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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Lorenzo Picchi EDITOR: Grace Kucera GR APHIC & L AYOUT DESIGN: Narine Nalbandyan, Ekaterina Chebotareva CONTRIBUTORS: Christine De Melo, Sarah Humpreys, Thomas Ricciotti, Lee Foust, Marco Bracci, Sarah Litchman, Serena Rutledge REGISTERED AT THE TRIBUNAL OF FLORENCE N. 6008, ON 9/12/2015. PUBLISHER: IAF PRINT: Rotostampa SRL, Florence

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Top Leonardo Expert Dies

Mika Honored

ebanese-born singer Mika was honoured the ‘Keys of the City’ of Florence last month. The honorary citizenship – the keys symbolically represent a copy of those that open the main doors of the city – is the culmination of a love story between Mika and Florence, which had its peak in the summer of 2016 when the singer performed his Pop Simphony together with the Orchestra of the Maggio Fiorentino. “Florence is a charming city, its citizens are elegant and appear very reserved, but when they open themselves they are empathetic and generous,” said Mika. Mika has declared himself very much satisfied of the award received. “The keys are quite heavy, I promise I will not lose them, I will not leave them on a bus: I spoke to my mom about it, and she warned me to not do it as my usual,” he said. The decision of the award is part of a plan by the City of Florence to promote culture. “Florence loves whoever loves culture, and Mika’s contribution, both with his music and television programs, has been quite important and has aroused much attention amongst the young generations; for this reason, and for having chosen, in all these years, Italy as his adoptive land and having demonstrated so much affection for our city, in particular thanks to his collaboration with the orchestra of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, I award him the Keys of the City,”

said Nardella. Born in Lebanon in 1983, English singer and songwriter Mika was named the number-one predicted breakthrough act of 2007 in an annual BBC poll of music critics, Sound of 2007. He released his first full-length studio album, Life in Cartoon Motion in 2007. The album sold more than 5.6 million copies worldwide and helped him win a Best British Breakthrough act and receive a Grammy Award nomination. His latest album, No Place in Heaven, was released in 2015.

taly’s top expert on Leonardo da Vinci, Carlo Pedretti, died last month in his home in Pistoia just one day before turning 90. By the age of 13, Pedretti could already write left handed and read backwards as Leonardo did. He published his first articles on Leonardo at 16, hitting the headlines of Italy’s most read newspaper, Il Corriere della Sera, for his premature expertise on Da Vinci only a few years later, in 1952, at the age of 23. Regarded as the foremost authority on Leonardo da Vinci, in his foreword for the book Carlo Pedretti - A Bibliography of His Work On Leonardo da Vinci And The Renaissance (1944-1984) written by Joyce Ludmer, famed art historian Kenneth Clark states that Pedretti was “unquestionably the greatest Leonardo scholar of our time.” A professor emeritus of art history and the Armand Hammer Chair in Leonardo Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles, and the author of more than 50 books and 700 essays and articles on Leonardo translated inSince various languag1815 es, Pedretti was also a member of the ministerial committee for the National Edition of the Manuscripts and Drawings by Leonardo da Vinci. Amongst the honors he was tributed are the Gold Medal for Culture of the President of the Italian Re-

public and the Congressional Citation, the highest award from the Government of the United States, both awarded in 1972. He was also a honorary member of the ancient Academy of Euteleti at San Miniato and a regular contributor to the cultural pages of Corriere della Sera and Vatican daily L’Osservatore Romano. He attributed to Leonardo a wax model (c.1506-08) of a bucking horse with rider, possibly an equestrian portrait of Charles d’Amboise, the French Governor of Milan from 1503-1511 and Leonardo’s friend and patron, as well as a drawing of the painter Riccardo Tommasi Ferroni (1934-2000).

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of the great museum of Florence’s Dome. Constructed between 1059 and 1128, the Baptistery is one of the oldest buildings of Florence. Although the Florentine Romanesque architectural style in which the monument is built is not as famous as its Pisan or Lombard counterparts, it was essential in the subsequent development of Florentine architecture, especially

in the works of Francesco Talenti, Leon Battista Alberti, and Filippo Brunelleschi. The Baptistery has three sets of bronze doors that hold relief sculptures. The southern doors were completed by Andrea Pisano and the northern and eastern doors by Lorenzo Ghiberti. The eastern doors, perhaps the most famous ones, named Gates of Paradise, were made by Michelangelo. The doors of the monument, however, are copies, the original ones can be seen at Opera Duomo Museum. Until the end of the 19th century, all Catholic Florentines were baptized in the Baptistery. Among the most famous ones who received their first sacrament here are Dante, as well as many other personalities of Renaissance Florence including members of the Medici family.

Uffizi and Archaeological Museum Now Twins

tarting from March 1, the ticket for the Uffizi Gallery Museum complex will also allow entrance to the Archaeological Museum. The announcement of the 5-year renewable agreement between the two museums came last month as part of a plan for the enhancement of the Florence Archaeological

Museum, which also includes the devolution of 2,5% of the annual Uffizi ticket revenue to the Archaeological Museum as a budget for restorations, productions and exhibitions. The agreement also affects the Uffizi annual subscription, which costs € 50 and includes entrance to the Uffizi, the Pitti Pal-

ace, the Boboli Gardens. The deal also provides for new scientific collaborations such as researches, conferences, lessons, workshops, and publications. Archaeological exhibitions at the Uffizi will also be planned as part of the project.

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Baptistery for Free for Residents

ntrance ticket to the Baptistery was abolished last month for all Florentines and all residents of the province of Florence. To access the religious building, which has the status of a minor basilica, it is now enough to show a document indicating residency in the city, or in the province, of Florence. Until last month, entrance was free only on occasion of religious masses, otherwise possible upon showing an entrance ticket valid also for the Dome’s cupola, the Giotto’s Bell Tower, the Crypt of Santa Reparata and the Opera Duomo Museum. “In accordance with Archbishop Giuseppe Betori, the great museum of Florence’s Dome has decided to make it accessible to all Florentines and those resident n the province of Florence this place of worship too, as it had already been done in the past with the Cathedral,” said Luca Bagnoli, president

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Council Increases Investment in Culture M

ayor of Florence Dario Nardella announced last month that the City Council will invest €19 million for maintenance of historic sites and 40 million for promoting cultural events. The objective of the Council is repeating the successes of 2017, with Florence being named the best city for cultural events by the prestigious Artribune Magazine. “We want to continue with dedication and humility to improve our cultural offer to both our citizens and visitors,” said mayor of Florence Dario Nardella. The council, as usual, has given a particular attention to the events taking place in the summer, when tourist season is at its peak and the nice weather favors outdoor events

in the fantastic setting of the city. The budget destined just to summer events is of €one million. Supervisor will be artistic director Tommaso Sacchi. Sacchi explained that the choice of collaborators, in particular non-profit cultural associations, will come sooner than usual. The deadline for cultural associations to submit their proposals is Feb. 20. “Our intention is to give more time to the cultural associations to improve the quality of their offer by giving them the possibility to better plan their work,” said Sacchi. The aim is that of enhancing the city suburbs and the talent of the local youth to promote the arts and in particular music and the visual arts.

Monthly Fireworks T

he city of Florence announced last January that from January to June each 24th of the month there will be one minute of fireworks. The fireworks taking place on June 24 on occasion of the celebration of Florence’s patron saint Saint John the Baptist will be as long as usual. The initiative, called Aspettando i ‘fochi’. San Giovanni tutto l’anno (literally, Waiting for the Fire-

works. Saint John all the year), was presented by Florence Mayor Dario Nardella, the president of the Saint John the Baptist Society, Franco Puccioni, and the director of the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Firenze Gabriele Gori. The fireworks will be launched at 8 p.m. from the garden of Villa Bardini in coincidence of exhibits that will begin at 7 p.m. every 24th of the month.

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Gucci Museum Reopens after Restyling T

he Gucci Museum reopened with a new look designed by the brand creative director Alessandro Michele last month. Located on Piazza della Signoria, the museum spans three floors of the historic Mercanzia Palace right on the side of Palazzo Vecchio and is divided into three sections. On the ground floor is the boutique selling limited edition or one-of-akind Gucci items created specifically for the Gucci Garden and inspired by the label’s collections. “The boutique seems like a bazaar and the museum has been transformed into something living, into a gallery that tells about Gucci thanks to Maria Luisa Frisa, a woman with great talent who understood what I wanted,” said Alessandro Michele. Next to the boutique is the Gucci restaurant, called Osteria Gucci, guided by one of the most renowned Italian chefs, Massimo Bottura. The third section of the museum is the gallery, which portrays the brand’s history through a variety of products ranging from travel and homeware to fashion and art. “It’s no longer a museum but rather a place that changes, divided into six rooms, three on the first floor and three on the second,” said gallery curator Frisa. The museum, which opened in 2011 to celebrate Gucci’s 90th birthday, is 1715 square meters in size. The location, the Mercanzia

Palace, was chosen because it was once an administrative building that promoted the Florentine craft guilds of wool, silk and cloth importers. The exhibit begins with the story of the brand’s founder Guccio Gucci, who worked as a liftboy in London’s Savoy Hotel. Upon returning to Florence, inspired by upper-class British travelers, Gucci began to create fine crafted travelware. It is precisely for this reason that the initial exhibits show the emphasis that Gucci placed on travel, from diverse suitcases to the Gucci car that featured a monogrammed steering wheel, upholstery and tires. The next floor exhibits Gucci’s “Flora” motif. The design was created when Rodolfo Gucci com-

missioned illustrator Vittorio Accornero to create an original floral pattern for a scarf to be presented to Princess Grace of Monaco when she visited the Gucci Milan store in 1966. Variations of the pattern feature flowers, insects and berries for all seasons and have been printed on many products, such as dresses, purses and porcelain. The collection also displays other Gucci trademarks such as the horse bit, which represented the British upper class, and Gucci’s bamboo purse handle, invented during the supply shortages of World War II when bamboo canes were still available for purchase. The handles are now made from a rare bamboo root and take more than 13 hours to fashion.

Uffizi on Top in Social Networks

he Uffizi Museum made it to hit over 100.000 followers on its Instagram profile ‘UffiziGalleries’. One of the top Italian museums in number of followers, the Uffizi even competes with the top contemporary art museums such as the Venice Peggy Guggenheim that has 147.000 followers. On Twitter, the Uffizi is second only to the Milan Brera museum, although it’s the first in terms of engagement, the frequency with which followers react to posts. In addition, the launch of the new official website has brought the museum to be the first in all research engines and browsers, a quite important result as the infinite websites of online scalpers are not following the museum’s official. The Director of the Uffizi Museum Complex, Eike Schmidt, welcomed such good results with great satisfaction and appraisal. “Our two social media and our website are fundamental tools to favor dialogues and debates on the art of the Uffizi as well as on the the life of the museum. Just over two years ago, the Uffizi did not even have a website, and now we are amongst the best among Italian museums,” said Schmidt. “It is of particular value that both on Instagram and Twitter we are able to interact with a loyal public that access our profiles even several times a day to see, and respond

to, the new contents that our social platforms generate; in addition, in the case of Instagram, our public is really worldwide/global, whereas our followers on Twitter are mostly from Florence and Tuscany. Therefore, thanks to new technologies, we are contributing to make the dream of Grand Duke of Tuscany Pietro Leopoldo come true, of making of the Uffizi the “museum of the world and, at the same time, of the Florentines,” said Schmidt. The artworks most appreciated by online followers are Michelangelo’s Tondo Doni, which had about 7.875 ‘loving hearts’ last month, Baccio Bandinelli’s Laocoon (7.618 hearts), Botticelli’s Pallas and The Centaur (7.195), Leonardo Da Vinci’s Annunciation (5.800), and the Torso Gaddi (5.285).

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From Brooklyn to the Bargello

The House of Michelangelo Visit the Casa Buonarroti Museum

t first glance, Casa Buonarroti, the home and museum dedicated to one of the most celebrated artists in history, is about as unimposing as palaces and homes of the great of Florence come. Most tourists are perhaps misled by the name, unsure of the significance of the Buonarroti family, who produced the mastermind behind the statue of David and the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, to name only two of Michelangelo’s masterpieces. Purchased by Michelangelo’s grand-nephew and heir, Leonardo Buonarroti, the home, upon Michelangelo’s request, was passed down the family line until the last Buonarroti died in the latter half of the 19th century. Inside the humble doors, visitors can find a small collection of the artist’s own work alongside paintings, antique ar-

Della Robbia ‘returns’ to Florence

tifacts from Roman and Etruscan times and sculptures collected by the family or donated over the past four centuries. The museum boasts the largest collection of sketches by Michelangelo’s own hand, a large majority of which the artist himself burned for fear of being found less than perfect. Unfortunately, for preservation purposes, only a few at a time are exhibited. The house also holds two of Michelangelo’s early carvings, done while he was still an adolescent in Florence.

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The museum boasts the largest collection of sketches by Michelangelo's own hand, a large majority of which the artist himself burned for fear of being found less than perfect. The Madonna of the Steps and the Battle of the Centaurs date from 1490 and 1492 respectively reveal his early fascination with the human body and his attention to detail and emotion. Also by his own hand is a large wooden model of a projected facade for San Lorenzo Church, as well as a preparatory model of a river god, dating to the 1520s. Almost every room within the house museum reveals a dedication to the esteemed artist, from

the room containing various copies of his portrait to that depicting scenes throughout Michelangelo’s life.

Casa Buonarroti Museum Via Ghibellina 70 Opening hours: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Closed on Tuesdays www.casabuonarroti.it

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he Bargello Museum is presenting for the first time the Lunette Antinori, a masterpiece of the Renaissance by Giovanni della Robbia, until April 8. The painting has a history crossing the Atlantic. The initiator of a historical Italian wine family, Niccolò di Tommaso Antinori, commissioned Della Robbia at the beginning of the 1500s to make a portrait size depiction of him with his hands to the left of Christ and two family coats of arms at the sides of the base of the relie. Della Robbia practiced a technique characterized by the use of colored enamels applied to a terracotta base; art pieces employing this technique would later be known as Robbianas. Once ended, the work was displayed at Villa Le Rose, one of the family estates, before being donated to the Brooklyn Museum of Art in 1898 by American collector Augustus Healy, who had bought it from Antinori himself. Since then, the art piece has never left New York, making this ‘journey’ to the Bargello the first in its history. Due to the support of the Antinori family, the robbiana finds its original splendor restored for the Del-

la Robbia: Sculpting with Color in Renaissance exhibition. Still modern day patrons of art, the Antinori family have recently paid for a new commission: a work by Italian internationally recognized artist Stefano Arienti that will be displayed alongside Della Robbia’s piece. The two paintings will be showcased in two separate but adjoining rooms, creating a dialogue between Renaissance and Contemporary Art. “Supporting and enhancing the arts has always been important to our family,” said Alessia Antinori, vice president of Marchesi Antinori. “Today we are particularly proud of this beautiful lunette, which inside depicts one of our ancestors and the coat of arms of the family, is finally home and completely restored, at the exhibition at the National Museum of the Bargello, which is already a casket of many invaluable masterpieces by Della Robbia.”

Lunette Antinori, Giovanni della Robbia Bargello Museum Open from 8:15 a.m. – 1:50 p.m. Full price ticket: € 8 Until April 8

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Prince of Collectors

Exhibit at Palazzo Pitti tributes Leopoldo de’ Medici until Feb. 25

o mark the fourth centenary of Leopoldo de Medici’s birth, the Gallerie degli Uffizi Museum complex devotes this former Grand-Duke of Tuscany and cardinal an exhibition showcasing the treasures that over the years he collected and brought to Florence from all over the world.

The son of Grand Duke Cosimo II and of Archduchess Maria Magdalena of Austria, Leopoldo de’ Medici (Florence, 1617-1675), stands out from the multitude of European collectors because of his variety. Thanks to his network of agents, merchants and secretaries in Italy and abroad, he put together a col-

lection of superb and sophisticated items: from ancient and modern sculpture to coins, medals and cameos, paintings, drawings and engravings, ivories, semi-precious stones and precious objets d’art, portraits large and small, books as well as scientific instruments and natural rarities. After he died, most of his collections entered the grand ducal collections and many pieces were expressly earmarked by his nephew, Grand Duke Cosimo III, for the Galleria degli Uffizi. As a collector of art, Leopoldo created an ‘empire’. “We to him the gallery’s first collection of self-portraits that is one of its kind still today in terms of the type of work it contains and of those works’ sheer number,” said Eike D. Schmidt, Director of the Gallerie degli Uffizi. At a time when major excavations were taking place in Rome, Leopoldo purchased classical sculptures and busts such as the basalt statue of a boy in a toga from the 2nd century BC unearthed in 1651, with the assistance of his agents and advisers, who included Ottavio Falconieri, Leonardo Agostini, Pietro da Cortona, Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Ercole Ferrata. An admirer of Galileo, he and his brother Ferdinando II contributed to the foundation of the Accademia del Cimento (1657–67), which inaugurated the experimental approach that flourished at the Medici court a few years after Galileo’s death. His collection included several tools used by Galileo for his experiments and

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researches on display courtesy donated by the Galileo Museum for this exhibition. Fascinated by travellers, Leopoldo also gathered natural rarities and precious items from the East and the countries of the Americas: from cups with nautili produced in China and objects in Japanese lacquer and Indonesian weapons, to a rare green travertine mask from Teotihuacan in Mexico of the 4th or 5th century AD. He also collected religious and secular ivory sculptures. In addition, the religious mood holding sway at the Medici court helped him to commission reliquaries which in the 18th century were dispersed in several basilicas throughout Tuscany but that have been brought together again for this exhibition. Although it is impossible to perfectly recreate Leopoldo’s apart-

ment and bring together the vast number of paintings in his collection (although the results of the study conducted for the exhibition will be published in the catalogue and on multimedia supports), a selection of paintings will evoke the lavish splendour of the rooms in which the work of Titian, Pontormo, Botticelli, Parmigianino, Veronese, Bassano and Correggio stood out against a red backdrop of taffeta-lined walls in all the glory of their gold frames designed by artists such as Pietro da Cortona and Ciro Ferri. The exhibition is on display in the rooms of the Grand Ducal Treasury, the Tesoro dei Granduchi, inside the Pitti Palace, where in his sumptuous apartment on the second floor, decorated in Roman Baroque style, his collections were originally housed.

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Tributing Giuseppe Chiari

he exhibition celebrating the work of Giuseppe Chiari begun on Dec. 2 continues at Frittelli Contemporary Art Gallery until March 2. Born on Sept. 26, 1926, Chiari studied piano and music composition alongside mathematics and engineering in Florence. In 1961, he experimented in visual music converting sound into visual forms. In the same period he joined the Fluxus group, an international and interdisciplinary group of artists, composers, designers and poets that took shape in the 1960s and 1970s and generated new art forms through different media and disciplines. Chiari later identified as an artist-composer-philosopher and became known in Europe for his contributions to music, performance, painting and sculpture, artistic theory, art aesthetic, and in particular for what he referred to

as “action music,” a type of music made of sounds originating from water, dry leaves, stones, etc. His work “Giocare con l’acqua e dire la parola acqua” (“Playing with water and saying the word water”) is renowned for the transformation of script into an aesthetic object and the clarity and rigour of the texts that foreshadows later conceptual art. Chiari also experimented with different visual mediums such as painting-collages, sheet music, and photographs.

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Ambrogio Lorenzetti on Display SARAH LITCHMAN

he Ambrogio Lorenzetti exhibition on showcase at Siena’s Duomo has been extended until April 8. The exhibition marks the highest point of a project began in 2015 designed to improve the conservation of Lorenzetti’s work and acquaint the Italian and foreign public with his artistic output. Under the Inside Restoration project important works in need of inspection, conservation, and outright restoration were moved to Siena’s Duomo and placed in an “open” restoration laboratory where visi-

tors could watch restorers at work. Although considered one of Europe’s most important 14th century artists, Lorenzetti remains relatively unknown. “Ambrogio Lorenzetti was one of the most talented painters of the 14th century, an extraordinary innovator in terms of the style and iconography of his day as well as an artist with lofty and sophisticated intellectual qualities. At a time when the rationale of huge blockbuster exhibitions is gradually, and thankfully, being abandoned in order to embrace the rediscovery of, and monographic reflection on, the great artists of the past, an exhibition devoted to Lorenzetti acquires a value that transcends the impact of the event itself,” said Santa Maria della Scala Director Daniele Pittèri. “Ambrogio will be with us until the spring, for the Sienese who haven’t yet visited the show or who want to see it again, for art historians and critics, and for the many tourists who will have an additional reason for choosing Siena, to explore a crucial moment in medieval art worldwide.” said Mayor of Siena Bruno Valentini. Over the past few months the exhibition has proved to be popular and has been seen by over 35,000 visitors and has been celebrated in the Italian and international press, and showcases paintings that were loaned from the Louvre, London’s National Gallery, and the Vatican Museum.

Ambrogio Lorenzetti Exhibition Duomo of Siena Until April 8 Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday/ Thursday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday:10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Full price: €9 Concessions: €7 www.santamariadellascala.com

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Santo Ficara and Il Ponte Present Mondino Exhibits begin Feb. 24

Homage to Aldo Mondino Inauguration of the location of Santo Ficara Art Gallery Opening Saturday Feb. 24 at 11 a.m. Via Arnolfo, 6 L - 50121 Florence info@santoficara.it www.santoficara.it tel +39 055.234.0239 fax +39 055.226.9190 Opening hours: from Monday to Saturday 9.30 a.m./12.30 p.m. – 3.30 p.m./7.30 p.m.

Quadrettature, Monocromi, Casorati, Onde 1963-64

he contemporary art galleries Santo Ficara and Il Ponte are presenting two exhibitions on sculptor and painter Aldo Mondino. The exhibit coincides with the inauguration of the new location for the Santo Ficara gallery. After putting together over the years has a group of works made by the artist between 1963 and 1964, Il Ponte presents a double solo exhibition in collaboration with the Archivio Aldo Mondino. In its Omaggio, Galleria Santo Ficara presents works chosen from its collection that embrace a period of time spanning from 1965/66 (Ottobre

Russo) to 2004 (Applausi). Other pieces on display include Das Meer (1980), Eiffel Safariana (1989), Turcatina (2001), Pittore d’insegne (2001), Tauromachia (2003), Mosaico (2003) and Danza Sufi (2004). Il Ponte presents works made between 1963 and 1965 such as Quadrettature, Monocromi, Casorati and Onde, that were exhibited in 1964 at the Turin Gian Enzo Sperone Art Gallery and at the prestigious Gian Tomaso Liverani’s Galleria La Salita. These works, which display an oblique approach to Pop Art, were the Mondino’s first great revelation.

“The problem is always painting: whichever move we make, Mondino is able to wrong-foot us, and this is what he has done throughout his forty-year artistic career. His is a complex game continually calling into question the conventions of art. Mondino asks himself about the hidden meaning of the image, he grasps its unconscious dimension but at the same time does not desist from creating a genuinely decorative depiction on the basis of the idea that Henri Matisse had of decoration and that western painting has often denied. No exceptions made for trends, no

conceptual temptations, no need to stick to an aesthetic model, but a mental journey that passes through canvas, paint brushes and linoleum. We should not forget the basic element that underlies all of Mondino’s research: paradox. Everything slips into another dimension, seeking to grasp the many aspects of the image following the way paved by Dadaism and Surrealism,” wrote a few years ago art critic Alberto Fiz. Mondino was born in Turin in 1938, where he died in 2005. He advanced the idea that the public are no longer passive observers, but active participants in a work of art.

Galleria Il Ponte Opening Saturday Feb. 24 at 5 p.m. Via di Mezzo 42/B - 50121 Florence info@galleriailponte.com www.galleriailponte.com tel +39 055240617 fax +39 0555609892 Opening hours 3.30-7 p.m. Saturdays on appointment – closed Sundays and bank holidays

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February in Florentine History: Amerigo Vespucci and King Victor Emmanuel II

ebruary has a particular meaning in the Florentine calendar primarily because it marks the recurrency of Amerigo Vespucci’s death in Spain at 58 on Feb. 22, 1512, and the move to our city of the King of Italy Victor Emmanuel II on Feb. 3, 1865, as Florence was proclaimed the new capital of the Italian Kingdom. Born on March 9, 1454, in Florence from a prominent family friends with the Medicis, as a young man Vespucci was fascinated with books and maps. After being educated by his uncle and having worked for the Medicis as a banker, he became the supervisor of the Medicis’ ship-outfitting business which operated in Seville, Spain, where he moved in 1492. Here, he could see the great explorers’ ships being prepared and understood lucrative trade could be. At the time, explorers were searching for a northwest route to the Indies — the lands and islands of Southeast Asia — which would make trade easier and bring their country wealth. Vespucci helped outfit one of Christopher Columbus’ voyages, and in 1496 the two of them met, which further encouraged Vespucci’s interest in travel and discovery. There is some controversy among historians about when Vespucci set sail on his first voyage. Many accounts place the sail date in 1499,

Amerigo Vespucci when he sailed to the northern part of South America and into the Amazon River naming places such as like the “Gulf of Ganges” thinking as his explorer contemporaries that he was in Asia. However, other accounts suggest that his first voyage was in 1497 with destination the Bahamas and Central America, in which case, Vespucci would have reached the the Americas a few months before John Cabot and more than a year before Columbus. His next trip was in 1501, when he traveled along the South American coast down to Patagonia. Along the way, he encountered the rivers Rio de Janeiro and Rio de la Plata. It was during this voyage that he began to suspect that the continent in front of his eyes was not Asia. After a few other voyages, probably between 1505 and 1507, in 1508 he was named a Pilot Major of Spain

while helping to develop and standardize navigational techniques and to select new pilots. Most interestingly, it was the work of a German clergyman and amateur cartographer called Martin Waldseemüller, and not Vespucci’s ambition, to name two continent America from Amerigo’s name. In 1507, in fact, while working an introduction to cosmology that would contain large maps, Waldseemüller proposed that a portion of Brazil that Vespucci had explored be named “America,” a feminized version of Vespucci’s first name. Waldseemüller’s maps sold thousands of copies across Europe, and in 1538, a mapmaker named Gerardus Mercator applied the name “America” to both the northern and southern landmasses of the New World: the continents have been known as such ever since. On Feb. 3, 1865, king of Italy Victor Emmanuel II checked in into his new residency, the Pitti Palace, as Florence replaced Turin as the capital of Italy. “This morning at 8 a.m. Her Majesty the King of Italy, accompanied by His Excellency the Prime Minister General Alfonso La Marmora, has left Turin with destination Florence,” reads the Official Gazette of the Italian Kingdom of that day.

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The move of the capital brought to its end the ancient court of the Savoy in Turin, which ironically had began precisely on that same day, Feb. 3, of 302 years before, in 1563. Transportation, even by train, was quite slow back in those days, and the King arrived in Florence only at 10.30 p.m. With him was not just La Marmora, although the only State official cited in the Official Gazette of the Italian Reign, but also the Minister of Education of Italy, the Sicilian Baron Giuseppe Natoli, and almost the entire military and civil staff of the sovereign. According to the chronicle by

Victor Emmanuel II journalist Ugo Pesci, the “horrible Florence train station” was embellished and enlightened in honor of the new, prestigious guest of the city. Not knowing the precise hour of arrival, “the congressmen of the Florence Council eagerly awaited the King for hours alongside the platforms onto the tracks,” and “Victor Emmanuel was quite sur-

prised by such a warm welcome which, given the late hour, he really did not expect.” As soon as he got off the train, he was “embraced” by the warmest of the attendees, the old and blind Florentine senator Gino Capponi. Shortly after, it began a tremendous jubilation all along the route to the Pitti Palace. On Via Tornabuoni people went crazy, and “such was the pit that the carriages had to slow down while surrounded by the most influential members of the Florence nobility.” Upon his arrival at the Pitti Palace, due to the “insisting acclamation of the people,” Victor Emmanuel had to “repeatedly go out on the balcony of his room.” In the period when Florence was the capital, in an effort to modernize the city, the old market in the Piazza del Mercato Vecchio and many medieval houses were pulled down and replaced by a more formal street plan with newer houses, the today Piazza della Repubblica was widened and a large triumphal arch was constructed at the west end (however, the new Piazza was unpopular and prevented from continuing by the efforts of several British and American people living in the city). However, the city’s housing problems grew worse as the establishment in the city of the new government of Italy drew about 15.000 to 20.000 new people to live in the city.

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‘Dishonest’ Women? Climbing Down into the Arno, Naked Love and sex in medieval Florence

Florence News 11

HISTORY go to sleep. Breaking the rule was sanctioned with a fine, and since money was never enough for most of the population, Florentines were very attent to their nighttime behavior. Officers patrolled the streets to catch out anyone disrespecting the rule in nights in which the only feeble light was provided by occasional lanterns. One of the most treacherous encounters that could befall a wouldbe Romeo was the street filth hidden in the darkness, the result of a common habit in which citizens disposed of their waste by simply throwing it – both solid and liquid – out of the window. Shakespearean-style attempts to woo one’s beloved by moonlight were similarly quashed: under decree of Misters Eight of the Guard and the Balia, the playing of violins, mandolins and any other kind of song-singing instrument was banned. In addition, it was prohibited to make “any sort of noise,

One of the most treacherous encounters that could befall a wouldbe Romeo was the street filth hidden in the darkness

lthough the stereotype of love in medieval days stirs the image of love-struck young men playing lutes beneath their beloved’s window, the reality in Florence,

and not just in Florence, was quite different: Florentine nights were dark, squalid, silent and spent in solitary. Let’s try to do a journey back to un-

derstand. Nights were announced by a bell. That was the beginning of l’ora di notte, the night hour, after which all citizens had to stay in their houses, quiet, and prepare to

under pain of two scudi [currency] or two strokes of the rope”. How far from the loving stereotypes that history has left us. Let’s now imagine a lady yielding

to her suitor’s affection. If caught, she had to face humiliating public punishment and there is even more. The Magistrate of Honesty – that was how a civic judge was called at that time – penalized ‘dishonest’ women by making them climb down into the water of the Arno. Naked. Three times.

...the playing of violins, mandolins and any other kind of song-singing instrument was banned Whatever the season was and in the presence of curious onlookers gathering near Ponte Santa Trinità that was the pace where ‘justice’ was made and ‘honesty’ restored. The Magistrate of Honesty also made the lives of prostitutes similarly difficult banning them from living in certain quarters of the city. A decree still legible in the surroundings of the Church of Ognissanti states that in almost 300 branches of the church: “Women who lead a bad life cannot live there, under pain of being captured and having their clothes thrown in the street, and the owners of the house being evicted from the premises for two years.” It’s little wonder that the idea of courtly love has filtered down to us in its present form: considering that Dante and Beatrice’s exalted union was in reality little more than a nodding acquaintance, imagination is preferable.

12 Florence News

VALENTINE’S DAY

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A Tradition Dating Back to Roman Times

Love in Florentine proverbs Here is what Florentine proverbs have to say on the subject of l’amore:

The origins of Valentine’s Day

he roots of St Valentine’s Day stretch back to pre-Christian days to the ancient Roman fertility festival of Lupercalia, celebrated on February 15. Dedicated to Rome’s twin founders Romulus and Remus, famously suckled by a she-wolf (lupa), and Faunus, the god of agriculture, the festival involved a rite in which the blood of a sacrificed animal was sprinkled over crops and women alike in order to promote fertility. According to legend, these newly nubile young women also put their names into an urn to be selected by lot and subsequently paired up with the city’s bachelors for the following year. Lupercalia was outlawed under Christianity’s disapproving gaze until a papal decree in the fifth century declared February 14 Saint Valentine’s Day. History (and supposition) offer several contenders for the romantic soul after whom it was named, including a martyred priest named Valentine who allegedly performed marriages for young lovers in defiance of a ban by Emperor Claudius (implemented due to the belief that single men made better soldiers); and an incarcerated Valentine who supposedly fell in love with his jailor’s

daughter, and whose signed love letter is credited with being the first ‘valentine’. The custom of exchanging valentines can be traced back to 1415 and another jail cell, where Charles, Duke of Orleans wrote the first recorded valentine to his wife while imprisoned in the Tower of London following his capture at the Battle of Agincourt. Valentine’s Day appears in both Chaucer and Shakespeare in its context as a celebration of lovers, and by 1797 the exchange of handcrafted love notes and tokens had become so popular that The Young Man’s Valentine Writer was published to aid heartsore young men in the craft-

The custom of exchanging valentines can be traced back to 1415 and another jail cell, where Charles, Duke of Orleans wrote the first recorded valentine to his wife….

♥ Il bacio sta all’amore come il lampo al tuono . A kiss is to love what lightning is to thunder. ♥ L’amore fa passare il tempo e il tempo l’amore . Love makes the time pass and love passes with time. ♥ ing of suitable messages to their beloveds. By the nineteenth century, mass production, the availability of cheap paper lace and an efficient postal system provided the perfect ingredients to turn sentiment into an enterprise, culminating in the first Hallmark Valentine’s Day card in 1913 – and we’ve never looked back: more than a billion valentines are exchanged each year. For singles who dread the oncom-

ing tide of sugary sentiment and resent the price spikes associated with it, take heart: Italy provides relief in the form of St Faustino, the so-called ‘Saint of Singles’. A Christian martyr executed under Hadrian in 120AD and the patron saint of Brescia, this obscure saint offers salvation by virtue of the fact that his feast day falls on February 15, providing an opportunity to toast the passing of St Valentine’s Day for another year.

Dov’é l’amore é gelosia . Where there is love there is jealousy. ♥ L’amore domina senza regole. Love prevails without rules.

Santo Stefano al Ponte www.monetexperience.it

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Learning Love from Dante

Florence News 13

VALENTINE’S DAY turned her eyes toward me where I stood in fear and trembling, and with her ineffable courtesy, which is now rewarded in eternal life, she greeted me; and such was the virtue of her greeting that I seemed to experience the height of bliss. It was exactly the ninth hour of day when she gave me her sweet greeting. As this was the first time she had ever spoken to me, I was filled with such joy that, my senses reeling, I had to withdraw from the sight of others. So I returned to the loneliness of my room and began to think about this gracious person.” (La Vita Nuova III).

After Beatrice died, Dante, devasted, devoted the rest of his life to his muse.

Henry Holiday| Dante and Beatrice

THOMAS RICCIOTTI

ante was just 9-years-old when he first glimpsed Beatrice. The historic fact, crucial to Dante’s personal and artistic life, happened at a May Day party at Beatrice’s father’s house. Dante fell in love instantly, although on that occasion he did not speak to Beatrice. “From that time

forward, love fully governed my soul,” he wrote in one of history’s greatest love poems, La Vita Nuova [The New Life]. From that moment on, the divine poet began to show up in the places where he knew he could catch a glimpse of the woman he was destined to love forever. Just admiring her from a distance was enough to fuel his love. It was only nine years later, in 1283

when he was 18 and she was 17, that she spoke to him for the first time. She was walking along the bank of the Arno, wearing white, accompanied by two older women. Passing Dante, she turned and greeted him. Such was the emotion and the joy, that he rushed to his room where he instantly had the dream that became the scene of the first sonnet in the Vita Nuova: “As they walked down the street she

Arranged marriages were customary in Medieval Florence, particularly amongst the upper classes. At the age of 21 Dante married Gemma Donati, while a year later Beatrice wed Simone dei Bardi. Tragically, she died only three years after. Dante, devastated, remained devoted to her for the rest of his life. Although her physical influence was minimal in Dante’s life, Beatrice is perennially present throughout. Forever, she will be the highest allegorical representation of spiritual love, the key to Paradise leading to ‘salvation’, the metaphor for the search of God, the Divine Love.

The first sonnet from La Vita Nuova To every captive soul and gentle lover Into whose sight this present rhyme may chance That, writing back, each may expound its sense, Greetings in Love, who is their Lord, I offer. Already of those hours a third was over Where in all stars display their radiance, When lo! Love stood before me in a trance: Recalling what he was fills me with horror. Joyful Love seemed to me and in his keeping He held my heart; and in his arms there lay My lady in a mantle wrapped, and sleeping. Then he awoke her and, her fear not heeding, My burning heart fed to her reverently. Then he departed from my vision, weeping.

14 Florence News

VALENTINE’S DAY

Three Florentine Love Stories

Grand Duke Francesco I de’ Medici and Bianca Cappello

THOMAS RICCIOTTI 1) One of the most scandalous and debated illicit love affairs that occurred in Florence was that between the Grand Duke Francesco I de’ Medici and Bianca Cappello during the sixteenth century. Let’s see what happens when a rich, powerful, married man falls for a poor, beautiful girl married to another. Bianca was a noble Venetian young woman who had eloped to Florence to marry, at the age of 15, a penniless Florentine, Pietro Bonaventuri. Beautiful as she was, she soon became popular in the city and drew the attention of

many, including that of the Grand Duke himself, who appointed her husband as ‘Keeper of the Royal Wardrobe’. Of course, it was a move to keep her close to him in the palace. Let’s skip a few passages now, leaving the reader free to use his/ her imagination. Shortly after, penniless Bonaventuri was murdered in the streets of Florence. The circumstances of his death remain obscure. As it often happens when important rich people are involved, the court never came to a definitive verdict. Well, what happened after was that in 1576 Bianca gave birth to a baby who looked exactly like Francesco. There is more. Two months after

the death of Francesco’s wife, Joanna of Austria, in 1578, Francesco and Bianca were married. The timing of the event, following on the heels of the grieving period, caused widespread scandal. In addition, after Joanna’s death the existence of the illegitimate Don Antonio and his claim to the duchy were publicly acknowledged. You think the story is finished? Not at all. Francesco and Bianca died within days of each other in 1587, supposedly poisoned. On their mysterious deaths speculation followed for centuries until six years ago, when Francesco’s body was exhumed from the Medici Chapel at San Lorenzo and investigated. As evidence of a malaria-causing parasite was found in his remains, the debate was put to rest. Penniless Bonaventuri and wealthy Bianca neither revenged nor were revenged. 2) Ready for another love affair? This happened in the early nineteenth century. The protagonists are Ugo Foscolo, a man with a strong passion for writing and for political freedom, and a woman by the name of Quirina Mocenni Magiotti. In Italy, double surnames like that of Quirina imply noble descendant. The location of their affair was the now-destroyed Villa Torricelli on Florence’s Bellosguardo hill. It was precisely this place and this woman that inspired the verses of the famous, unfinished poem Le Grazie (‘The Graces’) in 1812. Those beautiful words, that Quirina was probably reading secretly from her aristocrat husband, are –

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Ugo Foscolo and Quirina Mocenni Magiotti and were – all that remain of Ugo’s love for her. Ugo was in fact exiled to Switzerland and England after Austria regained control of Italy in 1814. His tomb lies in Santa Croce alongside those of Michelangelo, Alfieri, Galileo and Machiavelli. His verses for Quirina, forever unfinished as his love for her, are still studied in Italian schools. 3) Let’s see now something about the expats. One of Florence’s most notable expat couple, Victorian poets Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning, made the most of their lives here. Florence’s influence on their literary productions was profound, as profound was their love

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for liberty: in fact, Elizabeth also became a passionate supporter of Italian liberation and unification. The couple lived at Casa Guidi in Piazza San Felice for 15 years until Elizabeth’s death in 1861, the same year that the Kingdom of Italy was established. She is buried in the Protestant English Cemetery at Piazza Donatello. After her death, Robert returned to England with the son of the woman to whom he was secretly married. The couple had in fact left England to escape Elizabeth’s oppressive father, who disapproved of the match, and had subsequently wed in Florence.

Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning

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LITERATURE

FEBRUARY www.florencenews.it lesbian-themed novel, Carol (also published as The Price of Salt), set for release any day now. While Those Who Walk Away may not be her most immediately satisfying potboiler, I very much enjoyed its attention to detail, both the very real Venetian setting — more fascinatingly — the intricate moods of the novel’s protagonist, Ray Garrett, and its antagonist, Ray’s father-in-law, Ed Coleman. Ray

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The Dark Side of Venice LEE FOUST

ven the most casual tourist senses, beneath the romantic lapping of the waves against the bridges and landings along its canals, that there’s something deathly about Venice. Is it because most mythologies locate the land of the dead across a body of water? Or maybe because Venice’s narrow, ill-lit passages are so much quieter than the car-trafficked streets of other cities? Perhaps it’s because classic novels like “Death in Venice” and “Across the River and into the Trees” have told us it’s a place where one goes to die. Or the sug-

gestion that a gondola — judging by its length, width, black lacquer and hanging lamp — is really a floating coffin? Whatever the reason, with Halloween at our backs and winter coming on, it’s time to curl up in front of the fire with a couple of thrillers from the late ‘60s that exploit the deserted, dark, and narrow passageways of the Serenissima. First up, the incomparable Daphne du Maurier’s “Don’t Look Now” (1966), a longish short story that heads-up a collection of tales to which it gives its name in the U.S.; the same collection was published in England as “Not After Midnight.” In the tradition beginning

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with E. A. Poe’s “The Assignation,” — which combines Venice’s lush, romantic quiet with its melancholy association with death — “Don’t Look Now” adds the psychological side to the classically Gothic themes of love and death among the canals. Du Maurier’s tale depicts a British couple that has recently lost a child trying to come to terms with the tragedy by rediscovering each other and their love on a Venetian holiday. But the past is not so easily left behind and for a spiritual sensitive, it might actually be intricately intertwined with a deadly future. The story perfectly exploits the danger and silence of Venice’s twisted maze of bridges, streets, and dead ends.There’s also a fine film version of “Don’t Look Now.” Filmed in 1973 by British cinema-

tographer-turned-director Nicolas Roeg, it stars the beautiful and accomplished Julie Christie and Yankee Donald Southerland as our troubled travellers. The film intriguingly expands the short story’s situation, giving Southerland’s character a job in Venice (he’s restoring a church) and adds a Bishop character — in line with the 1970’s mania for Catholic-themed horror films like The Exorcist, et al. Roeg’s exciting visual style and a complex series of juxtaposed intercut scenes (expertly edited by Australian Graeme Clifford) steal the show — it’s stylish, sexy, and scary. I also want to praise Patricia Highsmith’s underrated, mostly Venetian-set thriller Those Who Walk Away (1967). Ms. Highsmith is in the news these days with Todd Haynes’ film version of her second,

Even the most casual tourist senses, beneath the romantic lapping of the waves against the bridges and landings along its canals, that there’s something deathly about Venice. enters into a deadly dance with Ed after his wife, Ed’s daughter, commits suicide. Beginning in Rome and moving on to Venice, the two men threaten, seek reconciliation, and assault each other by turns in a fascinating narrative maze (featuring sections narrated by each character) that again mirrors Venice’s twisting streets and canals to a T. If you love thrillers, enjoy the Venetian Gothic of du Maurier, Highsmith and Poe. After all, love goes best with a little dose of melancholy, does it not?

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Fantasy, Fairytales and Frolics

Venice Carnevale returns from Jan.27-Feb.13

very year Venice celebrates its Carnevale with sumptuous masked parades, boat pageants, street theater, performance art and the traditional Festa delle Marie. The tradition of the Carnevale recalls the wonder of nature with fairy tales drawn from all over the world, highlighting Venice’s role as

a crossroad of cultures. It is seen as a gateway between the East and West, where myths – and fears – of monstrous creatures from overseas creatures were translated into tales, paintings and decorations along the canals and roads scoured by merchants. San Marco will play host to daily parades, multi-lingual comedians

CARNIVAL

and a Best Masked Costume contest voted by the public, while the city’s stone-and-water street-scape is transformed into a magical forest of trees, plants and a musical backdrop. The symbol of Carnevale – the handcrafted mask – will be celebrated this year with an inaugural competition open to national and international contenders culminating in an award ceremony and parade. The fifteenth-century tradition of the codega – a servant who escorted Venetian nobles at night with a lantern – is reprised with Walking Theater’s ‘Secrets of

Carnevale is derived from the two latin words carnem and levare meaning a farewell to or removal of meat.

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Venice’ tour, which will take visitors to secret corners narrating the history and the legends of the city. The traditional Festa delle Marie is scheduled on Feb. 13 with the usual parade of 12 girls recalling the homage that the Venetian Doge paid to 12 of the city’s chaste maidens with the offer of jewels as a bridal dowry. Although Carnevale is first mentioned in historical documents dating back to 1092, its establishment as an annual event is

believed to have begun with the Republic of Venice’s victory over Ulrich II of Treven in 1162, which required him to pay an annual tribute to the city in the form of 12 loaves of bread, 12 pigs and a bull. The animals were slaughtered to commemorate the victory around the period of Shrove Tuesday, the day preceding the 40-day Christian period of abstinence known as Lent. This confluence of the sudden excess of meat with the onset of the Lenten fast meant that speedy consumption was necessary, and here are probably the origins of the term ‘carnevale,’ which is believed to derive from the two Latin words carnem and levare, which signify a farewell to meat.

the Enduring symbol of Carneval is the handcrafted mask Carnevale has become synonymous with overindulgence and merry-making. The celebrations in Venice draw three million visitors each year.

Carnevale of Venice Jan. 27- Feb.13 www.carnevale.venezia.it

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CARNIVAL

Color, Size and Satire

Preparing the floats for the Carnevale of Viareggio

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Parades From Jan. 27 to Feb. 17, Viareggio transforms into the factory of fun with parades of giant paper-night parties, fireworks, masked balls, theater, culinary events and big sporting events worldwide. The triple cannon is the unmistakable signal that the party starts. The giant gargoyles ‘come to life’ between movements, music and dancing. Jan., Saturday 27 1st MASKED PARADE Feb., Sunday 4 2nd MASKED PARADE Feb., Saturday 11 3rd MASKED PARADE Feb., Tuesday 13 4th MASKED PARADE Feb.,Saturday 17 5th MASKED PARADE At the end of the parade winners will be announced Great Ending Fireworks

THOMAS RICCIOTTI

ased on ancient ship-building techniques and constructed with the highest degree of craftsmanship, the floats of Viareggio’s Carnevale are a pride for builders whose passion is such that it can take them up to a year to prepare one single float. But time does not matter, as far as the goal of impressing people and winning the Carnevale is accomplished. The idea of creating an open-air parade at Viareggio dates back to 1873. Since then, the Carnevale of Viareggio has drawn hundreds of

thousands of visitors annually and has been televised to a national and international audience. At the Carnevale the atmosphere is magic, surreal. Patrons are clothed in fancy dress and armed with silly string and confetti, while vendors sell typical fried sweets called cenci and bombolone. Giants can weigh as much as 40 tonnes and carry moving papier-mâché figures, some up to 20 meters tall, along a two-kilometer circuit on Viareggio’s seafront while music, masked performers and dancers accompany the procession throwing confetti and sweets to the crowds. Cheeky satire is directly propor-

tional to floats’ sheer size designed upon themes ranging from mythology to international politics, current affairs and Italian or international celebrities. Behind the grinning caricatures competition is fierce as parade winners are announced at the end of the festivities. A tradition that definitely worths to be explored, the Carnevale festivities in Viareggio begin this year on January 27 with an opening parade and take place every Sunday until Saturday February 17. The final day of festivities closes with the announcement of parade winners and a fireworks display.

At the end of the parade winners will be announced Great Ending Fireworks

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Payment Tickets can be bought the day of each parade at the ticket office or at the main ticket office of the Fondazione Carnevale at the Palazzo delle Muse in Viareggio’s Mazzini Square. Tribune sits must be booked in advance via fax (+39 0584 580771) or email (biglietteria@ilcarnevale.com) and must be paid by bank transfer 20 days before the masked parade that you wish to attend. For more precise information check the website viareggio.ilcarnevale.com/en/.

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Survive Culture Shock

A guide to Italy’s surprises, contrasts and chaos

SARAH HUMPHREYS

“

talia! Oh Italia! Thou who hast the fatal gift of Beauty”: Byron’s tribute to il bel paese still rings true today. Italy’s magnetic charm has been attracting visitors for cen-

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

Italy is full of surprises, contrasts and chaos; not least for those who are visiting for the first time. Many aspects of Italian life – ranging from eating times, ‘rules’ about drinking coffee, trying to cross the road, and dealing with unwanted attention – can be a real culture

Florence News 19

CITY BEAT shock. Culture shock can be defined as ‘emotional disorientation caused by continuously unexpected reactions to the new culture.’ Culture shock can manifest itself in various ways, including anxiety, depression, loneliness, migraines and lack of energy. It is described as having four stages: the Honeymoon Period, Crisis Period, Adaption Period and Stabilization Period. Psychologists say that all fours stages must be lived through to achieve intercultural competence. Apart from being overwhelmed by the exquisite food and wine, musical language, natural beauty and (mostly) lovely weather, the newcomer to Florence also risks being infected by ‘Stendhal Syndrome’, so-called after the 19th-century writer: a psychosomatic condition that causes rapid heartbeat, dizziness and even hallucinations after an individual has been exposed to an ‘overdose’ of beautiful art. Doctors at Santa Maria Nuova regularly admit tourists suffering from ‘mental imbalances’, often after visiting the Uffizi, which is considered a particularly ‘dangerous’ spot. One theory is that viewing so much culture can bring on feelings of anguish and insecurity. On recovering from an overdose of art, beauty, ice cream and fine Chianti, reality starts to kick in. As the ‘romantic’ Honeymoon period comes to an end, less positive aspects of Italian life will start to become more obvious. Feelings of anger and frustration are quite normal at this point. Nowhere is this more obvious than dealing

with anything connected to any kind of documenti, work permits, banking or transactions at the post office. You will just have to get used to standing in queues for hours (make sure you check that you’re in the right one) before being practically ignored by a bored, power-crazed official with no concept of service. Bureaucracy is quite simply a nightmare. You need an enormous amount of patience to deal with these situations, no matter how long you stay in Italy. Once you begin to get used to rude shop assistants, insane driving, triple parking, not drinking cappuccinos after dinner and shops closing over lunchtime, the Adaption period begins and Italian life will begin to seem normal. After adjusting and adapting, it is usual to begin to feel at home. Learning Italian is a crucial step in fitting in and understanding the culture. After going through culture shock, psychologists say that you develop greater empathy for your surroundings, are able to think in a new cultural frame, have greater cultural patience and develop a more critical mind to see through myths and prejudices. As a foreigner living in Italy, you are allowed, or even expected to be different and even a little eccentric. In the words of American writer Erica Jong, “What is the fatal charm of Italy? What do we find here that can be found nowhere else? I believe it is a certain permission to be human, which other places, other countries, lost long ago.”

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Ten Tips for New Arrivals

A guide for adjusting and thriving in Florence

? ? I

n the labyrinth of narrow streets and foreign road signs, Florence can seem like a daunting place for anyone setting foot here for the first time. Naturally, those who are newly arrived come across hurdles as they attempt to get familiar with the city. To avoid the dangers of the first period, here are a few tips. GET LOST: Take a stroll off the tourist-beaten path. Wandering through side streets by foot is one

of the best ways to get to know the city. You’re more likely to find authentic Italian craft and food shops this way, rather than sticking to the city center. Pack a camera, some cash and leave your worries behind. Don’t fret. All roads (eventually) lead back to the Duomo. ALWAYS KEEP TRACK OF YOUR BELONGINGS: Florence is not a dangerous city but pickpocketing

can occur, so you stay mindful. Don’t leave your important personal belongings unattended when you are in a bar, pub or restaurant; always keep an eye on your purse and always keep it close. KNOW HOW TO FIND A DOCTOR. If you find yourself in need of medical assistance while in Florence, you can find English-speaking doctors by calling 055/475411. The call service is active 24-hour a day. The Medical Service Center is in Via Roma 4, very close to the Dome and to Piazza della Repubblica. Website is www.medicalservice. firenze.it KNOW WHERE TO FIND A BIG SUPERMARKET: It is not easy to find big supermarkets in Florence. However, CONAD SAPORI & DINTORNI are three large supermarkets in the city center that offer typical Italian products and a wide selection of wines. The CONAD SAPORI & DINTORNI for those living near the Ponte Vecchio, in Santo Spirito or in Santa Croce is on Via de’ Bardi, near the Ponte Vecchio. For those living near the train station the CONAD SAPORI & DINTORNI is on Largo Alinari at the end of Via Nazionale, very close to the station. The third big supermarket is very near the Dome, in Borgo San Lorenzo. SPEAK THE LANGUAGE: It’s easy to get by in Florence without speaking Italian, but challenge yourself - it’s worth it! In stores, clerks tend to respond in English if they realize that it is your na-

Florence News 21

CITY BEAT tive language, but be persistent. Gesture. Practice. Meet the locals. Pick up a newspaper, magazine or even a brochure written in Italian and see how much you can understand. Underline the words and phrases you haven’t learned yet and look them up! SOME MORE LANGUAGE ADVICE: Just to make learning a foreign language a little bit more challenging, Italian has several words that look and sound like the English equivalent but have completely different meanings. For example, a ‘libreria’ is an Italian bookshop, not a library, so be sure to pay for your books or you could find yourself in a bit of a sticky situation. The importance of accents should also be noted: by forgetting to stress the ‘o’ in ‘casinò’ you are referring to a brothel, not a gambling house! EAT LIKE A LOCAL: Americans are accustomed to fast food. We like our coffee on the go; sandwiches ordered, prepared and consumed in the passenger seat of our cars in under five minutes. While in Florence, you should eat like the locals: take the time to eat. Sit (or stand) at a bar to drink your cappuccino. Enjoy it. You might find the change of pace relaxing. When you’re out to eat for dinner, appreciate the multi-course meal. No more of the take-home doggy bags! Portions are smaller here and you’ll notice that food is made for quality, not quantity. Embrace the fact that you’re eating the most delicious Italian food, and remember to take

time to enjoy it. When looking for a sandwich shop, avoid the prepared sandwiches on display. For the freshest ingredients, find a place that will make your sandwich when you order. A tip for gelato lovers: stay away from the foot-high rainbow mounds of ice cream. They are that bright for a reason. They aren’t as natural and definitely not as fresh. DRINK LIKE A LOCAL: Wine is part of Italian culture and is to be enjoyed and appreciated, not abused. Italians will laugh at anyone they come across drinking on the streets, so pace yourselves. Sit at a table and drink for pleasure as opposed to bingeing! TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE TREASURES OF TUSCANY: To live like a local, you have to know your location. While it’s exciting and rewarding to travel all over Europe during this time, check out what Tuscany has to offer! A lot of activities and trips can be done in a single day, by train or by bus. STAY POSITIVE: Not everything goes according to plan, but it’s you who determines the outcome of the situation. A bad attitude isn’t going to get you far, with either locals or other students you meet. By keeping an open mind, you’re more likely to absorb the culture and take away more from your experience. Understand that you will be challenged linguistically, intellectually and morally, and recognize that it’s all part of the adventure.

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22 Florence News

CITY BEAT

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A ‘Port’ for All Musicians

s with any port, Porto di Mare-Eskimo is synonymous with exchange, correspondence, and coming and going. This year the club has an important novelty: courses of typical Italian dance Tarantella, which will be taking place on Friday night. Porto di Mare's 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. Among these are 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 Ste-

fano 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.

A Shuttle to the Barberino Designer Outlet

Located in the green heart of Tuscany, just 30 minutes from Florence, Barberino Designer Outlet is the shopping destination where you can browse items from 200 of the most luxurious designer fashion brands including Dolce & Gabbana, Furla, Trussardi, Pinko, Bluemarine and many more at 30-70% off all year round. The outlet is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. You can reach Barberino Designer Outlet with a comfortable shuttle bus service from Florence train station, 4 times a day. Tickets can be purchased online. Price is €13 per person, roundtrip. Take this page to the Outlet Information Office to get the FASHION PASSPORT, the discount card which will grant you an additional 10% reduction on the Outlet price. Shuttle bus to Barberino Designer Outlet departs from Florence Santa Maria Novella train station at 9.30 a.m. –11.30 a.m. –2. p.m. – 4 p.m. Meeting point 15 minutes before bus departure at Sightseeing Experience Visitor Centre on Platform 16. Return to Florence at: 1 p.m. – 3 p.m. – 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. For more information and possible variations in the bus hours visit www.mcarthurglen.it/barberino.

Fashion Passport

he Barberino McArthurGlen Designer Outlets offers the most sought-after names in luxury and designer fashion, including Furla, Trussardi, D&G, Pinko, Bluemarine, at prices reduced by up to 70% less all year round. The outlet is the perfect addition to your business and leisure programs, with cafés and restaurants, children’s playgrounds, ample parking, multilingual staff and a year-round calendar of events. All ISIC/ITIC/IYTC cardholders can take advantage of the “Fashion Passport” that offers an additional 10% Off on the outlet price (not products on sales). You can withdraw the Fashion Passport at the Information Office of the Outlet. *Fashion Passport is valid only in specific shops. The discount cannot be cumulated with other offers and with products on sales. The fashion passport is valid for the whole day and only to the cardholder.

TAX FREE ON YOUR FAVORITE BRANDS

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Via dei Pandolfini, 26r • 347 381 8294

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Florence News 23

CITY BEAT

A Surviving, Endangered Craft: The Knife Grinder Meet the Donnini Family, artisans of the old knife grinding tradition

riddle: what does Florence, a knife, an antique shop and the movie “Hannibal” have in common? Well it’s Donnini, Florence’s historical arrotino, of course! A bit of movie buff trivia - it is Coltelleria Donnini that provided the actual knife used in the world-famous movie “Hannibal.” But what exactly is an arrotino, anyway? Simply put, it’s a traditional knife grinder. But if you go and take a peek behind the scenes of this seemingly simple word, an entire world of craftsmanship, tradition and history suddenly opens up. A knife grinder is responsible for repairing and sharpening everything from a granny’s pair of embroidery scissors to a top chef’s santoku to a leather-maker’s cutting tool to a fashion designer’s scissors to a cobbler’s nippers to instruments for gardeners, beauticians, hunters, seamstresses, plumbers and even surgeons! Being a fashion capital, Florence sure does not lack designers, or any of the above, as a fact! However, in today’s world – evermore oriented towards globalization and less and less on tradition – old artisan heritage like that of the arrotino seems to be disappearing before our very eyes. In fact, as of 2013, there were merely 200 knife

grinders in the entire country of Italy, with only about 40 of these practicing the art professionally. With his Coltelleria Donnini right here in Florence, Leonardo Donnini is one of these. And more so, he is one of the 10 “Mastro Arrotini” or Master Knife Grinders in the whole country, and the only one in our beautiful region of Tuscany. For the reference, a Master Knife Grinder is one that has passed diverse strenuous tests and has been certified master of the trade for cutting tools of all types (knives, scissors and beauticians’ instruments) by the AAeC, short for Associazione Arrotini e Coltellerie, Italy’s official non-profit Knife Grinding Association. So, how did it all happen, especially in today’s world, so keen on wishing “addio” to age-old traditions and replacing them with the new? It is actually thanks to the handing down of the craft from parent to child that has miraculously managed to keep the trade alive, though not without some re-interpretation by the younger generation. Leonardo Donnini, for example, with his renovated workshop and bottega, has gone a long way from 1930, when the shop had first opened. The shop was originally founded by Vittorio Galli nearly a century

ago in Florence’s bustling commercial area of Via Gioberti. Galli had first encountered the world of knives as an apprentice of Bianda, a family famous for their knife shop in the very central Piazza del Duomo in the early 1900s. He went on working at his bottega until, in 1957, it was his turn to take on an apprentice. After trying out many a pupil, he chose Mario Donnini, 17 years of

age at the time, as his official apprentice. Mario worked hard and managed to climb his way up from a simple jack of all trades to an actual knife grinder. To the point where Galli proudly handed over the trade and the bottega to Mario for good. Mario continued his art and when his son, Leonardo, turned 18, he welcomed the opportunity to pass down his craft to him, espe-

cially the secrets of the trade he’d learned along the way. It was now Mario’s turn to be the teacher, and thus Leonardo commenced his apprenticeship. “I began as an apprentice in 1958; later on I acquired the license for the job, and then I taught the profession to my children,” affirms Mario, proudly. A new generation of knife grinding had begun...though the workbench, dated back to 1930, remained – and remains to this day – the very same one. Thus in 1997, Leonardo and his sister Silvia, took over the shop, continuing with the artisan craft of knife grinding while also expanding by offering specialty knives and cutting utensils for the joy of professionals and enthusiasts alike. It is with the same passion, hard work and pride as that of their predecessors that the brother and sister team run the shop. With clients ranging from Florence’s top chefs to leather manufacturers, from beauticians to seamstresses and hairdressers, from knife collectors to hunters and Florentine residents, the shop needed room to grow. That is why, in September 2016, Leonardo and Silvia decided to move the shop to a bigger location in Via Giovanni Lanza, 70, just a ten minute walk from city center, where it all had started. With the same purpose as that of their predecessors: to one day pass down their beloved bottega to someone who, like them, promises to learn the tradition and transform the past in order to make the future. The rest is history.

24 Florence News

CITY BEAT

Spring 2018, KSU-Florence Lecture Series Monday, February 5, 2018 at 6:30PM – Lecture Hall Jason Houston (Gonzaga University) Worming Out the Truth: A Probing Reading of Decameron VII. 3 Dr. Jason Houston is Director and Professor of Humanities at Gonzaga University in Florence, where he teaches Dante and leads the Gonzaga in Florence campus. He completed his BA in Italian and Medieval Studies at the University of Oregon. He went on take his M.Phil in Medieval Studies and Ph.D in Italian Language and Literature at Yale University in 2003. From 2003 to 2016, he was Assistant Professor and then Associate Professor of Italian at the University of Oklahoma, where he created a new BA program in Italian, developed a new study center for OU in Arezzo Italy, and managed a public/private partnership between OU/ENEL Green Power/ Capitoline Museums of Rome. His research focuses on Giovanni Boccaccio and his complicated relationships with other key Trecento Italian authors: Dante Alighieri, Francesco Petrarca, and Zanobi da Strada. His publications include numerous articles and review articles in journals such as MLN, Dante Studies, Studi Sul Boccaccio, Renaissance Quarterly, and Spec-

ulum. His monograph Building a Monument to Dante: Boccaccio as Dantista (UToronto Press, 2011) underscored Boccaccio’s strong influence in the development of Dante Studies. In 2018, Harvard University Press will publish his translation (with Sam Huskey) of Boccaccio’s Shorter Latin Works in the I Tatti Renaissance Library series, which bring many of Boccaccio’s text into English for the first time ever. He is currently editing a volume for the Perspectives on the Decameron series (Day V). Currently, he is investigating the little-known figure of Zanobi da Strada and his position as the “fourth crown” of the Italian Trecento. Monday, April 9, 2018 at 6:30PM – Lecture Hall Fulvio Orsitto (Georgetown University) Encounters with the Real in Italian Cinema Fulvio S. Orsitto is Director of the Georgetown University study center in Fiesole (Italy). He previously worked as Director of the California State University Study Abroad program in Florence. He holds a Ph.D. in Italian Cultural Studies from the University of Connecticut (2008), and has published numerous essays and book chapters on Italian and Italian

American cinema, and on Italian Literature. His book publications include the edited volumes L’Altro e l’Altrove nella cultura italiana (2011) and Cinema e Risorgimento: Visioni e Re-visioni (2012). In 2012 he co-edited with Simona Wright Vol. XXXIV of the NeMLA Journal of Italian Studies, a special issue devoted to Contemporary Italian Cinema. In 2014 he has published with C. Peralta and F. Caramaschi the manual Film and Education. Capturing Bilingual Communities. More recently, he co-edited the following volumes: Contaminazioni culturali (2014 with S.Wright) Pier Paolo Pasolini. Prospettive americane (2015 - with F. Pacchioni), Attravers menti culturali (2016 - with S. Wright), TOTalitarian ARTs: The Visual Arts, Fascism(s), and Mass-Society (2017 - with M. Epstein and A. Righi), and Boom... e dintorni. Il miracolo economico italiano tra cinema, televisione e letteratura (forthcoming in 2017 - with U. Perolino).

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Ten tips for mobike 1. To begin your journey, download the Mobike app from the app store. 2. Create an account. 3. Using the app, locate Mobikes in your area. This is incredibly easy because there is almost always a Mobike close by. 4. Pick a Mobike and unlock it by scanning the barcode with the app. 5. The bike will unlock and you will hear a beep. 6. After you bike to your desired destination, park your Mobike without worrying about finding a bike rack. 7. Park your bike wherever (but be responsible and use your common sense!). 8. Manually close the lock. You will hear a beep. 9. You will be charged 30 cents for 30 minutes (the price will soon go up!). 10. Celebrate. Hurray, your Mobike journey is complete!

The Week at Porto di Mare THE PORT OPEN TO ALL MUSICIANS TUES: PALCO D’AUTORE: Music lab for emerging artists and songwriters WED: CITY LAB PROJECT: Musicians forming an orchestra will accompany the Palco D’Autore artists THURS: CAM’ ON: Students from the school of music CAM exhibit their talents. Then open mic jam sessions open to all musicians FRI - SAT: Rock music or singer-songwriters SUN: TARANTA NIGHT: Popular southern Italian music and dance. Starts at 6 p.m. CONTACT FRANCESCO COFONE Via Pisana, 128 055 71 20 34 Porto di Mare

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Florence News 25

CITY BEAT

Home of the Dragoon

Four Days of Dances

Danza in Fiera returns at the Fortezza da Basso from Feb. 22-25

his month Florence is tributing dance with one of the biggest events in Europe dedicated to this form of art, Danza in Fiera, which will be returning for its 12th edition at the Fortezza da Basso Feb. 22-25. Professionals, dancers, studios, groups and companies will gather from all over the world offering stages, competitions, classrooms, castings and auditions on all the different styles of dance ranging from classic ballet to contemporary dance, tango, hip hop, Latin,

country musical, folk, and waltz. With over 500 events scheduled, their participants will include professional and amateur dancers alike. An entire area will be dedicated to urban and street dance, while the International Academies Open Days will offer the possibility to be selected for professional centers and worldwide academies. Special attention will be dedicated to America, which will be quite well represented this year, and to vintage dance with various typologies being taught.

Danza in Fiera Opening Hours: Thursday 3 - 8 p,m, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 9 a,m, - 8 p,m, Ticket: One day: €15 Four days: €40 web: www.danzainfiera.it

hroughout its 35 years of history, the Kikuya English Pub has been a meeting place for friends, students, and tourists of all nationalities. The current owner Annalisa, a native Brazilian, has kept a diverse atmosphere alive within this iconic pub. When Annalisa first started working at Kikuya with her sister, she could not imagine calling the pub her home away from home 24 years later. Her passion for English beers and customers who later became her friends has created a welcoming and memorable pub with a knack for English ales and good times. Located on Via De’ Benci, Kikuya is the only home to the Charles Wells Dragoon beer. A strong, yet sweet pale ale is the highlight of the pubs

draft beers. Annalisa has put her own fun twist on the beer by serving it with a sweet lollipop. The eclectic addition is indicative of Annalisa’s own vibrant personality and ability to keep Kikuya’s atmosphere young and fun. Everyday from 7 p.m. - 10p.m. the pub offers any burger or panini with fries and a drink for €10.

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IN HONOR OF VALENTINE’S DAY:

Natural Aphrodisiacs to Improve Your Groove C. DE MELO

t happens to almost every couple in a long-term relationship. In time, the sizzling passion cools. Should you break up? Have an affair? Get a divorce? Before doing anything drastic, take a deep breath and be assured that it’s perfectly normal to experience a lull once in awhile. Stress, work, kids- the daily grind- can dampen your sex life. How can you improve your libido the easy and natural way? By changing your mindset, adding a bit more spontaneity into your life, and eating foods that will naturally increase your desire and overall health. The following is a list of 8 foods that will help you get your groove back. 1. Seafood: You’ve heard about oysters being aphrodisiacs due to their high content of zinc, which is essential for sexual health and reproduction, but what about other forms of seafood? Oily fish like herring and salmon contain omega 3 fatty acids, which aid in maintaining a healthy heart and arteries. During intercourse, a strong heart and clean arteries keeps the blood pumping and flowing to where it’s needed. Other zinc-rich foods include almonds and asparagus.

2. Chocolate: Naturally boosts serotonin levels and gives you a burst of energy (like caffeine). Did you know that consuming large amounts of chocolate creates the same euphoric feeling as being in love? It’s true. Try it. 3. Wild Arugula: Foods packed with antioxidants help block free radicals and other negative chemical toxins that may cause damage to the libido. Remember, good health promotes desire. Other high antioxidant foods are kiwi and citrus fruits. 4. Figs: The “divas” of the fruit world. Figs are enticing to look at, sensual to eat, and contain loads of fiber. Consuming high-fiber foods causes you to feel full so you eat less, thus keeping you in shape. The old rule is true: if you LOOK good, you will FEEL good, which enables you to be more confident, happy, sexy. 5. Strawberries: Not only are these fruits red (the color of passion), they are also rich in Vitamin B, which helps produce high sperm counts in men. 6. Banana: This phallic fruit is a powerhouse of potassium, vitamins, and minerals. There is also a special enzyme, bromelain, that

Florence News 27

FOOD&WINE 3 Recommended Seafood Dishes

specifically promotes the male libido. 7. Avocado: The ancient Aztecs believed the avocado to be a powerful aphrodisiac and named it ahuacate, which literally means “testicle.” This creamy, decadent fruit is especially beneficial for pregnant women since it is loaded with folic acid.

1) Flambè King Prawns with Grand Marnier and Curry sauce

8. Eggs: Balances hormones and stress via high quantities of Vitamins B5 and B6. Eating eggs shortly before sexual intercourse will enhance the experience. Think about that the next time you’re eating an omelette. After adding the above foods into your diet, go out and buy yourself a new outfit, get a babysitter for the kids (or better yet, go on weekend getaway or book a hotel room to break the monotony), buy a bottle of good wine, turn on some soft music…I’m sure you can figure out the rest.

2) Raw Fish and Oyster

C. De Melo Author of SABINA and several other books www.cdemelo.com www.cealiberti.it

RISTORANTE • PIZZERIA

Viale Giovanni Amendola 16r (near Santa Croce) • 055 244937

3) Crispy Octopus with a Topinambur Sauce

Ristorante Inferno Via Ghibellina 80/r

28 Florence News

FOOD&WINE

Dine with Dante

amed after Dante Alighieri’s The Divine Comedy, a homely, rustic taverna fittingly lies on Via dei Cimatori, only a few meters away from Dante’s house. The restaurant offers traditional dishes based on medieval recipes. Some are adapted and revisited for the modern age 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. Others are as they were centuries ago. Traditional medieval-style dishes include homemade ribbon pasta with wild boar and mushroom sauce, roast shin of pork with new potatoes and seasonal vegetables, risotto inspired by medieval Tus-

can 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.

Taverna Divina Commedia Via dei Cimatori, 7r 055 21 53 69

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Get Your Food Home Delivered

Burger, Pizza, Mexican, Sushi, Chinese, Thai, Typical Tuscan, all at your place

et your food comfortably seating on your couch from a choice of 70 Florentine restaurants of any type is now possible from the website www.thefood. it or downloading the THE FOOD App. You will have 3 Euro discount on your first order. Delivery time is from 12 a.m. to 2.30 pm for lunch and 7 to 10.30 p.m. for dinner. Cost for delivery is 2 Euro, and payment methods can be cash, credit or debit card. You can order food

€ 3.00 discount for the first order by App! come and visit... www.thefood.it

from some of the most renowned Florentine Tuscan traditional, vegetarian, and vegan restaurants, pizzerias, gelato shops and ethnic restaurants such as 100 Montaditos, Al Noor, Bamboo Sushi Wok, Dioniso, El Chico, Gallo Bianco, India, Kome, Nin Hao, Niwa, Odysseia, Royal India, Salaam Bombay, Takemura, Tijuana 2, #RAW, Mama’s bakery, Cantina del gelato, Gelateria Rivareno, Mordilatte, and Stickhouse.

Get your food home delivered! â&#x201A;Ź 3.00 discount for the first order by App! come and visit...

www.thefood.it FN_270x354.indd 1

13/11/17 13:45

CRAFT BEERS

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Florence News 31

FOOD&WINE

Seven Delicious Reasons to Visit Florence this Season

C. DE MELO

he invigorating nip in the air combined with the comforting scents of chimney smoke and roasting chestnuts means that autumn is officially here. Fashion-conscious Florentines break out their sleek leather boots, wool coats, and cashmere wraps to hit the streets in style. In my opinion, this is the best time to visit Florence. Not only is the tourist season is winding down (allowing you to have the Renaissance city all to yourself), but there are so many culinary delights this time of year. Here are seven autumnal treats to tickle your taste buds: 1. Tartufi Toscani (Tuscan truffles): Their aroma is enough to make your mouth water. These fancy fungi grow beneath the soil and are sniffed out by specially trained

dogs. Pigs were used in the past, but they also like to eat the truffles and it was always a race to get to them first. There are two types of truffle that come from Tuscany. Tartufo Bianco (white truffle), which sells for 2000,00 - 4000,00 euro per kilo depending on the time of year. Tartufo Nero (black truffle), which sells for less than 800,00 euros per kilo. Keep in mind that truffles weigh next to nothing, so a small piece may run about 50,00 euro. What can you eat truffles with? Nowadays, just about everything. It tastes amazing sliced (paper thin) over a fine piece of meat or grated on pasta or eggs. Some people sprinkle black truffle on pizza or mix it with butter to create an elegant crostini. 2. Funghi Porcini (porcini mushrooms): Earthy, aromatic, and silky in consistency, porcini mushrooms are divine. Porcini can be

diced or sliced, sautéed and eaten in risotto, pasta, or over meats. It can also be thinly sliced and eaten raw, seasoned with some olive oil and a bit of balsamic vinegar. NOTE: Never wash mushrooms! To clean them, use a cloth and carefully remove dirt. 3. Cavolo Nero (black kale): Super healthy, full of antioxidants, and flavorful, this “winter veggie” is mostly used in soups, like ribollita. Cut the stalks short since they tend to be a bit tough, wash them and then boil or steam them until tender. Drain and toss in a hot skillet with some salt, pepper, and olive oil. Serve as a side dish or on toast (as a crostini). 4. Fichi (figs): You have to catch these darlings in the early autumn. I’ve always considered figs to be the luxurious divas of all fruits. There are two kinds of figs: decadent black and elegant white

and both are delicious. They taste wonderful by themselves or as a side to gorgonzola, honey and walnuts. Fig and ricotta cheese is also a classic combination, so look for those two flavors in gelaterias and combine them on your cone or in your cup. 5. Castagne (chestnuts): There is nothing like the warm scent of roasting chestnuts on a chilly evening. Street vendors all over Europe sell them in paper cones and people walk around, munching as they window shop. Ahhhh... Here in Tuscany, they also make chestnut flour that is used in making desserts. 6. Melograno (pomegranate): Every time I eat one of these, I am reminded Hades and how he tricked Persephone. These fruits are beautiful and taste great, but they’re also good for you. This Thanksgiving, why not decorate the turkey

THE RESTAURANT OF THE FLORENTINES Located on Via Ghibellina near Santa Croce, Da Que’ Ganzi offers a fresh seafood and meat menu for both lunch and dinner. Tuscan specialties include ribollita and authentic Florentine steak, and all of the cakes and sweets are homemade. A special weekday lunch menu for less than €10 makes the restaurant affordable for anyone. Special dishes: BAKED SEA BASS & TUSCAN STEAK Mon. to Sun.: 12–2:30 p.m. & 7–11:30 p.m. Closed on Tuesdays. Via Ghibellina, 70/r •055 22 60 010 www.daqueiganzi.it • info@daqueiganzi.it

by placing pomegranate seeds all around it? 7. Schiacciata all’Uva (schiacciata with grapes)” This traditional flat bread is usually topped with rock salt or vegetables with savory spices. After the grapes are harvested in the fall, however, just about every forno (bakery) or pasticceria (pastry shop) in town makes this very special version of schiacciata. Normally, black grapes are used but- if you’re lucky, you may find a pasticceria that uses white grapes.

C. De Melo Author & Artist www.cdemelo.com Author of: SABINA: A Novel Set in the Italian Renaissance (available on Amazon.com)

SNACK BAR ANNA THE BAGEL POINT Perfected specialty since 1990, Snack Bar Anna offers homemade bagels and sandwiches that make it one of the most popular among local Americans. Have a chat with Anna and Stefano while drinking a jumbo cappuccino and enjoy the no-charge table service that renders this spot hospitable, friendly, and a must go. Opening hours: Mon. to Sat.: 8:30 a.m.–7:30 p.m.

Via de’ Ginori, 26/r 055 23 81 143 miranna.lomartire@gmail.com

HOME DELIVERY SERVICE AVAILABLE

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Florence News 33

FOOD&WINE

The Aperitivo Explained W

hat is the aperitivo in Italy? It is a way people stay connected, and can be a dinner option for those who just want a light evening meal or who are on a strict budget. This fun and tasty trend began in Milano in the 80’s when some bars had the idea to serve snacks with their drinks during Happy Hour. Naturally, people would opt to enjoy their cocktails at establishments that provided free nibbles. Other bars began to follow suit,

These iconic cocktails feature distinctive ingredients like Aperol, Campari and Vermouth which stimulate the appetite. some even offering dishes like hot pasta, thus giving people the opportunity to eat their primo and then go out for dinner afterward. The Milanese trend trickled south to many cities including Florence. Just about every lounge bar, coffee bar, and enoteca in the city serves some form of aperitivo buffet with their drinks. Good music is also crucial, since it sets the mood for relaxation and animated conversation.

Beyond the world of wine lies a wide assortment of cocktails to discover in Italy, including the Ne groni, the Spritz, and the Americano. Intended to whet the palate, these three cocktails usually contain Campari, but are also offered with some minor variations. These iconic Italian cocktails feature distinctive ingredients like Aperol, Campari and Vermouth and contain flavors that stimulate the appetite— thus, perfect for the Italian aperitivo. The social activity known as aperitivo takes place in a lively atmosphere, at a bar or party, accompanied by light-tasting cocktails and pre-dinner snacks. It happens almost every night of the week, and in some locales, the finger foods are enough for a full meal, at the price of an €9 or €12 cocktail, from 6pm to 10pm. The Americano is made with half Campari, half sweet Vermouth, and soda water, and is garnished with lemon. It was originally served in Gaspare Campari’s café in Milan and called the Milano-Torino cocktail in reference to the Campari from Milan and Vermouth from Turin. However, as the drink grew in popularity among American tourists, it became known as the Americano. In 1919, when Count Camillo Negroni was at Florence’s Caffè Casoni (now Caffè Giacosa), he ordered his Americano a little bit stronger. The bartender decided to add gin instead of soda water,

Credits: Flickr User Matteo Paciotti

and an orange instead of a lemon, to distinguish this new and different drink. The cocktail was so well received that the Negroni family founded a Negroni Distillery in Treviso, Italy. Currently there are three different variations of the Negroni cocktail. The first is called the Negroni sbagliato, the “wrong” Negroni, wherein Spumante Brut (dry spar-

kling white wine) is substituted for gin. The Negroski is a version made with vodka instead of gin. Lastly, the Sparkling Negroni contains the original gin, Campari and Vermouth, plus Champagne or Prosecco, sometimes garnished with an orange twist. Another typical choice for aperitivo is the Spritz cocktail, which is made with one ounce of Aperol,

two ounces Prosecco, and Seltzer. For those who prefer a more bitter flavor, Campari can be used instead of the sweeter, lighter Aperol. Venturing away from standard American cocktails makes for a delicious change of pace, while experiencing the Italian aperitivo tradition takes you a step closer to adopting the quintessential Italian lifestyle. Enjoy your aperitivo.

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Wine, and Painting Tasting

Glass of Art combines a painting session with tuscan wine tasting. Art and food lovers will be served in a characteristic 12th century well, turned into an ideal painting studio for the occasion. Lukas, an artist and art instructor at Studio d’Arte Toscanella, will guide you through the process of creating your own artwork from life.

Pino, master sommelier and founder of Pozzo Divino and Salumeria Verdi, will hold a wine tasting accompanied with typical tuscan food. Join them on a four-hour journey of fun and learning. Delight your senses with harmonious combinations of colors and flavours, create and taste, bring back your artwork, and a memory of the experience.

A glass of art Location: Pozzo Divino Via Ghibellina 144/R, Firenze Contact for information: info@pozzodivino.com Price: €80 per person, all materials included. Reservations: Must have a minimum reservation of 4 people, or a maximum of 8 Email: studiotoscanella@gmail.com to make a reservation

Florence News 35

FOOD&WINE

The Seven Most Common Mistakes to Avoid when Making a Pizza

he best way to approach the preparation of a pizza, is to know what mistakes you should avoid. Here is a list of the most common mistakes that people make when preparing their own pizza. Using the improper flour: This is important because it sets up the foundation of your pizza, the crust. If the wrong flour is used for the dough, it can prevent the crust from rising or make it rubbery. Use an average-strength flour that has 10–12 grams of protein. Combining the yeast and salt: This must be done in a very specific way. Mix the two ingredients in two separate bowls with water before putting them together. This prevents the salt from damaging the yeast. Letting the dough rest: You must set the yeast aside so that it can “rest” for two or three hours after first enabling the yeast with the salt. Then divide it into small sections of 200–300 grams and allow it to sit for six to eight hours to become soft. Manipulating the dough too much: After the resting session, roll out the dough and begin to form the shape of the pizza. You must also tap and knead the dough to make it firm. Bake in an inappropriate tin: The perfect pizza requires a lot of heat, especially from underneath. Consequently, a thin aluminum pan

will give you the best results. Using mozzarella that is too damp: Make sure you drain the mozzarella before you put it on your pizza. The best way to do this is to cut it the night before and set it in a colander in a refrigerator overnight or for a few hours. This method is also effective for buffalo

mozzarella. Putting on toppings before baking: If you apply the toppings too early, they will burn your pizza. Instead, put the mozzarella and vegetables on right before the pizza is done cooking. Toppings like ham or meat can be added after it has been removed from the oven.

Pizza Man on via Dell’Agnolo explains the proper way: Pizza Man via Dell’Agnolo use only fresh or DOP ingredients, which in Italian stands for Denominazione di Origine Protetta and translates to Protected Designation of Origin products. This label ensures that the ingredients being used are locally sourced and packaged, and do not come from Tuscany or other parts of Italy. Good pizzas must have a golden, crunchy-looking edge, which means there are no remains of humid paste/dough inside. To prepare a proper pizza and to avoid making it ‘humid,’ the dough needs to be left leaven for some 48 hours and the pizza must be cooked in a wood fired oven that has a temperature between 400 and 450 degrees Celsius. Such long leavening permits to prepare a light, easily digestible pizza. Pizza Man Via dell’Agnolo 105-107/r (near Piazza Santa Croce and the San Pierino Arch)

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36 Florence News

SPORT

FEBRUARY www.florencenews.it

Six Tips to Jog in Florence THOMAS RICCIOTTI

ogging in a crowded city with hardly any sufficient sidewalk space can be frustrating and dangerous. Luckily, Florence offers scenic routes where jogging is safe and enjoyable. Walking in the city center in the morning or evening, you are likely to encounter individuals in their sportswear, especially in parks and along the Arno. Here are six tips to maximize your jogging experience in the capital of art, along with specific routes you can take. 1) To avoid pollution, the best place to run is along the Arno. To avoid pedestrian and vehicular traffic, it is better to jog along the banks of the river and not on the street. The riverbanks can be easily accessed from Lungarno Cellini, on the other side of the Arno just a little outside of the city center. Jogging alongside the Arno River is not only the more “scenic route,” but it provides for excellent views of either the sunrise or sunset. 2) Far from the view of monuments and advisable to avoid pollution is also the Cascine Park with its large, open grassy spaces along the Arno. To get to the park just run along the river from Ponte Vecchio towards the Ponte Santa Trinità; past the bridge, keep on running, you will see an American flag; that is the consulate, keep straight and

you will find the park. The park has many paths that are enjoyable for joggers, and is a respite from the hustle and bustle of the city center. 3) If you head east from of the river, opposite of the Cascine Park, you will come across the paved, treelined parks Parco dell’Albereta and Parco dell’Anconella. These are the favorite spots of Florentine joggers, whose best quality is, similarly to that of the Cascine Park, that the air that is not polluted. The Parco dell'Albereta also has a five-a-side soccer pitch, a volleyball one and a tennis court. 4) If parks are what you’re after to accompany you during your exercise or distract you, the option to get the best view is the Boboli Gardens behind the Pitti Palace. An entry fee must be paid, but the garden is spectacular, especially at sunset. While many tourists come here after visiting the Palazzo Pitti, the park’s beauty offers joggers the possibility of breathing history as they exercise. 5) Another view-option is to start south of the Ponte Vecchio and continue east past Ponte alle Grazie. At the roundabout of Ponte di San Niccolò, turn right and follow the trees along Viale Michelangelo, and continue all the way around Piazzale Michelangelo. Turn right onto Via Galileo to bring you back down to the river and to your start-

ing point. The view is great, but the air that you breathe is not as good as in the parks. However, the pollution factor is soon crossed out by the magnificent view of the historical downtown. Many tourists flock to this piazza to take photos, but jogging in this area only makes it more special. 6) An alternative route offering a

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view starts at the Duomo, heading south along Via dei Calzaiuoli and crossing the Ponte Vecchio until the roundabout at Porta Romana. Turn left onto Via Machiavelli and follow the winding road which turns into Via Galileo. Veer left upon reaching Piazzale Michelangelo and head around the back of the square, following the bends onto Via San Miniato. Head for the

river to get back to your starting point. Not only will you get spectacular views of the city whilst jogging on this route, but you will encounter streets lined with beautiful and majestic trees that are even more scenic during autumn when the leaves start to fall, or in the spring when nature revives again.

FEBRUARY www.florencenews.it

All Food Fiorentina Basket Discover the Florence Basketball Team

Florence News 37

SPORT

Sunday, Feb. 18, the Mandela Forum in Florence will host the best eight Serie A teams, the Major Professional League, which will face on the floor to win the National Cup – Poste Mobile Final Eight 2018. For four days Florence will be the Capital of Italian Pro Basketball and you’ll have the great opportunity to watch Italian and American players’ hoops and slam dunks, and to enjoy an incredible atmosphere. For further information on single games tickets and whole event subscription, visit https:// www.boxofficetoscana.it/event/ postemobile-final-eight-basket/ or h t t p s : // w w w.v i v a t i c k e t . i t // it a/tou r/postemobi le-f inal-eight-2018/819 Upcoming All Food Fiorentina Basket regular season home games:

MARCO BRACCI

oached by former Italian National team player Andrea Niccolai, All Food Fiorentina Basket, an explosive mix of experienced players and rookies, participates in the Italian third national league, Serie B, and stands in the A Conference (Girone A) second-place with a 15W-3L record. This season the team’s goal is to access play-off games and compete with the toughest Italian teams in order to make Florentine basketball great again and be promoted to Serie A2 – the Italian Second National league.

To experience the Florentine basketball atmosphere go to the San Marcellino Arena located on via Chiantigiana, 28 – bus 32 from Piazza San Marco (direction to Antella), info on the bus can be found at www.ataf.net further information can be found at www.fiorentinabasket.it or on team’s official page Facebook page www.facebook. com/fiorentinabasket. Teams rosters, standings and regular season games schedule are available at www.legapallacanestro.com/serie-b. For additional information, news and reports, visit firenzebasketblog.it also available on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. Thursday, Feb. 15 through

LIVE SPORT

Wednesday, Feb. 7, 9.15 p.m.: All Food Fiorentina Basket VS Gessi Valsesia Borgosesia Sunday, Feb. 18, 6 p.m.: All Food Fiorentina Basket VS Super Flavor Milano Sunday, Feb. 25, 6 p.m.: All Food Fiorentina Basket VS Libertas Livorno Sunday, March 25, 6 p.m.: All Food Fiorentina Basket VS Witt-Acqua San Bernardo Alba Sunday, April 15, 6 p.m.: All Food Fiorentina Basket VS LTC San Giorgio su Legnano

Become a Fiorentina Fan

How to get to the stadium: BY SHUTTLE BUS: Bus no. 52 runs services from Piazza Stazione at Santa Maria Novella train station during the two hours preceding the game. The same shuttle runs return services up to an hour after the game finishes. From Rifredi train station take bus no. 54. These buses are usually packed, so if you have a chance to take the earlier one I recommend it. HOW TO GET TICKETS: Stadium tickets typically cost anywhere from €20–70. They can be bought from online retailers or at authorized kiosks. The kiosk near the Piazza della Republica (right off Via Pellicceria) is a common

dealer. The best place to sit in the stadium is on the sideline so that you can see all the action. Sitting behind a goal is not ideal because it is difficult to view the action on the opposite side of the field. However, these seats are usually the cheapest. Make sure that, under no circumstances, you sit in the visitor section. This section is physically barricaded from the rest of the stadium, and the visiting fans who find themselves outside of this designated section are separated from the rest of the crowd by a human shield of security guards. Despite these precautions, tensions can get heated, so prepare for some rowdy scenes. But do not fear; it’s all part of the authentic experience of a Florentine soccer match.

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38 Florence News

CITY GUIDE

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MUSEUMS & MONUMENTS Cappelle Medicee The Old Sacristy, the New Sacristy, with architecture and sculpture by Michelangelo, and the Chapel of the Princes, decorated with inlaid marble and hard stones. P.zza Madonna degli Aldobrandini, 6 Tel: +39.055.294883 Hours: 8.15-17.00 Closed: 2nd, 4th Sunday; 1st, 2nd, 5th Monday of month

Galleria degli Uffizi Open since 1591, the Uffizi hosts one of the most important collections of art of all time, classical sculpture and 13th to 18th century paintings Loggiato degli Uffizi Tel: +39.005.294883 Hours: 8.15-18.50 Closed: Mondays

Palazzo Vecchio Quartieri Monumentali Residence of the Priors, the Signoria and the Medici. Paintings, sculpture, furniture and hangings. Piazza della Signoria Tel: +39.005.2768224 Hours: Sept: 9-24 - Thursdays 9-14 Oct: 9-19 - Thursdays 9-14.

Galleria dell’Accademia Michelangelo’s masterpieces: the David and the Slaves. Sculpture, paintings and casts by various artists. Via Ricasoli, 60 Tel: +39.005.294883 Hours: 8.15-18.50 Closed: Mondays

Museo del Bargello Residence of the Captain of the People, of Justice and ancient prison. Masterpieces of painting and sculpture, plus minor arts. Frescoes by the school of Giotto in the Chapel. Via del Proconsolo, 4 Tel: +39.005.294883 Hours: 8.15-17.00. Closed: 2nd, 4th Sunday; 1st, 3rd, 5th Monday of month.

Battistero di San Giovanni Romanesque temple dedicated to St. John the Baptist, patron saint of the city. Outside, the doors by Ghiberti. Piazza San Giovanni Tel: +39.055.2302885 Hours: 11.15-18.30 - Sundays, 1st Saturday of month 8.30-13.30.

Campanile di Giotto Famous bell tower, a masterpiece of Gothic architecture by Giotto, built between 1334 and 1359. Piazza del Duomo Tel: +39.055.2302885 Hours: 8.30-18.50. Closed: Easter.

Galleria d’Arte Moderna Paintings and sculptures related to the art in Tuscany from the late 18th century to the period between the two world wars. Temporary shows of contemporary art. Piazza Pitti Tel: +39.055 294883 Hours: 8.15-18.50. Closed: Mondays.Fri, Sat, Sun 9.00 18.00. Thur 9.00 - 14.00.

Cupola di Brunelleschi The masterpiece of Brunelleschi. Frescoes of the Last Judgement by Federico Zuccari. Suggestive itinerary to the top of the dome with breathtaking views over the city. Piazza del Duomo Tel: +39.005.2302885 Hours: 8.30-18.20 - Saturdays 8.3017.00pm. Closed: Sundays and Easter day.

Museo delle Porcellane

Galleria Palatina e Appartamenti Reali

Collections of porcelain from reigning royal families.

The Palatine Gallery occupies the whole left wing of the first floor of the Pitti Palace, which was the residence of the Medici grand-dukes. In 1828, when Tuscany came under the rule of the Lorraine, the most important paintings in the Palace, most of which had been collected by the Medici.

Palazziana del Cavaliere, Boboli Gardens, Piazza Pitti, 1 Tel: +39.055.294883 Hours:8.15-18.30 Closed: 1st and last Monday of month

Museo degli Argenti Summer apartments of the Grand Dukes. It contains vases in hard stone that belonged to Lorenzo the Magnificent, and the jewellery that belonged to the Electress Palatine.

Piazza Pitti Tel: +39.055.294883 Hours: 8.15-18.50 Closed: Mondays

Giardino Bardini These beautiful gardens, recently restored, contain many rare plants and specialised areas, such as Italian and English gardens, as well as a fine Baroque staircase, statues, fountains, a small amphitheater and panoramic views. Entrances: Via dei Bardi, 1 r and Boboli Gardens. Info and reservations: Tel: +39.055.294883 Hours: 8.15-18.30 Closed: 1st and last Monday of month.

Piazza Pitti Tel: +39.055.294883 Hours: 8.15-18.30 Closed: 1st and last Monday of month.

Museo Novecento Italian art of the 20th century, in a journey backwards from the Nineties to the first decades of the century. Piazza Santa Maria Novella Tel: +39.055 286132 Hours: Oct to March- Mon, Tue, Wed, Fri, Sat, Sun 9.00 - 18.00. Thur 9.00 14.00.

A Passion for Vinyl

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tepping into Data Records 93 on Via de’ Neri feels a little like being transported to another age, with its pink-and-purple psychedelic interior and thousands of CDs and vinyl records lining the walls. Today the shop remains a haven for music lovers and collectors of rare records alike. Its collection of valuable and eclectic records means that Data Records 93 ships all over the world, and receives visits from DJs from Milan, Paris and London, all looking for uncommon records and enticed by this small shop’s impressive reputation and vast collection. Via dei Neri, 15/r www.superecords.com Get a 20% discount showing this article

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Books, notebooks and photo albums in artisan-worked leather with handmade paper; A large selection of writing instruments from top Italian brands, including fountain, roller and ballpoint pens; Hand-painted wooden boxes and photo frames portraying details from Florentine monuments.

Open: Mon–Sat: 10 a.m.–7:30 p.m.; Sun: 11 a.m.–7 p.m.

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Lunar New Year

From Feb. 3 to March 4 Barberino Designer Outlet will celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year. In all Florentine Hotels flyers will be delivered to invite visitors from Asia to visit the Barberino Outlet and receive a special shopping tote bag. All Asian guests showing the flyer or e-invite downloaded from Wechat or Asian Social Network will be welcomed to the Guest Service Office to claim a dedicated Tote Bag as a special wish from Barberino Designer Outlet and a red packet which includes a 10% off daily Fashion Passport (not valid on products on sales and not comulative). The gift is while stocks last and for one person only. Guests from China and Asia will be invited to share a picture of themselves close to the Lunar New Year Installation at the Guest Service Office in the center on WEIBO to win a prize.

BOOK NOW! booking@keysofflorence.com +39 324 075 6714 More info and tours: www.keysofflorence.com

Firenze Card The Firenzecard is a way for tourists and locals alike to visit the countless museums the city has to offer. For 72€, the card includes the cost of entrance, the ticket for the exhibition, and the reservation for all the museums of the Firenzecard Circuit.The card lasts 72 hours after it is activated. Activation occurs when the card is used for the first time at a museum. Cardholders do not need to make any reservation with Firenzecard because it includes, in its price, the reservation for all the museums. With Firenzecard, cardholders can visit the museums when they choose and can access to the museums through the reserved entrance. Firenzecard can be used at 67 museums, but it can only be used once per museum. The card cannot be shared or transferred. For more information on the card or to purchase one, visit www.firenzecard.it

Florence News 39

CITY GUIDE

Your Private Concierge

TOURIST INFORMATION SOS

EMERGENCIES

Emergency Phone Number: 113 Ambulance Service: 118 Carabinieri (National Military Police): 112 Environmental Emergency: 1515 Fire Department: 115

+ HEALTH SERVICES Piazza Duomo: 055 212221 Open Pharmacies: 800 420707 Veterinary Services: 055 7223683 Poison Center: 055 7947819

LAW ENFORCEMENT Railway Police: 055 211012 Florence Municipal Police: 055 3283333 Local National Police Force: 055 49771 Fire and Rescue Service: 055 24901

BUSES Ataf: 6 a.m.-9 p.m. : 800424500 Li-nea: Bus info, 055 7355742 FBUSITALIA: SITA NORD: www.fsbusitalia. it, 800 373760

WINE ON TAP IN SANTO SPIRITO Bring your bottles and fill them directly from the barrels of Il Santo Vino, starting at less than €1.50. Patrons can choose from a gamut of Italian wines alongside selected local specialty and organic products

Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday: 10 a.m.–2 p.m.; 5–9 p.m. Borgo Tegolaio, 46/r Tel. 055 53 87 122 , 345 90 93 425 www.ilsantovino.it Facebook: Il Santo Vino

TOURIST INFO POINTS

Via Cavour, 1r - 055 290833 Vespucci Airport - 055 315874 Piazza del Duomo - 055 215440 Piazza Stazione, 4 - 055 212245

ON THE ROAD Roadside Assistance for Foreigners: 800 116800 Obstruction, theft, and towed vehicles: 055 4224142

AIRPORTS A Vespucci, Firenze Peretola: www.aeroporto.firenze.it/en 055 3061300 Lost and found: 055 3061302 G. Galilei, Pisa: www.pisa-airport.com 050 849300 Lost and found: 050 849400

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055 4242 Night Taxi only for Women Service from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m.: 334-66 22 550 (WhatsApp or SMS)

NEW GYM NEAR SANTA MARIA NOVELLA Brand new gym in the heart of Florence is now open. • Fully outfitted with the latest cardio & strength equipment from Technogym • Offering a wide array of classes ranging from Zumba to Pilates, every week • All-inclusive memberships with no sign-up fees • Special pricing for students • Friendly English-speaking staff • Free wi-fi Mon. to Fri.: 8 a.m.-10 p.m, Saturday: 10 a.m.-6 p.m, Sunday: 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Via dei Fossi, 56/r 055 23 96 497