Florence News & Events February 2015

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David Security Increased After Earthquakes

Adjusting and Thriving While Abroad

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Tips to Become a Fiorentina Fan

Interlaken: A Winter Playground in the Swiss Alps

WWW.FLORENCENEWSANDEVENTS.COM FEBRUARY 2015, NO. 12

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February 1743: Farewell, Anna Maria Luisa

All In One

EUGENIO GIANI, FORMER PRESIDENT OF FLORENCE CITY COUNCIL

Florentine ‘super museum’ plan announced LUCY DAVID Ambitious plans to combine Florence’s landmark cultural sites into a single museum complex have been unveiled by Mayor Dario Nardella and Minister of Culture Dario Franceschini. The plan proposes the creation of a cultural itinerary from Palazzo Vecchio to Palazzo Pitti and the Palatine Gallery via the Uffizi Gallery, Vasari Corridor and Ponte Vecchio, and includes opening the passage be-

tween Palazzo Vecchio and the Uffizi to the public.

While described by Franceschini as being “a single museum complex, astonishing in size, collections and beauty,” the plan is not without its bureaucratic hurdles. Administrative, access and security issues will need to be overcome – particularly in the case of the Vasari Corridor – but Franceschini is confident that “with a goal this ambitious in sight, these problems can be resolved.”

FEMALE FLORENTINE SAINTS ON DISPLAY CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

The plan has been made known in the midst of a nation-wide overhaul of Italy’s state museums announced

by Franceschini on December 23 last year, which sees the creation of 20 autonomous museums – including Florence’s Uffizi, Accademia and Bargello – and 17 regional museum centers in order to make Italy’s 4000 museums more profitable and “foster the ongoing dialogue between the various public and private museums of the jurisdiction to create an integrated

offer to the public,” the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism (MiBACT) said in a statement. Recruitment for directorship of each of the 20 museums was opened up to international applications on January 8, a process that closes on February 15. The directors will serve a four-year term, beginning on June 1.

Long known as an ‘open-air museum,’ it now appears that Florence’s status as such is set to be made official.

UN ANNO AD ARTE TO BEGIN ON FEB. 8 CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

Without doubt, she is the most important woman in the history of our city. The Medici government had lasted more than 300 years when it finished with an act of extraordinary importance: the testament that Anna Maria Luisa de’ Medici, better known as the Electress Palatine, signed in 1743.

Anna Maria Luisa had lived in Sassonia since 1691, after marrying the Elector Palatine, Johann Wilhelm II. There, in Dusseldorf, she was admired as a woman of great culture and intelligence, and transformed Düsseldorf into a lively and intellectually stimulating place.

In October 1717 she came back to Florence to help her father Cosimo III and brother Gian Gastone in their delicate task of putting an end to the Medici dynasty. Gian Gastone had no descendants, and her other brother, Ferdinando, the ‘Great Prince’ as he was known, had died young and without an heir.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

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FLORENCE NEWS & EVENTS FEBRUARY 2015, NO. 12

EXHIBITIONS FLORENCE NEWS & EVENTS is the monthly supplement to www.theitaliannewspaper.com

Jewels Showcased

Female Florentine Saints on Display

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as a bracelet case signed by D’Annunzio himself, jewelry boxes and cigaThe Museo degli Argenti (Medici Trea- rette cases engraved with the poet’s sury) is hosting an exhibition of works favorite sayings, and a yellow gold by internationally renowned jewelers necklace decorated with a beryl and Mario and Gianmaria Buccellati. En- rubies that was donated to the actress titled The Treasures of the Fondazione Eleonora Duse, D’Annunzio’s lover.

Buccellati, the exhibit displays more Gianmaria Buccellati created his first than 100 pieces of jewelry and metal- piece of jewelry at 12 years old, and went on to create a collection of sowork created by both father and son.

The Buccellati found their inspiration called “Precious Objects” influenced in the Renaissance. The venue was by Renaissance, Baroque and Rococo chosen because Gianmaria decided styles, including La Coppa dell’Amore to take up the jewellery tradition after (Love Goblet), inspired by a Rococo visiting the museum and viewing the motif, the Scrigno Mediceo (Medici Renaissance works on display, such Casket), an exceptionally decorated as the semi-precious stone vases decagonal box with leaf patterns and a diamond-studded rose, and the Craowned by Lorenzo de’ Medici.

Mario Buccellati, whose unique tere delle Muse (Crater of the Muses), a craftsmanship became known as the jade chalice featuring the forms of all “Buccellati style” and was worn and nine Greek muses. admired by members of the royalty The Treasures of the and elite, produced designs such as the “tulle” or “honeycomb” style that Fondazione Buccellati can be seen in bracelets, brooches Until February 22 and a tiara.

Museo degli Argenti He was also named the “Prince of Open daily: 8:15 a.m.–4:30 p.m.

Goldsmiths” by his friend and fa(closed on the first and last Monday mous Italian poet Gabriele D’Annunof each month) zio. D’Annunzio’s influence can be www.polomuseale.firenze.it seen in several Buccellati works, such

BROOKE FEICHTL

of the religious dedication by aristocrats is Francesca Martelli, who posthumously donated her estate to the Basilica of San Lorenzo and the Florentine Curia. At Casa Martelli, participants gain insight into the religious rituals of the upper class while viewing reliquaries, books, altars and devotional images that once belonged to families such as the Medici and Martelli. Villa La Quiete once housed a religious institution where women could live piously and secluded from society without becoming nuns. The exhibit also showcases several artifacts and memorial statues dedicated BROOKE FEICHTL to the founders of the establishment, The exhibit The Other Half of Heaven Eleonora Ramirez de Montalvo and conveys the private devotion of noble Grand Duchess Vittoria della Rovere, families and the emphasis that they as well as works commissioned by placed on female saints. The exhibit Rovere’s granddaughter, Anna Maria runs until March 8 in two locations, Luisa de’ Medici. the Museum of Casa Martelli and Villa La Quiete.

The Other Half of Heaven Noble families placed a strong emUntil March 8 phasis on their worship of female Museum of Casa Martelli Florentine saints, such as the promThurs: 2–7 p.m.; Fri: 2–5 p.m.; Sat & inent Maria Maddalena de’ Pazzi Sun: 9 a.m.–2 p.m. and Caterina de’ Ricci. The collecVilla La Quiete tion highlights praise that these holy Fri only: 10 a.m.–6 p.m. women received during their lifetime Free admission from clergy and leaders in education. www.polomuseale.firenze.it Aside from possessions, an example

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FLORENCE NEWS & EVENTS FEBRUARY 2015, NO. 12

NEWS

Research Confirms Baptistery Medici Chapels Museum Built in Honor of Roman Victory Now Disabled-Friendly

New information about the origins of the Baptistery’s foundation was revealed at an international conference organized by the Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore. It was already believed that the Baptistery was built on the ruins of a Roman temple dedicated to Mars; however, it has been confirmed that the monument was created in celebration of an important victory.

“The results of my studies show that it is a structure from the fifth century: a temple dedicated to Mars, but not in the sense that was thought until now, as a place of pagan worship, but instead is a building erected in memory of an epic event, as was the victory over the Radagaisus barbarian hordes in 406,” says Piero Degl’Innocenti, architect and University of

Florence professor. This victory was study used innovative techniques to cited by St. Augustine in The City of determine the health of the structure God in the early fifth century, whose and develop strategies for conservaaccount of the battle with Radagaisus tion. describes how the king of the Goths “We applied a new engineering methwas “in one day so speedily and so odology for the cultural heritage of thoroughly beaten [...] whilst not even the Baptistery of Florence, such as one Roman was wounded, much less multi-spectral imaging techniques, slain.” Like the Pantheon, the Baptis- which allowed us to create a stratitery later became a place of Christian fied digital recording, a kind of digworship, and between the eleventh ital medical record, that reports the and thirteenth centuries attained its state of health of the structure, and current form, with the addition of an and the same time provides a base octagonal lantern to the pavilion roof for the development of an in-depth in 1150 and a rectangular apse on the model for diagnosis and conservawest side in 1202. tion,” said Seracini, adding that the The conference also focused on the new techniques will be a great help findings of an analysis of the Bap- in answering further questions about tistery’s current state. Completed by the structure and its ancient Roman a team led by Maurizio Seracini, the foundations.

The Medici Chapels Museum has announced the addition of an elevator and hydraulic lift as part of an ongoing project to make the site more accessible to people with mobile disabilities. The elevator connects the crypt on the ground floor with the New Sacristy and Chapel of the Princes on the floor above, sites of Michelangelo’s Medici tomb sculptures and a mausoleum commemorating the Medici grand-ducal dynasty, while the hydraulic lift permits access to the New Sacristy via the corridor and a series of steps that otherwise pose a mobility barrier. The project, aptly titled ‘A lift for Michelangelo,’ brings the Medici Chapels Museum into line with standard museum practice to remove architectural barriers to mobility in places of cultural interest.

Provisions for disabled patrons have become an increasing focus for Florentine state museums; Polo Museale Fiorentino recently announced a new itinerary for the vision-impaired enti-

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tled Pittura in Punta di Dita, a series of tactile artworks on the theme of ‘Madonna and Child’ donated to the Uffizi Gallery, a collaboration between Polo Museale Fiorentino, local high school Liceo Artistica di Porta Romana, and the Italian Union for the Blind and Visually Impaired. It follows in the stead of the Uffizi da Toccare initiative of 2009, which enables vision-impaired patrons to explore select artworks through the sense of touch on a guided tour of the gallery.

In commemoration of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on December 3, the Medici Chapels Museum also announced the addition of two new artworks to its collection: an oil painting by a sixteenth-century artist depicting the coronation of Cosimo I de’ Medici by Pope Pius V, and a portrait of the infant Cosimo de’ Medici, known as ‘Cosimino’, firstborn son of Ferdinand II and Vittoria della Rovere, who died shortly after birth.

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FLORENCE NEWS & EVENTS FEBRUARY 2015, NO. 12

NEWS

David Security to Increase After Recent Earthquakes

Un Anno ad Arte, 2015

The tenth edition of Un Anno ad Arte (A Year in Art) begins on February 10 at the Uffizi with an exhibition of works by Caravaggio-inspired Dutch artist Gerrit van Honthorst, known as ‘Gherardo delle Notti.’ A showcase of temporary exhibitions hosted by Florence’s state museums, the 2015 edition of Un Anno ad Arte comprises eight exhibitions canvassing such themes as: medieval voyages, Franciscan art in Asia, a study of lapis lazuli, the so-called ‘eccentric genius’

LUCY DAVID Michelangelo’s David is to be fitted with a €200,000 anti-seismic pedestal following a series of more than 200 earthquakes that rocked Tuscany in December.

Minister of Culture Dario Franceschini announced that the government would take charge of the cost of the pedestal, which is already being designed by the Accademia Gallery.

“A masterpiece like the David cannot run any risks,” he says. “[The recent events] have made me recall the touching photos of the enormous protective walls that the Florentine Superintendent put up around the

David, the Prisoners and other masterpieces to protect them from possible bombing.

The same precautions and care taken by those intelligent state officials today, in a different way, need to be put in place by us.”

In addition to earthquake fears, Italy’s National Research Council and the University of Florence warned last year that the David’s stability was threatened due to “a series of micro-fractures on the lower part of both legs.”

The fractures are thought to be due to a combination of the statue bearing its five-and-a-half-ton weight under poor posture, with vibrations from

both foot traffic of millions of annual visitors and outside the Accademia itself.

Michelangelo’s David was famously salvaged by art historian Giorgio Vasari as a teenager when it was damaged in a riot during the expulsion of the Medici in 1527. A bench thrown out of a window of the Palazzo della Signoria shattered one of its arms into three pieces, which were scooped up

by Vasari and his friend in the midst of the fray. Vasari kept the pieces for safekeeping and the sculpture was eventually restored, and in 1873 it was moved to its present location in the Accademia to protect it against further damage.

of the Renaissance Piero di Cosimo, seventeenth-century ‘magical realist’ painter Carlo Dolci, the 150th anniversary of Florence as capital of Italy, and the unsung hero of the Accademia, Carlo Portelli.

Gherardo delle Notti: Most bizarre paintings and merry suppers February 10 – May 24 Uffizi Gallery

February 1743: Farewell, Anna Maria Luisa EUGENIO GIANI CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

She accepted the challenge, clearly understanding that history, a history that was to become her history, had reached a turning point. The Medici dynasty was over, but the mark that it had left on Florence could not be removed with the transition to the Duchy of Lorraine. She understood, perfectly, that a public testament rather than a private one was necessary. And the recipient of this public

testament had to be Florence.

Thus, she gave away the treasury of her family, on the condition that “all the furniture, items and rarities such as galleries, paintings, statues, libraries and other precious things that could attract foreigners should remain in Florence.”

And they are still here, and the city lives on tourism. This why February is your month, Anna Maria Luisa.

Because to you, more than anybody else, we Florentines owe you our future.

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Bring your bottle to be filled for less than €1.50, 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.

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FLORENCE NEWS & EVENTS FEBRUARY 2015, NO. 12

Tuscan Artisans in Crisis

NEWS

San Lorenzo Market Stalls Relocated The city council recently approved the reorganization of the market stalls in Piazza San Lorenzo. The transfer of the merchant stands took place on January 24. “I am very happy with this result,” said the Counselor for Economic Development Giovanni Bettarini. “We worked hard to find a solution that would combine our desire to keep Piazza San Lorenzo an open space for Florentines, and satisfy the needs of commercial operators.”

The approved resolution mandated that the stands be spread through-

out the city, with nine stations on Via Sant’Antonino, five on Via dell’Ariento, two in Piazza Salvemini, eight in the Loggia del Grano, two in Piazzale Michelangelo, one on Via Panicale, one on Via Tosinghi, one in Via del Proconsolo, seven in the Piazza Repubblica area, one in the ex-Borsa Merci, and three in Piazza del Grano.

Three will remain in Piazza Madonna degli Aldobrandini, across from the the Medici Chapel, while the remaining stalls will continue to operate in Piazza Mercato Centrale.

More than 2000 jobs lost as record lows continue for craft entrepreneurs Small artisan businesses in Tuscany continue to suffer substantial decreases in profit, with the sector seeing a -5.8 percent turnover in the first half of 2014. Despite this figure being higher than the 12 percent loss of revenue seen in 2012, only 8.3 percent of businesses reported an increase in revenue while 42.4 percent reported a decrease. Like other sectors, artisan manufacturing has failed to recover from the recessive economic cycle.

From July 2013 to June 2014 the Tuscan Chamber of Commerce registered 8,506 artisan businesses, and unregistered 9901, a 1395 deficit, while the number of businesses in other sectors increased one percent.

These are results came from a report entitled La congiuntura dell’artigianato manifatturiero in Toscana.

Consuntivo I semestre 2014 – Previsioni anno 2014, a study on handicraft manufacturing in the last half of 2014 by the research department of Unioncamere Toscana.

“The entire regional production system continues to pay the price of a persistent stagnation in domestic demand, which determines the fate of many small and micro-enterprise artisan businesses,” said Andrea Sereni, President of Unioncamere.

He added that uncertainty and difficulty accessing credit are factors in the historic low rates of small businesses, making it crucial to “pay particular attention to the implementation of policies that can alleviate the exceptional overall tax burden, the total tax rate, which – in 2013 – stood at 63.8 percent for small businesses.”

All of the craft sectors recorded a negative turnover in mid-2014, with textile, clothing and knitting taking a loss of 2.3 percent, leather footwear of -4.2 percent and jewelry of -5 percent.

Metalwork saw a loss of -6.3 percent, while the food sector stood at -7.1 percent; however, the hardest hit were ceramic and glass (-10.7 percent) and wood furniture (-9.1 percent).

Research also showed that size is a determining factor in a company’s ability to counter the economic downturn. Of the few businesses that increased revenue, those with no more than three employees experienced a 5.4 percent turnover, while those in the development phase with 10 or more employee saw 17.3 percent.

Companies that export, whether large or small, remain the most successful: sales increased to 14.9 percent for exporters, and 7.6 percent in those operating only domestically.

Employment also continued a negative trend from June 30, 2013 to June 30, 2014. The number of Tuscan craft workers fell by more than 2000 (-1.7 percent), of which 1800 were full-time employees and about 260 were parttime.

Most craft entrepreneurs (76 percent) closed the year without making investments, while five percent did not invest as their company was set to close.

City Introduces Bike ID to Limit Thefts The municipal police and city council have announced a new security measure to limit bike theft. The new system consists of adhesive plates called “EasyTag,” containing information about the bike and its owner, which is recorded in a national register and then permanently glued to the bike to protect it from further burglaries.

“EasyTag” has a unique identification number that remains attached to the bike frame even if the tag itself is removed, thereby aiding the owner and police to recover the bike in case of loss or theft.

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ART NEWS

FLORENCE NEWS & EVENTS FEBRUARY 2015, NO. 12

Realizing Leonardo’s Projects Exhibit showcases working models of Leonardo da Vinci’s designs

A family of Florentine craftsmen has discovered previously unknown theorems hidden in Leonardo’s mechanical designs, shedding light on the full scope of his genius.

Carlo Niccolai and his son Gabriele have spent decades constructing working models of Leonardo’s inventions through close study of his famous codices. In collaboration with a team of specialists, the Niccolai family re-creates the designs using materials such as wood, rope, fabric and metal that date back to the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.

The rigor of practical and mechanical tests carried out on each model has given rise to a number of insights into Leonardo’s approach and surprisingly modern grasp of technology, such as his famous ‘robot’, which was

originally believed to have been designed as an armored robotic knight.

However, during laboratory tests the robot was discovered to be limited in its upper body movement and instead possess flexible wrists adapted to drumming, and is now believed to have been designed for use in parades and ceremonies.

In his studies for a European Commission-sponsored exhibition of the machines in Brussels earlier this year, Gabriele Niccolai noted how Leonardo appears to have deliberately scattered the mechanical components required to create his inventions over several different pages of his codices, allowing artisans to create individual elements but preventing their understanding of the machine as a whole.

This may be due in part to the fact

that Leonardo’s codices have been split up and reassembled over the years – sculptor Pompeo Leoni took the liberty of cutting and dividing several of the codices into scientific and artistic categories in the seventeenth century – however such a practice would have also safeguarded his inventions during times of war.

Leonardo’s catapult design in the Atlantic Codex is rendered useless without details of its ballistic adjustments, which are found in a different part of the codex as a series of self-locking mechanisms.

A deeper understanding of Leonardo’s codices has revealed that many of his technological innovations rested upon those of his engineering predecessors, such as Brunelleschi, Vitruvius, Heron of Alexandria and Archimedes of Syracuse, which Leonardo adapted to his own context. His modification of a mechanism based on a description found in Herodotus and believed to have been used for building the pyramids surpassed all expectations when Niccolai created its working model in 2011: a 300kg concrete block was so reduced in weight that a six-year-old child was able to lift it.

The Niccolai family has been reconstructing working models of Leonardo’s designs since 1995, when Carlo Niccolai dedicated himself to the work full-time in a desire to realise Leonardo’s legacy. His passion founded the Niccolai Collection, the largest private collection of Leonardo models in the world, comprising more than 250 working models created by himself and his sons, together with a team of artisans, engineers, historians and architects.

The models have been displayed at more than 100 international exhibi-

tions throughout Europe and as far afield as Australia, New Zealand, China, the US, Brazil, Saudi Arabia and Finland. More than 50 working models are on permanent display at The Machines of Leonardo da Vinci exhibit at Galleria Michelangiolo in Via Cavour. Here visitors have the chance to not only observe but also interact with various prototypes, such as the aerial screw used in today’s helicopters, alongside a scuba-diving apparatus, glider, bicycle, tank and missiles; and view reconstructions of Leonardo’s studies of anatomy. The exhibit also displays copies of six codices, in which the visitor can view the sketches that reveal the workings of the great man’s mind.

The Niccolai family has been widely praised for its ongoing devotion to realising the vast inheritance that

INSIDE THE MICHELANGIOLO GALLERY, VIA CAVOUR, 21 www.macchinedileonardo.com

Leonardo left to science. Professor Carlo Pedretti, director of the Armand Hammer Center for Leonardo Studies at the University of California, says, “Carlo Niccolai is an admirable figure, a talented craftsman who has developed his own way in studying the technological level reached by Leonardo da Vinci. Moreover, he is a person gifted with great simplicity and humility. His work is important to scholars because it helps our theories and contributes to study indepth Leonardo’s machines and all the technological discoveries made at that time.”

Indeed, as Bill Gates’ $30 million purchase of the Leicester Codex indicates, we have much to be grateful to Leonardo for: next time your car gets a flat tire, you can thank Leonardo for inventing the jack.

Leonardo da Vinci invented or modified several of the technological designs we associate with the twentieth century. Leonardo’s designs on display include the aerial screw (used in today’s helicopters), human robot, hydraulic drill, scuba-diving apparatus, hang glider, tank, missiles, bicycle, floodlight, lifebuoy and jack.

The Machines of Leonardo da Vinci Michelangiolo Gallery Via Cavour, 21 Open daily: 9:30 a.m – 7:30 p.m.

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FLORENCE NEWS & EVENTS FEBRUARY 2015, NO. 12

ART NEWS

Venice’s Accademia Opens its Vaults Moscow Museum Hosts Italian Renaissance Art

Venice’s Accademia Gallery is open- up and maintain an ongoing convering its vaults to exhibit artwork never sation with new generations,” accordbefore seen by the public. ing to Giovanni Damiani, SuperintenThe initiative is thanks to a €600,000 dent for Polo Museale Veneziano. donation by Samsung Italia and the “Visitors will find interactive kiosks Venetian Heritage Foundation to cre- and tablets providing multimedia ate five new exhibition halls on the content that can be tailored to their ground floor, doubling the museum’s different profiles thanks to a dedicatgallery space from 5000 to 10,000 ed app,” says Mario Levratto of Samsquare meters. sung Italia.

The agreement is intended to trans- “The digital tools will be located next form the fine art museum into “the to the most important masterpieces, most future-oriented in Italy.” which are being showcased for the The addition of Samsung technolo- first time to the public, who will be gy, already used in top global insti- able to explore them in a dynamic tutions such as the British Museum and engaging way.” and customized to Venice’s heritage Minister of Culture Dario Franceschiand cityscape, is intended to “open ni said that he hoped that the initia-

tive would serve as an “example for other companies that would like to do their part towards protecting our heritage.”

The number of works on display will increase from 300 to 500 and include masterpieces by Sebastiano Ricci, Gianbattista Pittoni and Francesco Hayez, as well as large altarpieces by Pietro da Cortona and Luca Giordano. The center will also be equipped to host temporary modern and contemporary art exhibitions, beginning with artists Willem De Kooning and Aldo Manuzio.

Annual visitor numbers are forecast to triple from 300,000 to 900,000 as a result of the implemented changes.

Exhibit honors Italy’s EU presidency The Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow is hosting an exhibition of 58 Italian Renaissance masterpieces to crown the Russia-Italy Cross-Tourism Year and mark the end of Italy’s duty presidency of the European Union.

Entitled Piero della Francesca and Contemporary Artists: The Marian image in Renaissance paintings from Italy’s museums, the exhibition focuses upon the theme of ‘Madonna and Child,’ iconic to both Italian and Byzantine art, and showcases fifteenth-century works by artists such as Pisanello, Giovanni Bellini, Lorenzo Lotto, Carlo Crivelli, and Giovanni Battista Moroni. It is being promoted by the Italian embassy in Moscow and runs until February 22.

“We have chosen Italian Renaissance art to close the intense semester of Italian EU presidency, after discov-

ering over the past few years that it is incredibly appreciated by the Russian public,” said Italian Ambassador Cesare Ragaglini. “The semester saw Italy engaged in several challenges, first to ensure greater growth of the European economy and a more effective fight against unemployment, especially among the young, which has reached unsustainable levels.”

“Cultural relations have always been a pillar of bilateral relations between Italy and Russia that have enabled our two nations and populations to maintain an intense and warm dialogue, even during the most difficult phases on the international scene,” he added.

PMFI president Irina Antonova said that the Pushkin Museum promised Italians a Matisse exposition in return.

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FLORENCE NEWS & EVENTS FEBRUARY 2015, NO. 12

CULTURE

Medieval Misconceptions and Dante’s Love Lyrics

Real or Virtual?

LEE FOUST Misconceptions regarding the nature, message, and historical significance of Dante Alighieri’s poetry abound, just as misconceptions regarding Dante’s period, the Middle Ages, have long haunted our cultural coffers.

Most of our misinformation stems from those masters of self-promotion who passed off their own century as ‘the Renaissance’ of ancient Rome. Although colossal when measured by standards of military might, political power-broking, or the ostentatious excesses of the wealthy (including a fabulously decadent literary culture), the Roman Empire provides a societal model rather lacking in what we have come to consider social justice.

As a purveyor of culture myself, I might well have jumped the Renaissance train had my social conscience been able to turn a blind eye towards wealth inequality, the dangerously unaccountable power of a military/ industrial alliance, and the multifarious forms of slavery practiced on the edges of the Occidental world since 1492.

The so-called ‘Dark Ages’ (from the sack of Rome circa 450AD to the real renaissance of the twelfth century—when European nations began to define themselves by dropping Latin for their own vernacular spoken languages in the penning of texts) are marked by the triumph of a softer, more egalitarian philosophy called Christianity, the abolition of slavery, and the growth of the democratic political philosophy at the local level with the proliferation of autonomous, elected city councils.

The decentralization of the Empire’s political hierarchy also created more sustainable village communities

in Europe that better balanced rural food production and urban living—as opposed to Roman metropolises whose needs cost the slave class dearly, manually farming and transporting goods and foodstuffs to urban centers degraded by overly dense populations. The liberation of the slaves also encouraged technological advancement—the redesign of the ox-driven plow among other efficiencies. In my opinion, the greatest scourge of the Middle Ages remains the periodic demagogic rise of warlords who terrorized post-Empire Europe, forever looting, burning, and raping in the name of re-constructing “The grandeur that was Rome.” (E. A. Poe, To Helen).

Dante Alighieri—Florentine, poet, alderman, amateur philosopher and scientist, and, even for his own day, a devout Christian, enters this world in 1265—about 30 years after the composition of the first Italian vernacular texts. Although the Middle Ages are usually associated with crusading knights and politicized clerics, the literary event of thirteenth-century Italy was the appearance of an a-religious, anti-social, and racy new form: the vernacular love lyric. In a society of courtly arranged marriages in which

the Church’s liturgical calendar instructed spouses when they were and were not allowed to engage in sexual intercourse, the love song, written and sung in self-centered erotic agony, in common Italian, by mere courtiers coveting a nobleman’s wife, was the moral and social pest of the period— both decadent and punk at the same time! Within this cultural milieu, Dante’s self-imposed literary mission impossible became the reconciliation of the aesthetic beauty of the love lyric with the Christian social construct of a pious, clan-centric marriage. His earliest verse attempts to conflate and regularize vernacular erotic love, amore, with Latin biblical caritas, the third element of Paul’s “Faith, hope, and love.” Because Dante believed that “the greatest of these is love” (I Corinthians 13:13), he set out to prove it by conflating the techniques of Franciscan songs of praise with the forbidden desires of the courtly lyrics. The fruits of this mission remain in the verse of Dante’s first book, the Vita Nuova, an allegorical diary of spiritual salvation through contemplation and love expressed in songs of praise and lamentation.

Read more from Lee at www.leefoust.com

Exhibit at Santo Ficara Art Gallery till March 28 NADINE VOGELSBERG Real or Virtual? is the question at the basis of the Edoardo Landi exhibition that runs from February 14 until March 28 at Santo Ficara Art Gallery.

The theme of the exhibit is black and white, reflecting interest in optic and kinetic art, and displays paintings made throughout Landi’s career, from 1960 to 2000.

Landi originally studied architecture but was always interested in all art forms. His architecture background

is reflected in his geometric style, which plays with the viewer’s perception, and he has experimented with various kinds of materials to achieve a plastic effect and multidimensionality. Edoardo Landi’s works have been displayed all over the world.

Santo Ficara Art Gallery is on Via Ghibellina, 164/r. The gallery is open from Monday to Saturday (9:30 a.m.– 12:30 p.m.; 3:30–7:30 p.m.). Entrance is free.

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FLORENCE NEWS & EVENTS FEBRUARY 2015, NO. 12

The Glance that Inspired a Masterpiece

Henry Holiday, Dante and Beatrice, 1884, oil on canvas, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool

When Dante met Beatrice IVANA SCATOLA Dante was just nine years old when he first glimpsed eight-year-old Beatrice Portinari at a May Day party at her father’s house. The two did not speak but she captivated the little boy completely, and he fell in love with her instantly: “From that time forward, love fully governed my soul,” he wrote in one of history’s greatest love poems, La Vita Nuova [The New Life].

After this moment, Dante frequented places all over Florence to catch a glimpse of Beatrice and admire her from a distance but it wasn’t until nine years later, in 1283 when he was 18, that she spoke to him for the first time. She was walking along the bank of the Arno, wearing white, and accompanied by two older women.

Passing him, Beatrice turned and greeted Dante, her words filling him with such emotion and joy that he

had to retire to his room. He then had a dream that became the scene of the first sonnet in the Vita Nuova, which he dedicated to her memory: “As they walked down the street she turned her eyes toward me where I stood in fear and trembling, and with her ineffable courtesy, which is now rewarded in eternal life, she greeted me; and such was the virtue of her greeting that I seemed to experience the height of bliss. It was exactly the ninth hour of day when she gave me her sweet greeting. As this was the first time she had ever spoken to me, I was filled with such joy that, my senses reeling, I had to withdraw from the sight of others. So I returned to the loneliness of my room and began to think about this gracious person.”

(La Vita Nuova III).

In medieval Florence, arranged marriages were customary, particularly amongst the upper classes. At the age

of 21, Dante was married to Gemma Donati, and Beatrice to Simone dei Bardi a year later. However, Beatrice died only three years after this, at the young age of 24. Dante was, predictably, devastated, and remained devoted to her memory for the rest of his life.

Although her physical influence in his life was minimal, she is perennially present throughout. In his masterpiece The Divine Comedy, Beatrice represents the highest allegorical representation of spiritual love. She is the key to Paradise, leading Dante through Heaven, and he describes her as his ‘salvation’. Her existence to Dante is seen as a metaphor for the search of God, the way she appears and disappears in and out of his life.

Therefore, because of Beatrice, Dante learns the meaning of love – the inspiration of his great works – and so we have a lot to thank her for.

VALENTINE’S DAY

Love Bound For Eternity

Behind Ponte Vecchio’s padlocks Visitors to Florence may have wondered about the mass of padlocks bound to the city’s bridges, visible on both the Ponte Vecchio and Ponte alle Grazie. According to legend, if two lovers attach a padlock to the bridge and immediately drop the key into the Arno below, it reinforces the unbreakable bonds of their union.

Until 2006 the Ponte Vecchio was a target of such symbolic public gestures, resulting in municipal action to remove 5500 locks that had accumulated on the bridge’s railing and blighted a monument to sixteenth-century goldsmith and sculptor Benvenuto Cellini.

The task took around six months to accomplish, as lovers from all over the world continued to fasten the so-called lucchetti d’amore onto the bridge as quickly as the city’s team of metal-cutters could remove them.

“Because new locks were being attached faster than we could take them off, we had to cordon the area off so

that the artisans could work properly,” said Simone Siliani, the council’s Cultural Affairs Minister at the time.

The tradition of attaching locks to the Ponte Vecchio sprung up around the turn of the millennium but accelerated during the early 2000s.

The tradition was believed to have been passed on by word of mouth by tourists. It gradually became associated with various rituals, such as the writing of the lovers’ names on one side of the lock and and the date of their passage through Florence on the other, and throwing the keys immediately into the Arno after attaching it.

Today the tradition of attaching padlocks to Florentine bridges attracts a hefty fine.

However, a persistent belief remains that if lovers merely touch the padlocks that remain it will bring them good luck, as somehow the locks have withstood the ban and are therefore symbolic of the enduring nature of love.

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FLORENCE NEWS & EVENTS FEBRUARY 2015, NO. 12

CARNEVALE

Color, Size and Satire

Viareggio Parade Calendar Sunday, February 1 First masked parade Sunday, February 8 Second masked parade Sunday, February 15 Third masked parade Sunday, February 22 Fourth masked parade Saturday, February 28 Fifth masked parade Announcement of winners, and closing ceremony with fireworks.

Unmasking Carnevale The history of a mischievous tradition

BRIGID BRENNAN

Getting ready for the Carnevale of Viareggio Based on ancient ship-building techniques and constructed with a high degree of craftsmanship, the floats at Viareggio’s Carnevale are a matter of tradition and pride for locals. Such is their passion that it sometimes takes up to a year to make a single float.

These giants can weigh as much as 40 tonnes and carry moving papier-mâché figures, some up to 20 meters tall, along a two-kilometer circuit on Viareggio’s seafront. Music, masked performers and dancers accompany the procession, throwing confetti and sweets to the crowds.

Known for their cheeky satire as

much as their sheer size, each float typical fried sweets called cenci and is designed upon a theme that rang- bombolone. es from mythology to international Carnevale 2015 festivities begin on politics, current affairs and Italian February 1 in Viareggio with an celebrities. Behind the grinning car- opening parade, followed by parades icatures competition is fierce, and every Sunday until February 22. Fesparade winners are announced at the tivities close on February 28 with an end of the Carnevale festivities. evening parade, the announcement The idea of creating an open-air pa- of winners and a fireworks display. rade at Viareggio was born in 1873. It Carnevale of Viareggio now draws hundreds of thousands of visitors annually and is televised February 1-28 February 17: A special party is to a national audience. Patrons get hosted at the Citadel of the into the spirit of Carnevale clothed Carnival on Shrove Tuesday. in fancy dress and armed with silly viareggio.ilcarnevale.com string and confetti, while vendors sell

Every year around this time a feeling of festivity fills the air in Italy. Children wear masks and carry streamers (stelle filanti), streets are lined with confetti (coriondoli), and fried sweets (fritelli) are sold everywhere.

The word ‘carnevale’ is derived from two Latin words carnem and levare, which together mean the removal of meat, a strange-sounding idea that actually refers to something we are all familiar with: the tradition of forgoing meat during the Lenten season.

Carnevale is thus the time of feastings before the fasting of Lent. Excessive eating, drinking and merry-making all commonly occur, culminating on Martedì Grasso, what we know as Mardi Gras, or ‘Fat Tuesday’.

The roots of this festival date back to ancient times, and are linked with pagan rituals such as Saturnalia (in honor of the god of agriculture and harvest, Saturn) and Bacchanalia (for Bacchus, whom everyone knows as the god of wine).

The earliest recorded practice of Carnevale was during the 1200s, reaching its heyday in Venice during the Middle Ages.

In the past, people participated in the pleasures of Carnevale to such an extreme that they took to wearing masks to disguise their identities.

The mask has since become an enduring symbol of Carnevale, especially in Venice, where people still dress in lavish costumes and parade down the streets on their way to masquerade balls.

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FLORENCE NEWS & EVENTS FEBRUARY 2015, NO. 12

STUDENT LIFE

Adjusting and Thriving While Abroad With its labyrinth of narrow streets and unfamiliar cultural clues, Florence can seem like a daunting place for students upon arrival. However, foreign students soon learn to speak the language, navigate the grocery store and discover those hidden Tuscan treasures awaiting them. It is only natural to come across hurdles as you attempt to live like a local, but every mistake can be learnt from. Former study-abroad students have shared the following tips to help maximise your experience abroad.

Get Lost: Take a stroll off the tourist-beaten path. Wandering through side streets by foot is one of the best ways to get to know the city. You’re more likely to find authentic Italian craft and food shops this way, rather than sticking to the center. Pack a camera, some cash, and leave your worries behind. Don’t worry. All roads (eventually) lead back to the Duomo.

At the Grocery Store: Less is more.

Italians rarely buy in bulk, which means food is fresher with a short- Know the Language: Just to make er shelf-life. Buy a few days’ worth learning a foreign language that litof supplies at a time, rather than a tle bit more challenging, Italian has week or two. You’ll save money by several words that look and sound not wasting those rotten apples and like the English equivalent, but have stale loaves of bread you chuck at the completely different meanings. end of a week. Plus your load to haul For example, a libreria is an Italian home will be lighter. bookshop, not a library, so be sure to Speak the Language: It’s easy to get pay for your books or you could find by not speaking Italian at all in Flor- yourself in a bit of a sticky situation. ence, but do try to challenge yourself. The importance of accents should In stores, clerks tend to respond in En- also be noted, because by forgetting glish if they realize that is indeed your to stress the ‘o’ in ‘casinò’ you are renative language. But be persistent. ferring to a brothel, not a gambling Gesture. Practice. Meet the locals. house!

Read the Language: Pick up a news- Eat Like A Local: Americans are paper, magazine, even a brochure accustomed to fast food. We like our written in Italian, and see how much coffee on the go. While you’re in Floryou can understand. Underline ence, eat like the locals do: take the the words and phrases you haven’t time to eat. Sit (or stand) at a bar to learned yet, and look them up your- drink your cappuccino. Enjoy it. You self. might find the change of pace relax-

ing. When you’re out to eat for dinner, appreciate the multi-course meal. No more of these take-home doggy bags!

Portions are smaller here and you’ll notice that food is made for quality, not quantity. Embrace the fact that you’re eating the most delicious Italian food, and remember, take the time to enjoy.

When looking for a sandwich shop, avoid the prepared sandwiches displayed in cases. For the freshest ingredients find a place that will make your sandwich when you order.

Tip for gelato lovers: stay away from the foot-high rainbow mounds of ice cream. It’s that bright for a reason. It isn’t as natural and definitely not as fresh.

Drink Like A Local: Wine is part of Italian culture and is to be enjoyed and appreciated, not abused. Italians

will laugh at anyone they come across drinking on the streets, so pace yourselves, sit at a table and drink for pleasure as opposed to getting legless!

Take Advantage of The Treasures of Tuscany: To live like a local, you have to know your location. While it’s exciting and rewarding to travel all over Europe during this time, check out what Tuscany has to offer, too. A lot of activities and trips can be done in a day by train or bus.

Stay Positive: Not everything goes according to plan, but it’s you who determines the outcome of the situation. A bad attitude isn’t going to get you far, with locals or other students you meet. By keeping an open mind you’re more likely to absorb the culture and will be able to take away more from this experience.

Understand that you will be chal-

lenged linguistically, intellectually, and morally, and realize that it’s all part of the adventure.

Ride A Vespa: Take a tour with Fun in Tuscany and discover scenic routes through hilly Tuscany on a bike or Vespa. There is a large stretch of beautiful countryside to enjoy here and no better way to see it than on two wheels.

Take A Tour: Bus2alps provide day trips, weekend trips and spring/fall breaks at discounted student rates.

Whether you fancy a short visit to Venice or a getaway to Greece, Europe’s no.1 student tour operator can help you make the most of your time on the continent.

Medical Service: If you find yourself in need of medical assistance while in Florence, you can find English-speaking doctors by calling 055 475 411.

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FLORENCE NEWS & EVENTS FEBRUARY 2015, NO. 12

STUDENT LIFE

Ten Things Illegal in Italy But Not in the US

1. Artificially colored sodas: These banned throughout Europe and are very common in America, in most US states, but still perbut are forbidden in Europe and mitted in some American state Japan because they can cause such as Alabama, Arkansas, thyroid problems and have neuGeorgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, rological effects.

Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas.

2. Buying steroids: In Italy the sale 8. Name kids bizarrely: Italian law of steroids is forbidden, even in forbids names that are “ridicupharmacies, while in the US it’s lous and shameful” for children. even possible to find them at the The government may reject an supermarket. application to name a child ‘Goo3. Incandescent lamps: Invented gle’ if it is considered breaking

by Thomas Edison, these light the law. In the US, there is combulbs have been banned in the plete freedom of names for chilEU since September 2012 bedren. cause they are expensive and 9. Possessing a flamethrower, ladangerous for the environment. ser gun or a sword-umbrella: In California, for instance, they No federal law forbids possessing will banned in 2018. one of these weapons. Some US 4. Plastic bags: These kinds of bags states have no restrictions about were banned in most European this, while others regulate the countries in September 2012 to be amount of flammable liquid for replaced by biodegradable ones. the flamethrower.

In the US, many states continue 10. Keep a tiger, a lion or an allito use them. gator as a pet: Exotic pets are 5. Topless tanning in parks: Alforbidden in Italy, while in the lowed in those of New York, toUS each state has its own reguples tanning is forbidden in Itallations. Some states forbid them ian parks. completely; others require a li6. Building your own weapon: cense, while some – such as IdaHomemade weapons are comho, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, mon in the US. North and South Carolina – allow 7. Spanking students: Corpoanyone to have a personal zoo at ral punishment for students is home.

(Source: focus.it)

Surviving Culture Shock SARAH HUMPHREYS “Italia! Oh Italia! Thou who hast the fatal gift of Beauty”: Byron’s tribute to il bel paese still rings true today.

Italy’s magnetic charm has been attracting visitors for centuries and it is easy to see why.

It is almost impossible not to fall in love with this uniquely seductive country, justifiably well-known for its scenic beauty, artistic treasures, incredible food and wine, and iconic historical and cultural heritage.

Italy is full of surprises, contrasts and chaos; not least for those who are visiting for the first time. Many aspects of Italian life – ranging from eating times, ‘rules’ about drinking coffee, trying to cross the road, and dealing with unwanted attention – can be a real culture shock. ten after visiting the Uffizi, which is Culture shock can be defined as considered a particularly ‘dangerous’ ‘emotional disorientation caused by spot. One theory is that viewing so continuously unexpected reactions much culture can bring on feelings of to the new culture.’ Culture shock anguish and insecurity. can manifest itself in various ways, On recovering from an overdose of including anxiety, depression, lone- art, beauty, ice cream and fine Chiliness, migraines and lack of energy. anti, reality starts to kick in. As the It is described as having four stages: ‘romantic’ Honeymoon period comes the Honeymoon Period, Crisis Peri- to an end, less positive aspects of od, Adaption Period and Stabiliza- Italian life will start to become more tion Period. Psychologists say that all obvious. Feelings of anger and frusfours stages must be lived through to tration are quite normal at this point. achieve intercultural competence.

Nowhere is this more obvious than Apart from being overwhelmed by dealing with anything connected to the exquisite food and wine, musical any kind of documenti, work permits, language, natural beauty and (most- banking or transactions at the post ly) lovely weather, the newcomer to office. You will just have to get used Florence also risks being infected by to standing in queues for hours (make ‘Stendhal Syndrome’, so-called after sure you check that you’re in the right the nineteenth century writer: a psy- one) before being practically ignored chosomatic condition that causes by a bored, power-crazed official with rapid heartbeat, dizziness and even no concept of service. Bureaucracy is hallucinations after an individual quite simply a nightmare. You need has been exposed to an ‘overdose’ of an enormous amount of patience to beautiful art. Doctors at Santa Maria deal with these situations, no matter Nuova regularly admit tourists suf- how long you stay in Italy. fering from ‘mental imbalances’, of- Once you begin to get used to rude

shop assistants, insane driving, triple parking, not drinking cappuccinos after dinner and shops closing over lunchtime, the Adaption period begins and Italian life will begin to seem normal. After adjusting and adapting, it is usual to begin to feel at home. Learning Italian is a crucial step in fitting in and understanding the culture.

After going through culture shock, psychologists say that you develop greater empathy for your surroundings, are able to think in a new cultural frame, have greater cultural patience and develop a more critical mind to see through myths and prejudices.

As a foreigner living in Italy, you are allowed, or even expected to be different and even a little eccentric. In the words of American writer Erica Jong, “What is the fatal charm of Italy? What do we find here that can be found nowhere else? I believe it is a certain permission to be human, which other places, other countries, lost long ago.”

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FLORENCE NEWS & EVENTS FEBRUARY 2015, NO. 12

FASHION

Allegations Against Moncler Spark Push for Ethical Fashion

Recent allegations of animal cru- to cut costs while still keeping retail elty involving luxury Italian jacket prices high. Moncler stated that it had producer Moncler have made ethi- not shifted production to the region cal fashion a hot issue. The compa- as it had always operated there, and ny denied sourcing its goose down in Italy had maintained “some effifrom suppliers that use inhumane cient collaborations with the best garmethods after disturbing footage ment-makers.” Left Ecology Freedom was aired by RAI3’s Report program, (SEL) Senator Loredana De Petris prowhich showed geese in Hungary posed creating a parliamentary comleft seriously wounded after being mittee to investigate Italian luxury plucked. The program sparked 4,300 firms moving production abroad. tweets within the 24 hours following, Although the television report 88 percent of which were negatively brought ethical fashion into the spotdirected at Moncler, and saw shares light, animal cruelty has been an isin the company drop by as much as sue in the fashion industry with many six percent. brands turning to synthetic fabrics to Moncler responded to the allegations produce faux fur and leather. saying that it only used goose down Bologna-based designer Elisabetta from suppliers based in Italy, France, Franchi announced her intention and the United States, who were to stop using goose feathers for her bound by contract to comply with the down jackets and replace them with principles set by the European Down “top-quality synthetic materials,” and Feathers Association. The report while other examples include Pinko’s also accused Moncler and other lux- use of faux fur for an eco-biker-jackury brands of shifting production to et and Intimissimi’s faux leather leglow-wage workers in eastern Europe gings.

Why Worry About It? Women who choose plastic surgery should consider that the imperfections in Botticelli’s Venus have made it a model of perfection

CHIARA BECCHETTI Beauty does not necessarily mean perfection. If we consider Botticelli’s depiction of Venus, none other than the goddess of love and a symbol of feminine beauty, we discover that she is a puzzle of physical shortcomings, many of which are the same that lead modern women to spend their money on plastic surgery that often damages their self-esteem.

Venus’s shoulders are drooping; her neck and arms are too long in comparison to the rest of her body, her breasts are small, and her eyes are uneven to the extent that in the Italian language the expression ‘Venus’s strabismus’ is still used to refer to someone with crossed eyes. It is these eyes that give Venus an intriguing, mysterious and charming expression.

An expression that enchanted Botticelli and continues to beguile the tourists who come from all over the world to admire the female whose imperfections have transformed her into a symbol of pure, feminine beauty.

Venus looks innocent but at the same time confident when she looks at the viewer. Her blonde hair waves in the air; next to her, another feminine figure prepares a mantel covered with flowers to protect her while as she arrives at the island of Cyprus with the task of restoring peace in the chaos of the universe through her moral qualities. Her physical imperfections are set aside with an interior beauty that is so strong that she appears physically perfect in spite of them. Venus’s shortcomings make her personality, transforming her into a symbol of eternal femininity.

Botticelli choose Venus because of a mythological inspiration. He exalted

the model of beauty that was prevalent in the Renaissance; an ideal of beauty that could only be understood by those who were educated and could perceive the intellectual qualities that make woman the way to reach God. Botticelli’s Venus is a female who has resisted up until today. She is, somehow, an antecedent of the feminists who followed her centuries afterward because she is what every man should aspire to in order to elevate his spirit.

Why not today? Why plastic surgery if feminine beauty resides first of all in a woman’s imperfections?

Chiara Becchetti is a professional tour guide with a background in fashion. To book a tour with Chiara, write to her at: chiarabecchetti@hotmail.it www.toptoursintuscany.com

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FLORENCE NEWS & EVENTS FEBRUARY 2015, NO. 12

A Woman at the Barber Shop: Between Blues and Swing

NICOLE GILLET When a woman enters a barber shop, everyone is surprised and turns to stare. The impression that I had when I stepped in to conduct my interview was, in fact, exactly that of a fish out of water. Valerio Imperiale and his business partner were busy taking care of their clients as two handsome young men with beards were being shaved. I sat and watched the place with curiosity and admiration, waiting for my interviewee to finish his job. Valerio belongs to a young generation of Italians who want to demonstrate that there is a creative Italy that is willing to work, and which prides itself on delivering quality traditional services. And it was precisely this southern Italian tradition, which has become part of the ‘Made in Italy’ brand and been exported all over the world, that I wanted to discover. Located just outside the city center, Valerio’s shop is doing well in spite of the crisis, and he is planning on opening another in the center.

While I was waiting for Valerio to

finish I listened to the music playing in the background – blues, rock and swing – and looked at the photo on the walls of similar salons in New York, Rotterdam and Paris. Various hairdressing paraphernalia were displayed on a big counter, such as little bottles, ointments, different types of wax, and equipment for heating towels. As the two handsome men left the salon, they looked much younger and cleaner than they had done previously. Valerio waved them to the next shave and finally approached me. His expression and tone conveyed the enthusiasm of a man who lives his profession with great passion.

Valerio was born in Sicily, where he lived with his family until he was 11. His father, grandfather and great-grandfather were all barbers or hairdressers. When his parents moved to Florence back in the 1980s, they opened a unisex hair salon, which is where Valerio took his first steps in the family profession. He was eventually inspired to re-create an authentic barber shop with the traditional services that his grandfather’s salon once offered.

“I made a trip around Europe to see what services men’s hairdressers in

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other countries offered,” Valerio said.

“I wanted to promote the quality and refinement of this craft that Italians have mastered. For me, it became a huge challenge. I began to imagine a salon with green-and-white-striped walls, like those that had once distinguished barber shops, with traditional products such as hot towels to relax the face, prepare for the shave and avoid skin irritation. My goal was to create a different and pleasant experience for clients. This method is guaranteed to provide the ultimate shave, without using alcohol so as not to burn the skin. My point is not about following a particular fashion; for me every hairstyle, cut or beard has its own story.”

He explains that in America, where so many Sicilian immigrants settled, the expression ‘Valentino cut’ still exists as a reminder of Rodolfo Valentino, also known as ‘executive contour’. Valerio’s grandfather was one of those immigrants, arriving in America in the period when blues and jazz were becoming popular. For him, music and hairdressing came to be associated with each other.

“My grandfather was part of an immigrant group for 50 years,” Valerio said. “There is a song entitled ‘The Barber Blues’ in an old film, a musical.

It made me think of a play on words, ‘blues barbers’, also reminiscent of ‘Blues Brothers.’ In the end, I chose the name ‘Blues Barber Shop’ for my salon. My intention was to revive this craft because I thought that it had become undervalued, and I believe that it is possible to build up the future by learning from the past. ‘Made in Italy’ exists in this sector too.”

Time flew, and while we were talking more clients had come in, so I left. Inside, I was singing the blues.

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FASHION

Gucci Confirms New Creative Director

Alessandro Michele has been formal- in to oversee the brand’s menswear ly appointed as Gucci’s new creative collection recently shown in Milan, director, replacing Frida Giannini in producing an entire collection in just the role. The 42-year-old joined Gucci over a week when Giannini departed in 2002 and was head accessories de- unexpectedly. The designs were notsigner prior to his new position. ed for their play on gender, with both “Throughout its history, Gucci has male and female models staging analways created attention and excite- drogynous looks, as a departure from ment through its innovative and dis- the predominantly macho approach tinctive products and collections, as that has characterized the brand’s it has become Italy’s most renowned former menswear collections. fashion house and one of the most Michele presents his women’s readyiconic and prominent luxury brands to-wear collection for Fall/Winter in the world,” said François-Henri 2015-2016 on February 25 in Milan. It Pinault, chairman and CEO of parent will be his first since assuming the company Kering. Michele stepped Gucci creative directorship.

Women Protagonists on Show Requiring the total rearrangement of Palazzo Pitti’s Costume Gallery, Twentieth-Century Women Protagonists showcases the garments and accessories of prominent twentieth-century females.

The permanent exhibition’s “protagonists” are those women noted for creativity within their various fields, including Rosa Genoni, Eleonora Duse, Donna Franca Florio, Maria Cumani, and avid fashion collectors Anna Piaggi and Cecilia Matteucci Lavari-

ni. Creations by Schuberth, known as the “dressmaker to the stars,” made for Antonella Cannavò Florio are also on display, along with items from the legendary 1000-piece wardrobe belonging to novelist Anna Rontani, and garments worn by Patty Pravo at the Festival of Sanremo.

The Costume Gallery is Italy’s only museum of costume and fashion history. The collection consists of more than 6000 pieces, including ancient dresses, costumes and accessories.

16

FLORENCE NEWS & EVENTS FEBRUARY 2015, NO. 12

CITY INFO TOURIST INFORMATION Firenze Turismo .... 055 29 08 32 // 055 29 08 33 Via Cavour, 1/r Mon–Sat: 8:30 a.m.–6:30 p.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.–7 p.m.

Sundays & public holidays: 8:30 a.m.–2 p.m. turismo3@comune.fi.it www.comune.fi.it Bigallo loggia ........................................... 055 28 84 96 Piazza San Giovanni Mon–Sat: 9 a.m.–7 p.m.

Sundays & public holidays: 9 a.m.–2 p.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.firenzecard.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.

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

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.

Pisa International Airport ...................... 050 84 93 00 (Galileo Galilei)

www.pisa-airport.com

CALL A TAXI: 055 42 42

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.

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

17

FLORENCE NEWS & EVENTS FEBRUARY 2015, NO. 12

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.

Closed 2 & 4 Sun, and 1 , 3 & 5 Mon of the month; Jan 1, May 1, Dec 25.

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.

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.

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.

nd

th

st

rd

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PALAZZO STROZZI* Piazza Strozzi 055 27 76 461 Piano Nobile: Mon–Wed & Fri–Sun: 9 a.m.–8 p.m. and Thurs: 9 a.m.–11 p.m.

CCC Strozzina: Tues–Wed & Fri–Sun: 10 a.m.–8p.m.; Thurs: 10 a.m.–11 p.m.

Closed Mon.

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 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

18

FLORENCE NEWS & EVENTS FEBRUARY 2015, NO. 12

FOOD & WINE

The Aperitivo Explained

Sample Authentic Italian Brews with a Beer-Tasting Class The Contemporary Academy and tend, notification is required at least its partner Terra di Delizie are cur- one day before the session. rently hosting beer-tasting classes. The Contemporary Academy is an The classes are delivered in English, association dedicated to advanced Spanish and French and last two training in the restaurant and beer hours, beginning with a 40-minute business, while Terra di Delizie is an lesson on the culture, history, style e-commerce portal of Italian food and production of Italian beer and and wine. Their shared mission is to followed by a professional tasting ensure the authenticity of an Italian session of Italian brews. craft beer experience.

Participants learn about the beer Beer-Tasting industry from legitimate beer sommeliers rather than employees of the Tommaso Pieri: 348 852 64 26 wine industry, and receive an amatomopieri@hotmail.com teur Italian craft beer certificate at the contemporaryacademy@gmail.com conclusion of the class. In order to at-

Wine may be the drink of choice in Italy, and the Tuscan region in particular is known for its wine production. Yet beyond the world of wine lies a wide assortment of cocktails to discover in Italy, including the Negroni, the Spritz, and the Americano.

These iconic Italian cocktails feature distinctive ingredients like Aperol, Campari and Vermouth and contain flavors that stimulate the appetite— thus, perfect for the Italian aperitivo.

The social activity known as aperitivo takes place in a lively atmosphere, at a bar or party, accompanied by light-tasting cocktails and pre-dinner snacks.

Aperitivo happens almost every night of the week and in some locales the finger foods are abundant enough to make a full meal, at the price of an €8 or €9 cocktail. Negroni, Spritz, and Americano are the quintessential Italian aperitivo. Intended to whet the palate, these three cocktails usually

contain Campari, but are also offered with some minor variations.

The Americano is made with half Campari, half sweet Vermouth, and soda water, and is garnished with lemon. It was originally served in Gaspare Campari’s café in Milan and called the Milano-Torino cocktail in reference to the Campari from Milan and Vermouth from Turin. However, as the drink grew in popularity among American tourists, it became known as the Americano.

In 1919, when Count Camillo Negroni was at Florence’s Caffè Casoni (now Caffè Giacosa), he ordered his Americano a little bit stronger. The bartender decided to add gin instead of soda water, and an orange instead of a lemon, to distinguish this new and different drink. The cocktail was so well received that the Negroni family founded a Negroni Distillery in Treviso, Italy.

Currently there are three different

variations of the Negroni cocktail.

The first, invented in Milan, is called the Negroni sbagliato, the “wrong” Negroni, wherein Spumante Brut (dry sparkling white wine) is substituted for gin. The Negroski is a version made with vodka instead of gin. Lastly, the Sparkling Negroni contains the same main three parts—gin, Campari and Vermouth—plus Champagne or Prosecco, and is sometimes garnished with an orange twist.

The Spritz cocktail, another popular choice for aperitivo, is made with one ounce of Aperol, two ounces Prosecco, and Seltzer. For those who prefer a more bitter flavor, Campari can be used instead of the sweeter, lighter Aperol.

Venturing away from standard American cocktails makes for a delicious change of pace, while experiencing the Italian aperitivo tradition takes you a step closer to adopting the Italian lifestyle. Cin cin!

Monthly Recipe: Bistecca alla Fiorentina INGREDIENTS: • 4 sprigs fresh rosemary, chopped • 1 (2 ½ pound) porterhouse steak • 3 tablespoons Tuscan olive oil • Moist, grey sea salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste • 6 lemon wedges 5.

PREPARATION: 1. Press rosemary onto both sides of steak; set onto a plate and allow to marinate for 1 hour.

2. Start an outdoor grill using hardwood charcoal, such as hickory.

When coals are white and glowing, arrange for high heat.

3. Gently brush olive oil onto steak, then season to taste with sea salt and pepper.

4. Place steak onto grill, and cook until a dark, golden brown (not

burnt) crust forms, 5 to 10 minutes depending on thickness of meat. Turn over, and continue cooking until for 5 to 10 minutes more. When finished, allow to rest for 10 minutes.

Trim any unwanted fat from the round (tenderloin) steak, slice into 6 equal pieces at an angle to the grain, and fan out on one side of the bone. Finish by garnishing the platter with lemon wedges and a sprinkle of additional sea salt.

Via Ghibellina, 70/r 055 22 60 010 www.daqueiganzi.it

19

FLORENCE NEWS & EVENTS FEBRUARY 2015, NO. 12

Eating Outside the Box in Florence

The first week or two in Florence dining on bowls of pasta, slices of prosciutto or pecorino on thick slices of crusty bread, bistecca alla Fiorentina, and trippa are more than enough to assuage the appetite and please the palate; there is a reason for Italy’s reputation as a gastronomic paradise, after all. Tuscan cuisine in particular comes from ancient traditions that make dining no small pleasure.

But sometimes a little variety is needed to spice up the routine. Why else congregate in this tiny corner of the country if not to encounter some differences? And certainly what is true for the minds and hearts invariably applies to the stomach as well.

Those seeking a break from typi-

cal Tuscan fare are in luck: Florence hosts an abundance of restaurants serving delicious food from around the world.

If you fancy some Spanish cuisine to mix things up a little, spend your siesta over at Salamanca on Via Ghibellina, an excellent Spanish tapas bar that turns into a discoteca after 10 p.m. Its considerable menu features small tapas plate offerings, ceviche, paella and, of course, house sangria, for good food and good fun in true Spanish style.

Next is The Diner on Via dell’Acqua, near the Bargello National Museum.

Here you can find that all-American breakfast that Italians just can’t seem to get right, along with a whole break-

Italy’s Staple Foods in Danger of Extinction

Five staples of the Mediterranean diet – olive oil, citrus fruit, wine, honey and pasta – are in danger of extinction, according to the Coldiretti farming organization.

“The effects of the collapse of production will be felt at the Italian table,” the organization warned. “With the collapse of the national harvest the risk increases of bringing products to the table being passed off as ‘Made in Italy’ but sourced from abroad, and often of low quality.”

In 2015 supermarket shelves will carry 35 percent less Italian olive oil, 25 percent less citrus fruit, 15 percent less wine and 50 percent less honey.

As for pasta, Italian durum wheat crops suffered a slight decline of -4 percent, while a substantial 10 percent drop occurred in the EU and a collapse of 27 percent was recorded in Canada, Italy’s main supplier. The domestic pasta industry is heavily dependent on purchasing wheat from abroad, which supplies approximately 40 percent of basic needs.

Due to poor crop yield as a result of fast menu and a variety of burgers, bad weather, olive oil made in Italy salads, wraps and bagels–that’s right, will be rationed with virgin stock that New Yorkers, you can get a decent bagel all the way out here. The Diner also has vegie options which aren’t found in Italy as easily as back home.

Bringing spice and color to the environs of Florence, Fiesole is home to Indian restaurant Ristorante India: lauded by various international guides as one of the best in Europe, you’ve got every reason to get eating outside the box in this locale. Here you can sample dishes from Mughlai cuisine, that of North India, to excite and smart the senses, especially if you’ve been looking for something a bit spicier than Italian dining has to offer.

LAMPREDOTTO AND OTHER TYPICAL FLORENTINE SANDWICHES

(Just a few steps from Piazza della Signoria)

PIAZZA DE' CIMATORI • WWW.ANTICOTRIPPAIO.IT

FOOD & WINE

is expected to deplete within the first six months of 2015. Chestnuts have hit a record low, significantly below the 18 million kilos of 2013 and one-third of the amount harvested 10 years ago.

A study conducted in January 2013 of the sales and distribution of 11 food categories also revealed that the breakfast food market, which generates €5.47 million annually, has seen a significant collapse. Items such as biscuits and jams are experiencing the greatest decrease. The other categories researched, which saw overall increases, included basic dishes, ready-made basic dishes (fresh or frozen), fast food, happy hour at home (prosecco, beer, alcoholic and non alcoholic aperitivi, snacks, etc.), health foods (vitamins, whole wheat, tuna, etc.), second courses (fresh or frozen meat and fish), gourmet (salmon, caviar, truffle, saffron, champagne, etc.) and healthy alternatives (soy, rice and gluten-free products).

It was also reported that healthy alternatives have risen in sales by 40 percent, which indicates that Italian consumers are willing to spend more on items that meet their needs.

Five Harder-to-Find Foods in 2015 Olive oil Wine Honey Pasta Citrus fruit

20

FLORENCE NEWS & EVENTS FEBRUARY 2015, NO. 12

CITY BEAT

Suspended Moments

At the Students’ Table

Meet Pino of Salumeria Verdi and Pozzodivino

Sixteen-year-old Luca Stafanon won the first edition of the Mi Espongo photo competition last month, which was organized by Ristorante India in Fiesole. Its next photo competition is centered upon the theme ‘Feeding Soul.’ For further information, email: info@ristoranteindia.it

Nine Kilometers of Textiles

Nine kilometers of textiles covered the Gherardini factory to celebrate the 130th anniversary of the company. The idea and realization of the project came from Marco Fallani, a well-known Florentine artist, who transformed the factory into an artwork during the Pitti Uomo fashion exhibit last month.

To the seasoned student in Florence, Pino is a man who needs no introduction. He is the proud owner of Salumeria Verdi on Via Giuseppe Verdi, a deli and cafe that happily opens its doors to tourists, students and locals. He has attained something of a cult status, particularly among students visiting from America.

Some of Pino’s panini are even named after students who left a particular impression, such as ‘Mister Talk,’ and ‘Emily’.

Another option on the menu is ‘The Best,’ so-named by Pino in response to the many tourists and students always asking, ‘’Which one’s the best?’’

Pino will proudly tell you that it is not uncommon for students returning to Florence to show up at his business with spouses and children. In fact, Pino fondly recalls serving a sandwich to a former customer 11 years after he had left Florence.

Pino is somewhat humbled by his recognition, and attributes his popularity to treating anybody in his cafe “as if they were family”, and to his three pillars of service – “qualitá, prezzo, accoglienza” – quality, price and hospitality.

Born of a desire by Pino and his wife Antonella to go one step ahead of similar vendors by modernising the standard panino and studying flavors that go well together, Salumeria Verdi has grown in both size and success since its inauguration in the late 1980s. It employs ingredients from all over Italy, a factor that is extremely important for its owners, who aim to provide tourists with more than just a taste of Florence, with such produce as pesto from Liguria and cheese from the South.

This is an element consciously influenced by Pino’s background. Born in

Naples, an Italian region known for quality ingredients, Pino moved to Turin with his family at the age of six.

Like many Italian migrants who travelled north in the 1960s and 1970s, the family’s move was propelled by a search of work and opportunities.

Pino settled permanently in Florence after meeting Antonella here, and thus this second permanent move was made for love.

Today Salumeria Verdi resembles a veritable ‘Tardis’ (for non-fans of Doctor Who, that’s a space that seems small from the exterior yet is gigantic inside): stretching to the length of three shops, the original delicatessen has expanded into a panini shop with abundant choices to create your own fillings (much like most American equivalents), and boasts space with some 20 tables and chairs.

The Salumeria is quite frankly a feast

for the eyes (as well as the hungry stomach); the colors and smells emanating from the place are an irresistible mélange that regularly see queues out the door.

Whether drawn by hunger pangs, the itch to get creative with panini fillings or simply the desire to drop into a Florentine institution and share a few words of wisdom with the great man himself, Salumeria Verdi is well worth a visit. Who knows? Maybe Pino will name a sandwich after you.

Salumerica Verdi Via Giuseppe Verdi, 36/r 055 244517 www.salumeriaverdi.it

Enoteca Pozzo Divino Via Ghibellina, 144/r 055 2466907 www.pozzodivino.eu

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FLORENCE NEWS & EVENTS FEBRUARY 2015, NO. 12

CITY BEAT

Jazz, Blues and Rock & Roll The NOF club will be the home of live music with special weekly events like Monday jazz nights. Tuesday nights are going to be dedicated to improvisational theatre and cabaret, whilst one Wednesday a month will host international guests.

Thanks to owner Filippo Zanasi and his barmaid Camilla who have renovated the NOF club for the upcoming 2014-2015 season, the bar will be hosting bigger and better artists almost every night of the week. Bands of upmost quality will be playing at the club, covering an array of musical genres from jazz to indie, blues to rock and roll. Admission is free and the club is situated on the southern side of the Arno, which can be reached by crossing the Ponte alla Carraia.

Borgo San Frediano, 17/r Mon. to Sat.: 8 p.m. - 3 a.m. www.facebook.com/NofGallery

Discover Venice in Santa Croce Murano glass and Carnevale mask enthusiasts need not travel to Venice for quality souvenir items. Alvise Giustinian, located at Corso dei Tintori, 19 (near Santa Croce) is a gift and art store specializing in Murano-made items and that guarantees the sale of purely Murano products, with no importation. Products include masks, jewelry, and glass objects for the home. Jewelry has proven to be the shop’s most popular item, due to the ease of transport and availability of products starting at merely €5, according to owner Paola.

Alvise Giustinian’s spacious interior

allows for an abundant selection of gifts and a comfortable shopping experience. Paola’s customers tell her that prices in this beautiful, museum-like shop are lower than those in Venice. If you’re in Florence but looking for classic Venetian crafts such as papier-mâché masks and handmade glass, then Alvise Giustinian is a store worth a visit.

Alvise Giustinian Corso Tintori, 19/r 055 246 62 95 www.alvisegiustian.com

Reinventing Suitcases

The first company to introduce the American novelty of rigid suitcases to the Italian market, Valigeria Gazzarrini is a historic shop in Florence, one that has marked the commercial history of the city.

The combination of innovation and determination that has characterized the company since its beginnings in 1911, when founder Giuseppe Gazzarrini bought the leather manufacturing firm at which he worked to begin specializing in suitcases, is the reason for its swift rise to success. By the 1920s Gazzarrini was already recognized for the quality of its products at national and international trade

fairs, and four generations later it supplies top leather good and travel accessories worldwide.

Today the story continues in the vein of its Florentine artisan roots, with a dual focus on quality Italian goods such as Labiena 1856 and Orobianco, and emerging trends in international brands, including Longchamp, Tumi and Samsonite.

Valigeria Gazzarrini Open daily: 10 a.m.-7 p.m.

Via Porta Rossa, 71-73/r 055 21 27 47 info@valigeriagazzarrini.com www.valigeriagazzarrini.com

Pet Sitting in Florence Dedicated to the personalized care of four-legged family members, Florence Pet Sitting offers doggie daycare and boarding, and national and international pet transport. We welcome all types of animals, including special needs pets, and are open year-round, including holidays.

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Located in S. Spirito in the Oltrarno 345 693 6081 www.florencepetsitting.com florencepetsitting@gmail.com

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Daycare or overnights at our facilities or walks and check-ins from your location; Two long walks per day and frequent outings; Updates and photos of your pets during their stay; Secured garden for urgent bathroom needs; No cages; pets are free to roam and sleep where they like; 24-hour companionship; Bathing and nail-clip offered.

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FLORENCE NEWS & EVENTS FEBRUARY 2015, NO. 12

MUSIC

Porto di Mare – Eskimo

Dancing, Italian-Style

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.

Discover the pizzica tradition at Porto di Mare Club The pizzica is the most traditional dance in southern Italy, originating in the area of Salento in Puglia. This type of dance is part of the so-called tarantelle, typical dances of the South, the origins of which can be traced back to celebrations in honor of the Greek divinity Dionysius. Dissolute, passionate and sensual attitudes were typical aspects of these celebrations, and still are. This music is rooted in the sun-baked ground of southern Italy, and with the most primitive instincts that unite its people in one language; that of the body, which goes beyond differences in sex, religion and race.

Southern Italy is not just an area in this country. It is also, and mostly, a

way of life, a mental state. It is precisely this way of life, this mental state that brought together a group of southern Italian musicians in Florence into a band, in order to transmit their passion, traditions and the spirit of their land.

The Tarantella Street Band is composed of Francesco Cofone (lead singer), Pietro Perri (accordion and mandolin), Gionata Martano and Marcello Zappia (tambourine), Luca Bannella (organ and Calabrian lyre) and Giusy Andrisano, (pizzica master dancer).

The band’s intention is to encourage people’s dancing traditions, allowing everyone to take part and learn them, including those who do not have any experience.

The Tarantella Street Band performs on Friday at Porto di Mare – Eskimo, a restaurant and club located just outside the city center (in Via Pisana, 128, near the Ponte alla Vittoria). To get there by bus, catch bus no. 12 from Santa Maria Novella train station in the direction of Piazzale Michelangelo and get off at the Sanzio bus stops, where you will see the club in front of you.

Come along and meet Francesco and Giusy, who will teach you the secrets of the pizzica. The atmosphere is familiar and relaxed. If you would like to escape the more touristy confines of the English-speaking city center, then this is the place.

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FLORENCE NEWS & EVENTS FEBRUARY 2015, NO. 12

EVENTS

Exhibitions

Fairs & Markets

Folk Festivals

VINTAGE SELECTION - THE VINTAGE CLOTHING, ACCESSORIES AND DESIGNER OBJECTS FAIR February 1 Viale Fratelli Rosselli, 5 From: 10 a.m.-9 p.m.

IN ANNA MARIA LUISA DE’ MEDICI’S HONOUR, ELECTRESS PALATINE: FREE ENTRANCES TO THE CITY MUSEUMS February 18 Piazza Madonna degli Aldobrandini, 6 From: 11 a.m. www.comune.fi.it

FROM FLORENCE TO JAROSLAV, THE HARMONY OF NATURE Until February 3 Palazzo Medici Riccardi, Fabiani Hall Daily: 8.30 a.m.-7 p.m.

Closed on Wednesday 1938-1945. THE PERSECUTION OF THE JEWS IN ITALY. DOCUMENTS FOR A STORY Until February 8 Basilica di Santa Croce

ARNINA BY LORENZO BARTOLINI. THE REDISCOVERED MARBLE FOR GIOVANNI DEGLI ALESSANDRI Until February 8 Accademia Gallery Daily: 8:15 a.m.-6:50 p.m.

SEA LIGHT. A STORY OF ITALIAN ART 1915-1935 Until February 15 Villa Bardini Tue.-Sun.: 10 a.m.-7 p.m.

Closed on Monday www.bardinipeyron.it

THE OTHER HALF OF HEAVEN: FEMALE SAINTS AND PRIVATE DEVOTION IN THE GREAT FLORENTINE FAMILIES IN THE XVII - XIX CENTURY Until March 8 Museum of Casa Martelli & Villa La Quiete

RETROSPECTIVE EXHIBITION BY OLGA SINCLAIR Until February 26 Palazzo Medici Riccardi, Limonaia Daily: 8:30 a.m.-7 p.m.

Closed on Wednesday

EARLY TWENTIETH CENTURY FLORENCE IN THE WORK OF GUIDO SPADOLINI Until March 12 Municipal Historical Archives of Florence Mon. and Fri.: 10 a.m.-2 p.m.; Tue., Wed. & Thu.: 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

MUSIWA INTERNATIONAL ART AND CONTEMPORARY MOSAIC Until February 16 Palazzo Medici Riccardi, Galleria delle Carrozze en.firenzeturismo.it/en/events-to-mark/ hereros.html CHINESE NEW REALITY PAINTING Until February 17 Fortezza da Basso www.aacitalia.com

MICHELE GHIRO / DOMENICO GHIRO VISIBLE TRANSPARENCIES Until March 13 Palazzo Borghese Mon.-Fri.: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. info@palazzoborghese.it

CAMILLE HENROT - GROSSE FATIGUE (2013) Until February 8 Gucci Museum Daily: 10 a.m.-8 p.m. www.guccimuseo.com THE TREASURES OF THE BUCCELLATI FOUNDATION Until February 22 Piazza Pitti Daily: 8:15 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Closed on the 1st and the last Monday of each month. www.polomuseale.firenze.it

FALISCI - THE PEOPLE OF THE HILLS Until February 8 National Archaeological Museum, Sala del Nicchio Mon., Sat. & Sun.: 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m.; Tue.-Fri.: 8:30 a.m.-7 p.m.

PASSION AND COLLECTION. TUSCAN CERAMICS FROM THE FIFTEENTH TO THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY Until February 10 Museum of Casa Buonarroti Daily: 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Closed on Tuesday

MASSIMO BARTOLINI Until March 8 Marino Marini Museum Daily: 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Closed on Tuesdays, Sundays and public holidays www.museomarinomarini.it

SPOTLIGHT ON THE 20TH CENTURY: TRIAL INSTALLATION FOR THE FUTURE OF THE GALLERIA D’ARTE MODERNA DI PALAZZO PITTI Until March 8 Pitti Palace, Gallery of Modern Art Tue.-Sun.: 8:15 a.m.-6:50 p.m.

Closed on Monday

PINOCCHIO BY LEO MATTIOLI: A TIMELESS MODERNITY Until February 14 Florence National Library Mon.-Fri.: 10 a.m.-1 p.m. / 3 p.m.-6 p.m.; Sat.: 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

Closed on Sundays and Holidays www.bncf.firenze.sbn.it FACES OF HERMETICISM. VENTURINO AT VILLA BARDINI AND AT THE ARCHIVIO BONSANTI Until February 15 Villa Bardini Tue.-Sun.: 10 a.m.-7 p.m.

Closed on Monday www.bardinipeyron.it

CHOCOLATE FESTIVAL February 6-15 Piazza Di Santa Maria Novella From: 10 a.m.- 10 p.m.

SANTO SPIRITO FAIR February 8 PIAZZA SANTO SPIRITO From: 9 a.m.-7.30 p.m.

Meetings

TOURISMA INTERNATIONAL MEETING OF ARCHAEOLOGY February 20 to 22 Piazza Adua, 1 www.tourisma.it/en/home-en

Sport

GIORGIO CASTELFRANCO: A LITTLE KNOWN MONUMENT MAN Until March 31 Museo Casa Siviero Sun. & Mon.: 10 a.m.-1 p.m.; Sat.: 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

FLORENCE AS IT WAS IN THE VIEWS OF FABIO BORBOTTONI Until April 5 Ente Cassa di Risparmio di Firenze Mon.-Fri.: 9 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sat. & Sun.: 10 a.m.-1 p.m. / 3 p.m.-7 p.m. www.entecarifirenze.it

EQUILIBRIUM Until April 12, 2015 Ferragamo Museum Piazza Santa Trinita, 5r Mon. to Sun.: 10 a.m. - 7:30 p.m. www.ferragamo.com/museo

BUY WINE 2015 February 13 and 14 Viale Filippo Strozzi, 1

SEEDS FAIR - ORGANIC AND LOCAL HANDMADE PRODUCTS February 15 Piazza Santo Spirito From: 9 a.m.-7 p.m. www.lafierucola.org CIOMPI MONTHLY ANTIQUE FAIR February 22 Piazza Dei Ciompi From: 9 a.m.- 6 p.m.

GHERARDO DELLE NOTTI Until May 24 Uffizi Gallery Daily: 8:15 a.m.-6:50 p.m.

Closed on Monday www.polomuseale.firenze.it THE COLOUR OF THE SHADOW Until March 8 Palazzo Pitti, The Gallery of Modern Art Tue.-Sun.: 10 a.m.-6:30 p.m.

Closed on Monday www.polomuseale.firenze.it

IMMAGINE ITALIA & CO. TEXTILE FAIR FOR HOME February 6-8 Fortezza da Basso www.immagineitalia.org

A CAPITAL AND ITS ARCHITECT Until June 6 Viale della Giovine Italia, 6 Mon. to Sat.: 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sun.: 10 a.m.-1 p.m. www.entecarifirenze.it

FIRENZE WINTER PARK Until March 1 Lungarno Aldo Moro www.firenzewinterpark.it

Music & Dance

150TH ANNIVERSARY OF FLORENCE AS CAPITAL OF ITALY February 3 Viale Fratelli Rosselli, 15 From: 7.45 p.m. www.maggiofiorentino.com PAOLO CONTE February 12 Viale Fratelli Rosselli, 15 From: 9 p.m.

COBRA LIBRE CONCERT PINOCCHIO LIVE JAZZ February 21 Viale Giannotti, 13 From: 9.45 (p.m.) www.pinocchiojazz.it

DANZA IN FIERA - INTERNATIONAL TRADE & SHOW DANCE EVENT February 26 to March 3 Fortezza da Basso From: Thu.: 3 p.m.-8 p.m.

Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays: 9 a.m.-8 p.m.

500TH CONCERT PIERINO E IL LUPO CAREGGI IN MUSICA CONCERT SEASON February 22 Largo Brambilla, 3 From: 10.30 a.m. www.agimusfirenze.it MAGIC FLORENCE February 21 Via delle Cascine, 41

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FLORENCE NEWS & EVENTS FEBRUARY 2015, NO. 12

ENTERTAINMENT

ODEON FIRENZE

At the Movies

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

GUIDO REVERDITO

UNBROKEN DIRECTOR: Angelina Jolie GENRE: Biography | Drama | Sport | War STARS: Jack O’Connell, Domhall Gleeson, Garrett Hedlund PLOT: After a near-fatal plane crash in WWII, Olympian Louis Zamperini spends a harrowing 47 days in a raft with two fellow crewmen before he is caught by the Japanese navy and sent to a prisoner-of-war camp.

MR. TURNER DIRECTOR: Mike Leigh GENRE: Biography | Drama | History STARS: Timothy Spall, Paul Jesson, Dorothy Atkinson, Marion Bailey PLOT: This film explores the last quarter century of the great if eccentric British painter J.M.W. Turner (1775-1851). Profoundly affected by the death of his father, he forms a close relationship with a seaside landlady with whom he eventually lives incognito in Chelsea, where he dies.

Throughout his travels, Turner stays with the country aristocracy, visits brothels, is a popular if anarchic member of the Royal Academy of Arts, has himself strapped to the mast of a ship so that he can paint a snowstorm, and is both celebrated and reviled by the public and by royalty.

DATES/HOURS: Thursday, Feb 5: 4 – 6 p.m.

Friday, Feb. 6: 4 – 6:30 – 9 p.m.

Sunday, Feb. 8: 4 – 6:30 – 9 p.m.

Wednesday, Feb. 11: 4 – 6:30 – 9 p.m.

DATES/HOURS: Sunday, Feb. 1: 4 – 6:45 – 9:30 p.m.

This month in Florence it will be possible to watch Oscar contenders in their original language. In addition to The Grand Budapest Hotel, Boyhood, The Imitation Game, The Theory of Everything and Still Alice, which were screened during the Christmas period in Italian, are Birdman (which is competing for nine nominations), the new film by Alejandro Gonzales Iñàrritu, featuring Michael Keaton as a decadent actor undergoing a professional and human crisis.

Also highly anticipated is Angelina Jolie’s Un-

broken, based upon the autobiography of Louis Zamperini, a war hero and Olympic champion who, after floating on a raft in the ocean for 47 days following a plane crash, was interned in a Japanese concentration camp.

Another movie worthy of mention is Selma; here the story takes place in the US south, depicting protests by the African-American community against the abuses they suffered from in the mid 1960s. Last tip is for Gemma Bovery, a bizarre French comedy that re-interprets Falubert’s masterpiece in the unusual set of Normandy.

Jolie Meets Pope Francis Angelina Jolie met Pope Francis recently after a Vatican screening of her new film Unbroken, which recounts the story of Louis Silvie Zamperini, an American POW and Olympic runner.

“To be invited to screen Unbroken at the Vatican is an honor and a tribute to Louie’s legacy as a man of faith and someone who exemplified the power of forgiveness and the strength of the human spirit,” said Jolie. “These are universal themes at the heart of the human experience everywhere.”

The pope was unable to attend the screening but Jolie met him afterwards with her two daughters, Shiloh and Zahara.

Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi cited the film as displaying “positive human and spiritual values, in particular forgiveness.”

007 No Match for Italian Bureaucracy

STILL ALICE DIRECTOR: Richard Glatzer, Wash Westmoreland GENRE: Drama STARS: Julianne Moore, Kristen Stewart, Alec Baldwin PLOT: Alice Howland, happily married with three grown children, is a renowned linguistics professor who starts to forget words. When she receives a devastating diagnosis, Alice and her family find their bonds tested.

DATES/HOURS: Monday, Feb. 2: 4:30 – 6:30 – 9 p.m.

Tuesday, Feb. 3: 4:30 – 6.30 – 9 p.m.

Wednesday, Feb. 4: 4:30 – 6:30 – 9 p.m.

Cultural heritage officials in Rome have scuttled plans to film a highspeed car chase in the city’s historical center for the new James Bond movie Spectre.

A sequence depicting Bond tearing past the sixteenth-century Quattro Fontane – four fountains situated at an intersection – has been denied permission due to concerns about their fragility.

“We have not given permission for the sequence at the Quattro Fontane because the site is too delicate from an architectural point of view,” says cultural heritage official Federica Galloni.

“We have asked the producers not to film there but instead to create

the sequence with special effects in post-production.”

Italian bureaucracy also posed a threat to Bond’s weapon under a new regulation requiring that guns used on the set undergo independent testing in Italian labs to ensure they could only shoot blanks.

However, the government agreed to postpone the law’s implementation under pressure from the Italian film industry.

Scenes for the film are scheduled to be shot in Rome from February 19 to March 12. According to reports, action scenes include a car crashing into the Tiber River and a Fiat 500 being crushed near the Vatican. In another scene, 007, played by Dan-

iel Craig, will parachute from a helicopter onto the Ponte Sisto, a pedestrian bridge built in the fifteenth century. Additional scenes are also being be shot at the Royal Palace of Caserta in Campania.

Spectre’s production budget, which will be the 24th official James Bond film, exceeds that of the previous Bond film Skyfall by more than $100 million, according to emails leaked during the recent Sony hack.

Directed by Sam Mendes, the film also features Monica Bellucci, touted as the “oldest-ever Bond girl” at 50 years old, alongside Ralph Fiennes, Ben Whishaw and Naomie Harris as M, Q and Moneypenny respectively, while Christoph Waltz

of Django Unchained and Inglourious Basterds fame is reported to be playing 007 villain Blofeld.

The film-makers will work out of offices at Rome’s renowned Cinecitta complex, which has recently seen a revival thanks to government tax breaks, and is to host to the upcoming remake of the epic historical drama Ben Hur (the original was also shot at the studios in 1959), and Voice from the Stone, an indie thriller set in 1950s Tuscany based on the Italian novel La Voce Della Pietra by Silvio Raffo.

Spectre started production last year on December 8 and is set to be released on November 6.

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FLORENCE NEWS & EVENTS FEBRUARY 2015, NO. 12

A Jog With a View

Have Fun in Tuscany on Horseback

Jogging in a crowded city with hardly any sufficient sidewalk space can be frustrating, and not to mention dangerous. Luckily, Florence offers some beautiful scenic routes for those who’d like to keep warm and explore the city at the same time.

To avoid pollution, the best place to run is along the Arno, but to avoid pedestrian and vehicular traffic, run along the bank of the river and not on the street. The riverbank is easily accessed from Lungarno Cellini.

Cascine Park is a great place to go running, with large, grassy open spaces along the Arno. It is located off of Via del Fosso Macinante, and is large enough to get in a full workout while exploring the entirety of the park. especially stunning at sunset. until the roundabout at Porta RomaIf you head east out of the river, you For those looking for a flat but long na. Turn left onto Via Machiavelli IVANA SCATOLA will soon come across paved, tree- run, start south of the Ponte Vecchio and follow the winding road which Having explored Tuscany on horselined parks Parco dell’Alberetar and and continue east past Ponte alle turns into Via Galileo. Veer left upon back, the only way this experience Parco dell’Anconella, which are per- Grazie. At the roundabout at Ponte di reaching Piazzale Michelangelo and could compare would be experiencfect running spots. Equally, if parks San Niccolò, turn right and follow the around the back of the square, fol- ing it via Vespa or quad bike – two are what you’re after to accompany trees along Viale Michelangelo, and lowing the bends onto Via San Min- options that tour operator Fun in Tusyou during your exercise, (or distract continue all the way around Piazza- iato. Head for the river to get back to cany offers as well. The day was jamyou), how about jogging down to the le Michelangelo. Turn right onto Via your starting point. packed with new experiences, beautiBoboli Gardens behind the Pitti Pal- Galileo to bring you back down to the It may seem impossible to get proper ful sights and tastes, and a wonderful ace? river and to your starting point. outdoor exercise in a city, but joggers group of people: unquestionably one There’s an entry fee but the garden An alternative route starts at the Duo- are well rewarded with the pictur- of the best I’ve had in Tuscany yet. holds spectacular artworks for you to mo, heading south along Via dei Calz- esque routes that Florence has to offer After a hack through a beautiful Tuslook at whilst you’re jogging, and it is aiuoli and crossing the Ponte Vecchio, outside of the main city streets. can 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 Eric Clapton has commemorated the sic greatly inspired by his native Na- went on to the ancient hilltop town of recent death of Italian musician Pino ples, Daniele died of a heart attack in San Gimignano (built in 1300), where Daniele with a link on his Facebook Rome on January 4, at the age of 59. we experienced incredible gelato and page to a track entitled ‘Pino 5.’ In- Upon the announcement of his death, stunning Tuscan views, before movscribed “For Pino,” it is accompanied the mayor of Naples ordered flags to ing onto a restaurant villa in which by a picture of the two musicians em- be flown at half-mast. we were given a private room and a bracing. In 2011 Daniele and Clapton Fellow Neapolitan and former Italian traditional Tuscan three-course meal shared the stage in a concert at Cava president Giorgio Napolitano also to accompany our wine-tasting (of dei Tirreni, a small town in the Cam- paid tribute to Daniele, describing which we sampled 11!). pania region. A beloved Italian singer, him as a “singer-songwriter that was Fun In Tuscany’s success is attributed songwriter and guitarist who fused able to make an original contribution to the fact that the tour is unlike othblues, jazz, rock and traditional mu- to the traditional music of his city.” er typical, ‘supermarket tourism’ tour

Eric Clapton Pays Tribute to Pino Daniele

LEISURE

organisers. All tours are undertaken in groups of maximum eight people, and cater to the interests of the group.

Private time is provided so that people can explore the place themselves, yet the option is available to follow an organiser if they so wish. In this way, the group and the tour have a very intimate and personal feel, and you really gain the strong impression that the organisers are truly interested in you as people, instead of simply tourists and clients. They took us to places I would never have been able to find myself if I was organising a personal trip; such as a gelateria that has twice won the Gelato World Championships in San Gimignano.

They were incredibly obliging to our requests and questions and refreshingly knowledgeable. What I loved seeing most was that they really were enjoying themselves on the tour along with us – having true, genuine Fun in Tuscany.

BOOK NOW WITH A 10% DISCOUNT horsediscount@gmail.com

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FLORENCE NEWS & EVENTS FEBRUARY 2015, NO. 12

LEISURE

Tips to Become a Fiorentina Fan

Fiorentina February Home Games SERIE A Fiorentina vs Atalanta Feb. 8 at 12:30 p.m.

DYLAN NIKOLETOPOULOS For those who are not avid soccer fans, here is how the game works. A soccer game is made of two 45-minute halves with a continuous running clock. This means that at the end of each half the referee decides how many extra minutes to add for time lost due to substitutions, injuries, etc.

On average there will be an extra two or three minutes added to the end of every half. There is a 15-minute halftime, which is enough time if you want to go get a hotdog and drink (yes they do serve alcohol in the stadium). If you see smoke bombs and fireworks going off among the fan base on the north side of the stadium, do not be alarmed. This happens nearly every game and just goes to show how enthusiastic Italians are about their calcio. Other tips during the game: whistling is not the same as in the US. If you whistle it means you do not approve of the player or call. It has a negative meaning, just like booing. Racism is still a part of society here. Be prepared to see certain players (specifically if they are on the other team) booed or whistled at because of their race.

Fiorentina vs Torino Feb. 22 at 8:45 p.m.

EUROPA LEAGUE Fiorentina vs Tottenham Feb. 26 at 6 p.m.

Keep up to date with Fiorentina at en.violachannel.tv 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.

go down Via degli Speziali and head How to get to the stadium: east on the same street which will ON FOOT: Start on the north side of turn into, in order, Via del Corso, Borthe Ponte Vecchio. Head east until go degli Albizi, Via Pietrapiana and the parallel street finally turns into then Borgo la Croce. You will meet a Lungarno Pecori Giraldi. Turn left at roundabout on Viale Giovanni AmenViale Giovanni Amendola, past the dola; go left onto Via Giuseppe Mazzroundabout and then right onto Via ino and onto the footbridge at Campo Giuseppe Mazzino. This street takes di Marte station mentioned above. you to Campo di Marte train station; Continue with the same directions cross the footbridge over the tracks described above. and follow the road for one block BY SHUTTLE BUS: Bus no. 52 runs down Viale Manfredo Fanti until you services from Piazza Stazione at Sanarrive at the stadium, which will be ta Maria Novella train station during on your right hand side of the street. the two hours preceding the game.

If you start near Piazza Repubblica, The same shuttle runs return services

NEW GYM NEAR SANTA MARIA NOVELLA Brand new gym in the heart of Florence is now open.

• Fully outfitted with the latest cardio & strength equipment from Technogym • Offering a wide array of classes ranging from Zumba to Pilates, every week • All-inclusive memberships with no sign-up fees • Special pricing for students • Friendly English-speaking staff • Free wi-fi

Mon. to Fri.: 8 a.m.-10 p.m, Saturday: 10 a.m.-6 p.m, Sunday: 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

Via dei Fossi, 56/r 055 23 96 497

up to an hour after the game finishes. the action on the opposite side of the From Rifredi train station take bus no. field. However, these seats are usual54. These buses are usually packed, ly the cheapest. Make sure that, unso if you have a chance to take the der no circumstances, you sit in the earlier one I recommend it. visitor section. This section is physiHow to get tickets: cally barricaded from the rest of the Stadium tickets typically cost any- stadium, and the visiting fans who where from €20–70. They can be find themselves outside of this desigbought from online retailers or at au- nated section are separated from the thorized kiosks. The kiosk near the rest of the crowd by a human shield Piazza della Republica (right off Via of security guards. Despite these prePellicceria) is a common dealer. The cautions, tensions can get heated, so best place to sit in the stadium is on prepare for some rowdy scenes. But the sideline so that you can see all do not fear; it’s all part of the authenthe action. Sitting behind a goal is tic experience of a Florentine soccer not ideal because it is difficult to view match.

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’.

The Florence Dance Center offers dance classes for all levels, includes a Pre-Professional Program, a professional company (Florence Dance Company), an international dance festival (Florence Dance Festival) and an art gallery (Etoile Toy). Internationally acclaimed Italian Prima Ballerina Etoile, Marga Nativo and renowned New York choreographer, Keith Ferrone, opened the Center in 1989 with the shared vision of impeccable training and multi media experimentation.

Open Daily: 11–2 a.m.

Via Nazionale, 114/r (near the train station) 055 23 02 928 www.mostodolce.it

NEW JOMA FIORENTINA 2014-2015 KITS

Get your Fiorentina shirt with a 15% discount when you show this paper at the FLORENCE CURIOSITY SHOP next to Pizzeria O’Vesuvio in Via De’ Cimatori, 23/r.

NAIMA

LIVE SPORT Borgo Stella, 23/r 055 289 276 info@florencedance.org www.florencedance.org

Via dell'Anguillara, 54/r

347 19 41 013

sergiosalvifirenze@gmail.com

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FLORENCE NEWS & EVENTS FEBRUARY 2015, NO. 12

Feeling at Home: Watching US Sports in Florence

LEISURE

RBS Six Nations Comes to Florence

DYLAN NIKOLETOPOULOS With MLB spring training, the Superbowl, NCAA March Madness, end of the NBA season and more, it’s hard to completely disconnect from being an avid American sports fan while living in Florence. Internet streaming via computer is one of the main ways that students stay connected to their teams either at home or abroad. However, this is catastrophic for serious sports enthusiasts when combined with Italy’s fragile internet system.

Connection speeds are not the same as American 4G, and with more than 4000 American students studying abroad in Florence it is no leap to say that Italian internet is not 100 percent the same.

Another option is to go to a place that’s playing the game. With Europe- other hurdle American students face an soccer seasons playing at the same in order to support teams from afar time as our American sports, most is the time change. So, your game is places will be playing AC Milan v In- at 5 p.m. in San Francisco? Well, you ter Milan, so don’t just count on any have to add three hours for EST when bar for finding your NFL playoff game. it broadcasts and then add six more When asked what expectations he hours before you’re able to watch it had for watching his teams while in here. So that 5 o’clock game is now on Italy for the semester, senior from St. in Italy at 2 a.m. In other words, total John Fisher College Dan Przybylski dedication to our teams and neglect said that he was sceptical. “I thought I for our studies, as well as being late would probably have to download an to tomorrow’s 9 a.m. class is apparent. app or check the final scores online. I One tip on this time change is make didn’t expect to be able to follow any sure that you know exactly what live game coverage of my teams back time your team is playing. For those home here in Italy with all the soccer of you coming from the east coast going on.” this is probably not hard to realize A lot of the students here still sport that you are six hours ahead, but for their university’s gear during game others across the country make sure time and, as always, yell at the refer- to check multiple sites to know what ees on screen. Not to be forgotten ev- time the broadcast starts. Some sites ery Sunday is the almighty NFL where take into account your location and one can find fans in Pats jerseys sit- will tell you when it starts, while othting next to fans in Jets jerseys (albeit ers will still give you the time that it maybe just in their peripherals). An- starts in the time zone it is in. There is

nothing worse than walking into the bar one hour into game time.

Following one team is not always enough because, like many college students, following fantasy teams is also important. Uncertainty about which streaming sites to use coupled with incredibly slow internet speeds can sometimes be an issue for watching the game on your computer in your apartment. To some, this might be seen as a blessing in disguise. Slow internet coupled with late game times leave the days wide open for students to get out and explore Florence. Then spending the late night and earlier morning hours watching American sports, some would say is heaven.

It’s experiences like these that aid in making the student’s time abroad an enjoyable and memorable one. It brings you a little much-needed slice of home in a foreign country. And it happens to be sports that bring it all together for a lot of students here.

THE IRISH PUB IN SAN LORENZO

THE BAR YOUR MOM WARNED YOU ABOUT

Open daily from 5 p.m.

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 OneEyed Jack’s to enjoy American coffee with a free refill between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. Free wifi is also available.

The historic bar offers quality beer, fresh cocktails, sandwiches and snacks amidst a traditional Irish pub atmosphere. 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.

Firenze Rugby 1931 plays host for the first round

February 6 sees rugby’s greatest this season’s campaign with a repeat championship come to Florence for victory in the friendly match against the very first time when the Italian Scotland in Avezzano, winning 27–3. female team takes on the Irish at Flor- A good performance in this year’s ence’s rugby ground, Stadio Mario tournament would secure Italy’s Lodigiani for the Six Nations Cham- qualification for the next Women’s pionship. Ireland was soundly beaten World Cup in 2017, and so a good show at the Women’s Rugby World Cup in against Ireland is required for coach the semi-finals last year by the even- Andrea Di Giandomenico’s team to tual winners, England (7–40) but continue on their upward trajectory. narrowly missed out in the play-off for third and fourth place, losing to RBS Women’s Six Nations host nation France at a packed Stade Rugby Championship Jean-Bouin in Paris.

The Italians didn’t manage to qualiFebruary 6 fy for last year’s World Cup; however Stadio Mario Lodigiani, Viale Paoli, 23 they did go on to perform very well in Kick-off: 7 p.m. (gates open at 5 p.m.) the Six Nations Championship, clockCost: Adults: €10; children: €7 (7–14 ing up important wins against Wales years); children under 6 years: free at Port Talbot (11–12) and at home segreteria@firenzerugby1931.it to Scotland (45–5), which saw them www.firenzerugby1931.it finish in fourth place. They began

FREE T BfUroFmF7Epm

Via Faenza, 27 055 27 41 571 info@dublinpub.it www.dublinpub.it

Piazza Nazario Sauro, 2/r 055 09 44 561 www.thejackpub.com

ITAL

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Daily from 11 a.m. – 2 a.m.

MOYO - Via de’ Benci 23R · t. 055 2479738 · infO@MOYO.it · faceBOOk: MOYO fiRenze

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TRAVEL

FLORENCE NEWS & EVENTS FEBRUARY 2015, NO. 12

The Fairytale Continues in Prague

effectively preserved much of its original structure, the intriguing archiWith the prestige of being one of tecture of the early Middle Ages, High the locations on the UNESCO World Gothic period and High Baroque periHeritage List, Prague’s architectural od can be seen nestled on the banks of splendor has influenced the develop- the Vltava River. Many of the glorious ment of most European architecture, monuments, palaces and churches through monuments created over a such as the Hradcani Castle, St Vitus thousand years that give this city a Cathedral and Charles Bridge were magic, unique glamour. A fairytale built mostly under the Holy Roman glamour, because when you walk in Emperor, Charles IV in the fourteenth the streets of Prague you really have century and remain main attractions. the sensation of being in a fantasy Sites such as the Prague Castle, the Cathedral of St Vitus and Hradćany world.

The historic center, built between the Square in front of the Castle have beeleventh and eighteenth centuries, is come internationally known, as well one of Europe’s cultural and aesthet- as the Valdgtejn Palace on the left ic gems. As one of the cities that has bank of the river, the Gothic Charles

AVANI KAPUR

Bridge, the Romanesque Rotunda of the Holy Rood and the Gothic arcaded houses of the Old Town Square.

Not only does Prague offer much of Europe’s visual brilliance, but it was additionally one of the main centers of Christianity. Founded in 1348, and one of the earliest to be established in Europe, the Prague University was a major factor in the European Reformation. Many ideas of the Hussite Movement were formed at the university, which gave way to the beginning of the Reformation.

Prague has also been a vital center for the intellectual and cultural advancement of central Europe, being associated with renowned individuals such

as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Franz Kafka, Albert Einstein and co-founder of the League of Nations, Edvard Beneš.

In addition to its rich history, the modern side of Prague complements the city with a diverse selection of traditional cuisine, entertainment, art and nightlife. Many of the best Czech restaurants are located amongst the historic attractions.

The John Lennon Wall offers a perspective on a more recent period of the Czech Republic, while Prague’s largest nightclub, Karlovy Lazne, offers five floors and 10 bars, proving the city’s truly unique ability to mix old with new.

Included • • • • • • • •

Round-trip luxury coach transport (with A/C, DVD, & bathroom) Accommodation with your friends at top-rated hostels Breakfast The New Prague Walking Tour Bus2alps walking tour Bus2alps trip leader The Prague Bus2alps informational guide Bus2alps exclusive discounts

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FLORENCE NEWS & EVENTS FEBRUARY 2015, NO. 12

TRAVEL

Interlaken: A Winter Playground in the Swiss Alps

In a small city nestled deep in the heart of the Swiss Alps, beauty and high-octane adrenaline come together in perfect harmony. The traditional Swiss village, which sits between Lake Thun and Lake Brienz, offers inspiring beauty, scenic mountain walks and action-packed adventures.

A day at an Alpine spa can be easily combine with skydiving, snowboarding and night-sledding at Europe’s winter wonderland. Interlaken has long been a key destination for winter sport in Switzerland, and boasts one of the most picturesque landscapes in the world.

With more than 45 mountain railways, cable cars, chair lifts and ski

lifts, the area is becoming increasing- winter season, as well as paragliding, ly famous for winter activity. One of night sledding and ice-skating. Snowcountless locations easily reached is shoe trekking and fun car, scooter Jungfrau, one of the top ski regions in and mountain bike rent also offer an the Alps, containing four main peaks alternative way to explore the area and more than 100 miles of ski trails, adventurously. all linked to Interlaken by mountain A great place to stretch muscles after railway. The average length of the a day on the mountain is Victoria Junruns is from four to nine miles, and grau Spa, which provides treatments various ski passes and packages are ranging from simple massages to fullavailable. day wellness.

Additionally, the Interlaken area Interlaken also offers entertainment offers more than 220 kilometers of such as a chocolate making expecross-country and toboggan terrain. rience wherein you can design and Skydiving over the Alps from 13,000 create your own Swiss chocolate, and feet, snowboarding through the open bring home extra to snack on! At night, terrain or skiing at any level of ex- enjoy table games at Casino Kursaal. perience are all available during the Although free entrance into the elec-

trifying casino is not the only perk of visiting Interlaken with Bus2Alps, it is an added bonus to the numerous discount packages available. In addition to a five percent discount on all extreme activities and a discount on the Funky Chocolate show, a markdown on the Jungfraubahn and train to the Top of Europe is given to those on the trip. And at only €40, a day trip with private transportation to Zurich, the shopping capital and Switzerland’s largest city, can be booked. With an open itinerary, visitors can cater the trip to their own interests, choosing their preferred activities while enjoying the comfort of planned travel and accommodations.

Included • • • • • •

Round-trip luxury coach transport (with A/C, DVD, & bathroom) Accommodation with your friends at top-rated hostels Breakfast Exclusive 5% off all adventure activities Discount on the Jungfraubahn and train to Top of Europe The Interlaken Bus2alps informational guide