € 2.50 for children between 6 and 17; children under 6 free; combined ticket with all civic museums €7.50
Entrance: €8; children and students € 5.50; groups €4 daily 10 a.m.-7 p.m. WINE MUSEUM Tel. 0577 941 267 free admission 11:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m. ROCCA DI MONTESTAFFOLI Climb the remains of an ancient fortress turret for stunning views of the area Free (outdoors) PIAZZA DELLA CISTERNA San Gimignano’s medieval water well gives its name to this piazza Free (outdoors) ANCIENT CITY WALLS Walk along the 13th-century walls with 15th-century Medicean bastions Free (outdoors) ORNITHOLOGICAL MUSEUM Located inside the church of San Francesco on Via Quercecchio Tel. 0577 941 388; email: info@ sangimignano.com After April 1: 11 a.m.-5:30p.m. Entrance €1.50 CHURCH OF SANT’AGOSTINO Near Porta St. Matteo on Via Cellolese Until April 1: Mon 4 p.m.– 6 p.m.; Tues-Sun 10a.m.-12p.m./3 p.m.-6 p.m. HOUSE OF ST. FINA Via del Castello FORMER PODESTA’S PALACE AND ROGNOSA TOWER Piazza del Duomo
TORTURE INSTRUMENTS MUSEUM Piazza della Cisterna; Tel: 0577 942 243; email: museosrl@alice.it
GALLERIA GALLERIA SAN GIMIGNANO
GALLERIA GALLERIA GALLERIA GALLERIA GALLERIA
UNIQUE JEWELRY CREATIONS ANTIQUES & ETHNIC ITEMS SCULPTURES & PAINTINGS FASHION ACCESSORIES DESIGN & CERAMICS
BAR GELATERIA COMBATTENTI
A. VIA DEL CASTELLO 4 - SAN GIMIGNANO (SI) T. +39 0577 941626 W. WWW.GALLERIA-J.COM
ENOTECA CORSI
THE BAR STARTED BY A WWI FIGHTER
TYPICAL TUSCAN PRODUCTS
Located just inside Porta San Giovanni, bar and gelateria Caffé Combattenti serves artisan-quality, homemade Tuscan ice-creams and products. The first gelateria established in town, since 1924 the Bar Combattenti offers saffron and lively wine-flavored gelatos next to traditionally prepared bruschetta, pizza, panini, and pasta, as well as Tuscan salami and pecorino cheeses. Also available are classic Tuscan treats such as ricciarelli and cantucci, grappa, extra virgin olive oil, and local truffle products, as well as gluten-free products.
With more than 600 wines including Brunello, Vernaccia, Bolgheri and Chianti, as well as extra virgin olive oil, flavored oil, balsamic vinegar and much more, Enoteca Corsi is an ideal stop for authentic Tuscan products. Enoteca Corsi offers traditional sweets such as panforte, ricciarelli, home-made Cantuccini biscuits and other delicacies such as marmalades, honey, sauces and Tartufi (or Italian truffles). It also has the only DOP saffron in Italy.
Via San Giovanni, 124 San Gimignano 0577 940 391 328 06 07 267 barcombattenti@libero.it
Via San Giovanni (near the door of San Giovanni) San Gimignano 328 06 07 267
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FLORENCE NEWS & EVENTS APRIL 2014 NO. 6
MUSIC
Porto di Mare – Eskimo Bridging cultures through live music at the club where all musicians meet
IVANA SCATOLA As with any port, Porto di Mare – Eskimo is synonymous with exchange, correspondence, and coming and going. Anyone is welcomed through the doors of this club, which also hosts a pizzeria and cafè. Its focus on live music and cultural exchange is one that the man who started the club, Francesco Cofone, holds close to his heart: “We never play anything recorded here,” he says with a smile. The method of bridging cultures at Porto di Mare is just getting out an instrument and beginning to play. “I’d be keen to talk to anyone who is interested in playing and sharing their music with us,” Francesco says. The club has also created its own big band, the Eskimo Jazz Orchestra. An
all-star Tuscan jazz band born under the initiative of Francesco, it includes some of the biggest and respected names on the jazz scene amongst its members. These include trumpeter and band conductor Fabio Morgera, who played under legendary American jazz cornetist, composer and conductor Butch Morris for 30 years in New York; Dario Cecchini, sax and leader of Italian marching band Funk Off; trumpeter Luca Marianini; trombone player Stefano Scalzi and guitarist Riccardo Onori, who both played alongside renowned Italian singer-songwriter and rapper Jovanotti; percussionists Walter Paoli, ex-member of 1970s Italian jazz, progressive rock and electronic group Area, and Piero Borri; clarinet player Nico Gori; and guitarists Paolo Conte, Ivano Fossati and Riccardo Galardini
– to name just (a little more than) a few. The band’s genre has evolved from classical music to a looser, improvised style: “Morris’s idea was to dissolve any sort of ‘formation’ in the orchestra, and for this reason, conducting isn’t undertaken in one style but acts more like a tool for endless different styles,” Fabio Morgera explains. “I conduct a group of musicians but they have complete freedom of the choice of notes; it’s an exchange between us. There’s no rigid music score to follow … In this way, it’s possible to create music together that has an organic quality.” The band performs live at the venue every month, and has already had many requests from specialized magazines to festival directors. Porto di Mare – Eskimo therefore not
only offers locals and outsiders the opportunity to immerse themselves in and contribute to the local music scene, but also to witness the emergence of Florence as host to a new style of jazz.
Contact Francesco Porto di Mare – Eskimo Via Pisana, 128 055 71 20 34 portodimareeskimo@gmail.com
Weekly Live Music Calendar Tuesday: Jazz Open Mic & Workshop Wednesday: Bog & Kate Live (Ft. Guests) Thursday: Rock Night Friday: Italian Southen Music Live Saturday: Francesco Cofone (Ft. Guests) Sunday: Folk, Rock & Blues
Eskimo: the club for traditional Italian music Born from the fusion of two former jazz venues, This is indeed the place where Italian songwritEskimo and Jazz Club, Eskimo is a club-cafè ers typically perform in a very relaxed and welthat during the day is lived as a bookstore – the coming atmosphere, which is not always easy perfect place to find second-hand books – as to find in the foreign-dominated venues of Florwell as a library where people meet to hang out ence’s city center. in the afternoon. Manager Sara Bonomo hopes that Eskimo will At night, the club becomes the stage where become “a theatrical workshop and a venue young Italian musician perform, often jamming open to other types of arts, not just music – and together. The traditional Italian music that is focusing on bringing together a foreign audiplayed in this club ranges from songwriters to ence, tourists, apericena [aperitivo dinner] and typical musical expressions from southern Italy jazz.” such as the tarantella and others. Occasionally In the small stage of this club some of the most live jazz is played too. famous Italian singers and musicians have apEskimo is the perfect club where non-Italian peared when looking for a more intimate apmusicians or non-Italian music aficionados can proach with the public, far from the sports hall meet their Italian counterpart. It gives artists where they usually perform. This is why Eskimo from all over the world the opportunity to take is not just a bar but rather an ‘atmosphere’ perthe stage in a familiar environment, where they fect to chill out in, far from the formality of the can blend ideas and showcase their talents. city center’s nightlife.
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FLORENCE NEWS & EVENTS APRIL 2014 NO. 6
MUSIC & ENTARTAINMENT
Pinocchio Live Jazz Closes the Season with Drew Gress The 20th edition of Pinocchio Live Jazz is closing the season with a concert worthy of five stars: a quintet of contemporary American jazz giants led by bassist and composer Drew Gress, with collaborations including Uri Caine, John Abercrombie, Don Byron, Fred Hersch, Ravi Coltrane. The music of Gress’s 7 Black Butterflies album has been described as a mix of deep lyrical sense and relentless rhythmic energy, focusing on the dialectical relationship between compositional and improvisational freedom, a cornerstone of the best contemporary jazz. Gress’s music also comes
The Story of Florence’s Oldest Music Production Company
from the special kinship among the quintet’s members, who, in addition to this long-lived project, have worked together for many years, each with their own distinct personality.
Pinocchio Live Jazz Friday, April 4 at 9:45 p.m. Ticket Price: € 13 / € 10 reduced for students Entry Restricted to Private Members and ARCI/UISP Viale Giannotti, 13 info@pinocchiojazz.it
THE BAR YOUR MOM WARNED YOU ABOUT The newly reopened Jack is ready to rock ‘n’ roll! Come by for lunch or dinner and try the revamped menu featuring traditional Italian food and American staples. Enjoy live music, DJ sets and the costume parties that Jack has become famous for, as well as two HD screens showcasing special sporting events. If all that Italian espresso just isn’t hitting the mark, drop by One-Eyed Jack’s to enjoy American coffee with a free refill between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. Free wifi is also available.
Open Daily: 11–2 a.m.
Piazza Nazario Sauro, 2/r 055 09 44 561 www.thejackpub.com
LARA MAY Stepping into Data Records 93 on Via de’ Neri feels a little like being transported to another age, with its pinkand-purple psychedelic interior and thousands of CDs and vinyl records lining the walls. It’s hard to imagine that it is 2013 when browsing the classics from the ‘80s and ‘90s with the Beatles playing in the background. And yet this shop is not an outdated throwback from decades past but a unique phenomenon that attracts music lovers from all over the globe, interested in its vast collection of music, which is fully up to date and even includes vinyls of recent releases. The shop has a rich history of involvement in the music industry, which explains its success and reputation as an exceptional musical destination. Data Records 93 was founded in 1977 on Via Verdi by Giampiero Barlotti, and was originally called Contempo Records, a name that reflected Barlotti’s desire to supply new music not available in Italy at the time. Indeed, in the 1970s Contempo gained a reputation for being cutting-edge, a char-
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acteristic for which it is still known. Initially the shop focused mainly on the punk trend of the late 1970s, but over time it came to incorporate new wave, electronic music and other progressive styles, attracting visitors from all over Italy looking for the latest releases by new bands. In fact, the shop became so popular that in 1982 it was moved to a larger location to accommodate more music and more visitors. Building on the relationships it had cultivated with up-and-coming bands, Contempo began a record label in 1982, and in the 1980s produced a number of New Wave records, the first of which was Altrove, by the Italian cult band Diaframma, in 1983. Over time, Contempo became an international label, and managed such bands as Florence’s LITFIBA, Clock DVA, Christian Death and the Pixies. With such a history of musical expertise, it is unsurprising that today the shop remains a haven for music lovers and collectors of rare records alike. Its collection of valuable and eclectic records means that Data Records 93 ships all over the world, and
receives visits from DJs from Milan, Paris and London, all looking for uncommon records and enticed by this small shop’s impressive reputation and vast collection. Indeed, the shop holds a number of rare and valuable vinyls, such as first pressings of the Beatles and Pink Floyd, which can be sold for up to €500. One particular record, a Beatles album called Yesterday and Today is valued at €1500 or more because of its controversial original front cover featuring the band dressed in white smocks and covered with decapitated baby dolls and pieces of meat. A new cover was issued, but some of these new covers were simply glued on top of the original releases, and in subsequent years the glue peeled off to reveal the original cover beneath. Tucked away on Via de Neri, Data Records 93 is a the perfect spot for those looking for musical aficionados, those looking for a different take on current music or those looking for a nostalgic ‘70s throwback experience. Even if you are just looking to escape the hustle and bustle of Florence, you will not be disappointed.
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FLORENCE NEWS & EVENTS APRIL 2014 NO. 6
EVENTS www.unannoadarte.it
Exhibitions
MARCELLO REBOANI LADIES FOR HUMAN RIGHTS Until April 6 RFK Center Europe, Le Murate Via Ghibellina, 12/a 055 53 89 250 Mon. to Fri.: 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. / 2:30-6:30 p.m. www.rfkennedyeurope.org
HORNE & FRIENDS. FLORENCE A DREAM TO BE SAVED Until April 7 Horne Museum Via dei Benci, 6 055 24 46 61 Mon. to Sat.: 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Closed Sundays and Holidays www.museohorne.it
THE SILENCE OF THE DESERT. PHOTOGRAPHIC EXHIBITION BY ROBERTO GHEDINA Until April 12 Florence National Library Piazza Dei Cavalleggeri, 1 055 24 91 9201 / 055 24 91 9257 Mon. to Fri.: 10 a.m.-1 p.m. / 3-6 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Closed on Sundays and Holidays www.bncf.firenze.sbn.it ZEFFIRELLI FILISTRUCCHI MEMORIES OF AN ARTISTIC PARTNERSHIP Until April 16 Teatro della Pergola Via della Pergola, 12 055 22 64 1 / 055 53 84 964 The exhibition can be visited for free when the theatre is open www.teatrodellapergola.com
HISTORY AND EVENTS OF THE GRAPHIC COLLECTION OF THE UFFIZI GALLERY IN THE AGE OF THE FIRST GLOBALIZATION (1848-1918) Until May 4 Department of Prints and Drawings of Uffizi 055 23 88 624 / 055 23 88 671 Tue. to Sun.: 8:15 a.m.-6:50 p.m. Closed on Monday www.polomuseale.firenze.it
THE AMAZING SHOEMAKER. FAIRY TALES ABOUT SHOES AND SHOEMAKERS Until May 18 Ferragamo Museum Piazza di Santa Trinita, 5 055 33 60 456 / 055 35 62 417 10 a.m.-7:30 p.m. www.museoferragamo.com
OPENING OF THE IRIS GARDEN Until May 20 Iris Garden Piazzale Michelangiolo, 29 055 48 31 12 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. / 3-7 p.m. www.irisfirenze.it
THE ROOMS OF THE MUSES. BAROQUE PAINTINGS FROM THE FRANCESCO MOLINARI PRADELLI COLLECTION Until May 11 Uffizi Gallery 055 29 48 83 8:15 a.m.-6:50 p.m. Closed on Monday
GETTING REACQUAINTED WITH MICHELANGELO Sculpture by Buonarroti in photographs and paintings from the 19th century to the present Until May 18 Accademia Gallery Via Ricasoli, 58-60 055 29 08 32 8:15 a.m.-6:50 p.m. Closed on Monday www.unannoadarte.it
BACCIO BANDINELLI. SCULPTOR AND MAESTRO (1493-1560) Until June 13 Bargello National Museum Via del Proconsolo, 4 055 29 48 83 8:15 a.m.-5 p.m.; closed on the 2nd and 4th Monday of the month www.unannoadarte.it
SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST ‘S CART: FROM PONTORMO TO CAPEZZUOLI Until September 30 Palazzo Vecchio www.museicivicifiorentini.it FAMILY MATTERS. PORTRAITS AND EXPERIENCES OF FAMILY TODAY Until July 20 Strozzina, Palazzo Strozzi 055 26 45 155 / 055 39 17 11 Tues. to Sun.: 10 a.m.-8 p.m.; Thursday 10 a.m.-11 p.m.; Free Thursdays 6–11 p.m.; closed on Mondays www.strozzina.org GIOVANNI COLACICCHI. FIGURES OF RHYTHM AND LIGHT IN TWENTIETH CENTURY FLORENCE Until October 19 Villa Bardini Costa San Giorgio, 2 055 20 06 6206 / 055 23 88 616 Tue.-Sun.: 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Closed on Monday www.bardinipeyron.it CORTONA: THE DAWN OF THE ETRUSCAN PRINCES Until July 31 National Archaeological Museum of Florence Piazza SS. Annunziata, 9/b 055 23 57 720 Mon., Sat. and Sun. 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m.; from Tue. to Fri. 8.30am-7pm www.firenzeturismo.it/en ART AND POLITICS. ANNA MARIA LUISA DE ‘MEDICI, ELETTRICE PALATINA : THE LAST SEASON OF THE PATRONAGE OF THE MEDICI Until November 2 Medici Chapels 055 23 88 602 - 055 29 48 83 Mon. to Sun.: 8:15 a.m.-4:50 p.m. Closed on the 2nd and 4th Sunday www.polomuseale.firenze.it RADICAL WOMANHOOD. LEE LOZAN, ALINA SZAPOCZNICOW, EVELYNE AXELL IN THE PINAULT COLLECTION Until September 7
BE OP APRIL ANIMALIA. MEN AND THE CARE FOR THE ANIMALS IN THE MANUSCRIPTS OF THE LAURENTIAN LIBRARY Until June 14 Laurentian Library Piazza San Lorenzo, 9 055 21 07 60 Mon. to Sat.: 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Closed on Sundays www.bmlonline.it
PONTORMO AND ROSSO. DIVERGING PATHS OF MANNERISM Until June 20 Palazzo Strozzi 055 26 45 155 / 055 39 17 11 Tues. to Sun.: 10 a.m.-8 p.m.; Thursday 10 a.m.-11 p.m.; closed on Mondays www.palazzostrozzi.org
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2014
ALDO FALLAI. FROM GIORGIO ARMANI TO THE RENAISSANCE. PHOTOGRAPHS 1978-2013 Until April 10 Villa Bardini Costa San Giorgio, 2 055 20 06 6206 Tue.-Sun.: 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Closed on Monday www.bardinipeyron.it
ONCE IN A LIFETIME. TREASURES FROM THE ARCHIVES AND LIBRARIES OF FLORENCE Until April 27 Pitti Palace, Palatine Gallery 055 23 88 616 / 055 29 48 83 Tue. to Sun.: 8:15 a.m.-6:50 p.m. Closed on Monday www.unannoadarte.it
HATS BETWEEN ART AND EXTRAVAGANZA Until May 18 Pitti Palace, Costume Gallery 055 29 48 83 8:15 a.m.-6:30 p.m. in April, May, September, October Closed on the 1st and the last Monday of each month www.uffizi.firenze.it
Gucci Museum Piazza Signoria, 10 055 75 92 33 02 10 a.m.-8 p.m. www.guccimuseo.com
THE BEATLES NIGHT | with The Vox Power Jazz Vs. DJ | The First ^Dance Jazz Jam Session^ Work In Progress | CLASSIC ROCK RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS NIGHT with PepperHeads ZYDECO | Irish & British Rock Blues Unplugged Sunday Show AMERICAN NIGHT OpenMic.Karaoke.SPECIALS THE BEATLES NIGHT | with The Vox Power Jazz Vs. DJ | The First ^Dance Jazz Jam Session^ Whoopee Hookers | RockParty ! RockHits ! DUST ’N’ BONES | 100% ROCK N ROLL 80VOGLIA | The REAL 80’s PARTY ! Unplugged Sunday Show AMERICAN NIGHT OpenMic.Karaoke.SPECIALS THE BEATLES NIGHT | with The Vox Power Jazz Vs. DJ | The First ^Dance Jazz Jam Session^ Gli Ortolani + Technicolor | Fresh Indie Rock ROLLING STONES NIGHT with CRAZY MAMA QUEEN TRIBUTE with Queen On Fire Unplugged Sunday Show AMERICAN NIGHT OpenMic.Karaoke.SPECIALS THE BEATLES NIGHT | with The Vox Power Jazz Vs. DJ | The First ^Dance Jazz Jam Session^ ROLLING JOHNNYS | The Johnnys Are Back+ GUESTS OASIS TRIBUTE with RUBBISH MAKE SOME NOISE ! | The SHOW ! Unplugged Sunday Show AMERICAN NIGHT OpenMic.Karaoke.SPECIALS THE BEATLES NIGHT | with The Vox Power Jazz Vs. DJ | The First ^Dance Jazz Jam Session^
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FLORENCE NEWS & EVENTS APRIL 2014 NO. 6
ENTERTAINMENT
ODEON FIRENZE
ed the sack of Rome, and Pasolini’s La Ricotta (“Curd Cheese”) accurately reconstructs the deposition by Pontormo and Rosso, transforming them into tableaux vivants. Directed by Ermanno Olmi (Italy, 2001, 100 mins); La Ricotta directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini, excerpt Ro.Go. Pa.G. (Italy-France 1963, 34 mins)
Piazza Strozzi, Firenze 055 214 068 Office: 055 295 051 www.odeonfirenze.com
Tickets: Regular: €7.50; Reduced: €6* *Every Wednesday; students from Mon. to Fri. and selected partnerships. Club Odeon Classic: €3
CAPTAIN AMERICA THE WINTER SOLDIER
300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE
DIRECTOR: Antony Russo GENRE: Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi STARS: Joe Russo with Chris Evans, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson PLOT: Steve Rogers, aka Captain America is trying to adjust to the modern world. But when a S.H.I.E.L.D. colleague comes under attack, Steve joins forces with the Black Widow and a new ally, the Falcon against an unexpected and formidable enemy, The Winter Soldier.
DIRECTOR: Noam Murro GENRE: Action | Drama | Fantasy | War STARS: Sullivan Stapleton, Eva Green, Lena Headey, Hans Matheson PLOT: Prequel/sequel/companion piece to 300, it’s the Greeks and the Persians at odds again with Themistokles confronting super villain Artemisia, vengeful commander of the Persian navy and mortal-turned-god Xerxes and Artemisia. “A triumph of production design, costumes, brilliantly choreographed battle sequences and stunning CGI” (Chi- cago Sun-Times).
DATES/HOURS: Friday, April 4: 6:30 – 9 p.m. Saturday, April 5: 6:30 – 9 p.m. Sunday, April 6: 6:30 – 9 p.m. Monday, April 7: 9 p.m. Tuesday, April 8: 5:45 p.m.
DATES/HOURS: Tuesday, April 1: 5:45 p.m. Wednesday, April 2: 8:30 – 10:30 p.m. Thursday, April 3: 4:45 – 6:45 – 9 p.m.
DATES/HOURS: Tuesday, April 15: 4 – 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 16: 5 p.m.
SAVING MR. BANKS DIRECTOR: John Lee Hancock GENRE: Biography | Comedy | Drama | History | Music STARS: Emma Thompson, Tom Hanks, Annie Rose Buckley PLOT: The making of Mary Poppins: author P L Travers proves to be a demanding collaborator when commissioned by Walt Disney to translate her novel to the screen. Her Australian upbringing has a lot to do with it. “A delicate and brilliantly acted story of overcoming the past to embrace an uncertain future. Emma Thompson, in particular, is magic” (Empire). DATES/HOURS: Friday, April 4: 4 p.m. Saturday, April 5: 4 p.m. Sunday, April 6: 4 p.m.
ONIRICA – FIELD OF DOGS DIRECTOR: Lech Majewski GENRE: Drama | History STARS: Michal Tatarek, Elzbieta Opupska
THE AMAZING SPIDERMAN 2
DIRECTOR: Marc Webb GENRE: Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi STARS: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx PLOT: No more secrets. His greatest battle begins. With its array of supervillains, the mysterious forces of Oscorp give Spider- man a run for his money in the struggle for the survival of Good in New York City, and in the unresolved conflict be- tween private Peter Parker and his famous alter ego. DATES/HOURS: Thursday, April 24: 4 – 6:40 – 9:15 p.m. Friday, April 25: 4 – 6:40 – 9:15 p.m. Saturday, April 26: 4 – 6:40 – 9:15 p.m. Sunday, April 27: 4 – 6:40 – 9:15 p.m. Monday, April 28: 4 – 6:40 – 9:15 p.m. Wednesday, April 30: 6:40 – 9:15 p.m.
TUESDAYS AT THE MOVIES WITH PALAZZO STROZZI AND ODEON CINEMA
FAMILY MATTERS
TUESDAY. APRIL 22 AT 8:30 P.M. Fanny and Alexander features the rich and powerful tapestry of stories and human affairs. Directed by Ingmar Bergman (Sweden, France, Germany 1982, 197 mins). TUESDAY, MAY 13 AT 8:30 P.M. The Royal Tenenbaums tells the story of the surreal and funny crisis of a dysfunctional family. Directed by Wes Anderson (USA, 2001, 109’). TUESDAY, MAY 20 AT 8:30 P.M. Sandra (Of a Thousand Delights) features the disturbing reflection on the relationship of a brother and a sister and their past. Directed by Luchino Visconti (Italy 1965, 100 mins).
The Palazzo Strozzi Foundation, in collaboration with the Odeon Cinema, is hosting a film festival throughout April and May with films inspired by its current exhibits: Pontormo and Rosso Fiorentino. Diverging Paths of Mannerism and Family Matters. Portraits and Experiences of Family Today.
FADING GIGOLO DIRECTOR: John Turturro GENRE: Drama | Romance | Sci-Fi STARS: Sofía Vergara, Sharon Stone, Woody Allen, Jill Scott PLOT: John Turturro directs Woody Allen in a Woody Allen-type comedy, and plays the character Fioravante who joins the sex industry as a gigolo with his friend Murray (Allen) acting as pimp. Not everything goes smoothly. “Turturro has given Allen his biggest and best on-screen turn in years” (The Guardian). DATES/HOURS: Thursday, April 17: 4:45 – 6:45 – 9 p.m. Friday, April 18: 4:30 – 6:30 – 8:30 – 10:30 p.m Saturday, April 19: 4:30 – 6:30 – 8:30 - 10:30 p.m Sunday, April 20: 4:30 – 6:30 – 8:30 - 10:30 p.m. Monday, April 21: 4:30 – 6:30 – 8:30 - 10:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 22: 4 – 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 23: 4:45 – 6:45 – 9 p.m.
PONTORMO AND ROSSO FIORENTINO
TUESDAY, APRIL 1 AT 8:30 P.M. Pontormo. Un amore eretico is dedicated to the final years of the artist’s career and the lost fresco cycle of the choir of San Lorenzo, which aroused discussion. Directed by Giovanni Fago (Italy 2002, 102 mins), introduction by Cristina Acidini, produced by Carlo Quinterio. TUESDAY, APRIL 15 AT 8:30 P.M. Je vous salue Marie is a modern transposition of the theme of the Annunciation, treated by Pontormo. Directed by Jean-Luc Godard (France/ Switzerland 1985, 70 mins). TUESDAY MAY 6 AT 8:30 P.M. Il mestiere delle armi tells the story of Giovanni dalle Bande Nere and the events that preced-
From April 9 to 14, the Odeon Cinema in Florence is hosting the 5th edition of the “Middle East Now” Festival, organized by the association Map of Creation. The rich program consists of around 50 feature film screenings, documentaries, animated films, and short films from Iran, Morocco, Palestine, Iraq, Kurdistan, Lebanon, Israel, Egypt, Jordan, the UAE, Afghanistan, Syria, Qatar, and Algeria. Highlights of the program include the first retrospective of the acclaimed Palestinian director Hany Abu-Assad and the Italian premiere of the documentary Return to Homs, one of the most beautiful documentaries on the Syrian revolution and Grand Jury Prize winner at the last Sundance Film Festival. For details visit www. odeonfirenze.com.
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FLORENCE NEWS & EVENTS APRIL 2014 NO. 6
SPORT & LEISURE
Fiorentina to Face Naples in Italy Cup’s Final on May 3 DYLAN NIKOLETOPOULOS Fiorentina will try to conquer its seventh Italy Cup on May 3 against Naples. The game takes place at the Olympic stadium in Rome, with kickoff scheduled at 8:45 p.m. Fiorentina won the Italy Cup in 1940, 1961, 1966, 1975, 1996 and 2001. For the Florentine team this is the last opportunity for an important achievement this season, after its recent elimination from the Europa Cup by Juventus. At this point, qualifying for next season’s Champion’s League appears to be pipe dream, due to its 10-point distance from Naples in the National League. The injuries suffered by forwards Pepito Rossi and Mario Gomez have substantially impacted this season, and the Club was forced to repair these losses by purchasing striker Alessandro Matri in January. The loss of two of its best players has prevented the team from achieving results hoped for at the beginning of the season.
A Historical Rivalry: Fiorentina versus Juventus DYLAN NIKOLETOPOULOS The rivalry between Fiorentina and Juventus cannot be compared to that of any American teams. Riots, protests, and even deaths have been a part of the history between these two teams. Although both teams have been playing professionally together since before 1930, the history of the conflict between the two teams was taken to a high level in 1982. On the last game day of the season, Juventus and Fiorentina were tied for first place in the Series A league. Juventus won their last game 1-0 with a questionable penalty kick, while Fiorentina tied their last game 0-0 with a controversial goal called back late in the game. Juventus won the title that year, finishing 2 points higher than Fiorentina. If that was not enough, within the next year Fiorentina was forced to sell their best player, Roberto Baggio. It was no coincidence that he was sold to Juventus. Baggio made history at the next meeting between the two sides by refusing to take a penalty against Fiorentina. He left the field of play with a Fiorentina scarf on his back. Following the 1985 Heysel Stadium disaster, in which 38 Juventus fans died during the Europa League Final against Liverpool in Brussels, Fiorentina faced Liverpool in the Europa League. Juventus fans became especially mad at Fiorentina and accused them of being overly hospitable to Liverpool. Since then the teams have had many meetings. Juventus has won the majority, but Fiorentina has never been far behind.
Fiorentina Home Game Schedule APRIL 6 3 p.m. Fiorentina vs. Udinese Series A APRIL 19 9 p.m. Fiorentina vs. AS Roma Series A MAY 3 8:45 p.m. Fiorentina vs. Napoli Coppa Italia Final (In Rome) MAY 6 7 p.m. Fiorentina vs. Sassuolo Series A Tickets can be bought through When in Florence, online at it.violachannel.tv, at the stadium and at Fiorentina Point on Viale Manfredo Fanti 85/A.
Get your Fiorentina
This year Fiorentina felt especially strong, rallying from a two-goal deficit at half-time to beat Juventus 4-2 in the first meeting of the season. In addition to playing the second game of the season, Fiorentina and Juventus also got matched to play each other in the final 16 teams of the Europa League. The two teams played three games in a span of 12 days. During the first leg of the Europa League in Torino, a Fiorentina fan was spotted carrying a sign referencing the Heysel Stadium event. In the second game Fiorentina only needed to hold a scoreless game in order to advance with a 1-1 aggregate score and 1 away goal in their favor. This would have been the first time
American sportaculture relies on a shirt with 15% discount playoffwhen bracketyou system, but this is not show this the only way to determine a winner, paperinatsoccer. the FLORENCE especially In Italian soccer CURIOSITY SHOP differ“the best team” is determined ently. next to Pizzeria O’Vesuvio Besides the different format of league in Via De’ Cimatori, 23/r. play, there are also multiple leagues and tournaments that take place at the same time. All of this can seem confusing to Americans trying to follow Italian or European soccer. To help sports fans get better acquainted with Italian and European soccer and understand the different leagues across Italy and how each is formatted, here is a list of the important points.
that Fiorentina would have beaten Juventus in an international tournament. Juventus ended that dream when captain Gonzalo Rodriguez received his second yellow card just outside of the penalty box for taking down Fernando Llorente, which Juventus put into the back of the net moments later on the direct free kick. Fiorentina had a chance to change history between the two teams but failed to convert on their opportunity. While Juventus now sit at the top of the Series A league and advance to the top eight teams in the Europa League, Fiorentina will have to wait until next year to have another FORMATS FOR SOCCER LEAGUES chance at upsetting their rivals from AND TOURNAMENTS the north. Round Robin:
NAIMA
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TRADITIONAL IRISH PUB NEAR SAN MARCO Finnegan Irish Pub is the only Irish-owned pub in Florence and hosts live music every weekend, regular quiz nights and student discounts on Tuesdays. Patrons can enjoy outdoor seating nine months of the year, while sports fans are spoilt for choice with dedicated coverage of English and Scottish premiership football, Irish and English internationals, as well as rugby, Formula One and American football. Friendly expat staff ensure a warm and relaxed atmosphere in which to gather, sip Guinness and “have the craic.”
Mon. to Fri.: 4 p.m.–1 a.m. Sat. to Sun.: 1 p.m.–1 a.m. Via San Gallo, 123/r 055 49 07 94 www.finneganpub.com
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FLORENCE NEWS & EVENTS APRIL 2014 NO. 6
SPORT & LEISURE
Exploring Tuscany on Horseback IVANA SCATOLA Exploring Tuscany on horseback is an experience comparable only to experiencing it on Vespa or quad bike, two options that tour operator Fun in Tuscany offers in addition to their horseback riding excursions. A day dedicated to this experience is jam-packed with beautiful sights and tastes, in the company of wonderful people. It was unquestionably one of the best days I had in Tuscany. After a hack through a beautiful Tuscan forest that weaved in and out of vineyards (where both my horse and I paused to sample some fresh Chianti grapes), we tasted the range of gorgeous homemade honey. We then went on to the ancient hilltop town of San Gimignano, where we tasted homemade gelato and enjoyed
Florence’s American Football Team Face Rivals
stunning views of Tuscan landscapes I visited places I would never have before arriving at our lunch destina- been able to find on my own, such tion: a restaurant villa in which we as a gelateria that has twice won the were given a private room and dined Gelato World Championships in San on traditional Tuscan dishes to ac- Gimignano. company our wine-tasting (of which They were incredibly obliging to our we sampled 11 wines!). requests and questions, and they Fun In Tuscany’s success is attributed were impressively knowledgeable to the fact that the tour is unlike oth- about the region. What I loved seeer typical, ‘supermarket tourism’ tour ing most was how they were enjoying organisers. Tours never exceed the themselves on the tour, having a true, of maximum eight people per group genuine Fun in Tuscany day alongand great attention is paid to the in- side the rest of us. terests of the participants. Free time is provided so you can explore, or you can follow the guide. In this way, the group and the tour Via Bernardo Cennini, 6 have a very intimate, friendly feel, (+39) 338 59 22 682 and you really get the impression that (+39) 392 63 39 101 info@funintuscany.com the organisers are interested in you as DYLAN NIKOLETOPOULOS www.funintuscany.com people, instead of simply tourists and Guelfi Firenze, part of the American clients. football league in Italy since 2000, are currently finishing up the regular season. American football has existed here since the early 1980s. Guelfi Firenze’s rival team is Barbari Roma. To date, Roma has won 7 of the last 13 meetings between these two teams. This month, Guelfi Firenze are looking to even the playing field and bring the scoreboard to 7 games apiece in the 14th meeting of the two teams. This game, described as the best game of the year, will be about much more than just bragging rights. The last time these two teams faced each other, Firenze suffered a devastating 27-26 loss in Rome. With the memory of the previous game still fresh in their mind, Guelfi Firenze is surely not going to let history repeat itself. Game time for this event is on April 12 at 9:00 p.m. at Campo Sportivo on Via del Perugino.
Fun In Tuscany
THE ARTISAN ICE-CREAM SHOP In 1938, the idea for a shop was born based on the same question it bears as its name: Perché no! ‘why not?’. Ugo Ravaioli, founder and owner of the icecream shop for decades found an ideal location on Via de’ Tavolini to start the ‘sweet business.’ Ever since, Perché no! has been one of Florence’s most famous spots for refreshment. It is an authentic venue for ice-cream lovers famous for its ‘semifreddi.’ Today, the shop is run by Mrs. Paola and her daughters who rediscovered original recipes and create unique flavors while paying attention to the quality of ingredients.
Via dei Tavolini, 19/r 055 23 98 969 www.percheno.firenze.it
“Both teams have played the game at high level, great spirit, great intensity, tough games that have created mutual respect between the teams,” said Christian Petrucci, Firenze’s defensive captain. “But in the end when we are on the field the only thought is to kick their ass!” Take a break from soccer and come support Guelfi Firenze at one of their last two home games this season. For tickets and more information go to www.guelfifirenze.it.
Regular season home games: APRIL 12 9 p.m. Guelfi Firenze vs Barbari Roma MAY 25 3 p.m. Guelfi Firenze vs Draghi Udine
HAMBURGERS AND AWARD-WINNING ARTISAN BEER Mostodolce craft brewery was the first of its kind to open in Prato and now supplies twin pubs in Prato and Florence with its award-winning artisan beer. From pitchblack stout to honey beer and a seasonal Christmas variety made from chestnuts, Mostodolce’s range appeals to the most earthy and subtle of palates. Match your choice with complementary dishes created in the pub kitchen: from the hefty flavours of smoked ribs and tortelloni with wild boar ragout to light snacks and the intriguingly named ‘birramisu’.
Open Daily: 11–2 a.m. Via Nazionale, 114/r (near the train station) 055 23 02 928 www.mostodolce.it
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FLORENCE NEWS & EVENTS APRIL 2014 NO. 6
SPORT & LEISURE
Seeking Adventure at Florence’s Frontiers
Discovering forest adventure park Il Gigante AMBER BROWN If you thought art was all Florence had to offer, think again. A fantastic opportunity to get you and your children out in the fresh air is a day at an adventure park. Just outside Florence in Pratolino is Tuscany’s largest forest adventure park, Il Gigante. Taking you high up into the trees to climb, jump, and slide along zip-wires, the park has more than 10 rope courses at six different difficulty levels, based on age and height, with the training and assistance of expert instructors. And it’s not just for adults! The hardest black-ropes course is 15 meters above the ground, but there are also many
courses suitable for kids aged 3 years and up. It’s the perfect location for all kinds of celebrations, such as birthday parties, with discounts available for school groups, scouts, and camp groups. The trails, meadows, and picnic areas also offer a great place to escape from the city and have fun in nature. Located in the woods of Poggio la Garena of Pratolino, just across from the Medici Villa Demidoff, the adventure park is reachable by ATAF bus 25-A from the Piazza San Marco stop ‘La Pira’, or by SITA bus 306 from the train station. Those who fear heights or simply don’t wish to climb can enter for free and relax at the corner bar.
Opening Hours: May to September Tuesday to Sunday: 10 a.m.– sunset Rest of the season Saturday, Sunday and festival days: 10 a.m.– sunset Closed December to February The park can be booked outside of these hours for groups of minimum 10 people. For more information visit:
www.parcoavventurailgigante.it
Forest Adventure Park il Gigante
KIDS AND ADULTS SPECTATORS HAVE FREE ENTRANCE
• Among the widest adventure parks in Italy, the widest in Tuscany. • Great choice of high rope courses. • all ages and levels - from 3 to 100
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FLORENCE NEWS & EVENTS APRIL 2014 NO. 6
TRAVEL
Discover Corfu with Bus2Alps
There are few destinations that parallel the natural beauty and historic splendor of Greece. Thousands of years of culture mixed with some of the world’s most beautiful beaches make it a must on any avid traveler’s bucket list. One of the nation’s most popular destinations is the island of Corfu in the Ionian Sea. Home to the first Greek University (the Ionian Academy), the first Philharmonic Orchestra and the first School of Fine Arts, Corfu (known as Kerkyra or Korkyra in Greek) got its name from Greek mythology. Poseidon, god of the sea, fell in love with the young Korkya, daughter of Asopus the river god and river nymph Metope. He abducted her and brought her to the island
which he then named after her. This diverse beaches. eventually evolved into Kerkyra. Cor- While the coastline is filled with specfu is also known as the island of the tacular sandy beaches, there are also Phaeacians after their son Phaiax. a number if rocky bays perfect for The old town of Corfu was made a UN- snorkeling. Most beaches have diving ESCO World Heritage site and boasts centers as well as water sports, bars a mixture of Renaissance, Baroque and restaurants. The island is also an and Classical art as well as palaces, ideal place for discovering authentic fortresses and quaint cobblestone Greek cuisine. Grilled meats, salads, streets. The Esplanade is a large area traditional pastries and delicious between the town and an old fortress, fresh fish are just some of the delipart of which is now a public park cious foods that can be found. A fafull of trees and beautiful greenery. mous recipe on the island is Bourdeto, Its name comes from the absence of a spicy fish soup usually cooked with buildings that was once crucial to de- red peppers, onions tomato sauce fense against foreign enemies. and extra virgin olive oil. Corfu is not only known for its vast For student travelers in Florence, history, but also for its grand modern getting to Greece is made easy with resorts, small fishing villages, moun- tours offered by Bus2Alps. Tours detains, unique wildlife and myriad of part from the city center and include
knowledgeable guides, accommoda- culture, it is one of the country’s best tions, dinners, breakfasts and much places for study abroad students to more. Once in Corfu, students are also enjoy a vibrant nightlife, beaupicked up by Pink Palace buses and tiful beaches and real Greek cuisine. taken to the hotel for the weekend, making transportation fast and simple. The Pink Palace is a world famous hotel and hostel in Corfu. Being family • Round trip luxury coach owned and operated, guests experitransport (with A/C, DVD, & ence real Greek hospitality. bathroom) After dinner, The Palladium at the hotel turns into a nightclub where the • Round trip ferry transport pink toga party is held, an event that • Accommodation with your has become famous among students friends at the Pink Palace and young travelers. Other activities • Dinners and breakfasts offered include a party cruise, ATV • The Corfu Bus2alps inforSafari (or personal rental), sea kayakmational guide ing and day trips to Corfu town. • Bus2alps trip leader While the island is full of history and
Included: