Florence News & Events Summer edition 2014

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Pitti Immagine Returns

Duomo Clock Repaired

Delivery Service 055 386 03 11 www.mrpizzafirenze.it

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San Gimignano Hosts Elliott Erwitt

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Tips to Survive a Florentine Summer

WWW.FLORENCENEWSEVENTS.COM SUMMER EDITION 2014, NO. 8

Via Pietrapiana, 82/r Piazza Duomo, 5/r

Remembering Ferragamo EUGENIO GIANI, FORMER PRESIDENT OF FLORENCE CITY COUNCIL

HOT STUFF Florence and Tuscany Beat the Summer Heat with Cool Events A summer bursting with cultural and artistic events has Florence sizzling, so get ready for some truly “hot stuff” in the coming months— from rock, blues, and opera to art exhibits and festivals galore.

An aquatic spectacle under the newly-lit Ponte Vecchio kicks off the season on June 16, followed by the international fashion event, Pitti Immagine, from June 17 to 20 at the Fortezza da Basso (page 10). At Palazzo Pitti, observe the natural world in extraordinary detail as captured by Jacopo Ligozzi, a late-Renaissance painter in the Medici court (page 4). See the events section for a rundown of ongoing art shows (page 24) and movies (page 25).

Soccer fans can catch the World Cup games in various locales throughout town. And calcio storico will thrill even the non-enthusiasts: this series of matches in costume takes place every year in Piazza Santa Croce, in which teams representing Florence’s historic quartieri go head-to-head in a brutal mix of football, rugby, and wrestling (page 12). One of the highlights of the Florentine summer, calcio storico culminates with a final match on June 24, the feast of Saint John the Baptist, Florence’s patron saint and the city’s most significant holiday—full of parades, costumes, and fireworks (page 4).

Moving beyond the walls of Florence, Pistoia Blues returns from July 10 to 17, with Robert Plant

among an exciting line-up of rock, blues, and folk groups (page 26); while Siena’s ancient bareback horse race, the Palio, will charge the town’s medieval streets with civic pride and fervour as each contrada cheers its horse on July 2 and August 16 (page 23).

Check out our Surviving Summer page for information on nearby beaches and local shady spots (page 29), or escape to the green hills of the Mugello region for water sports on Lake Bilancino or a relaxing day at the Mugello Pool Center (page 28).

Enjoy this special summer issue of Florence News & Events. Our next issue will be out in September. Buona estate!

August 7 marks the 54th anniversary of Salvatore Ferragamo’s death and this year’s Pitti Immagine is a perfect reminder of how influential style has always been in the city.

Born into an impoverished family in 1898 as the 11th of 14 children, Salvatore Ferragamo created his first pair of shoes at the age of seven. Too poor to afford a formal education, Ferragamo spent most of his childhood observing the local cobbler in his home town of Bonito, in southern Italy. Learning the trade throughout his adolescence, Ferragamo opened a small shoe shop in Naples, but immigrated to Boston in 1914, when he was only 16 years old.

Eventually Ferragamo moved to Santa Barbara, California, and finally to Hollywood, where he met the high-profile clientele and American movie stars who fell in love with his trademark shoes.

When he decided to come back to Italy, he set up shop in Florence (Via Minnelli), and it was here that he copyrighted his extra-luxury brand of shoes. In 1929, Ferragamo bought and converted the Spini Ferroni palace, making it his headquarters. The Salvatore Ferragamo brand eventually expanded to include other luxury products such as bags, clothing and perfumes, always maintaining a sense of excellence and refinement. Ferragamo died in 1960 at the age of 62 in Pietrasanta, a small town in Tuscany. Ferragamo’s myth is destined to last forever, kept alive by the success of his family and by the Salvatore Ferragamo museum at Palazzo Spini Ferroni.

Florence Dance Festival JULY 1 TO 26

‘Estate Fiesolana’ June 16 TO August 2

PISTOIA BLUES JULY 10 TO 17

CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

CONTINUED ON PAGE 13

CONTINUED ON PAGE 26

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FLORENCE NEWS & EVENTS SUMMER EDITION 2014, NO. 8

EXHIBITIONS Florence News & Events is the monthly supplement to www.theitaliannewspaper.com Florence News & Events is distributed throughout Florence in all key reference points for the English-speaking community, including hotels and hostels, universities and language schools, libraries, tourist information points, restaurants and cafes.

The Figure of Fury

Masaaki Miyasako at Palazzo Pitti

Exhibit Showcases Michelangelo’s Influence on Jackson Pollock

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: LORENZO PICCHI EDITOR: AMY GULICK GRAPHIC & WEB DESIGN: NAZ KANGAL THIS MONTH'S CONTRIBUTORS: MATTHEW BRAUTIGAM, AMBER BROWN, LUCY DAVID, CHIARA FONZI, EVI FUELLE, EUGENIO GIANI, SARAH HUMPHREYS, ALEX MARTELLO, LARA MAY, CLAUDIA NIEMANN, DYLAN NIKOLETOPOULOS, GUIDO REVERDITO, IVANA SCATOLA, SYDNEY SCHUMAN & RICK ZULLO. PUBLISHER: IAF PRINT: Nuova Cesat SRL Via B. Buozzi 21, 50145, Firenze Registered at the Tribunale di Firenze No. 5801, 3/11/2010

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Quietly sitting among the curators tains balance and a vital relationship of the Palazzo Pitti, wearing a dark with the traditional art of his country.” green suit and bright yellow tie, Ma- Miyasako uses a unique painting saaki Miyasako listened to the whis- technique, painting on both the pers of his interpreter at the opening front and the back of the paintings, of his exhibit, Tourbillon. inspired by the techniques used to Miyasako nodded his head slowly as capture light and shadow by the Imthe curators described their delight in pressionists. his work, and he stood, finally, to give According to Miyasako, Italian and the closing remarks—his demeanor Japanese artists have used similar that of a proud artist as he eagerly techniques in the past, including conveyed to the crowd his happiness fresco painting and the use of natural at the opening of his exhibit at Palaz- pigments. zo Pitti on May 20.

With a shy smile, Miyasako explained, Tourbillon, housed in the halls of the “The seasons in Italy and Japan are Andito degli Angiolini in the Galleria similar and many Japanese and Itald’Arte Moderna in Palazzo Pitti, is the ian artists portray landscapes...to me, first major exhibition of Japanese art- Italian art and Japanese art are not so ist Masaaki Miyasako. different.”

Edited by Junji Ito and presented last Masaaki Miyasako. year at the Budapest Historical Museum and the Museum of the Orient in Tourbillon Lisbon, the Tourbillon exhibit will be on display from May 20 to June 29.

Until June 29 According to Cristina Acidini, FlorPitti Palace, Gallery of Modern ence’s Superintendent of Historical Art, Andito degli Angiolini Heritage, Miyasako is “an authoritaTue. to Sun.: 8:15 a.m.-6:30 p.m.

Closed on Monday tive and inspiring international artist, www.polomuseale.firenze.it with a creative expression that main-

An exhibition featuring American artist Jackson Pollock’s work will be held until July 27 in Florence. Pollock was an influential figure for American 20th Century painters and a leading artist in the abstract expressionist movement. Pollock is known for his unique “drip” technique and is considered the founder of action painting.

During the early years of his career, Pollock showed an interest in the works of Italian Renaissance genius Michelangelo Buonarroti. Pollock’s Sketchbooks I and II, housed at the New York Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art, contain Pollock’s reproductions and sketches of Michelangelo’s most famous works. Pollock was inspired by the Italian master’s work, and the exhibition is designed to showcase both artists’ similarities and differences in artistic style and subject on occasion of the 450th anniversary of Michelangelo Buonarroti’s death in 1564.

The event will take place in two locations: Palazzo Vecchio, which was chosen because it holds Michelangelo’s Genius of Victory statue in the

Salone dei Cinquecento; and the San Firenze Complex. The majority of Pollock’s drawings and paintings will be on display at the Palazzo Vecchio location, while at the San Firenze Complex, formerly the San Firenze courthouse, the multimedia part of the exhibition will be installed, giving viewers an interactive display of the life and art of Jackson Pollock.

The Figure of Fury Until July 27 Palazzo Vecchio, Piazza Signoria exhibit €10; reduced €8 Exhibit hours 9 a.m. to midnight; Thursdays 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

San Firenze Complex, Piazza San Firenze exhibit €5; reduced €2 Exhibit hours 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Thursdays 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Combined ticket available at the Palazzo Vecchio Museum Office for both exhibit locations €12; reduced €9

BREAKFAST, COFFEE & SANDWICHES

OPEN DAILY 6:30 A.M - 2 A.M. PIAZZA SANTO SPIRITO, 17/R 055 26 42 56

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FLORENCE NEWS & EVENTS SUMMER EDITION 2014, NO. 8

NEWS

Is Italian Heritage for Sale?

Duomo Clock Repaired

The clock in the Duomo Santa Maria San Romano. The clock mechanism del Fiore ticks again after a recent res- was designed in 1443 by Florentoration carried out by the Opera of tine watchmaker Angelo di Niccolò, Santa Maria del Fiore and the Centro though his designs were lost. A few Studi per il Restauro Orologi, a team decades later, watchmaking family of specialists in watch restoring.

Della Volpaia agreed to conduct needThe clock is one of ed repairs, but in 1688 the few in the world, a pendulum replaced which tells time in the old mechanism.

Italica hours, a sysGiuseppe Borgiacchi tem marking the in 1761 replaced that hours from sunset mechanism with a to warn farmers that new one, and four dethe city gates would cades ago the original close soon. The clock clock features were Ponte Vecchio was rented to Ferrari last year was decorated by the restored. The current great Late Gothic/ Remechanism threatnaissance artist Paolo ened to deteriorate the The profits from the lease of both Fort enon.

EVI FUELLE Uccello. clock’s operation.

The Opera di Santa Belvedere and the Spanish chapel at In Rome, Culture Minister Dario FranControversy has recently erupted Santa Maria Novella are to be used for ceschini disagreed with the Roman Uccello was an apprentice to Loren- Maria del Fiore, with the agreement again in Italy regarding the “lease” of public purposes.

Council’s proposal to use cultural zo Ghiberti—designer of the Baptis- of the Officine Panerai and professors historical venues to private entities Profits from Kimye’s wedding are to be sites such as the Colosseum for wed- tery doors—and a friend of Donatel- Andrea Palmieri and Ugo Pancani, lo. He was obsessed with depth and conducted the restoration. The resand celebrities . invested in the city of Florence, while dings.

The first episode of ‘art for sale’ was the pocket change from the Morgan “The idea of civil weddings at Rome’s perspective, as seen in his famous toration brings the clock mechanism last year, when Ferrari hired the Pon- Stanley dinner party will fund two historical sites strikes me as quite bi- three-painting series The Battle of back into full operation. te Vecchio for a restorations of zarre,” Franceschini said Thursday. private gala dinworks of art in A new program currently under disner. the Basilica of cussion at the Roman Cultural CounThis year the Santa Maria No- cil is “Sposarsi a Roma” (Getting story repeated vella.

Married in Rome). The new scheme as Morgan StanFlorence Mayor proposes that the Roman forum, the ley bank rented Dario Nardella Pantheon, the Spanish Steps, Piazza out the Spanish told La Nazione, Navona and the Trevi Fountain be The San Bartolomeo a Monte Oliveto plored during guided visits that begin chapel in the “This is not the available for lease as possible future Church where Leonardo painted his at 6 p.m. on Sundays, departing from Annunciation has recently reopened Villa Strozzi. The tours are organized complex of the first time we’ve nuptial locations.

Basilica of Santa organized such “If the culture ministry says OK even to the public. The church was part by the Limonaia di Villa Strozzi and Maria Novella for events. We re- the Colosseum could become a stage of a monastic complex founded in curated by the cultural association a private dinner party of 120 guests, spect all the rules.” for these happy events,” said the the 14th century, housed Leonardo’s Officine Creative as part of the Estate the cost of which was reportedly Nardella explained that hosting such councillor who sponsored the initia- Annunciation until 1867, when it was Fiorentina events hosted this summer moved to the Uffizi Gallery. It current- by the city of Florence. Entrance is €20,000. events allows the city to use its re- tive, Fabrizio Panecaldo.

In May rapper Kanye West and reality sources “in favor of the community Florentine citizens remain divid- ly contains several 16th-century fres- free, although a donation towards the television star Kim Kardashian rent- and of our cultural heritage...I think ed over the issue, some protective coes attributed to the Vasari school restoration costs is appreciated. To visit the church on weekdays within ed Forte Belvedere to celebrate their it is fair to do so.” of their past and some willing to let and possibly Vasari himself. wedding on May 24, for the price of The use of historical sites for private Kimye borrow the city’s most valued The many treasures and curiosities specific hours (10 a.m.- 12:30 p.m. and within San Bartolomeo can be ex- 4 p.m. - 7 p.m.) phone 347 362 1127. €300,000. use is not just a Florentine phenom- treasures.

Controversy Continues Over Luxury Rentals of Art

The use of historical sites for private use is not just a Florentine phenomenon

Annunciation’s Church Reopens to Public

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FLORENCE NEWS & EVENTS SUMMER EDITION 2014, NO. 8

NEWS

Florence Dance Festival Hits 25th Birthday

The Florence Dance Festival is celebrating its 25th anniversary with a collection of excellent companies and choreographers starting with American post-modern dance with the top dancers of international dance, arriving to the latest European contemporary choreography trends. For this important anniversary, the 25th anniversary will also be an occasion to rediscover other symbolic locations of the city like the Palazzo Strozzi Foundation, Ponte Vecchio, the Four Seasons Hotel, and the Florence Dance Center.

The artistic program was born in a context already evolved and mature.

At the beginning of July, the event Celebration and the delivery of the fourth annual premier of Mercurio Volante in collaboration with the superintendent of the Polo Museale di Firenze, the direction of the National Museum of the Bargello and with the direct support of partners and spon-

Florence Dance Festival Purchasing Tickets: National Museum of the Bargello Via del Proconsolo, Florence All other shows: €35, reduced for students/dance schools €25 Reduction groups: for every 5 tickets purchased, receive 1 free Subscription: for every 3 shows purchased, receive 1 Free Tel: 055.289276 - 392.9124363 info@florencedance.org www.florencedance.org Presale: Regional Circuit Box Office Street of Old Prison 1, Florence Tel: 055.210804 www.boxol.it June 26 to July 27 National Museum of the Bargello Via del Proconsolo, 4 - Florence Program on page 24

City Celebrates Patron Saint Each year on June 24 Florentines celebrate the feast day of their beloved patron saint John the Baptist, or as San Giovanni.

Celebrations begin with a historic parade that winds its way from Piazza della Signoria to the spectacular Baptistery dedicated to the saint.

Florentines of yesteryear were rather partial to a bit of pomp and ceremony and in 1513, to the thrill of the local population, the procession even included an elephant called Annone that had been brought from India to commemorate the first Medici pope.

Perhaps more in the spirit of the original San Giovanni, the feast day is best known for calcio storico, a barbarous

combination of football, rugby and wrestling that pits the four quarters of the city against each other: San Giovanni, Santa Maria Novella, Santo Spirito and Santa Croce. Such was the Renaissance Florentines’ love of this game that they reportedly played it when the city was under siege by Charles V in 1530.

Physical exertion in honour of the patron saint continues in the afternoon with a rowing regatta on the Arno and the San Giovanni Nocturnal Run, a marathon consisting of a 10-kilometer competitive run and a four-kilometer walk that starts and finishes from the Piazza del Duomo.

As night falls over the city, the legend-

ary ‘fires of San Giovanni’, a pagan summer rite now a modern pyrotechnic spectacle, set the sky alight at Piazzale Michelangelo.

Orrù Exhibit at Palazzo Medici Riccardi

Jacopo Ligozzi at Pitti Palace

existence where the boundaries beALEX MARTELLO tween two other conditions exist,” as The Galleria Gagliardi of San Gimi- the artist puts it. The work on display gnano has organized an exhibit on will present the backgrounds—transStefania Orrù. The exhibit will run parency and materiality—where the chiaroscuro is taken to from July 9 to 29. Orrù the extreme, and the started off by studyfigure must become the ing fresco painting key to understanding and the masters of the the union and separaearly Renaissance petion of the two fields. riod. In the past three Orrù was born in Jesi in years she has studied 1976. At the age of 18, the face, enlarging she left her family and her works to a feasible enrolled in the Faculty psychic dimension. of Arts in Urbino, then From the face, exin Perugia and Veropressed in the chiarna. In 1997, she lived in oscuro technique Umbria for seven years (think of Caravaggio’s under the guidance of intense contrast), Orrù broadens the optical and physiologi- the master Elvio Marchionni, where cal field into two distinct plains: the she learnt the chiaroscuro technique. light and the darkness, “two separate Orrù’s first solo exhibit was in 1998 in worlds that come together in precise S.G. Lupatoto.

San Giovanni Festivities

JUNE 24 Historical parade: prior to 10:30 a.m. Mass in Duomo Calcio storico: Piazza Santa Croce, 5 p.m., with procession from Santa Maria Novella at 4 p.m.

Nocturnal Run: Piazza del Duomo, 9 p.m. (open from 7 p.m.)

Fireworks: Piazzale Michelangelo, 10 p.m.

The Palatine Gallery is hosting an exhibit on Jacopo Ligozzi until September 28.

The exhibit is divided into thematic sections. It begins with the watercolors and drawings from Ligozzi’s years in the service of the Medici family where he focused on natural history.

Then it examines the theme of moral allegories, in particular vanitas. Born in Verona to a family of painters, Ligozzi worked for the Habsburg court in Vienna before becoming employed by the Medici court in Florence. His soft use of color was influenced by the school of Venice—the Venetian tradition, with artists such as Titian (Tiziano Vecellio), was more poetic, sensual, and colorful than the intellectual nature of Florence—enhancing his strong, Michelangelo-influenced figures. His refined technique, care to detail, and his variety of splendid colors have given Ligozzi an enduring reputation.

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FLORENCE NEWS & EVENTS SUMMER EDITION 2014, NO. 8

NEWS

Fendi Funds Trevi Michelangelo Exhibit at Rome’s Fountain Restoration Capitoline Museums

The project is funded by Fendi and SYDNEY SCHUMAN is driven by, according their website, A €2-million restoration project on the “long-lasting love story between A new exhibition—Michelangelo.

Incontrare un artista universale— Rome’s Trevi Fountain began this Fendi and Rome.” month. The works are expected to The famous Roman fashion house opened in Rome on May 27 to comlast approximately 18 months, during is also funding restoration works on memorate the 450th anniversary of which time the water inside the Rome’s Quattro Fontane, the four the death of world-renowned artist world-famous Baroque tourist attrac- monumental late-Renaissance foun- Michelangelo. It is housed at the Mution will be drained. The public will tains located at the intersection of sei Capitolini in the Piazza del Campibe able to continue to admire the Via delle Quattro Fontane and Via doglio, which Michelangelo himself fountain as restoration works pro- del Quirinale. Fendi has dubbed their designed. ceed via a pedestrian bridge, allow- sponsorship of the restorations “Fen- Visitors are greeted at the entrance of the exhibit by the Madonna della ing for up-close viewing. di for Fountains.”

Scala, Michelangelo’s earliest known sculpture, which he created around age 15. From there the exhibition features about 70 works from Michelangelo and more than 80 from his contemporaries. It focusses on his life as a true ‘universal artist’—showcasing his four adopted genres: painting, sculpting, poetry and architecture— throughout nine display sections that focus on the themes of his art.

The underlying theme of the exhibition is that of thematic ‘opposites’ which serves to emphasize the struggle between Michelangelo the man and Michelangelo the artist when A memorial park dedicated to the system, attributed to contact with formulating and creating his works.

Italian Master Michelangelo Merisi, lead-containing paints. The toxins in These conflicting thought processes known to the world as Caravaggio, his system, together with a fever and are that of ancient and modern, life will be inaugurated this summer in possibly sun stroke, all contributed to the town of Porto Ercole in the Argen- his demise and death on the Tuscan tario area of Tuscany. The artist’s re- beach in 1610 at the age of 38. mains, discovered in a church in Por- Caravaggio lived a tumultuous and to Ercole in 2010, will be transferred violent life. He spent his final years Funding from the European Union to the memorial, according to the Car- fleeing the law after having stabbed a and the Italian Government has avaggio Foundation. man in fight in Rome in 1606, an epi- made several important renovations Prior to the 2010 discovery and subse- sode shrouded in uncertainty that for possible at the Etruscan Necropolis at quent examinations, which included some historians was an unintentional Banditaccia in Cerveteri.

Next month the Necropolis, a Unesco DNA testing of the artist’s remains, killing. the circumstances of Caravaggio’s The memorial park to Caravaggio World Heritage Site, will inaugurate death had been a mystery. For years will open on July 18. Visitors will be a new visitor center and reopen the it was presumed Caravaggio died of able to see high definition versions of Tomb of the Painted Lions, one of the a fever, but the 2010 tests revealed some of the artist’s works and learn complex’s many tombs whose name derives from the frescoes of lions on he also had high levels of lead in his about the final days of his life.

MATTHEW BRAUTIGAM

Argentario Honors Caravaggio

and death, battle, victory and imprisonment, and rules and freedom.

This idea of opposites is presented by displaying Michelangelo’s work side by side or across from one another— as if mirrored—so that they can be compared and analyzed in their full context. For many of these works, it is the first time they have ever been displayed together.This style of presentation, along with numerous sketches and preparatory drawings that disclose Michelangelo’s creative process, allows visitors a unique perspective into the mind of Michelangelo.

Guests can understand how his ideas were conceived and then how he went about envisioning and finally creating some of his most famous works

of art. What is left is a sense of true mastery and unrivaled creativity and talent.

The exhibit itself will only be open until September 14, 2014 and is borrowing works from many museums including the Vatican Museums, the Uffizi in Florence, the Accademia in Venice, the Biblioteca Reale in Turin and the British Museum in London.

The exhibition is open Tuesday through Sunday, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., with last entrance at 7 p.m. Ticket and concession prices vary but are generally: €13 for adults, free for children under 6 and EU member disabled persons. Roman citizens with valid identification can receive a discount on admission and concessions.

Etruscan Site Reopens Tomb its walls. An additional improvement is the cleaning up the archeological site’s long neglected footpaths, traversed by some 65,000 visitors yearly, including the path dedicated D.H. Lawrence, whose Sketches of Etruscan Places and other Italian Essays (1932) is credited with having revived interest in the sites at Cerveteri, Tarquinia, Volterra, and Vulci.

The Banditaccia Necropolis dates

from the 9th to the 3rd century BC. Lorenzo Croci, Councilor for Sustainable Development in the Cerveteri area, recently told ANSA, “Few people know this but this is the largest archaeological site in the world, even bigger than the Valley of the Kings in Egypt.”

It is hoped the improvements will mean a doubling in the yearly number of visitors to the site.

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FLORENCE NEWS & EVENTS SUMMER EDITION 2014, NO. 8

NEWS

Realizing Leonardo’s Projects Exhibit Showcases Working Models of Leonardo da Vinci’s Designs

LUCY DAVID 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 Leon-

ardo adapted to his own context. His Leonardo left to science. Professor modification of a mechanism based Carlo Pedretti, director of the Aron a description found in Herodotus mand Hammer Center for Leonardo and believed to have been used for Studies at the University of California, building the pyramids surpassed all says, “Carlo Niccolai is an admirable expectations when Niccolai created figure, a talented craftsman who has its working model in 2011: a 300kg developed his own way in studying concrete block was so reduced in the technological level reached by weight that a six-year-old child was Leonardo da Vinci. Moreover, he is able to lift it. a person gifted with great simplicity The Niccolai family has been recon- and humility. His work is importstructing working models of Leonar- ant to scholars because it helps our do’s designs since 1995, when Carlo theories and contributes to study inNiccolai dedicated himself to the depth Leonardo’s machines and all work full-time in a desire to realise the technological discoveries made at Leonardo’s legacy. His passion found- that time.” ed the Niccolai Collection, the largest Indeed, as Bill Gates’ $30 million private collection of Leonardo mod- purchase of the Leicester Codex indiels in the world, comprising more cates, we have much to be grateful to than 250 working models created by Leonardo for: next time your car gets himself and his sons, together with a a flat tire, you can thank Leonardo for team of artisans, engineers, histori- inventing the jack. ans and architects.

Leonardo da Vinci invented or The models have been displayed at more than 100 international exhibi- modified several of the technological designs we associate with the tions throughout Europe and as far twentieth century. Leonardo’s deafield as Australia, New Zealand, Chisigns on display include the aerial na, the US, Brazil, Saudi Arabia and screw (used in today’s helicopters), Finland. More than 50 working modhuman robot, hydraulic drill, scuels are on permanent display at The ba-diving apparatus, hang glider, Machines of Leonardo da Vinci exhibit tank, missiles, bicycle, floodlight, at Galleria Michelangiolo in Via Califebuoy and jack. vour. Here visitors have the chance to not only observe but also interact The Machines of with various prototypes, such as the aerial screw used in today’s heLeonardo da Vinci licopters, alongside a scuba-diving apparatus, glider, bicycle, tank and Michelangiolo Gallery Via Cavour, 21 missiles; and view reconstructions of Open daily: 9:30 a.m – 7:30 p.m.

Leonardo’s studies of anatomy. The Cost: €7 (full price); €5 (reduced); exhibit also displays copies of six co€3 (groups of 15 or more). dices, in which the visitor can view Entrance, snack and drink the sketches that reveal the workings promotion: €8 of the great man’s mind. (between 11 a.m. & 4 p.m.).

The Niccolai family has been widely 055 295 264 praised for its ongoing devotion to www.macchinedileonardo.com realising the vast inheritance that

w w w. m ac c h i n e d i l eo n a r d o.c o m

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FLORENCE NEWS & EVENTS SUMMER EDITION 2014, NO. 8

NEWS

Renzi Wins

Florence Elects New Mayor

Former deputy mayor Dario Nardella was elected as the new mayor of Florence this past month.

This came with little surprise, as Nardella—of the center left Partito Democratico (PD), with Florence usually as sole European leader with enough voting to the left—had basically been clout to hold the center-left line with serving as the city’s mayor after Matthe German Chancellor, Angela teo Renzi (Also from the PD) became Merkel. In both Italy and Germany, the Prime Minister of Italy this past the ruling parties made the strongest February. Nardella won 59.1 percent showing, fending off the largest Eu- of the vote, with the candidate Marco rosceptic parties in their respective Stella of Berlusconi’s Forza Italia winning 12 percent of the vote. The candicountries.

In contrast, the elections were a date from Beppe Grillo’s Cinque Stelle crushing defeat for French President party, Miriam Amato, only received Francois Hollande and his current 9.3 percent.

Socialist government, which gained a After his victory, thousands stormed mere 14 percent of the vote - its lowest Piazza Santissima Annunziata in celever showing at the EU level.

The overtly Eurosceptic National Front (FN) party celebrated a major victory, gaining 25 percent of the vote in France and 25 seats in the European Parliament.

“It’s a bad day for the European Union when a party with a racist, xenophobic and anti-Semitic programme gets 25 percent of the vote,” Martin Schulz, former president of the European Parliament told the BBC. France was not the only European country with Eurosceptic victories. In Britain, the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) gained the largest share of the vote amongst the major political parties.

Votes and seats gained by the Euro- ALEX MARTELLO sceptic and Anti-EU parties across On May 9 Florence hosted the EuropeEurope are considered a “protest an Union “State of the Union” confervote”—long awaited, expected, and ence. The event was organized by the dreaded by European federalists, as European University Institute in Fiea response to the austerity measures sole and was held in Palazzo Vecchio. imposed following the 2008-2009 fi- Top government officials from the nancial crisis.

EU and Italy came to talk about the Riding the waves of great personal aftermath of the Eurozone Crisis, support and success, only time will Ukraine, and the future of Europe. tell if Matteo Renzi will be able to ef- Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi fectively lead Italy - and Europe. too gave a speech in which he ques-

Recent Elections a Personal Success for Former Florentine Mayor EVI FUELLE The May elections were a personal success for Matteo Renzi, a man who finds himself solidly supported not only as Italian prime minister but also has one of the most important advocates for Europe.

Renzi’s Center-Left party Partito Democratico (PD) gained 40 percent of the Italian vote in the European Parliament elections, leading by a margin of almost 20 percentage points over the remaining political parties.

“If we want to save Europe, we must change Europe” an emboldened Renzi told The Guardian, citing his party’s victory as proof that Italy is ready to be a leader in the Union.

Beppe Grillo’s anti-EU Five Star Movement was expected to dominate the polls, but on election day, Italians showed strong support for current Prime Minister Matteo Renzi.

The Five Star Movement gained only 21.2 percent of the vote, former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia Party gained 16.8 percent of the vote, and the Northern League gained 6.2 percent of the vote.

With almost 41 percent of the vote, the PD performed better than any Italian party since 1958.

The PD’s historic win comes just before Italy is to take over the EU rotating presidency, during which Renzi has plans to “lead Europe.”

“The meaning of the elections is: Italy can play a role… Italy is a country which, if it changes itself, can also be one of the leaders in Europe” Renzi told The Guardian.

Politicians have hailed Matteo Renzi

ebration.

“You are Amazing,” Nardella called to his cheering supporters, “the outcome of the Democratic Party shows that Italy is no longer afraid of the moderate left.” He proclaimed that it was a victory of hope and ideas over fear and hatred, Italy wants to “believe in a project.”

The new Mayor would like to improve income distribution, support business, make Florence greener, and enable the growth of 20,000 new jobs in the next five years.

Nardella has lived in Florence since 1989, and as deputy mayor under Renzi, he was responsible economic development and sport. His favorite quote is by Lord Robert Baden Powell,

Conference Prepares Italy for EU Presidency

tioned the EU’s strict budget cap, saying that countries like Italy who are making good reforms should be rewarded with the needed wiggle-room in spending.

Renzi also advocated a more united Europe while discussing his desire for the EU to take a stronger role in border protection, with asylum rights under European law rather than national legislation, recalling the tragic immigrant deaths in Lampedusa this past fall.

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Italy is about to lead the rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union (The upper EU legislative body) on July 1, and will push for these changes.

The President of the European Commission (the executive body of the EU) José Manuel Barroso was also present to discuss his tenure, which is winding down. He reflected that his happiest moment in office was accepting the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of the EU, while his worst was watching his home country Portugal struggling from the Crisis.

Barroso defended his record, saying the correct decisions were made, adding that “The Financial Crisis has been solved, but problems still remain.”

The day concluded with a historic Presidential Debate with candidates from the European Parliament (the other EU legislative body) competing for the position of Commission President.

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FLORENCE NEWS & EVENTS SUMMER EDITION 2014, NO. 8

CULTURE

Strolling, Italian Style The Birthplace of Italian Fashion Why the Passeggiata is an “Art” for Italians RICK ZULLO What do you typically do in the evening in between work and dinner?

Here in Italy, most people take a passeggiata. We could translate that as taking a walk or a promenade, but really there’s much more to it than that—it’s more like the evening stroll as an art form. Performance art, if you will. The object is to see and be seen. Everybody is the star in their own little opera.

Notice that the Italians, in contrast to the tourists, are dressed in more attractive clothing, knowing full well that they’re choice in couture is being critiqued. The tourists are oblivious to this, clad in their shorts and sandals—which are things that an Italian would never wear, unless they are on the beach. Older folks retreat to the periphery, sipping a glass of wine or a beer just outside of the bar, watching closely and making gossipy comments about the younger generation’s social mores and tastes in fashion.

Indeed, one of the original purposes of the passeggiata was to “display” the young women who were ready to be married. The girls were encouraged to dress attractively (but tastefully) and play coy, while the boys did their best to appear macho. You

can still see remnants of this today, as girls and boys travel in separate packs as they circle the course, making eyes at one another while trying not to be too obvious. Many girls will intentionally put on an air of seeming indifferent to the watchful eyes, as if their presence is immaterial, as she parades the street like a high-fashion model on the catwalk.

Every town has its unofficially designated street or square where this tradition is held. In Rome, for example, it’s Via Del Corso. You can witness the procession any given night of the week, but it’s especially popular on Sunday evenings when entire families participate together. During the summer, some even drive to the nearby villages of the castelli romani, the seaside, or a lake for a special passeggiata. Afterwards everybody goes home together for the evening meal.

As a visitor to Italy, you simply must witness this spectacle at least once.

But remember, you’re being watched, too. You—and everybody else—are both the performers and the audience at the same time. So put on your best clothes and go for a walk. Swagger a bit. Strike a pose. Fare una bella figura. Practice the art of the passeggiata.

To read more visit www.rickzullo.com.

Florence Style Sets the Trends, from its Renaissance Roots to its 1950s Rebirth ALEX MARTELLO Fashion in Renaissance Florence was the peak of European fashion— well-proportioned, practical, and elegant, juxtaposed with the austere clothes or extravagant plumes and slashed doublets elsewhere during those times.

Typical men’s wear here in the 14th century included the lucco, which was a long colored cloak, with long sleeves, a hood, and no belt. Young men, though, preferred the guarnacca, a long jacket hanging over the hips with a belt, worn with long tight leggings called calze-brache. The wealthy wore rich embroidered cloths, whereas the lower classes wore plainer materials such as cotton. Sleeves varied in length—sometimes being very wide—and they were lined with fur in the winter.

In the 15th century, the guarnacca evolved into the elegant giornea, which was close-fitting, coming

down to the waist, with the bottom of the court wore new styles and depart in folds over tight breeches. A signs, the most fashionable being the colorful silk-lined wool cloak could camora, which was open at the front, be worn over the giornea. Footwear showing a puffed-sleeve underdress. consisted of styled boots called bor- Fashion in Italy deteriorated in the zacchini made of colored leather with 17th century; Spain, England, and a silk border.

France took the lead. Italian fashion Women were elegantly dressed as was finally revived and reborn in well, the typical dress being a one- Florence, when Giovanni Battisti Gipiece with a close fitting waist that orgini, wanting to remake the countouched the ground. In the 15th cen- try into an international trendsetter, tury, a wide-sleeve overdress with a held a successful fashion show that pearl or jewel-embroidered belt was opened the world’s eyes to Italian worn as a top layer. By the 16th cen- style once again. tury, women’s necklines were square Though as Florence prepares for the and deep to show off the lace and em- international men’s fashion trade broidery of the chemise. show, Pitti Immagine, forget about The most extraordinarily dressed Salvatore Ferragamo, Gucci, and were in the court of Lorenzo de’ Medi- Pucci for a moment, and consider the ci. In Gozzoli’s fresco cycle in Palazzo ancient frescos in the city, portraying Medici-Riccardi’s Magi Chapel, Lo- Italians draped in elegantly tailored renzo himself is magnificently garbed and patterned silks fur trimmings, in a brilliant cloak woven with jewels tight leggings, and fine leather boots— and edged with exotic furs. The cloak, the vanguard of fashion has been called a guarnacca ad ali, displays “made in Italy” since long before the wing-like upper sleeves. The women 1950s.

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10

FLORENCE NEWS & EVENTS SUMMER EDITION 2014, NO. 8

FASHION

City Goes Fashion

A ‘Historic Shop’ in Via Calzaiuoli

Geronico Embraces Third Generation When, in 1919, shortly after the end of WWI, Pietro Geronico came to Florence from the lakes district in northern Italy, he was only a young boy looking to make a living. He was born in 1899 in a small city not far from the Lake Maggiore, where most people employed themselves in repairing umbrellas.

Repairing umbrellas was Pietro’s first job in Florence. Soon after he was hired by a shop in Via Calzaiuoli that sold bags and umbrellas, of which in the turn of a few months he became the manager.

It was the first step towards a brilliant career. Pietro decided to open his own shop, in the same street as the one he was working for. He named it with his surname: Geronico. This was in 1929, just ten years after his move to Florence. In the early stages of the Geronico store, the core business was umbrellas. Alongside umbrellas, Geronico sold travel bags and handbags of all sorts, as well as leather and fur to produce other items, as it was common practice at that time.

It was only between the late 1950s and the early 60s, a time of vast and sudden expansion in Italian fashion, that the shop changed its profile and became international. To adjust to the demands of a rapidly changing market, it reduced its sales to leather goods, including travel and work bags, evening and formal handbags, and a wide assortment of high-quality items made exclusively in Italy.

During this time, Florence was known as the “district of leather,” and thanks to stylists such as Ferragamo and Gucci became the capital of Italian fashion, until in the 1970s it was replaced by Milan.

Today Geronico, which recently received the award of “historical shop” by the Comune di Firenze, is run by Marina, third generation member of the Geronico family. Marina has renewed the shop, turning it into an elegant contemporary boutique, while at the same time preserving its classical essence. Notice the handmade umbrellas at the entrance to the shop, remnants of Geronico’s past.

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EVI FUELLE Pitti Immagine, the principal international fashion event of the year, returns to Florence from June 17 to 20 at Fortezza da Basso.

Showcasing the latest contemporary lifestyle trends, this year the Centro di Firenze per la Moda Italiana celebrates its 60th anniversary on the occasion of Pitti Immagine Uomo 86, and prepares to launch a program of special events sure to make this the must-see event of the summer.

Featuring classic ensembles with a fresh look by new designers, an emphasis on cutting edge accessories and brands that have redefined sportswear—Pitti Immagine Uomo provides an inside look at the menswear of tomorrow.

Pitti Immagine Uomo 86 (June 17-20) provides leading international designers and new talents the opportunity to showcase the best of men’s fashion in Florence.

This event has become the key reference point for the world’s finest manufacturers to present their new collections and special projects, and launch their global strategies at the start of the season.

This year’s theme, “Ping Pitti Pong,” focuses on the simplest, Zen-like aspect of sports.

According to Agostino Poletto, deputy general manager of Pitti Immagine, “Ping Pitti Pong will portray the contemporary world through sport and its extremely close ties with fashion - the endless game where each response is different, the results uncertain, and the strategy and final outcome change constantly.”

With a setting designed by Oliviero Baldini, Ping Pitti Pong will include a special collaboration with La

In addition, visitors can look forward to the European debut of the collection by the great name in international design, Ron Herman. Italia Independent’s also return to Pitti Uomo with “Unique Edition for Pitti Immagine Uomo” - a special eyewear project for the 60th anniversary of the Centro di Firenze per la Moda Italiana.

Also a part of Pitti Immagine are the events Pitti Bimbo 79 (June 26-28), which showcases the newest fashions in childrenswear, and Pitti Immagine Filati (July 2-4), the key international event featuring yarns for the knitting industry.

Pitti Immagine June 17-20 Fortezza da Basso, Viale F. Strozzi 1, Florence Exhibition times: Every day: 9 a.m.

– 6 p.m.; Last day: 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Pitti Card: valid for all events for the duration of the fair; costs €30 at the fair, €23 if prepaid www.pittimmagine.com

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A Florentine vintage store with heart and soul, Ceri is home to a beautiful collection of classic fashion pieces. Here one can find delicate Victorian lace dresses, vintage French workwear, WWII British and U.S. military wear and all sorts of rare goodies from the 1800s to the 1980s.

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In addition to Pitti Uomo, the Fortezza da Basso sets the stage for women’s collections featured in Pitti W 14 (June 17-20) in the Arena Strozzi, which shares a close connection with the Pitti Uomo sections dedicated to the most cutting-edge looks.

There will be approximately 1030 brands at Pitti Uomo, plus roughly 70 women’s collections at Pitti W. The event has an ever-stronger international focus with nearly 40 percent of the exhibitors at this edition from over 30 countries, and an expected 30,000 visitors representing the world’s major department stores and small retailers.

Some of the main events and brand new previews that will be presented at Pitti Uomo 86 include prestigious labels such as Borsalino, Brooksfield, Custo, Eleven Paris, Massimo Alba and Woolrich Woolen Mills.

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11

FLORENCE NEWS & EVENTS SUMMER EDITION 2014, NO. 8

HISTORY

The ‘Vending Machines’ of the Renaissance

A Small Versailles in Florence

Discover Villa Demidoff and the Medici Park at Pratolino

Florence’s Wine Tabernacles Explained CHIARA FONZI Too small for people, too low to be used as windows, and with a never-varying architecture: a 40-centimeter door-like hole closed by a wooden shutter, crowned by an arch and framed by bricks often in the typical bugnato (bossage) style, very common in local wealthy families’ ancient houses.

These are the so-called “wine tabernacles” of Florence, tiny doors once property of the richest families in town that still can be seen on façades of some Florentine palaces. Although they are called tabernacles, they are not of religious significance.

At the end of the 16th century, Northern Europe, especially England, presented tough competition to Florentine merchants, in particular in the fabrics markets.

Because of this, Florentine families abandoned the business that had made them rich and began a more profitable investment: land.

Once established as landowners and wine producers, they began selling their products from cellars in town directly to the consumer’s hands, rather than to taverns, leading to the birth of tabernacles as the means of wine vending.

The holes were open in the wine pro-

ducers’ buildings up to the 18th century, when the culture of wine selling changed.

Today Florence has maintained the wine tradition, with its wine shops and enotecas that join restaurants and bars in the market of wine selling.

But where are yesterday’s wine tabernacles? Some of them have been sealed, but others can still be visited.

Piazza Strozzi, 1. The “Strozzino” building, dating 1420, was designed

by Michelozzo for the rich Strozzi family who were traditionally merchants.

Piazza S. Croce.

Many wine tabernacles face the square from each corner, and here visitors may start a real wine tabernacle hunt.

Via dei Benci, 20. Still the property of the Mellini-Fossi family, this building was designed by Simone del Pollaiuolo and erected in the 17th century. The façade still boasts refined and well preserved frescoes.

Via Dante. A door can be found on the walls of the building once owned by the Giuochi family on the side facing the Badia Fiorentina’s lateral entrance.

Via del Proconsolo, 10. at the corner of Borgo Albizi. Palazzo Pazzi Quaratesi shows its tabernacle at the side of the main entrance.

CLAUDIA NIEMANN A short ride away on bus no. 25, just minutes north of Florence on Via Bolognese, Villa Demidoff lies waiting to be discovered on the hills near the town of Pratolino.

Hidden in obscurity for the past several years, Villa Demidoff has recently been reopened to the public, and visitors are welcomed to wander the grounds for free.

Villa Demidoff is a historic estate that lies in one of the biggest and most harmonious park areas in the outskirts of Florence. While seemingly unspectacular at first sight, the true beauty of nature and architecture reveals itself when taking a few steps down the former passage to the Demidoff residence. With wandering paths and ancient oaks and cedars, the Medici Park provides astounding widths of green and lovely views of Florence.

The story of the estate began in 1568, when Francesco I de’ Medici, Grand

1818, when he commissioned Joseph Frietsch to transform the Medici gardens into a English style garden typical of the Biedermeier period, adding 60 hectares of land to the garden.

The wealthy Russian Demidoff family, after whom the estate is named, later bought the villa in 1872 and restored it in grandiose fashion to impress their guests with its elegance.

Water is still a central element of the estate and indeed a symbol of the entire park. This is reflected by the impressive Fountain of Jupiter, the Fountain of Mugnone with Giambologna’s statue and the Maschera fishpond, used also as a swimming-pool and adapted for hot baths. The most noteworthy original work in the park is the Colossus of the Apennines, a huge statue sculpted by Giambologna in 1579-80. Also worth visiting is Duke of Tuscany, bought the park the hexagonal Chapel where the last for his wife Bianca Cappello with Demidoff princess has her final restthe idea of turning it into a fairy tale ing place, as well as Cupid’s Grotto, landscape. Francesco appointed the designed by Buontalenti in 1577.

Italian architect Bernardo Buontal- During summer, Pratolino hosts enti to design an accompanying vil- many events such as classical conla, and Buontalenti created a fantasy certs performed by the Demidoff land where nature, science, and art Ensemble and special Renaissance merged using grottoes, water tricks Nights, including 16th-century muand ancient statues. The park soon sic, dance, dinner, and a historical became known as the “Garden of procession. Visit this historic treasure Wonders.” any Saturday this summer to see for The park of Pratolino was the largest yourself. of the estates of the Medici family, as shown in a detailed view of the Villa Demidoff villa by Giusto Utens at the Firenze & Medici Park Com’era Museum. Yet, after the death of Francesco and Bianca, the properVia Fiorentina 276, Pratolino ty was abandoned by the Medici.

Free entrance Falling into a period of decline under Opening hours: June to August: the Lorraine, the villa continued to Saturday and Holidays, decay, statues were transferred to the 10 a.m. - 7 p.m.

September: Sunday and Holidays, more prestigious Boboli Gardens and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. the park turned into a romantic garOctober: Sunday and Holidays, den. Gran Duke Ferdinand II of Lor10 a.m. to 5 p.m. raine brought new life to Pratolino in

12

FLORENCE NEWS & EVENTS SUMMER EDITION 2014, NO. 8

CULTURE

Calcio Storico Returns

Soft Drink Rocco Sponsors Verdi Team The Verdi team this year will be sponsored by Rocco Soft Drink. It is the only sponsorhip that appears on shirt on this edition of the historic football.

Whether you want an iced coffee or a bottle of wine, a beer and crisps or a refreshing soda, Soft Drink Rocco has got you covered. It has everything that you could need at a moment’s notice, selling a wide variety of alcohol, soft drinks and foodstuffs.

Snugly settled on Via de’ Neri, if you find yourself in the Santa Croce area and in need of a cold drink on a hot day, or anything for that little gathering of friends you’re having, give them a visit.

EVI FUELLE As part of a celebration of Florence’s patron saint, John the Baptist, the Calcio Storico Fiorentino is held annually in June, a tradition dating back to the 16th century that puts the four districts the Romans divided Florence into head-to-head in a game that mixes football, rugby, and wrestiling, invented by the Romans to train their troops and conserved by Florentines, who still play it every year in the Piazza Santa Croce.

The sport originates from the traditional game played over 500 years ago, and the ancient rules are still observed.

Before each game a procession of drummers, flag-bearers, team members and other Florentines, all

dressed in 16th-century Renaissance attire, parades from Piazza Santa Maria Novella to Piazza della Signoria, through Via dei Neri and Via dei Benci and on to the field of play, Piazza Santa Croce. The men of the city wear historical costumes from the 16th century, and all players wear Renaissance quartiere colors to represent their district.

Matches last 50 minutes and are played on a field covered in sand, doubly long as it is wide, with net goals at each end. Each team has 27 players: 4 Datori Indietro (goalkeepers), 3 Datori Innanzi (fullbacks), 5 Sconciatori (halfbacks), and 15 Innanzi or Corridori (forwards).

The game starts when the “Pallaio” throws the ball to the center line, followed by the firing of a small cannon,

announcing the beginning of the runs smoothly, stepping in to reestabconflict. From this moment on, the lish order and maintain discipline in players attempt to get the ball into the case of a fight on field. opponents goal. The teams change In fact, even Popes were known to sides with every point scored. play the Calcio in the Vatican, inTactics such as head-butting, punch- cluding Clement VII, Leo XI and Uring, elbowing and choking are al- ban VIII. The pageant of Calcio was lowed, although the modern version prohibited for a period in 1739 by the forbids sucker punches and kicks to Grand Dukes of Lorraine, but was the head. Players continue to play de- restarted by the Fascist government spite any injuries they may incur, as which came to power in the 1930s. there are no substitutes. Many players boast that they would rather die Game Schedule on the field than in the hospital.

The Captain and Alfiere (flag bearer’s) June 14: Holy Cross (blue) vs. tent sits in the center of the goal net.

Holy Spirit (white) They don’t actively participate in the June 15: St. John (green) vs. Santa game, but act as referees along two Maria Novella (red) Final match: June 24 “side judges” per district, making eight total. The Maestro di Campo is All matches begin at 5 p.m.

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13

FLORENCE NEWS & EVENTS SUMMER EDITION 2014, NO. 8

FESTIVALS

‘Estate Fiesolana’ on from June 16 to August 2 A Guide to Performances and Events

iconic cellist Natalia Gutman performs on June 25.

Roman singer Pino Marino will perform a “concertacolo” on June 27, entirely designed and produced by the singer himself. Marino uses only a few fundamental elements including his own voice, a piano, and acoustic guitar. With a clear vocal emphasis, Marino uses the spoken word as a cornerstone on which to weave his unique musical composition.

Estate Fiesolana Tickets and passes are available at Boxoffice Tuscany and Ticketone Office of the Teatro Romano, Via Portigiani, 3, Fiesole Opening hours: 10:00 a.m. - 6.30 p.m.

Telephone: 0555961293, email: info.estatefiesolana@gmail.com 3 types of cards available for purchase: Green: First half of festival: €45 + presale; Events included: Pat

EVI FUELLE From June 16 to August 2 Fiesole will host its 67th annual ‘Estate Fiesolana’ Summer Festival, a series of events featuring performances by internationally acclaimed musicians, dancers, singers, and performers of all varieties.

This year’s program includes workshops, drama courses, conferences and international dance exhibitions and performances. Festival events are held in four locations across the city: Teatro Romano di Fiesole, Sala del Basolato, Pratolino, and Girone.

In the past, Estate Fiesolana has hosted the prestigious “Premio Fiesole

to the Masters of Cinema,” attended by the Roman Theatre of directors, including: Arthur Penn, Peter Greenaway Mario Monicelli, Theo Angelopoulos, Wim Wenders, Robert Altman, Marco Bellocchio, Harold Pinter, and Costa-Gavras.

Monumental names in this year’s lineup promise an even more extraordinary event than previous years, hosted in historic venues such as the Teatro Romano.

The Summer Festival begins with Pat Metheny Music Group on June 16, an internationally acclaimed jazz group that has been on the jazz music scene for thirty years, having won 20 Grammy Awards in 12 different categories.

Festival-goers are treated to the Opera Bestiale on June 17, a fun and quirky opera directed by Aldo Tarabella that highlights young talent from the Music School of Fiesole. Young performers sing famous arias from the Italian operatic repertoire in the opera buffa style.

Jazzasonic performs “organic jazz” on June 18 with compositions by renowned saxophonist Dario Cecchini, straddling jazz, funk, modern sounds and rhythms with his “Funk Off This Time” collaboration with jazz artists Leonardo Pieri, Guido Zorn, Fabio Morgera and Walter Paoli.

World renowned guitarist and singer Alex Britti performs on June 19, and

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OPEN DAILY: 12-3 P.M. DINNER: 7-11 P.M.

PIAZZA SANTO SPIRITO, 8-9/R 055 28 08 30 WWW.RICCHIRISTORANTE.COM

Metheny Group Unity (June 16), Amadou & Mariam (June 26), The Mercy of Titus I (July 11) Blue: Second part of festival: €35 + presale; Events included: Theatre of Della Caduta (July 15), Paolo Fresu Quintet (July 18), Tommy The Who (July 24) Red: Entire festival period: €55 + presale; Events included: Pat Metheny Group Unity (June 16), La Clemenza di Tito (replica) of 12 July, Marta Cuscuna (July 16), Tommy The Who (July 24) Fiesolana Summer Card: Includes 3-4 performances, available on www.estatefiesolana.it and Boxoffice Tuscany Upon purchase, customer may request delivery of Fiesolana Summer Card tickets to mobile phone (iOS or Android) *Different event tickets are fixed and numbered, and names are non-transferable. *Reductions available to selected events for under 18 & over 65

Open daily 12 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Artisan gelato near Santo Spirito Via Toscanella, 15/r www.gelaterialapassera.wordpress.com

A corner of Naples in the center of Florence Pizza-making classes at the ‘Jersey Shore‛ pizzeria FRESH INGREDIENTS PERFECT CRUST BAKED IN A TRADITIONAL WOOD OVEN

10 % Discounts for International students While Florence undoubtedly has a surplus of pizzerias, Neapolitan native and owner of O‛ Vesuvio, Marco Spagnuolo, sets his apart by respecting the rules of the classic ‘Pizza Napoletana‛. Pizza here means passion and pride, and from the pounding of the i m p a s t o to its toasted perfection in a wood-fired oven, the pizza exceeds even the most stringent of expectations. The staff at O‛Vesuvio are warm and friendly, and the pizzeria‛s Neapolitan roots can also be seen and felt in the fervor generated by soccer here you can watch all the matches on Sky (just make sure that you‛re cheering for Naples).

HOME DELIVERY Pizza Lessons Available

Via dei Cimatori, 21/r // Tel.: 055 28 54 87 // www.ovesuviofirenze.com

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FLORENCE NEWS & EVENTS SUMMER EDITION 2014, NO. 8

FOOD & WINE

A Florentine Resisting Tradition Banned by Lorenzo the Magnificent, lampredotto is still alive in Piazza de’ Cimatori high-quality yet affordable street food for more than 80 years. While this kiosk offers a variety of panini, including a delicious panino con porchetta (pork) for the less outgoing, its most popular product remains the lampredotto, which is boiled all day long, from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m.

This specialty attracts a wide variety of clients, with roughly 30 percent of customers being tourists, along with a large local fan base and visitors who come from as far away as Milan specifically for the famous sandwiches. Indeed, approximately 250,000 kilograms of trippa and 80,000 kilograms of lampredotto are consumed in Florence each year, which indicates that this historical curiosity is far from losing its popularity.

These are panini are worth trying.

The meat is incredibly tender, if a slightly disconcerting texture, and it is well-seasoned and dripping in delicious, herby gravy and topped off with salsa verde. It is fair to say that eating a cow’s stomach is not for everyone,

Your one-stop shop for a lampredotto sandwich in Piazza dei Cimatori and San Lorenzo

In true Florentine tradition, the outdoor food cart provides trippa, lampredotto, lesso, poppa, matrice, porchetta, salumi, and wild boar sausages made fresh daily. L’Antico Trippaio is the best place to enjoy excellent panini and focacce like a true local. Just steps from the Duomo, it is one of the most frequented lunch spots in the historic city city. center.

LARA MAY In order to fully understand this FloThe smell of tripe cooking on the rentine meal, an explanation of what streets of Florence was once so over- tripe is and how it is cooked might be www.anticotrippaio.it whelming that Lorenzo de’ Medici useful. Trippa, or tripe, is made from banned the kiosks altogether. Howev- the cow’s pre-stomachs, and is soft, er, such was its popularity that once white, and mostly flavorless. Enjoyed the Medici lost power, tripe returned in many regions of Italy, it is cooked in force and secured its place as a in a variety of ways.

Lampredotto, however, is the uniquemainstay of Florentine street food.

Initially, tripe was a staple food for ly local Florentine version, made from laborers and the working classes, and the cow’s fourth stomach, called the it dates as far back as the fourteenth abomasum. The name lampredotto century. Simple wooden street carts comes, curiously, from the Italian served sandwiches stuffed with tripe, word for lamprey eels, lampreda— and this tradition continues today, al- once very abundant in the waters of beit in the more sophisticated kiosks the Arno River—as it resembles the that can be found dotted around the inside of the mouth of a lamprey in

shape and color.

Tuscan cooks rinse lampredotto well and boil it with tomatoes, onions, parsley and celery for two to three hours. The meat is then served in a Tuscan saltless bread roll (panino) with salt, pepper, chilli oil or salsa verde (green sauce), with the top slice of the roll dunked in the lampredotto stock.

For the most authentic and delicious experience of tripe, locals recommend L’Antico Trippaio, which has a reputation for making the best panino con lampredotto in town. Located in the Piazza dei Cimatori, L’Antico Trippaio has an impressive track record; it has provided Florentines with

but it is certainly worth giving it a go, and you may be pleasantly surprised!

What is more, alongside L’Antico Trippaio is the aptly named L’Angolo dei Golosi—the “Gourmand Corner”—run by the same owners. With its wide range of delicious sweets and gelati, L’Angolo can provide the perfect end to a truly authentic Florentine meal.

Who needs a Big Mac and a McFlurry when medieval fast food is on the menu?

The difference between trippa and lampredotto Trippa is the soft and flavorless lining of a cow’s pre-stomach, while lampredotto is made from the cow’s fourth stomach, called the abomasum. Rinsed and boiled for several hours and served up on a Tuscan bread roll with chilli oil and salsa verde, lampredotto is the street food most beloved by Florentines.

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FLORENCE NEWS & EVENTS SUMMER EDITION 2014, NO. 8

BUSINESS DIRECTORY COOKING COURSES IN SANTO SPIRITO In Tavola aims to spread Italian food- and wine-rich regional culinary traditions, such as those of Tuscany with its variety of dishes and recipes. Cooking classes as well as individual lessons for both professionals and beginners are offered, with special deals for students.

Courses include: Market tour & cooking class, Four-course dinner, Via dei Velluti, 18 Easy dinner, Easy lunch, Home-made pasta, 055 21 76 72 www.intavola.org Pizza & gelato

info@intavola.org

Tourist Information Firenze Turismo ......... 055 29 08 32 // 055 29 08 33 Via Cavour, 1/r Mon–Sat: 8:30a.m.–6:30p.m.

(Closed on Sundays and public holidays; see Commune info points below for Sunday hours.) info1@firenzeturismo.it www.firenzeturismo.it Florence Airport ............................ 055 31 58 74 Via del Termine, 1 Daily: 8:30a.m.–8:30p.m. infoaeroporto@firenzeturismo.it Commune ..................................... 055 21 22 45 Piazza Stazione, 4 Mon–Sat: 8:30a.m.–7p.m.

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

Sundays & public holidays: 9a.m.–2p.m. bigallo@comune.fi.it

Emergency Services

HAIRDRESSING SALON IN VIA DE’ BENCI • • • • • • • • • • • •

Special Offer:

CUSTOMIZE & CALORIE COUNT YOUR SALAD

FRUIT, VEGITABLES & SALADS Via dei Benci, 22/r (near Stanta Croce) www.thekingofsalads.it

HAMBURGER + 1 DRINK € 10

Tue. to Sun.: 6 p.m.–2 a.m.

Via G. Verdi, 47r, 055 38 80 034 www.saloonbargrill.com

Shampoo & dry (short) ......... €15/€16 Shampoo & dry (long) ......... €18/€20 Cut .................................................... €15 Perm ............................................... €30 Color [tips] ...................................... €24 Color [full] ....................................... €32 Toning .............................................. €17 Highlights with headset ............... €29 Highlights with spatula ................ €32 Woven highlights ........................... €41 Two-toned Highlights .................. €62 Shampoo & cut (men) .................. €20

Tue. to Thurs.: 9 a.m.–6 p.m.

Fri. to Sat.: 9 a.m.–7 p.m.

Via dei Benci, 37r 055 234 48 85

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

Lorenzo de’ Medici

RESTAURANT & PIZZERIA

LIVE SPORTS

Lorenzo de’ Medici Restaurant and Pizzeria is an elegant yet reasonably priced spot situated right in the heart of Florence, just a few steps away from the Medici Chapel, the church of Santa Maria Novella and San Lorenzo market, and no more than 200m from the Fortezza da Basso. It is the ideal restaurant to try traditional Florentine dishes or pizza cooked in the wood-fired oven. The perfect restaurant for tourist groups, business dinners, meetings or private dining.

GET 20% OFF WITH YOUR STUDENT DISCOUNT CARD Via del Giglio, 49 // 055 21 29 32 www.lorenzodemediciristorante.com

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FLORENCE NEWS & EVENTS SUMMER EDITION, NO. 8

CITY INFO Opening Times BAPTISTRY OF SAN GIOVANNI* Piazza San Giovanni 055 23 02 885 Mon–Sat: 11:15 a.m.–7 p.m.; Sun and 1st Sat of every month: 8:30 a.m.–2 p.m. July 4– Sept 28: Thurs–Sat: 11:15 a.m.–11 p.m.

Easter Week (Thurs, Fri, Sat before Easter & Easter Mon), April 25 & May 1: 8:30 a.m.–7 p.m.

Closed Jan 1, Easter Sunday, Sept 8, Dec 24 & 25.

BOBOLI GARDENS* 055 23 88 786 March Daily: 8:15 a.m.–5:30 p.m.

(6:30 p.m. with daylight saving) April–May & Sept–Oct Daily: 8:15 a.m.–6:30 p.m. (5:30 p.m. with standard time) June–Aug Daily: 8:15 a.m.–7:30 p.m.

Nov–Feb Daily: 8:15 a.m.–4:30 p.m.

Closed 1st and last Mon of each month; Jan 1, May 1 & Dec 25.

CATHEDRAL CUPOLA* Piazza del Duomo 055 23 02 885 Mon–Fri: 8:30 a.m.–7 p.m.; Sat: 8:30 a.m.–5:40 p.m.

Closed Sun; Jan 1; Jan 6; Thurs–Fri– Sat before Easter; Easter; June 24; Aug 15; Sept 8; Nov 1; Dec 8; Mon & Tues of the first week of Advent; Dec 25 & 26. Note: 463 stairs by foot only, no lift.

GIOTTO’S BELL TOWER* Piazza del Duomo 055 23 02 885 Daily: 8:30 a.m.–7:30 p.m.; January 6: 8:30 a.m.–2 p.m.

Closed Jan 1, Easter, Sept 8 & Dec 25.

Note: 414 stairs by foot only, no lift VASARI CORRIDOR Piazzale degli Uffizi, 6 055 29 48 83 Available to private groups only: contact Uffizi Gallery for information.

MUSEUMS ACCADEMIA GALLERY* Via Ricasoli, 58/60 055 23 88 612 Tues–Sun: 8:15 a.m.–6:50 p.m.

Closed Mon, Jan 1, May 1 & Dec 25.

PALAZZO MEDICI-RICCARDI*

Via Cavour, 3 055 27 60 340 Mon–Tues & Thurs–Sun: 9 a.m.–6 p.m.

Closed Wed. BARGELLO NATIONAL MUSEUM* Via del Proconsolo, 4 055 23 88 606 Daily: 8:15 a.m.–1.50 p.m.

Closed 1st, 3rd & 5th Sun and 2nd & 4th Mon of each month; Jan 1 & Dec 25.

CATHEDRAL MUSEUM (Museo dell’Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore)* Piazza del Duomo, 9 055 23 02 885 Mon–Sat: 9 a.m.–7:30 p.m.; Sun: 9 a.m.–1:45 p.m.

Closed Jan 1, Easter, Sept 8 & Dec 25.

DANTE HOUSE MUSEUM * Via Santa Margherita, 1 055 21 94 16 April–Sept Daily: 10 a.m.–6 p.m.

Oct–March Tues–Sun: 10 a.m.–5 p.m.

Closed Mon (Oct 1–March 31), Dec 24 & 25.

GALILEO MUSEUM * Piazza dei Giudici, 1 055 26 53 11 Mon & Wed–Sun: 9:30 a.m.–6 p.m.; Tues: 9:30 a.m.–1 p.m. Closed Jan 1 & Dec 25.

JEWISH MUSEUM * Via Farini, 6 055 23 46 654 June–Sept: Mon–Thurs & Sun: 10 a.m.–6:30 p.m.; Fri: 10 a.m.–5 p.m.

Oct–May: Mon–Thurs & Sun: 10 a.m.–5:30 p.m.; Fri: 10 a.m.–3 p.m.

Closed Sat, Jan 1, Dec 25 & Jewish holidays.

MICHELANGELO’S HOUSE (Casa Buonarroti)* Via Ghibellina, 70 055 24 17 52 Mon & Wed–Sun: 10 a.m.–5 p.m.

Closed Tues, Jan 1, Easter & Dec 25.

NATIONAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM* Piazza Santissima Annunziata, 9b 055 23 57 720 / 23 575 Tues–Fri: 8:30 a.m.–7 p.m.

Sat–Mon: 8:30 a.m.–2 p.m.

Closed Jan 1 & Dec 25.

PALAZZO DAVANZATI * Via Porta Rossa, 13 055 23 88 610 Daily: 8:15–1:30 p.m.

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

PALAZZO PITTI* Piazza Pitti, 1 Palatine Gallery 055 23 88 614 Tues–Sun: 8:15 a.m.–6:50 p.m. Royal Apartments closed every year during Jan for maintenance. Closed Mon, Jan 1, May 1 & Dec 25.

COSTUME GALLERY 055 23 88 801 / 23 88 713 March Daily: 8:15 a.m.–5:30 p.m.

(6:30 p.m. with daylight saving) April–May & Sept–Oct Daily: 8:15 a.m.–6:30 p.m. (5:30 p.m. with standard time) June–Aug Daily: 8:15 a.m.–6:30 p.m.

Nov–Feb Daily: 8:15 a.m.–4:30 p.m.

Closed 1st and last Mon of each month; Jan 1, May 1 & Dec 25.

GALLERY OF MODERN ART 055 2388601 Tues–Sun: 8:15 a.m.–6:50 p.m.

Closed Mon, Jan 1, May 1 & Dec 25.

SILVERWARE MUSEUM (Museo degli Argenti) Piazza Pitti, 1 055 2388709 March Daily: 8:15 a.m.–5:30 p.m.

(6:30 p.m. with daylight saving) April–May & Sept–Oct Daily: 8:15 a.m.–6:30 p.m. (5:30 p.m. with standard time) June–Aug Daily: 8:15 a.m.–6:30 p.m.

Nov–Feb Daily: 8:15 a.m.–4:30 p.m.

Closed 1st and last Mon of each month; Jan 1, May 1 & Dec 25.

PORCELAIN MUSEUM 055 2388709 March Daily: 8:15 a.m.–5:15 p.m. (6:15 p.m. with daylight saving) April–May & Sept–Oct Daily: 8:15 a.m.–6:15 p.m. (5:15 p.m. with standard time) June–Aug Daily: 8:15 a.m.–6:15 p.m.

Nov–Feb Daily: 8:15 a.m.–4:15 p.m.

Closed 1st and last Mon of each month; Jan 1, May 1 & Dec 25.

Sixty museums in 72 hours with the Firenze Card Become a Friend of the Uffizi For €40 for youth under 25, €60 for an adult and €100 for a family (two adults and two children), the card offers a calendar year’s worth of free privileged entrance to the following museums: Uffizi Gallery Accademia Gallery The Pitti Palace The Palatine Gallery & Royal Apartments The Gallery of Modern Art The Costume Gallery The Medici Treasury The Porcelain Museum The Boboli Gardens The Bardini Gardens Bargello National Museum Museum of the Medici Chapels Museum of Palazzo Davanzati Museum of San Marco Garden of the Medici Villa of Castello Medici Villa of Petraia Medici Villa of Poggio a Caiano Medici Villa of Cerreto Guidi & Historical Hunting and Territorial Museum Cenacolo of Ognissanti Cenacolo of Andrea del Sarto Cenacolo of Fuligno Cenacolo of Sant’Apollonia Cloister of the Scalzo www.amicidegliuffizi.it

The Firenze Card is your one-stop pass to the museums, churches and gardens of Florence. For €72 it offers: • 72 hours of free access to 60 of Florence’s most popular and important museums, churches and gardens, including current exhibitions, permanent collections and museum activities; • Free use of public transport within Florence; • Immediate access to busy museums – skip long queues and pre-booking; • Your choice of start date: the clock doesn’t start ticking until you enter your first museum; • Dedicated smartphone application to help find the museums, access free wi-fi and give you updated information on exhibits and events; • Though the card can only be used once in each museum by one person, it also allows free entrance for EU citizens under 18 who are members of the same family unit of the cardholder.

See the website for full details: www.firenzecard.it

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FLORENCE NEWS & EVENTS SUMMER EDITION 2014, NO. 8

FOOD & WINE

The Bar Your Mom Warned You About

Dine with Dante

Named after Dante Alighieri’s most famous work, The Divine Comedy, this homely, rustic restaurant fittingly lies on Via dei Cimatori, only a few meters away from Dante’s House.

The venue prides itself on its innovative and creative idea of preparing solely traditional dishes based on medieval recipes.

Some are adapted and revisited for the modern age but in a way that one maintains the omnipresent feeling of Florentine history and tradition – so much so that Dante himself could walk in and dine next to you.

As a matter of fact, this is a regular occurrence at Taverna La Divina Commedia, as the venue regularly hosts recitals from Dante’s great work by professional costumed performers.

Traditional medieval-style dishes include home-made ribbon pasta with wild boar and mushroom sauce, roast

shin of pork with new potatoes and seasonal vegetables, risotto inspired by medieval Tuscan flavors, and tasting plates of assorted cheeses accompanied with fresh fruit and jams, including the taverna’s specialty hot red pepper jam.

Also serving as a wine bar and pizzeria, the restaurant offers an eclectic selection of wines from its cellar, an outdoor summer terrace, and is fittingly decorated in a medieval style with armour and banners – and, of course, a mandatory bust of Dante himself.

Taverna la Divina Commedia

Enjoy live music, DJ sets and the costume parties that Jack has become famous for, as well as two HD screens showcasing sport events. Come by for lunch or dinner and try the revamped menu featuring traditional Italian food and American staples. If all that Italian espresso just isn’t hitting the mark, drop by One-Eyed Jack’s to enjoy American coffee with a free refill between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. Free wifi is also available.

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

Via dei Cimatori, 7/r 055 21 53 69 Open daily: 11.30 a.m.–12.30 a.m.

How to Prepare Varedo, or Orata all’Isolana: A Tuscan “False” Panzanella with Quinoa Seafood Specialty One recognized specialty at the restaurant Da Que’ Ganzi is their Orata all’Isolana, or baked sea bass made “in the island style.” To prepare this delicious dish, first the chef cleans the entire sea bass and puts it in a large pan along with sliced potatoes, tomatoes, onion, olives, capers, salt, pepper, and white wine. The pan with all of the ingredients goes into

the oven for about 45 minutes, or until the white wine evaporates. In the last two minutes of cooking, the chef adds hot water and fresh parsley to the pan.

BHC Hosts Craft Brewers Beer House Club, located at Corso dei Tintori, 34/r, will host the artisanal beer maker Giovanni Campari on July 3. The visiting Brewery will be Birrificio del Ducato di Parma, awarded ‘Brewery of the Year’ in 2010. The event will begin in the late afternoon.

Da Que’ Ganzi Via Ghibellina, 70/r 055 22 60 010 www.daqueiganzi.it info@daqueiganzi.it

Ingredients for 4 servings 1 cup quinoa, 2 cups water, 2 large tomatoes or several cherry tomatoes (5 or 6 per person), ½ cucumber (or entire cucumber if you like), 2 small red onions (Tropea) or spring onions (2 or 3, depending on taste), ½ fresh red pepper, deseeded, a generous bunch of fresh basil, a few leaves of fresh oregano, a few leaves of fresh mint, 1 Tablespoon of pine nuts, 2 Tablespoons of pistachio nuts (unsalted is best), 2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, chives for garnishing, salt.

Directions Combine the quinoa and water and cook over medium-low heat until the water is absorbed, stirring occasionally so the quinoa does not stick.

Allow to cool in a large tray and stir from time to time (the quinoa grains

Your pizza & covaccino near Santo Spirito

SPECIAL OFFERS

Slice of pizza + 500ml water: €3.50 Whole margherita pizza + 500ml water: €5.50 Whole margherita pizza + Coke: €6 Maxi 19.6” pizza margherita (for 3-4 people): €15 Cover & service charge included

Piazza di San Felice, 2/r

055 22 07 091

Pour Wine at Il Santo Vino Vino da tavola, or table wine, is a basic wine served with food. These wines vary by region but what all table wines have in common is their low price. Since they are made from inferior grapes and not destined for barrels, these fresh wines are inexpensive to produce and purchase. But this does not mean they are not worthy of respect.

Bring your bottle to be filled for less than €1.50 to Borgo Tegolaio, 46/r, straight from the barrels of Il Santo Vino. Here patrons can choose from a wide range of Italian wine in bottles or barrels sourced throughout Tuscany and Italy, as well as spirits and digestives. Il Santo Vino also provides a home-delivery service alongside selected local specialty and organic products, such as truffled goods, honey, jam, coffee and a variety of Sicilian spreads.

must be well separated and dry).

In a tall container combine the basil, fresh oregano and fresh mint, the pine nuts, red pepper, pistachio nuts, a generous pouring of extra virgin olive oil, and salt. With a mixer reduce everything to a pesto (blend for just a few seconds). Dice the tomatoes, cucumber and red onions. Mix the now cooled quinoa with all the ingredients and season with salt and add the vinegar. Great served with goat cheese and other spices.

Recipe from www.chefvary.com

Borgo Tegolaio, 46/r 055 53 87 122 // 345 90 93 425 www.ilsantovino.jimdo.com mariella.croda@yahoo.it Skype: ilsantovino

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FLORENCE NEWS & EVENTS SUMMER EDITION 2014, NO. 8

CITY BEAT

Biking the Chianti Hills Tuscany Cycle offers a new full day bike tour to get out of the city and see the Tuscan countryside with two wheels beneath you. The tours run every day, departing from Florence at 10 a.m. by van and taking you out of town to start the tour. After a bike in the Tuscan hills, you will enjoy an authentic Tuscan lunch as well as a wine and olive oil tasting. A stop at a swimming pool will then give you the

possibility to refresh a little and get ready for the come back. Included in the tour are: a bilingual guide, a complimentary bottle of water, helmet, and 24-speed mountain bike. At the end of the bike ride the van will return you to the city center of Florence.

Price is 75 euros and 70 for students. To book call +39 328 071 4849 or +39 055 289 681 or visit www.tuscanycycle.com

Power Yoga Moves to Florence A new gym to practice Power Yoga has recently opened on Via De’ Serragli in Florence’s Santo Spirito quarter in the Oltrarno. The initiative is by Silvana Alfonso, a native Italian who has worked as an instructor for several years in different parts of the United States. We asked Silvana to discuss the secrets of Power Yoga and to explain how it differs from regular yoga.

Q: What’s the difference between normal yoga and Power Yoga?

A: Power Yoga is a “style” of yoga. It’s a little faster and the poses are not static. There’s a certain “flow” to it that makes it unique.

Q: Is power Yoga getting popular in the U.S.?

A: Power Yoga is definitely one of the more popular style of yogas. It is an Ashtanga base but the flow of the

Eskimo: the Club for Traditional Italian Music

Born from the fusion of two former jazz venues, ence’s city center.

Eskimo and Jazz Club, Eskimo is a club-cafè Manager Sara Bonomo hopes that Eskimo will that during the day is lived as a bookstore – the become “a theatrical workshop and a venue perfect place to find second-hand books – as open to other types of arts, not just music – and well as a library where people meet to hang out focusing on bringing together a foreign audiin the afternoon. At night, the club becomes the ence, tourists, apericena [aperitivo dinner] and stage where young Italian musician perform, jazz.” often jamming together. The traditional Italian In the small stage of this club some of the most music that is played in this club ranges from famous Italian singers and musicians have apsongwriters to typical musical expressions peared when looking for a more intimate apfrom southern Italy such as the tarantella and proach with the public, far from the sports hall others. Occasionally live jazz is played too. where they usually perform. This is why Eskimo Eskimo gives artists from all over the world the is not just a bar but rather an ‘atmosphere’ peropportunity to take the stage in a familiar envi- fect to chill out in, far from the formality of the ronment, where they can blend ideas and show- city center’s nightlife. case their talents.

This is indeed the place where Italian songwriters typically perform in a very relaxed and welcoming atmosphere, which is not always easy Via dè Canacci, 12 328 759 3125 to find in the foreign-dominated venues of Flor-

Eskimo

practice gets your heart rate up more and Americans love to work out.

Q: How did you decide to move to Florence?

A: We came here with the intention of bringing Power Yoga to Italy and eventually all of Europe. What better place than Florence, the home of the Renaissance. We are trying to create a spiritual yoga renaissance of sorts.

• • • •

Fun music and atmosphere Community philosophy which encourages and promotes health and wellness for everyone!

Located in the beautiful santo spirito area Check out our studio and web site!

Q: What’s your advice to people who have never tried Power Yoga? What are its benefits?

A: Get ready to sweat and discover the power of your body and mind!

Power Yoga offers: • Power Yoga for beginners to advanced students offered daily.

• Power Yoga trained instructors • All classes only 60 mins

A Bit of Venice Near Santa Croce

Alvise Giustinian Corso Tintori, 19/r www.alvisegiustian.com

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 space 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 paper-mache masks and handmade glass, then Alvise Giustinian is a store worth a visit.

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FLORENCE NEWS & EVENTS SUMMER EDITION 2014, NO. 8

SAN GIMIGNANO

San Gimignano Hosts Elliott Erwitt

A Guide to Select Sites of San Gimignano Information Courtesy of the Pro Loco Association of San Gimignano – Tourist Information Office www.sangimignano.com

Exhibit on Display until August 31

San Gimignano’s Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art “Raffaele De Grada” is hosting an art exhibit through August 31 that traces the career and main themes of American photographer Elliott Erwitt. The exhibit showcases 42 photos selected by the artist as most representative of his body of work.

Works on display will include some of his most famous: a heartbroken Jacqueline Kennedy at the funeral of her husband, beautiful Grace Kelly at a ball, portraits of Che Guevara and Marilyn Monroe, and two lovers in the rearview mirror of a car.

The exhibit will also include nine exclusive self-portraits, which will rep-

resent a real “event within the event.”

Elliott Erwitt—a documentary and advertisement photographer—was born in France in 1928, and spent his formative in Italy. His family immigrated to the United States in 1939. During high school, Erwitt began working in a commercial darkroom, starting his professional career when he returned to Italy and France in 1949, travelling and doing photography. When he was drafted in the U.S. Army in 1951, he continued to take photographs for various publications. In 1953, after being decommissioned from the Army, Erwitt was invited to join Magnum photos.

In the 1970s he began directing films—

Beauty Knows no Pain (1971) and Red White and Blue Grass (1973)—and in the 1980s produced a number of television shows. In between working for magazines and other advertising clients, the artist creates books and exhibitions on his works, with over 21 books released to date. Today Erwitt remains a leading figure in the competitive field of photography; his art has been featured around the world for the past 40 years. Erwitt has had exhibits at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, The Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C., The Museum of Modern Art in Paris, the Spazio Oberdan in Milan, the Reina Sofia Museum in Madrid, and many more.

PODESTA’S PALACE, TOWER AND ART COLLECTION Piazza Duomo, 2 0577 990 312 Entrance: €5; children between 6 and 17 €5; free entrance to children under 6; combined ticket good for all civic museums €7.50 Daily 11 a.m.- 5:30: after April 1: 9:30 a.m. -7 p.m.

THE COLLEGIATE CHURCH OF SANTA MARIA ASSUNTA (DUOMO) Piazza del Duomo 0577 940 152; prenotazioni@duomosangimignano. it Entrance: €4; Combined ticket with the Sacred Art Museum: €6 (Apr-Oct) Mon to Fri: 10 a.m-7 p.m.; Sat: 10 a.m - 5 p.m.; Sun/Holidays: 12:30 p.m. - 7 p.m.

ARCHEOLOGICAL MUSEUM - SANTA FINA HERBARIUM - MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY ART GALLERY Via Folgore, 1 0577 940 526; www.museodellatortura.it April 1: 9:30 a.m.-7 p.m.

Entrance € 3.50; € 2.50 for children between 6 and 17; children under 6 free; combined ticket with all civic museums €7.50

ROCCA DI MONTESTAFFOLI Climb the remains of an ancient fortress turret for stunning views of the area Free (outdoors) PIAZZA DELLA CISTERNA San Gimignano’s medieval water well gives its name to this piazza Free (outdoors) ANCIENT CITY WALLS Walk along the 13th century walls with 15th century Medicean bastions Free (outdoors) ORNITHOLOGICAL MUSEUM Located inside the church of San Francesco on Via Quercecchio 0577 941 388 info@sangimignano.com After April 1: 11 a.m.-5:30p.m.

Entrance €1.50 CHURCH OF SANT’AGOSTINO Near Porta St. Matteo on Via Cellolese Mon 4 p.m.– 6 p.m.; Tues-Sun 10a.m.-12p.m./3 p.m.-6 p.m.

HOUSE OF ST. FINA Via del Castello FORMER PODESTA’S PALACE AND ROGNOSA TOWER Piazza del Duomo

MUSEO DELLA TORTURA E DELLA PENA DI MORTE, TORTURE AND DEATH PENALTY MUSEUM, Via San Giovanni, 82 & 125 0577-940526, 055-940151; Daily: 10 a.m. – 8 p.m. www.museodellatortura.it Info & Reservations: tortura@iol.it WINE MUSEUM 0577 941 267 Free admission 11:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m.

BAR GELATERIA COMBATTENTI ARTE TOSCANA JEWELS Founded in 2002 by Carla and Alessandra, Arte Toscana offers handmade Jewels of the best quality crafted by local artisans.

The jewelry is located in the Piazza Duomo of San Gimignano. The shop also offers a shipping service.

Piazza Duomo, 7 San Gimignano 0577 94 06 78 www.artetoscanasangimignano.com info@artetoscanasangimignano.com

ENOTECA CORSI

THE BAR STARTED BY A WWI FIGHTER

TYPICAL TUSCAN PRODUCTS

Located just inside Porta San Giovanni, bar and gelateria Caffé Combattenti serves artisan-quality, homemade Tuscan ice-creams and products. The first gelateria established in town, since 1924 the Bar Combattenti offers saffron and lively wine-flavored gelatos next to traditionally prepared bruschetta, pizza, panini, and pasta, as well as Tuscan salami and pecorino cheeses. Also available are classic Tuscan treats such as ricciarelli and cantucci, grappa, extra virgin olive oil, and local truffle products, as well as gluten-free products.

With more than 600 wines including Brunello, Vernaccia, Bolgheri and Chianti, as well as extra virgin olive oil, flavored oil, balsamic vinegar and much more, Enoteca Corsi is an ideal stop for authentic Tuscan products. Enoteca Corsi offers traditional sweets such as panforte, ricciarelli, home-made Cantuccini biscuits and other delicacies such as marmalades, honey, sauces and Tartufi (or Italian truffles). It also has the only DOP saffron in Italy.

Located in V. San Giovanni, Cindarella offers shoes, jackets, socks, belts, bags, scarves, clothing and accessories all rigorously Made in Italy and selected for clients who wish to experience a unique shoppingexperience, as in a fairy tale...

Via San Giovanni (near the door of San Giovanni) San Gimignano 328 06 07 267

Via San Giovanni, 36 San Gimignano 334 397 4862

Via San Giovanni, 124 San Gimignano 0577 940 391 328 06 07 267 barcombattenti@libero.it

KEEP CALM & BUY SHOES “Cindarella is the living proof that a pair of shoes can change your life”

Daily: 9:30 a.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Dinners and Anniversary are just a few of the many events that are held in Tenuta Torciano Romantic Dinner with the one you love in the middle of the vineyard or in our Cellar is a daydream that can become a reality here, at the Torciano Winery.

A Special Dinner all for you.

Genuine Tuscan Food and Wine

“Explore beyond traditional tasting�

Tenuta Torciano - Via Crocetta 18, Loc. ulignano 53037 San Gimignano (Siena) - Tuscany - Italy Tel.: ++39 0577 950055 - www.torciano.com torciano@torciano.com

22

FLORENCE NEWS & EVENTS SUMMER EDITION 2014, NO. 8

SAN GIMIGNANO

The Contemporary Art Gallery of San Gimignano

Sculptor Ivan Lardschneider on Display

GALLERIA GAGLIARDI Arte Contemporanea

SAN GIMIGNANO

The Galleria Gagliardi was established in 1991, in a 400-square-meter space once used as a garage and farm machinery store.

Today, the Galleria bears absolutely no resemblance to the original building apart from a section of the floor made up of oak boards, covering a hole which once enabled repairs to the underside of cars and machinery in the absence of a ramp. This work of art was created by the previous owner, Dino Conforti, and has been left in his memory.

Since 1991, the exhibition area of the gallery has been extended and the gallery has now become a cultural reference for the promotion and sale

of contemporary art. Every work is chosen directly from the studios of artists who constantly experiment new solutions through their research, renewing their approach and skills.

The Galleria exhibits ceramic, bronze and marble sculptures; conceptual, abstract and figurative paintings as well as works in steel, iron and wood

by Italian and international artists.

Galleria Gagliardi Via San Giovanni, 57 San Gimignano galleria@galleriagagliaradi.com www.galleriagagliardi.com

A Journey Through Human Cruelty The Museo della Tortura displays over 100 tools designed to torture and kill.

Some of these tools are extremely rare, dating to the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries. They include the notorious Iron Maiden, the Guillotine, the Rack, the Chair of Torture, and the Chastity Belt. Also on display are lesser known, more sophisticated devices, such as the Heretic’s Fork, the Noisemaker’s Fife, the Spanish Spider, and flaying instruments. Rare, original philological reconstructions from the 19th and 20th centuries can also be observed.

Sculptor Ivan Lardschneider will be displaying his latest works at the San Gimignano iSculpture Art Gallery and the Castello di Casole in the provence of Siena from June 18 to June 28. The artist crafts his art out of wood in the style of Val Gardena, which was used to make elegant religious figures for churches, though now rediscovered with a new artistic purpose. His sculptures bring back the childish sense of naiveté where things were called by their name, transcending constructed language and the contamination of prejudice— pure once again. This theme is expanded in his An Angel fell on Earth exhibition at the Castello di Casole in Siena. Lardschneider has shown his art in Paris, Miami, Rhode Island, Berlin, and more. iSculpture is a project born to promote the skills and knowledge of contemporary sculptural art in Italy, which takes pride in treasuring tradition and techniques of the past. Sculpture can be considered as perhaps the most complete of art genres, in which matter and shape come together in a continuous search for innovation, without adhering to guidelines. The works of our selected artists represent a significant section of contemporary Italian sculptural production in the field of ceramics, bronze, alabaster, wood, marble and iron.

iSculpture Via San Giovanni, 82 & 125 San Gimignano Daily: 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.

0577-940526, 055-940151 www.museodellatortura.it

Bittagioielli Andrea Errera Andrea Errera, goldsmith from the Milano School, approached his art more than 30 years ago. With his expert and skilled hands, he not only shapes gold but also combines it—with taste and skill—to various materials, such as precious woods and silks. Passion and discipline drive him to make any object a unique work of art. Errera is also a fine connoisseur and estimator of precious stones, which he uses to increase the value of his work.

Meeting the artist in his San Gimignano workshop, where he creates his exhibits, will leave a mark in your memory.

Via Piandornella, 1A San Gimignano 0577 90 70 42 bitta@Sangimignano.net www.sangimignano.net/bitta

Via Berignano, 25 - San Gimignano Via Casolani, 25 - Casole d’Elsa (SI) 0577 94 02 07 info@isculpture.it www.isculpture.it

LEONCINI

Le Torri

BUY AND SHIP YOUR CERAMICS

MADE IN ITALY LEATHER

In the heart of Tuscany, land of masters such as Giotto, Michelangelo and Leonardo, the towers of the old medieval town, San Gimignano, dominate the whole valley. Descendants from one of the most important families of San Gimignano, brothers Luciano and Daniele Leoncini of Ceramica Leoncini, offer the wisdom of the old ceramic masters, the experience of cutlery masters, and competence in crafting ancient, hand-painted decorations reproduced with a genuine Tuscan look, great care, and ability.

The company Le Torri was born for collecting, producing and selling high quality artisanal leather goods exclusively made in Italy leather, something that today is not so easy at it may seem to find.

The three shops are located in Via San Giovanni. Products include bags for women, business bags for men, belts, wallets, as well as other goods and can be purchased both online and in store.

Via S. Giovanni, 60-62 San Gimignano 0577 94 20 86 info@leoncini-italy.com www.leoncini-italy.com

Daily: 9.30 a.m. - 8.30 p.m.

Via San Giovanni, 22-24 Via San Giovanni, 34 Via San Giovanni, 117 San Gimignano 0577 940 851 www.letorrionline.com

23

FLORENCE NEWS & EVENTS SUMMER EDITION 2014, NO. 8

SIENA & SAN GIMIGNANO

Race for Glory

Gelato from a Master

Siena Prepares for Palio

AMBER BROWN & EVI FUELLE Twice a year, on July 2 and August 16, Siena’s bowl-shaped Piazza del Campo is covered with a thick layer of dirt, and the Palio takes over. Understanding the Palio, however, is impossible without knowing its history.

The tradition began in the 14th century, when the districts of Siena known as “the contrade” organized public races in competition with one another.

The first riders rode buffalos in races called pali alla lunga, which weren’t confined to the Piazza del Campo but rather ran across the city.

When bullfighting was outlawed in 1590, horse races took their place in the piazza.

Il Palio is one of only a few medieval festivals in Italy that has carried on its tradition throughout the centuries (not simply brought back for the 20th century out of nostalgia or for tourism) thanks to the tenacity, pride, and traditionalism of the Sienese. The Palio was only ever cancelled only once (during World War II) - apart from this incident the horses have never failed to race since 1656.

Medieval games have also taken place in the same central piazza since the 16th century, including public games such as pugna (a type of boxing match or brawl), jousting, and bullfights.

Since the first official Palio in 1656, just one race was initially held each

year on July 2, named Il Palio di Provenzano, in honor of the Madonna of Provenzano. The second, on August 16, began in 1701 and was named Il Palio dell’Assunta, in honor of the Assumption of Mary. Coinciding with the Feast of the Assumption, it is assumed that this second palio was probably introduced spontaneously as part of the celebration of feast.

Of the original 59, there are 17 contrade still in existence today; of these, only 10 are chosen to race in each year’s Palio. The seven contrade that do not take part in the previous year are automatically i nclude d, and three more are chosen by draw.

The morning of the competition begins with a special Mass to bless the riders and horses, followed by a colorful parade of the members of the contrade and their retinue that ends in the Piazza del Campo. Each contrada’s participant enters the square around 3:30 p.m., but the main processional does not start until nearly 5 p.m., when a pageant of flag-throwers bearing the colors and symbols of their districts perform in the piazza.

Although a very festive event, the honor at stake is no laughing matter.

Districts are known to take extra measures to prevent rival contrade from winning: especially since historical enemies celebrate as joyfully as if they themselves had won it.

Cheating is commonplace since the

Dondoli Reveals his Secrets

race has very few rules: jockeys can pull, push and hit both the horses and each other, and use their whips on other competitors and their horses.

Il Palio is won not by the jockey, but by the horse who represents his contrada, so a horse can win without its rider if it’s the first to cross the line.

The loser of the race is considered to be the contrada whose horse came second, not last.

The order of the line-up is decided by lot immediately before the race, and only nine of the 10 contrade initially enter the space between the two ropes that constitutes the starting line: the 10th, called the rincorsa, waits outside, giving him yet another chance to cheat. The front rope is only dropped to start the race once the rincorsa enters the space; and as deals have invariably been made between contrade and jockeys to affect when he enters, this process can take some time, as the rincorsa waits for a particular horse to be well or badly placed.

After a rapid and intense three laps around the Campo the race is over 90 seconds later race is over, and the celebrations or lamentations begin.

The winning contrada is awarded the prestigious prize of a banner, called the palio or drappellone, which is thought to bring great luck to the district that wins it, and is newly designed each year by a local artist for the July Palio, or an internationally recognized artist for the August Palio.

Master gelato maker Sergio Dondoli is the man behind the world renowned Gelateria Dondoli.

The hard to miss shop in San Gimignano was the Gelato World Champion of 2006/2007-2008/2009, and they will not let you forget it. His gelato is mentioned in most guides, tops the charts in tripadvisor, and is occasionally the treat of celebrities. In addition to classic flavors, innovation is ever present with unique creations. Between the rushes of tourists, Dondoli was able to share some insight about his business: Q: What are the consequences of rather rainy seasons on gelato production?

A: Normally the rain lowers the consumption of gelato. Normal tourists don’t have the desire to lick gelato while simultaneously holding an open umbrella. But fortunately, our gelateria is well known, and so the tourists will suffer through this annoyance for the flavor of our gelato, which remember, I am also very particular about the combination of flavors.

Q: What are the characteristics that the best milk should have for the production of gelato?

A: We, I say with a little pride but also with honor, adopted ten cows obtained from Camporbiano Farm for the supply of marvelous fresh milk that is also biodynamic, which has exceptional and organoleptic flavor and quality, precisely because we do not have the precedence of pasteurization and the cows come nourished on fodder from the farm. In Camporbiano’s good 26-year history of activity, they have never administered antibiotics to their cows.

Q: What are the flavors that you recommend to customers for the summer?

A: When the heat arrives, and it will certainly arrive, we would like to recommend some fresh flavors like our CAMPELMO ® (sparkling Vernaccia wine and red grapefruit), signaled

by Gambero Rosso as the best Italian sorbet, our fruit sorbets are produced only with real fruit such as white pear, melon of grosseto, etc. For those who like cream, beyond our legendary CREMA DI SANTA FINA ® (Saffron DOP from San Gimignano and pine nuts from Pisa) we recommend our latest creation, the Michelle, dedicated to Michelle Obama, produced with almonds of AVOLA, orange zest, honey, and saffron biscuits.

Palio Entrance is free; arrive before midday Bleacher and balcony seats from €250 to €600 For more details and schedule of events visit www.comune.siena.it

Gelato World Champion 2006/2007 - 2008/2009

1

°

SAN GIMIGNANO Piazza della Cisterna, 4 - 0577 942 244 - www.gelateriadondoli.com

24

FLORENCE NEWS & EVENTS SUMMER EDITION 2014, NO. 8

EVENTS

Exhibitions

055 29 48 83 Mon. to Sun.: 8:15 a.m.-5 p.m.; Closed on the 2nd and 4th Monday of the month www.unannoadarte.it

055 47 55 20 Mon.-Wed.: 10 a.m.-2 p.m.; Fri.-Sun.: 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

Closed on Thursday www.museostibbert.it JACOPO LIGOZZI “UNIVERSAL PAINTER” Until September 28 Pitti Palace, Palatine Gallery 055 23 88 616 / 055 29 48 83 Tues. to Sun.: 8:15 a.m.- 6:50 p.m.

Closed on Monday

PONTORMO AND ROSSO. DIVERGING PATHS OF MANNERISM Until June 20 Palazzo Strozzi 055 26 45 155 / 055 39 17 11 Tues. to Sun.: 10 a.m.-8 p.m.; Thursday 10 a.m.-11 p.m.; Closed on Mondays www.palazzostrozzi.org “CHE PURO CIEL! CHE CHIARO SOL!” GLUCK AND ORFEO AND EURIDICE IN FLORENCE Until June 21 Florence National Library, Piazza dei Cavalleggeri, 1 055 24 91 9201 Mon. to Fri.: 10 a.m.-1 p.m. / 3 p.m.-6 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m.-1p.m.

Closed on Sundays & Holidays www.bncf.firenze.sbn.it CARMELO BAGLIVO DISEGNI CORSARI Until June 26 Marino Marini Museum 055 21 94 32 Mon. to Sun.: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Closed on Tuesdays, Sundays & public holidays www.museomarinomarini.it

GIANLUCA E MASSIMILIANO DE SERIO “RETURN” Until June 26 Marino Marini Museum 055 21 94 32 Mon. to Sun.: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Closed on Tuesdays, Sundays & public holidays www.museomarinomarini.it LATE ONE MORNING: LOOKING FOR JESUS BY JONATHAS DE ANDRADE Until June 26 Marino Marini Museum 055 21 94 32 Sundays & public holidays www.museomarinomarini.it THE GALLERY OF THE TAPESTRIES. THE FRAGILITY OF BEAUTY Until June 28 Uffizi Gallery - Sala delle Reali Poste 055 294883 8:15 a.m. - 6:50 p.m.

Closed on Monday www.polomuseale.firenze.it

FAMILY MATTERS Portraits and experiences of family today Until July 20 Strozzina, Palazzo Strozzi 055 26 45 155 / 055 39 17 11 Tues. to Sun.: 10 a.m.-8 p.m.; Thursday 10 a.m.-11 p.m.; Free Thursdays 6–11 p.m.; Closed on Mondays www.strozzina.org JACKSON POLLOCK THE FIGURE OF FURY Until July 27 Palazzo Vecchio & Florence former court 055 2768325 9 a.m.-12 a.m.; Thursday: 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

Florence former court: Thursday 10 a.m.-8 p.m. www.pollockfirenze.it CORTONA: THE DAWN OF THE ETRUSCAN PRINCES Until July 31 National Archaeological Museum of Florence Piazza SS. Annunziata, 9/b 055 23 57 720 Mon., Sat. and Sun. 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m.; from Tue. to Fri. 8.30am-7pm www.firenzeturismo.it/en

SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST’S CART: FROM PONTORMO TO CAPEZZUOLI Until September 30 Palazzo Vecchio 055 27 68 224 9a.m.-12 a.m.; Thursday: 9 a.m.-2 p.m. museicivicifiorentini.comune.fi.it A JOURNEY TO THE EAST. PHOTOGRAPHS FROM AFRICA TO CASA MARTELLI Until October 10 Museum of Casa Martelli 055 29 03 83 Thursday: 2 p.m. - 7 p.m.

Fri. to Sun.: 2 p.m. - 5 p.m.

Closed on the 2nd and 4th Sunday www.polomuseale.firenze.it ART JEWELRY: THE TRADITION IN MODERNITY Until October 10 Ente Cassa di Risparmio di Firenze and Horne Museum, Via Bufalini, 6 055 53 84 001 www.entecarifirenze.it

RADICAL WOMANHOOD Pinault Collection Until September 7 Gucci Museum, Piazza Signoria,10 055 75 92 33 02 10 a.m.-8 p.m. www.guccimuseo.com FLAVIA ARLOTTA Woman and painter of the twentieth century Until September 9 Via Orsanmichele, 4 055 219642 / 0 55 2491123 Mon.: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Weekdays visit by appointment www.aadfi.it/?p=6733 FROM EGYPT OF THE PHARAOHS TO THE JAPAN OF THE SAMURAI THROUGH THE ISLAMIC MIDDLE EAST Until September 9 Via Alfani, 78 055 210102 Mon. - Sat.: 8:15 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Closed on Sundays, Holidays and June 24th www.opificiodellepietredure.it

ARNOLD HENRY SAVAGE LANDOR Until June 29 Pitti Palace, Gallery of Modern Art 055 294883 From Tue. - Sun.: 8:15 a.m. -6:50 p.m.

Closed on Monday www.polomuseale.firenze.it BACCIO BANDINELLI Sculptor & Maestro (1493-1560) Until July 7 At Bargello National Museum

SACRED SPLENDOUR Until September 28 The Medici Treasury, Piazza Pitti, 1 055 29 48 83 Mon. to Sun.: 8:15 a.m.-6:30 p.m.

Closed on the 1st and the last Monday of each month www.unannoadarte.it

ISLAM. WEAPONS AND ARMOURS FROM THE FREDERICK STIBBERT Until September 11 Stibbert Museum, Via F. Stibbert, 26

GIOVANNI COLACICCHI Figures of the rhythm and light in 12th century Florence.

Until October 19 Villa Bardini, Costa San Giorgio, 2 055 20 06 6206 / 055 23 88 616 www.bardinipeyron.it

MICHELANGELO AND THE TWENTIETH CENTURY Until Octomber 20 Via Ghibellina, 70 055 241752 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., Closed on Tuesday www.casabuonarroti.it ART AND POLITICS Until November 2 Museum of Medici Chapels, Piazza Madonna degli Aldobrandini, 6 055 23 88 602 Mon. to Sun.: 8:15 a.m.-4:50 p.m.

Closed on the 2nd and 4th Sunday and 1st, 3rd and 5th Monday of each month. www.polomuseale.firenze.it THE PURE SIMPLE AND NATURAL IN ART IN FLORENCE BETWEEN THE SIXTEENTH AND SEVENTEENTH CENTURY Until November 2 Uffizi Gallery 055 294883 www.unannoadarte.it

Florence Dance Festival 1 JULY Inaugural Event - “Celebration” The Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at American Ballet Theatre N.Y. Directed by Franco De Vita Principal dancers: Rebecca Krohn and Amar Ramasar (NYC Ballet) 7:30 p.m.: Gastronomia del Mugello (refreshments, specialties of the Mugello region) 9:30 p.m.: Entertainment Ticket price: €50, reduced: €35 2- 3 JULY Stars of American Ballet New York City Ballet - American Ballet Theatre Boston Ballet - Miami City Ballet Choreographers: George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Christopher Wheeldon Ticket price: €50, reduced € 35 4 JULY 6:30 p.m.

Florence Dance Center The Light of Terpsichore Antonio Ciccone and Dance Free admission 5 JULY 8 p.m.

Courtyard of Palazzo Strozzi Trisha Brown Dance Company Early Works Free admission 7 JULY Trisha Brown Dance Company - New York For M.G.: The Movie - Les Yeux et l’âme Rogues - Son of Gone Fishin ‘ Ticket price: €50, reduced €35 8 JULY The Sofia Festival Ballet Don Quixote Directed by Vessa Tonova Choreographers: Marius Petipa, Alexander Gorsky Principal Dancers: Vesela Vasileva, Emil Yordanov (Vessa Tonova) Ticket price: €50, reduced €35 10- 11 JULY Florence Dance Company & Pankow Die Wut “The Anger - The Fury - The Fureur” Directed by Marga Nativo Music: Maurizio Fasolo Alex Spalck, Cosimo Barberi

EXPLORE TUSCANY WITH YOUR CHOICE OF RENTAL VEHICLE

The staff at Knowleggi will help you choose the best vehicle to navigate through labyrinthine medieval streets or plan your independent tour through scenic Tuscany. Knowleggi’s selection includes the best among BMW, Mini, Ford, Lancia, Mazda and Fiat.

Via Melegnano, 1/r 373 77 10 559 (Francesca: English-speaking contact) 055 05 17 062 www.knowleggi.it info@knowleggi.it

Choreographer: Keith Ferrone 14 JULY Milan Teatro Paolo Grassi School Hopper Variations New! Generation Choreographer: Emanuela Tagliavias 16 JULY Zappala Danza Company Antibodies Project and choreography by Roberto Zappala 18 JULY Gabriella Buckets Dance Company Quartet Author Choreographer: Gabriella Buckets Kinesis Dance Choreographers: Angelo Egarese, Elena Salvestrini Antithesis Ensemble Choreographer: Arianna Benedetti Mystes Choreographer: Gigi Nieddu 20-21 JULY Florence Dance Company Orchestra da Camera Fiorentina Four Majors - Adi Da Samraj for Vivaldi Choreographer: Keith Ferrone Music: Antonio Vivaldi (The Four Seasons) Scenography: Adi Da Samraj Orchestra conductor: Maestro Giuseppe Lanzetta 22 JULY 8 p.m.

Four Seasons Hotel Florence Dance Company Chamber Orchestra Fiorentina Four Majors - Adi Da Samraj for Vivaldi 23 JULY Company Simona Bucci Lady Macbeth Choreography & stage conception: Simona Bucci 24 JULY 8 p.m.

Ponte Vecchio Florence Art of Dance Company & Adi Da Samraj Dancing on the Bridge of the World 26 JULY Florence DanceBook: Promise to Dance Dancing with Tuscany Hub Choreographers: Giada Ferrone, Life Osojnik, Arianna Benedetti, Piero Leccese Ticket price: € 25, reduced € 15

SNACK BAR ANNA THE FIRST BAGEL POINTIN FLORENCE SINCE 1990

Enjoy the relaxing atmosphere and the jumbo cappuccinos while having a chat with Anna and Stefano, who will welcome you in a warm and friendly way.

Grab one of the many homemade bagels, the bar’s perfected specialty since 1990. These bagels and sandwiches have made this snack spot one of the most popular among local Americans.

Mon. to Sat.: 8:30 a.m.–7:30 p.m.

Via de’ Ginori, 26/r 055 23 81 143 stevebar@hotmail.it

25

FLORENCE NEWS & EVENTS SUMMER EDITION 2014, NO. 8

ENTERTAINMENT

ODEON FIRENZE

Summer 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

highest food quality and social equity. Next, don’t miss another documentary called Salinger that Shane Salerno—scriptwriter of such successful titles as Alien versus Predator, Ghost Rider, Armageddon, and Shaft—dedicated to the author of the Catcher in the Rye and his inexplicable disappearance from public life after his cult classic (and inspiration for some four generations of readers) made him famous.

Speaking of legends, Quentin Tarantino fans can’t miss his mythic Pulp Fiction, presented in a restored version twenty years since its release.

For international film lovers, the Spanish Film Festival from June 6 to 8 presents the best of Iberian film production from the last year. Also worth mentioning is Le Weekend, a polite comedy of rediscovering love in the third age, and especially Synecdoche, New York, yet another voyage through the paradoxes of narrative from screenwriter Charlie Kaufman, who wrote Being John Malkovich, Adaption, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, this time in his directorial debut (from 2008).

GUIDO REVERDITO

JERSEY BOYS

LE WEEKEND DIRECTOR: Roger Michell GENRE: Comedy | Drama STARS: Jeff Goldblum, Jim Broadbent, Linsday Duncan, Igor Gotesman PLOT: In Mr. Michell’s magically buoyant and bittersweet film, Jim Broadbent and Lindsay Duncan play a long-married couple who revisit Paris for a long weekend for the first time since their honeymoon, in hopes of rekindling their relationship-or, perhaps, to bring it to an end.

Wistful Nick (Broadbent) and take-charge Meg (Duncan) careen from harmony to disharmony.

DIRECTOR: Clint Eastwood GENRE: Biography | Drama | Musical STARS: Christopher Walken, Francesca Eastwood, Freya Tingle PLOT: Clint Eastwood’s big screen version of the Tony Award-winning musical tells the story of the four young men from the wrong side of the tracks in New Jersey who came together to form the iconic `60s rock group The Four Seasons.

Their trials and triumphs are accompanied by the hit songs that influenced a generation, and are now being embraced by a new generation of fans through the stage musical.

Summer in the U.S. is the hottest period for enticing new movie releases. While the same cannot be said of Italy, especially in the unexciting June and July distribution periods, in compensation, local theaters will be rescreening the best of the season so audiences can catch up on the most interesting films released over the course of the year. For those who love cinema in original language, and above all for the many native English-speaking residents in town, the Odeon Firenze Cinehall movie theater offers a rich program of exciting features that will alternate original Special Events, screenings of films showing in Florentine theaters on those same days. Among the first, two Italian documentaries presented with English subtitles are worth highlighting: The Mystery of Dante, an intriguing attempt to investigate the mysteries and encrypted messages hidden by Dante Alighieri within his Divine Comedy; and Knights of the Lagoon, centered on a fishing community of Orbetello and its philosophy of obtaining the

THE COVER STORE

DATES/HOURS: Thursday, June 26: 5:30 p.m.

Friday, June 27: 5:30, 9 p.m.

Saturday, June 28: 9 p.m.

Sunday, June 29: 5:30, 9 p.m.

Monday, June 30: 9 p.m.

Tuesday, July 1: 5:30, 9 p.m.

Wednesday, July 2: 9 p.m.

• • • • • •

DATES/HOURS: Thursday, June 12: 5:30 – 8:30 – 10:30 p.m.

Saturday, June 14: 4:45 – 9 p.m.

Sunday, June 15: 4:45 – 6:30 p.m.

Monday, June 16: 4:45, 6:30 p.m.

CENTRO LUCE

MADEMOISELLE C

SYNECDOCHE NEW YORK DIRECTOR: Charlie Kaufman GENRE: Drama STARS: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Samantha Morton, Michelle Williams PLOT: Synecdoche, New York marked the directorial debut of iconoclastic, cerebral screenwriter Charlie Kaufman. Philip Seymour Hoffman stars as Caden Cotard, an eccentric playwright who lives with artist Adele Lack (Catherine Keener) and their daughter Olive in Schenectady, upstate New York.

DATES/HOURS: Friday, June 20: 5:30, 8:15, 10:30 p.m.

Saturday, June 21: 5:30, 8:15, 10:30 p.m.

Sunday, June 22: 5:30, 8:15, 10:30 p.m.

Monday, June 23: 4:15, 9 p.m.

Wednesday, June 25: 4:15, 9 p.m.

DIRECTOR: Fabien Constant GENRE: Documentary STARS: Carine Roitfeld, Donatella Versace, Tom Ford, James Franco, Kirsten Dunst PLOT: Mademoiselle C chronicles Carine’s launch of her new magazine “CR Fashion Book.”

It gives a rare inside glimpse at the inner workings not only of Roitfeld’s professional world but also her personal life. It is a film about transition, letting the audience watch as Carine moves to New York, starts a new business, and prepares to become a grandmother. And of course, its filled the the models, celebrities, and eccentric personalities that make the fashion world so entertaining.

DATES/HOURS: Wednesday, June 18: 9 p.m.

OPEN SESAME

• • • • • • • • •

ALL THAT YOU NEED FROM HOME

Adapters Converters Headphones Hair Straighteners Hair Dryers Boilers Kettles Coffee Machines Electricity Emergency Service

DIRECTOR: Sean Kaminsky GENRE: Documentary DATES/HOURS: Tuesday, June 26: 8:30 p.m.

Borgo degli Albizi, 91/r 055 24 69 318 centroluce09@gmail.com

All accessories for phones Cables Headphones Memory Cards Chargers Covers

Via Ghibellina, 96/r

THE IRISH PUB IN SAN LORENZO 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.

Open daily from 5 p.m.

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

26

FLORENCE NEWS & EVENTS SUMMER EDITION 2014, NO. 8

MUSIC

Porto di Mare – Eskimo

Bridging cultures through live music at the club where all musicians meet IVANA SCATOLA As with any port, Porto di Mare – Eskimo is synonymous with exchange, correspondence, and coming and going. Anyone is welcomed through the doors of this club, which also hosts a pizzeria and cafè.

Its focus on live music and cultural exchange is one that the man who started the club, Francesco Cofone, holds close to his heart: “We never play anything recorded here,” he says with a smile. The method of bridging cultures at Porto di Mare is just getting out an instrument and beginning to play. “I’d be keen to talk to anyone who is interested in playing and sharing their music with us,” Francesco says.

The club has also created its own big band, the Eskimo Jazz Orchestra. An all-star Tuscan jazz band born under the initiative of Francesco, it includes some of the biggest and respected names on the jazz scene amongst its members.

These include trumpeter and band conductor Fabio Morgera, who played under legendary American jazz cornetist, composer and conductor Butch Morris for 30 years in New York; Dario Cecchini, sax and leader of Italian marching band Funk Off; trumpeter Luca Marianini; trombone player Stefano Scalzi and guitarist Riccardo Onori, who both played alongside renowned Italian singer-songwriter and rapper Jovanotti; percussionists Walter Paoli, ex-member of 1970s Italian

jazz, progressive rock and electronic group Area, and Piero Borri; clarinet player Nico Gori; and guitarists Paolo Conte, Ivano Fossati and Riccardo Galardini – to name just (a little more than) a few.

The band’s genre has evolved from classical music to a looser, improvised style: “Morris’s idea was to dissolve any sort of ‘formation’ in the orchestra, and for this reason, conducting isn’t undertaken in one style but acts more like a tool for endless different styles,” Fabio Morgera explains. “I conduct a group of musicians but they have complete freedom of the choice of notes; it’s an exchange between us.

There’s no rigid music score to follow … In this way, it’s possible to create music together that has an organic quality.”

The band performs live at the venue every month, and has already had many requests from specialized magazines to festival directors.

Pistoia Plays the Blues Robert Plant Among Others at the 35th Edition of Pistoia Blues

SARAH HUMPHREYS From July 10 to 17 Pistoia will once again turn its magnificent Piazza del Duomo into a stage for the Pistoia Blues Festival. The 35th edition kicks off with two “pre-festival” concerts on July 10: Italian rock band Negramaro on main stage in Piazza del Duomo and intense singer-songwriter Mark Lanegan will an acoustic set at Teatro Manzoni.

The festival officially begins on July 11, with the North Mississippi Allstars warming up the stage for Robert Plant, returning to Pistoia after eight years with his band The Sensational Space Shifters, with a sound described as a “mix of urban trance and psychedelic music contaminated by Delta blues and the spirit of Led Zeppelin.”

July 12 opens with Zion Train. Florentine folk rock band Bandabardò will be followed by reggae icon Lee Scratch Perry, credited with inventing the dub genre.

The original members of the British

trip-hop band Morcheeba take the stage on July 13.

July 14, Bombino, the internationally acclaimed Tuareg guitarist and singer-songwriter from Agadez, Niger, supports Jack Johnson.

The Lumineers, best-known for their hits “Ho Hey” and “Stubborn Love” play on July 15, while American blues, rock, gospel singer Jonny Lang takes the stage in Teatro Bolognini. July 16 is ladies’ night, featuring Joan as Policewoman, former violinist for Lou Reed and David Sylvian. Closing the festival on July 17 is indie rock band The Kills, opening for The Arctic Monkeys.

Jam sessions, photography exhibitions, and live music will be ongoing at various venues around town along with a busker’s contest, photography contest, “blues clinics” and intensive courses in various instruments with talented musicians.

For information on tickets, pricing and event details, visit: www.pistoiablues.com

Music Calendar Tuesday: Jazz Open Mic & Workshop Wednesday: Bog & Kate Live (Ft. Guests) Thursday: Rock Night Friday: Italian Southen Music Live Saturday: Francesco Cofone (Ft. Guests) Sunday: Folk, Rock & Blues Porto di Mare – Eskimo Via Pisana, 128 055 71 20 34 portodimareeskimo@gmail.com

VINTAGE VINYL & NEW RELEASES

Data Records 93 is the perfect spot for music aficionados and those looking for a different take on current music or a nostalgic throwback to decades past. Born in 1977 as Contempo Records, it holds a vast collection of music, from new releases to rare pressings, and even includes recent releases on vinyl. Data Records 93’s eclectic and valuable collection attracts international DJs and it also ships all over the world.

Via de’ Neri, 15/r (near Santa Croce) 055 287 592 www.superecords.com

BRASIL 2014 official TV point

watch with us !

MOYO - VIA DE’ BENCI 23R · T. 055 2479738 · INFO@MOYO.IT · FACEBOOK: MOYO FIRENZE

The Latin Nights of Florence Join the World Cup Restaurant and disco-pub The meeting point of all Latin communities and foreign students

Soccer passion, salsa, Spanish and Mexican food, and, most importantly, a true Latin atmosphere. These will be the ingredients for this summer at Salamanca, a restaurant that every night becomes a Latin Disco Pub after food has been consumed. A spot that has become the favorite of Italian and international students, that here all year long find the best opportunity to familiarize. And with a Latin touch, with a Southern authenticity, that in Florence you can find just here.

Tuesday: Latin Disco Wednesday: Live music with Mambo Kids Thursday: International Student Night Friday & Saturday: Latin Disco Bar

Via Ghibellina, 80/r • 055 23 45 452 www.salamanca.it

28

FLORENCE NEWS & EVENTS SUMMER EDITION 2014, NO. 8

MUGELLO

Enjoy the Adventure Park for Kids and Adults Just outside Florence in Pratolino is Tuscany’s largest forest adventure park, Il Gigante. Taking you high up into the trees to climb, jump, and slide along zip-wires, the park has more than 10 rope courses at six different difficulty levels, based on age and height, with the training and assistance of expert instructors. And it’s not just for adults! The hardest black-ropes course is 15 meters above the ground, but there are also many courses suitable for kids aged 3 years and up.

The trails, meadows, and picnic areas also offer a great place to escape from the city and have fun in nature. Located in the woods of Poggio la Garena of Pratolino, just across from the Medici Villa Demidoff, the adventure park is reachable by ATAF bus 25-A from the Piazza San Marco stop ‘La Pira’, or by SITA bus 306 from the train station.

Opening Hours: May to September Tuesday to Sunday: 10 a.m.– sunset Rest of the season Saturday, Sunday and festival days: 10 a.m.– sunset Closed December to February The park can be booked outside of these hours for groups of minimum 10 people.

Via Fiorentina, 276–5036

www.parcoavventurailgigante.it

Coltellerie Giglio

The Knife Workshop in Scarperia The old, coal-blackened walls tell an authentic story embracing centuries: that of the Giglio cutlery. Now in its fifth generation of operation, Coltelleria Gigio continues the artisanal production of knives and other cutlery, uniting innovation and tradition. The shop also offers a vast assortment of household items and handmade copper items. Coltellerie Giglio organizes as well workshops on how to produce knives. In the laboratory next to the shop, an artisan produces handmade covers and cases.

Via delle Oche, 44 Scarperia (FI) 055 84 69 936 www.coltelleriegiglio.it

Select Sites and Activities in the Mugello The Mugello is a geographical region in northeastern Tuscany comprised of a vast agricultural valley skirted by the Apennine mountains and traversed by the Sieve river. The principal towns of the Mugello are Barberino, Borgo San Lorenzo, San Piero and Scarperia, Vicchio and Vaglia. These are joined by the Upper Mugello towns of Firenzuola, Marradi, and Palazzuolo sul Senio, located in the Romagna-Toscana, a culturally Romagnolo area within the Tuscan Region. In addition to the suggestions below, the Mugello region offers several fishing lakes, hiking trails, camping, vineyards and enotecas, and many agriturismo resorts. Visit www. mugellotoscana.it for details on all activities and accomodations options (site availabe in English language).

MUSEO DEI FERRI TAGLIENTI DI SCARPERIA A museum dedicated to knife-making and other cutting instruments and weapons, a traditional artisanal craft in Scarperia, a medieval town founded by the Florentine Republic in the early 1300s.

Piazza dei Vicari, Scarperia informazioni@prolocoscarperia.it 055 846 8165 www.museoferritaglientiscarperia.it reachable by car or bus POGGIO DEI MEDICI GOLF CLUB Open to members and guest players with 18 holes, par 72, and with a Championship course of 6.452 meters, designed according to USGA standards (host to the Ladies Italian Open from 1999 to 2003 and Mugello Tuscany Open from 2010). Golf carts, electric and manual trolleys, sets of clubs available for rental. Only soft spikes are allowed.

Via San Gavino, 27, Scarperia Info: poggiodeimedici@unahotels.it or 055 84350 www.unahotels.it reachable by car only

CHINI MUSEUM, WITHIN THE VILLA PECORI GIRALDI A Renaissance villa decorated in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by members of the Chini family of artists and ceramics artisans. One of the principle stops on the Art Nouveau itinerary of the Mugello (see www. itinerarioliberty.it).

Piazza Lavacchini, 1, Borgo San Lorenzo Info: info@villapecori.it or 055 845 6230 www.museochini.it reachable by car, bus, or train CASA D’ERCI MUSEUM OF PEASANT CULTURE A museum and didactic center dedicated to the ‘old peasant ways’ of the Mugello, featuring a granary, a threshing area, a smithy and a cobbler shop, and rooms of a typical peasant home. Don’t miss the ‘animal trapping and pest-control’ rooms.

The outdoor area includes a peaceful picnic spot with a large grill. open Sunday and holiday afternoons Info: 338 688 0647; www.casaderci.it Reachable by bus or car (with a short walk to the museum from the parking lot) AEROCLUB VOLOVELISTICO DEL MUGELLO A glider pilots club offering glider tours of the stunning Mugello valley.

English-speaking pilots can be arranged.

Figliano, Borgo San Lorenzo Info: info@mugellogliding.aero or 348 381 1151 www.mugellogliding.aero reachable by car only GOTICA TOSCANA RESEARCH CENTER AND WAR MUSEUM Dedicated to WWII in Italy, Gothic Line battles in the Mugello and the local Italian Resistance, the museum displays soldier kits, paraphernalia, weapons, and documents Ponzalla, Scarperia Info: info@goticatoscana.eu www.goticatoscana.eu/EN reachable by car or bus

MUGELLO SWIMMING POOL CENTER The Centro Piscine Mugello is a swimming pool and recreational complex located in Borgo San Lorenzo, in the heart of the Mugello. This elegant structure offers a place for all who love relaxing in nature to come together, to spend time in a rejuvenating, truly green environment.

In addition to the swimming pools, the two-hectare park is one of the center’s greatest attractions, with places for relaxing under an umbrella. Large areas set up with games for children and a beach volley ball field are also available.

Via Pietro Caiani, 28 Borgo San Lorenzo 0558458 290 info@centropiscinemugello.it

LAKE BILANCINO Wind-surfing, sailing, fishing, bike and walking trails, beaches equipped with rental lounge chairs, bars and snacks. Bahia cafe rents canoes and pedal boats: www.bahiacafe.com Barberino di Mugello reachable by car only CASA DI GIOTTO The birthplace of Giotto di Bondone, this structure has spaces dedicated to the life of the artist and other art exhibits.

Colle di Vespignano, Vicchio Info: ufficio.cultura@comune.vicchio. fi.it or 055 843 9225 www.comune.vicchio.fi.it reachable by car only

Select Summer Events in the Mugello TORTELLI SAGRA June 13 -15 & June 20-22 Grezzano / Luco di Mugello August 30-31 Scarperia reachable by car or bus VICCHIO FESTA ETNICA 2014, JUNE 19-22 Outdoor festival dedicated to world music, art, cuisine, photography, dance, and film. www.prolocovicchio.org reachable by car, bus, or train COPPA ITALIA DI VELOCITÀ ROAD RACE, JULY 4-6 At the Mugello Circuit, Europe’s largest racing track (MotoGP, Ferrari Challenge) Info: www.mugellocircuit.it reachable by car only INGORGO SONORO, JULY 5 An all-night festival of live music and DJs, bars and food stands. info: www.prolocosanpieroasieve.it reachable by car, bus, or train PORCINI MUSHROOM SAGRA, JULY 19-20 AND 26-27 Scarperia reachable by car or bus

LA TORRE OSTERIA ET BOTTEGA Located in Scarperia, a small town about a 30-minute drive from Florence, Osteria La Torre offers a menu comprised of the best culinary traditions of the Mugello area, revised in a modern way to maintain their simplicity and authenticity.

Among the special dishes are the Tortelli Mugellani served with several kinds of ragù sauces and Florentine steaks.

Mon. & Wed.: 10 a.m. - 3p.m.

Thu. - Sun.: 10 a.m. - 12 a.m.

Closed on Tuesdays Facebook: La Torre Osteria et Bottega Sp 551 loc. la Torre 15 Scarperia (FI) 055 84 02 240 latorresrl12@gmail.com

29

FLORENCE NEWS & EVENTS SUMMER EDITION 2014, NO. 8

SURVIVING SUMMER

Discovering the Best Tuscan Beaches Region Receives 18 ‘Blue Flags’ This Year

ALEX MARTELLO This year’s crystal clear Blue Flag beaches have been announced for Italy by the Foundation for Environmental Education. Tuscany boasts 18 blue-flag beaches, while Italy has increased its total number to 269. Why spend a fortune flying to find other seaside destinations, when top quality beaches like Viareggio are just a short train-ride away from Florence?

The best shores in Tuscany for the 2014 season are: Carrara-Marina di Carrara centro (Massa-Carrara); Forte dei Marmi, Pietrasanta, Camaiore, Viareggio (Lucca); Pisa-Marina di Pisa, Calambrone, Tirrenia (Pisa); Livorno-Antignano, Quercianella, Rosignano Marittimo-Castiglioncello, Vada, Cecina-Marina, Le Gorette, Bibbona-Marina, Castagneto Carducci, San Vincenzo, Piombino-Parco Naturale della Sterpaia, Marciano Marina-La Fenicia (Livorno); and Follonica, Castiglione della Pescaia, Grosseto-Marina di Grosseto, Principino a mare, and Monte Argentario (Grosseto).

Further north, but no less accessible, is the rocky Italian Riviera of Liguria.

Its blue-flag beaches are: Bordighera,

Santo Stefano al mare-Baia azzurra, Anzio (Roma), Marina di Latina, SaSan Lorenzo al Mare (Imperia); Loa- baudia, San Felice Circeo, Sperlonno, Pietra Ligure Ponente, Finale Li- ga, Gaeta, and Ventotene-Cala Nave gure, Noli, Spotorno-Zona Moli Sirio e (Latina). Blue Flag is an international Sant’Antonio, Bergeggi, Savona-For- award scheme that evaluates and recnaci, Albissola Marina, Albisola ognizes the best beaches in the world.

Superiore, Celle Ligure, Varazze (Sa- Beaches earn the Blue Flag on the vona); Chiavari, Lavagna, Moneglia basis of 32 criteria under the catego(Genova); and Framura, Lerici, and ries of: water quality, environmental Ameglia-Fiumaretta (La Spezia). education and information, environIf you plan on traveling south to Rome, mental management, and safety and check out these beaches in Lazio: services.

The city has designed a new website to help locals and tourists alike find Florentine parks, gardens, picnic areas, playgrounds and more. Verde on Web (www.verdeonweb.comune. fi.it) is currently available in Italian but provides a comprehensive and easily navigable map to locate points of interest all’aperto. If you seek a patch of green to enjoy the summer sun, try one of our suggestions:

GIARDINO DEI SEMPLICI Established by Cosimo dei Medici in 1545, one of the oldest parks in the world. Today it is maintained by the University of Florence and boasts a collection of carnivorous plants.

Transportation: Take bus line 14 from Santa Maria Novella to bus stop ‘Ghirlandaio’.

Address: Via Micheli Info: 055 27 57 402

PIAZZALE MICHELANGELO The perfect place for a panoramic view of the city, especially great for sunsets.

Transportation: Take bus line 12 or 13 from Santa Maria Novella station.

CASCINE PARK A daytime hotspot for outdoor activities, much loved by Florentines. Every Tuesday the park hosts the city’s largest open-air market, with a very good offers on local specialties such as cheese, vegetables and honey.

Transportation: Take tram line from Santa Maria Novella train station to the Cascine stop

GIARDINO DELLE ROSE (ROSE GARDEN) A green terrace below Piazzale Michelangelo, overlooking the historic center of the city.

Transportation: Take bus line 12 or 13 from S.M.N station Address: Viale Giuseppe Poggi 2 (near Piazza Michelangelo) Opening hours: every day from 9:00 am until sunset.

Learn How to Fight Mosquitoes Florence is a perfect place for mosquitoes as it is located in a valley crossed by a river. In the summer they become particularly aggressive, especially a particular type of them called “tigers.”

Mosquitoes are primarily attracted to sweat and the release of carbon dioxide, but they are also picky about their blood types. People with type O blood get bitten more than those with A or B varieties, which explains why they favor certain people rather

Shady Spots in Florence : Stay Cool in the City with These Summertime Sites

than others. Mosquitoes also prefer alcohol consumers, pregnant women, the physically fit, and dark colors (though some species like vibrant colors better). So what is to be done for those at risk? The chemical repellent DEET is very effective. Diffusore insetticida antizanzare are plug in devices that also work well. These can be purchased in local convenience/ grocery stores such as Conad. Natural repellents include: geranium, laven-

der, lemongrass, and citronella oil.

Not all natural “remedies” are effective, however. Consuming garlic and vitamin B are myths that do not work.

At home, frequently dump out stagnant water sitting in your yard and dispose of decaying leaves. The simplest, yet most difficult, piece of advice for tourists trying to remain bug-bite free as the Tuscan sun relentlessly beats down is to wear long, loose clothing.

BARDINI GARDENS On the hills near Piazza Michelangelo, one of Florence’s best kept secrets. Visitors will see camellias, viburnum, hydrangeas, glycines and rose trees of various species.

Full ticket: €10 Address: Costa San Giorgio, 2 Info: info@bardinipeyron.it or call 055 200 66 206 GIARDINO DELL’ORTICOLTURA Built in 1879 by Giacomo Roster for the Tuscan Horticultural Society.

Transportation: Take bus line 2 from Santa Maria Novella station.

Address: Via Vittorio Emanuele II, 4 Info: info@societatoscanaorticultura.it; or call 055 20 06 62 37 (Tue afternoon or Fri morning) BOTANICAL GARDENS

FREDERICK STIBBERT VILLA Transformed from a simple Italian park to a romantic English garden

by Giuseppe Poggi, this outdoor space features temples, rock caves, fountains and a mysterious Egyptian temple. Entrance to the garden is free; closed only on Thursdays.

Transportation: Take bus line 4 from train station S.Maria Novella to bus stop Gioia Address: Via Federigo Stibbert, 26 Info: www.museostibbert.it/en or call 055 47 55 20 WHY NOT GIARDINO DI BOBOLI? Unfortunately, it is not permitted to picnic or run in the very famous Boboli Gardens, visitors can only enjoy the green. However, the Florentine countryside is studded with villas, palaces, and castles built over the centuries by the most important families, such as Medici Villa della Petraia; and Castello, Cafaggiolo and Trebbio in the Mugello region; and the Medici villas of Cerreto Guidi and Careggi—all waiting to be enjoyed on a nice day. opasiena@operalaboratori.com

NAIMA

THE BEST SUBS IN TOWN Sandwiches Salads Soups Onion Rings Fries Pasta Fresh Fruit

Monday - Saturday 10 a.m. - 7 p.m.

Via Sant'Egidio 22/r 347 11 88 056 theoilshoppe.it

THE ARTISAN ICE-CREAM SHOP

TRADITIONAL IRISH PUB NEAR SAN MARCO

In 1938, the idea for a shop was born based on the same question it bears as its name: Perché no! ‘why not?’. Ugo Ravaioli, founder and owner of the icecream shop for decades found an ideal location on Via de’ Tavolini to start the ‘sweet business.’ Ever since, Perché no! has been one of Florence’s most famous spots for refreshment. It is an authentic venue for ice-cream lovers famous for its ‘semifreddi.’ Today, the shop is run

by Mrs. Paola and her daughters who rediscovered original recipes and create unique flavors while paying attention to the quality of ingredients.

Finnegan Irish Pub is the only Irish-owned pub in Florence and hosts live music every weekend, regular quiz nights and student discounts on Tuesdays. Patrons can enjoy outdoor seating nine months of the year, while sports fans are spoilt for choice with dedicated coverage of English and Scottish premiership football, Irish and English internationals, as well as rugby, Formula One and American football. Friendly expat staff ensure a warm and relaxed atmosphere in which to gather, sip Guinness and “have the craic.”

Via dei Tavolini, 19/r 055 23 98 969 www.percheno.firenze.it

Via San Gallo, 123/r 055 49 07 94 www.finneganpub.com

Mon. to Fri.: 4 p.m.–1 a.m.

Sat. to Sun.: 1 p.m.–1 a.m.

LIVE SPORT HAMBURGERS & SANDWICHES Via dell'Anguillara, 54/r

347 19 41 013

sergiosalvifirenze@gmail.com

30

FLORENCE NEWS & EVENTS SUMMER EDITION 2014, NO. 8

TRAVEL

Visit Croatia With Bus2alps

Croatia’s natural beauty makes it one of the best destinations for outdoor activities, relaxing on the beach, and admiring cultural wonders. Untouched sandy beaches, the magnificent wonder of the Krka Waterfalls— considered one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Europe—and whitewater rafting on the emerald-green Cetina River are just the beginning of a perfect coastal getaway.

Bus2alps offers a convenient way to reach the country and an itinerary that covers must-see locations and includes the most exciting activities.

The tour focuses on the medieval port town of Split, a city whose birth is associated with the construction of Emperor Diocletian’s Palace in the year 305 AD, located on Croatia’s pristine Dalmatian coast.

The first day the trip includes an op-

tional whitewater rafting trip on the a chance to join an optional private Cetina River, an adventurous and island cruise tour destined for the isscenic experience on one of Croatia’s lands of Solta and Brač. Brač is known great natural landmarks. Those who for its rolling hills, isolated bays, clear don’t join the rafting adventure can waters and breathtaking views—howspend the day laying out on one of ever, it is also home to medieval Split’s beaches, join a tour of the Split buildings and an exciting range of city center, visit the Diocletian Palace, activities, such as windsurfing in the rent a bike and ride up Marjan Hill, or harbor—while Solta is full of vinetake a day trip to local surrounding yards, olive groves, fruit orchards towns, such as Omiš, or the Krka Wa- and fishing villages. terfalls.

For a spectacular beach day, the Omiš, located 25 kilometers from Split, island’s most famous beach is the another port town on the gorgeous Golden Horn, known in Croatian as Dalmatian coast full of interesting ‘Zlatni Rati’, and is famous for its tritourist attractions, can be accessed angular shape with trees in its center. by the local bus and is where the Cet- Here, along Golden Horn’s tree-lined ina River meets the sea. An optional beaches, are the remnants of an anpub crawl through Split’s nightlife is cient Roman country villa (that was also offered, ensuring travelers don’t even equipped with a swimming miss out on the hottest spots. pool!). In the evening Bus2alps orThe following day gives the group ganizes an optional trip to the island

town of Trogir, about 30 minutes from Split, to enjoy one of the many dining options available. Trogir was founded by the ancient Greeks and today its city center is an UNESCO World Heritage Site.

On the last day the group takes a trip to Krka, where a few hours are dedicated to swimming and exploring the magnificent waterfalls of the national park before heading back to Florence.

Croatian cuisine has many influences, from Austro-Hungarian and Slavic to Italian (especially Venetian) and other Mediterranean cuisines.

Goulash, pasta, grilled meats and skewers, and seafood are all common.

Croatia has two distinct wine-producing regions, the inland and the coastal areas and one popular wine is a Riesling, known as Graševina in Croatia.

Included • • • • •

• •

Round trip luxury coach transport (with A/C, DVD, & bathroom) Accommodation with your friends at top rated hostels Breakfast Transport and entrance to Krka Waterfalls National Park Exclusive Bus2alps discounts on various activities (rafting, island hopping, and more) The Croatia Bus2alps informational guide A Bus2alps trip leader

Sandwiches, wine & glee 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’.

4€

Lunch Sandwich + drink

Open Daily: 11–2 a.m.

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

Borgo degli Albizi, 20/r