FLORENCE NEWS SUMMER EDITION 2016 by FN

Florence News SUMMER EDITION 2016, N 0 6 www.florencenews.it

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Florence News

NEWS lorence News is distributed throughout Florence in all key reference points for the Englishspeaking community, including hotels and hostels, universities and language schools, libraries, tourist information points, restaurants and cafes. Free copy. Price 10c.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Lorenzo Picchi GR APHIC & L AYOUT DESIGN: Narine Nalbandyan Ekaterina Chebotareva CONTRIBUTORS: Thomas Ricciotti, Jenna Mrocko, Hannah Jolly, Avani Kapur, Christine De Melo, Evi Fuelle, Amber Brown, Will Hainsworth, Ezgi Ozcan.

WILL HAINSWORTH

he Bargello and the Medici Chapels museums are offering guided tours conducted by English and Italian speaking academics throughout the whole summer. Guided tours are available on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. The English speaking tours are scheduled at 3 p.m., whilst the

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Bargello and Medici Chapels Museums Offer Guided Tours

Italian tours at 4 p.m.. Admission is free as long you have a ticket to the museum itself, all you need to do is turn up on one of the allotted days. Bargello Tours in July include: ‘Stone and water forms: decorative sculptures for fountains’ (July 7, 15, 23) ; ‘Ivories, enamels and metals.

Treasures from the collections’ (July 8, 16, 28); ‘types and forms of the portrait in the 15th and 16th Century’ (July 9, 21, 29); and ‘The Art of War. Weapons and Armour’ (July 14, 22, 30). The Medici Chapel tours include ‘The chapel of the principles and technical salesman in semi-precious stones’ (July 1, 7, 9, 15, 21, 23, 29 - Thursday tours start at 6pm); ‘The New Sacristy by Michelangelo: perfect synthesis of architecture and sculpture’ (July 2, 8, 14, 16, 22, 28, 30 - Thursday tours start at 6pm). Situated on the corner of Via del Proconsolo and Via Ghibellina, the Bargello stands as one of the oldest buildings in Florence, dating back to 1255. Its sumptuous main hall is home to the effeminate symbol of Florentine freedom: Donatello’s David. David became an adopted mascot to Florence when the people exiled de facto rulers the Medici in the late 15th Century. The new Florentine republic subsequently repelled the family’s belligerent attempts, orchestrated from the powerful Rome, to take back control of the city. The Florentines wanted a republic and their small state briefly achieved it through courage against the odds. A stunning depiction of the infamous underdog cast in bronze, the his sculpture exudes renaissance class

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and virtuosity. His elegant contrapposto stance and pronounced hips draw attention to his nudity which is further emphasized by his choice of attire: a hat and a pair

of boots. Its nudity is not just a nod to antiquity, but is symbolic of Florentine bravery and their desire to excel through artistic means. The Medici Chapel is located on Piazza di Madonna degli Aldobrandini and is part of a monumental complex developed over almost two centuries in close connection with the adjoining church of San Lorenzo, the “official” church of the Medici family who lived in the neighbouring palace on Via Larga

(it is now known as the Medici-Riccardi Palace). The decision by the Medici to build a family mausoleum in this church dates to the 14th century (Giovanni di Bicci and his wife Piccarda were buried in the Old Sacristy, on a project designed by Brunelleschi). The project of building a proper family mausoleum was conceived in 1520, when Michelangelo began work on the New Sacristy upon the request of Cardinal Giulio de Medici, the future Pope Clement VII, who expressed a desire to erect the mausoleum for some members of his family: Lorenzo the Magnificent and his brother Giuliano; Lorenzo, Duke of Urbino; and Giuliano, Duke of Nemours. After completing the architectural works in 1524, Michelangelo worked until 1533 on the sculptures and the sarcophagi that were to be featured on the chapel walls. The only ones actually completed were the statues of Lorenzo, the Duke of Urbino; Giuliano, the Duke of Nemours; the four statues of the allegories of Day and Night, and Dawn and Dusk; and the group representing the Madonna and Child; they are flanked by statues of Saints Cosma and Damian (protectors of the Medici), executed respectively by Montorsoli and Baccio da Montelupo, both of whom were pupils of Michelangelo.

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Piazzale Michelangelo and Other Sites to Be Restyled

San Niccolò Tower Open to Public T

he San Niccolò Tower is open to public until Sept. 30. Daily guided visits in English, French, Spanish and Italian are also possible from 5 to 7 p.m.. The San Niccolò tower was reopened for the first time in 2011 after a long restoration and tells an important part of the history of Florence. It was built towards the end of the XIII century together with the walls surrounding

Florence designed by Arnolfo di Cambio to make the city safer. The doors, including that of San Niccolò, were coinceived to regulate the access from inside the city and to spot potential enemies attacking Florence. When in the 19th century the walls were knocked down, the doors remained erected until today. To book a guided visit call 055-2768224 or 055-2768558, or email to info@muse.firenze.fi.it.

Museums Extend Opening Hours T

he Florence City Council has recently approved a plan to restore the Piazzale Michelangelo, the surrounding area, and other areas in the city. The plan, which will cost 5 million Euro (of which one provided by the hotel chain Starhotels), includes interventions to restore the monumental parts of the area and the improvement of the square. The restoration works have already begun on the side of the lodge. They will continue in the fall on the side of the terrace to recover the balustrades. Other works approved include the maintenance and the security of several

properties and artistic heritages. Among the interventions that will affect the safety of the ramparts and outer walls of the Forte Belvedere, for an estimated cost of 300 thousand Euros; the facade of the San Giovannino degli Scolopi Church on Via Cavour (300 thousand Euros); the restoring of the covering of the Palagio di Parte Guelfa (300 thousand Euros); the improvement of the facade of the Bardini Museum on Via San Niccolò ( 300 thousand Euros); the library of the Stibbert Museum and the covering of the Marini Museum. Other works include the

maintenances of palaces and villas (among which are the Villa di Rusciano, the Villa Pozzolini and the Vialla Arrivabene), of churches and convents (coverings, fixtures, infiltration, internal adjustmentfor a total of 120 thousand Euros). Lastly, the monumental statues of Pothos, Hermes, Apollo and Bacchus, are again on display after a one-year restoration at the Salone dei Cinquecento in Palazzo Vecchio. The statues, which date back from I-II century AD, will be part of an exhibition titled Ancient Marbles in Palazzo Vecchio on display until Oct. 2.

he three most important Florentine museums are extending their opening hours until October. The Bargello Museum will extend its hours every Thursday from 5 to 8 p.m. until June 30 and again from Aug. 1 to Oct. 1, while

the Museum of the Medici Chapels and the Palazzo Davanzati Museum will extend their hours on Thursdays in July from 5 to 8 p.m. The Accademia Museum and the Uffizi will extend their hours every Tuesday until 10 p.m. until Sept. 27.

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One Year in Art

Uffizi Releases Program of Exhibits for 2016 The museum complex Uffizi Gelleries, recently born following the reform implemented by Italian Culture Minister Dario Franceschini, released last month the program for the exhibits at the Uffizi Gallery, Palazzo Pitti and the Boboli Gardens for 2016. The exhibits presented by the museum complex directed by Eike Schmidt are nine. A tenth exhibit, realized in conjunction with the Pitt Immagine Discovery Foundation, will be announced later on this year.

♦“ Fece di scoltura di legname e colorì”. 15th Century Painted Wood Sculpture in Florence Curated by Alfredo Bellandi Uffizi, March 21 - Aug. 28

proximity of so many art workshops, meeting points of artists of all kind, particularly sculptors, painters and architects, was essential in determining the trends of the artists and in shaping the art of that period.

In exchange for two artworks by Pontormo, the Palatine Gallery will receive from the Frankfurt Städel Museum the Polittico of Adam Elsheimer's Santa Croce. The altarpiece, which was part of the collection of Cosimo II de' Medici, will be exposed together with a didactic kit realized on the base of archive documents illustrating its history, dispersion and recomposition.

♦ Buffoons, Villains, and Players at the Medici Court Curated by Anna Bisceglia, Matteo Ceriana and Simona Mammana Palazzo Pitti, Galleria Palatina, May 9 - Sept. 4

♦ Guests at Palazzo Pitti: The Polittico of Adam Elsheimer's Santa Croce Curated by Matteo Ceriana and Anna Bisceglia Palazzo Pitti, Galleria Palatina, April - July

Throughout the first half of the 15th century, wood, marble or faience painted sculpture represented the artistic primacy of sculpture. This exhibit aims to investigate, through about 50 pieces, painted wood sculpture in the 15th century Florence, a city where the

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About 30 artworks from the 17th and the 18th centuries, prevalently from the Palatine Gallery, will illustrate the bizarre characters that were animating life in the courts of the Medici, representing themes considered low or without decorum. Marginal, less important characters such as buffoons, ignorant

SUMMER EDITION www.florencenews.it and grotesque peasants or villains, dwarfs and players of licit or illicit games alike will become protagonists, in such a way that the exhibition will explore an aspect of life often neglected by the official iconography.

Curated by Valentina Conticelli, Riccardo Gennaioli and Fabrizio Paolucci Palazzo Pitti, Museo degli Argenti, June 21-Nov. 2

♦ An eye on the twentieth century. Drawings by Italian artists between the two World Wars Curated by Marzia Faietti and Giorgio Marini Uffizi, Department of Print and Drawings, May 17 - Sept. 4 37 between drawings and prints, many of which never previously exposed, made in the first 30 years of the last century and representing figures, portraits, self-portraits all characterized by deep expressiveness, will reveal the complexity and the approaching dramatic facts that took place in the first part of the 20th century. Among the authors showcased will be Jacques Villon, Alberto Giacometti, Anders Zorn, Ram e Thayat, Giovanni Costetti, Giuseppe Lunardi, Pietro Bugiani, Kurt Craemer, Primo Conti, Giuseppe Lanza del Vasto, Marino Marini.

♦ Minimum Splendid. Small, Precious Sculptures in the Medici Collections: From Francesco I de' Medici's Tribune to the Grand Ducal Treasure

At the Uffizi Galleries is stored up one of the most important existing collection of an extremely rare sector of glyptic art: the small sculptures made of hard stone that were produced for the most part in the Hellenistic and Roman periods, whose technique went lost in the Middle-Ages to be rediscovered in the Renaissance period. The exhibit, the first one ever dedicated to this kind of production, will showcase all the micro sculptures of the Medici collection together with others made of plastic in precious materials to highlight their technical and stylistic characteristics.

♦ Discoveries and Massacres. Ardengo Soffici and Impressionism in Florence Curated by Vincenzo Farinella and Nadia Marchioni Uffizi, Sept. 26 - Jan. 8 (2017)

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The first monographic exhibit ever dedicated to painter and art critic Ardengo Soffici (1879-1964) will showcase, alongside those of Soffici, works by Segantini, Cezanne, Renoir, Picasso, Degas, Medardo Rosso, De Chirico, Carrà, with the aim to explore one the most prolific interpretations of the origins of a kind of art, the contemporary one, characterized by revolutionizing “discoveries” and dramatic “Massacres.”

♦ The Revenge of Color Against Line. Venetian Drawings from the Ashmolean Museum and the Uffizi Gallery Curated by Marzia Faietti, Giorgio Marini and Catherine Whistler Uffizi, Department of Print and Drawings, Oct. 18 - Jan. 8 (2017)

The exhibit will highlight the developments in the practice of drawing in Venice and in the Veneto region that occurred from the period of artists such as Tiziano, Veronese and Tintoretto to that of Canaletto when the figurative production became particularly influenced by the artistic workshops of Venice and other cities. The aim is that of understanding the ways of expression of Venetian drawing by confronting works from the Department of Print and Drawing of the Uffizi Gallery and the Ashmolean Museum of the Oxoford University.

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The exhibit presents 80 of the over 200 clocks stored at Palazzo Pitti made in the period from the 18th to the 19th century, chosen for their artistic and scientific value.

♦ The Four Continents. Florentine Tapestry Cartoons by Giovanni Camillo Sagrestani Curated by Caterina Chiarelli and Daniele Rapino Palazzo Pitti, Galleria Palatina, Sept. 27 - Jan. 8 (2017)

♦ Real Time and Time of Reality. The Clocks at Palazzo Pitti from the XVIII to the XX Century Curated by Simonella Condemi and Enrico Colle Palazzo Pitti, Gallery of Modern Art, Sept. 13 - Jan. 8 (2017)

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

The exhibit will showcase four magnificent tapestry cartoons from the third decade of the 18th century made by painter Giovanni Camillo Sagrestani. The cartoons represent the four continents on the base of the interpretation, often characterized by fantasy, of the cultural and historical identities of the world that was prevalent in the beginning of the 18th century.

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The Wheel Still Turns

Istituto degli Innocenti inaugurates museum

THOMAS RICCIOTTI

ore and renewed exhibition spaces, new services and activities, and a winning formula: merging art, architecture, and a unique history of childhood. The new Museum of the Istituto degli Innocenti was inaugurated last month providing Florence with the opportunity to better tell its most charitable story, that of the first secular institution dedicated to taking in children. The new museum has a space of 1456 squares meters placed on three levels, plus 1655 squares meters for events and educational activities, includins artistic labs for children and families and a specialized bookshop for children. The ground floor tells the architectonic path telling the evolution of the ancient institute through

the many restorations that the institute had over the centuries, which also reflect the evolution of the functions of the institute. On the second floor, the Gallery hosts about 80 important artworks from artists such as Sandro Botticelli, Domenico Ghirlandaio, Bartolomeo di Giovanni, Piero di Cosimo, Neri di Bicci, Luca and Andrea della Robbia and Giovanni Biondo. On the third level, the fiftienth terrace, open to anyone and not just to the museum’s visitors, hosts a literay cafè. The history of the Istituto is quite interesting itself and is wothy to be, even briefly, told. For centuries women sat alone, keeping watch by the window, waiting to hear a baby cry. All day and all night, the women of the Instituto degli Innocenti took turns keeping watch, waiting. The sound of the cry and the turn of the wheel

would announce the arrival of a new guest at the institute, another child to be welcomed inside the walls of an institute that has been a home for hundreds of abandoned children. For almost eight centuries the Istituto degli Innocenti has been dedicated to protecting the children of Florence. While the institute is no longer an orphanage for abandoned children, it carries on a similar mission inside the same walls and courtyards that has been a home for children throughout the city’s history. In response to demands from the community, the Florentine Repub- lic named the Guild of Silkworkers the caretakers of the city’s lost children in 1294. Mothers who had bore children out of wedlock and did not have the means or ability to support them, left their children in the care of the guild. The guild worked for more than 100 years before they

SUMMER EDITION www.florencenews.it turned to Filippo Brunelleschi and asked him to design a building for their children. Brunelleschi, the same architect that designed the dome of the Basilica di Santa Maria Novella, began oversee- ing construction of the Instituto degli Innocenti in 1419. A true symbol of the Renaissance, the first column of Brunelleschi’s mini city for the children was raised on Jan 21, 1421. The new completed institute welcomed its first child, a girl named Agata Smeralda, at 1pm on Feb 5, 1445. That first year in the institute, the guild welcomed 90 babies into their care. For more than 200 years, children were placed in a small holy water basin under a window on the ride side of the institute where a woman sat on watch, waiting to hear a baby’s cry. Then, in 1660, a large stone wheel was placed on the left side of the building and the mother would then turn the wheel, sending the child into the care of the institute. Mothers placing children the wheel was supposed to remove

FROM

KANDINSKY TO POLLOK The Art of the Guggenheim Collections

KEVIN REID

Exhibit at Palazzo Strozzi until July 24 KEVIN REID

alazzo Strozzi is presenting the exhibition From Kandinsky to Pollock. The Art of the Guggenheim Collections from March 19 until July 24. Displaying over 100 works of 20th century American and European artists, the exhibit reconstructs the relationship and the ties between the two sides of the Atlantic through the lives of two leading American collectors, Peggy and Solomon Guggenheim. From Kandinsky to Pollock tells the

story of the birth of the Neo-AvantGarde movements after World War II in a tight and uninterrupted interplay between European and American artists. Visitors will have the opportuni-

ty to compare and contrast the production of European masters of modern art such as Marcel Duchamp, Max Ernst, Man Ray and Pablo Picasso, Alberto Burri, Emilio Vedova, Jean Dubuffet, Lu-

The exhibition tells the story of the birth of the Neo-Avant-Garde movements after World War II in a tight and uninterrupted interplay between European and American artists.

cio Fontana, with that of some of the most important personalities on the American scene of the same period: Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, Willem de Kooning, Alexander Calder, Roy Lichtenstein and Cy Twombly. The event has a particular importance for Florence in general and for Palazzo Strozzi in particular, as it celebrates and reinforces the tie between the Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation in New York. It was in fact in the Palazzo Strozzi’s Strozzina undercroft that,

some of the shame from the act of having to leave behind one’s child because they could not care for it. The women of the Istituto degli Inno- centi cared for the orphans and edu- cated them. Wet nurses, mostly from outside of the institute, first cared for the children and then farmers were paid to adopt and raise many of the young boys. Of the young children that remained in the institute’s care, many of the children, particularly the girls, grew up to marry, enter a life of service to the church, or stayed to serve the institute by helping the children that came in after them. The women of the institute helped the abandoned children find legal guardians, but also began providing women’s services for those who needed help in caring for their children. This routine went uninterrupted until the changing times, traditions, and norms of Florence culture called for an adaptation in the goals of the institute. Up until last month, when a museum was inaugurated.

in February 1949, Peggy Guggenheim showed the collection that later found a permanent home in Venice. The paintings, sculptures, engravings and photographs on display, on loan from the Guggenheim collections in New York and Venice and from other leading international museums, paint a vast fresco of the extraordinarily heady season of 20th century art in which Peggy and Solomon Guggenheim played a key role. The display will be held in the palazzo’s Piano Nobile and in the Strozzina area. It will be open daily from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. with special closing hours on Thursdays at 11 p.m. Guided tours will also be available. The entrance fee for the exhibition is €12.

From Kandinsky to Pollock. The Art of the Guggenheim Collections Palazzo Strozzi, March 19 to July 24 TICKETS Full price €12 Concessions and groups €9.50 and €4 Advance sale charge per ticket (excluding schools) is €1 To make a reservation for groups and schools please contact: Sigma CSC Monday to Friday 9 a.m.-1 p.m. / 2 - 6 p.m. Tel: +39 055 2469600 prenotazioni@palazzostrozzi.org

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“Jan Fabre. Spiritual Guards”

Exhibit on display at Piazza della Signoria, Palazzo Vecchio and Forte Belvedere until Oct. 2

he exhibition Jan Fabre. Spiritual Guards will be on display at Piazza della Signoria and Palazzo Vecchio from April 15 to Oct. 2, and at the Forte Belvedere from May 14 to Oct. 2. With three such locations, the exhibit is one of the most complex and multifaceted that the Flemish artist has ever produced in Italy. It is also the first time that a living artist will be expounding his art in three venues of outstanding historical and artistic importance at once. About 100 pieces produced from 1978 to 2016 will be showcased, including bronze and wax sculptures, performance films and works made of wing cases of the jewel scarab. The opening will take place on the morning of April 15, when

two bronze sculpture specifically produced for this exhibit will be exposed and presented by Fabre himself in Piazza della Signoria. The first, large sculpture is entitled Searching for Utopia and will interact with the equestrian monument to Grand Duke Cosimo I, a Renaissance masterpiece by Giambologna. The second, called The man who measures the clouds (American version, 18 years older), will stand on the Arengario outside Palazzo Vecchio between the copies of Michelangelo's David and Donatello's Judith. Both works identify the artist as knight and guardian, as a mediator between heaven and earth and between natural and spiritual forces. Opposite to the art of Piazza della Signoria, which exalts political

and financial power with its marble giants (the David, Hercules and Neptune) and its biblical, mythological and local figures (Judith, Perseus and the Marzocco Lion of Florence), Fabre's work embodies the power of imagination and the mission of the artist as “spiritual guard.” Fabre refers to the human body, its fragility, and its possible defense. His art is conceived in the name of beauty, as an ‘exercise’ in which we all celebrate life as a preparation for death, while his fascination with the human body and for science dates back to his youth, a period from which, influenced by the research entomologist Jean-Henri Fabre (1823-1915), the Belgian artist’s favorite activity was to examine the insects and other animals by dissecting their bodies and

turning them into new creatures. In his conception of metamorphosis, the existence of man and animals interact continuously, the creation of various types of bodies in their transformations being dictated by the natural cycle of growth and decay. The works on display at Palazzo Vecchio include a 2.5 metres in diameter globe, totally clad in iridescent beetle wing cases, which will be interacting with the globe in the Sala delle Mappe geografiche made by Ignazio Danti in the 16th century. The exhibition at the Forte Belvedere will be inaugurated on May 14. On showcase will be about sixty works of art in bronze and in wax, along with a series of films focusing on some of the artist's historic performances. The fortress served to defend Flor-

ence from outside attack but to protect the Medici family in troubled times, thus being a stronghold for both external and internal defense. This suggests a journey through the life, the ambitions and the woes of the powerful Medici lords and alluding to opposing human perceptions and sensations such as control and abandonment, but also to opposing needs and desires such as armed protection and spiritual elan, so deep and so deep-rooted as to influence the form of architecture and the configuration of natural space. Next to the exhibition at Forte Belvedere, from May 13 until the end of July the contemporary art gallery Il Ponte is presenting a series of works by Jon Fabre. The gallery is located in Via di Mezzo 42.

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Palazzo Strozzi Presents The Columbia Threadneedle Prize

he Strozzina area of Palazzo Strozzi will be hosting The Columbia Threadneedle Prize 2016 @ Palazzo Strozzi from 1 to 24 July 2016. The exhibition is designed to trigger a debate on contemporary figurative art in the work of 46 international artists selected to mark the prestigious European award known as the Columbia Threadneedle Prize. Over 40 works of art including paintings, drawings and engravings will probe the relationship between art and figuration today, while at the same time taking a fresh look at such traditional genres as portrait painting, landscape painting and still-life. Addressing such a theme inevitably means reflecting on the intrinsic value of the artistic image, play-

CULTURAL & ART TOURS

ing realism off against the abstract and fostering an in-depth debate on our society today as it sinks beneath the weight of an ever increasing number of images disseminated via the new digital communication media. While some of the artists on showcase such as Nicholas Holmes, Coll McDonnell and Stephen Read focus on chance, everyday issues and topics from daily life, exploring and extolling the theme of looking in painting, others such as Lewis Hazelwood-Horner, Nicola Bealing and Laura Smith appear to want to rethink the role of painting as a metaphorical tool of the present, at times in a totally dreamlike vein and at others in a profoundly realistic manner. Palazzo Strozzi is the first Italian venue to host this

WALKING TOURS

Uffizi Hosts Painted Wooden Sculptures

prestigious exhibition and the second venue to host the 8th edition of the Columbia Threadneedle Prize, an award devised and sponsored by The Columbia Threadneedle Investments, a leading global assest manager, as part of the support of the company to the arts. The exhibition was in fact first held at The Mall Galleries in London from Feb. 3 to Feb. 20. The Columbia Threadneedle Prize is selected by an illustrious international panel which includes journalist Emma Crichton-Miller; artist, writer and photographer David Dawson; Tim Knox, Director of the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge; Lewis McNaught, Director of Mall Galleries in London; and Arturo Galansino, Director General of the Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi in Florence.

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ALLEN VANDERSANDEN

he Uffizi Gallery will be hosting an exhibition exploring the story of the painted wooden sculpture throughout the fifteenth century in Florence, from the late Middle Ages to the early Renaissance. The exhibit, which from March 21 to Aug. 28, will display more than 40 painted sculptures by various artists of the period.

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During the 15th century, painted sculpture was a medium of prime artistic expression, and a very important medium for artists as it displayed a new naturalism in the theme of the suffering body on the cross. The painted wood crucifixes such as those by Donatello and Brunelleschi became an inspiration for later artists. In addition to crucifixes are also carved statues of the Madonna and saints that served for the decoration of churces. The Collaborations between sculptors and painters to create such works were common in the 400’s, and in the last quarter of the 15th century some great family-run shops, due to the stress of the demands of the market, specialized in the creation of crucifixes for churches and private worship. This kind of production became predominant among exponents of the highest Florentine woodcraft tradition. The exhibition will also investigate the presence of foreign artists of this trade such as for example John the Teutonic, creator of several works in Florence including a crucifix in the Sant’Jacopo Soprarno church. Opening hours are Tuesday-Sunday, 8:15- 18:50. Tickets are available online or at the Uffizi ticket office.

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A Museum for Leonardo Exhibit showcases working models of da Vinci’s designs

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A Glance into the 20th Century

Portraits and self-portraits of the period between the two world wars on display

he exhibit presents working models of Leonardo’s designs that the Niccolai family has been reconstructing since 1995, when Carlo Niccolai dedicated himself to the work full-time in a desire to realise Leonardo’s legacy. His passion founded the Niccolai Collection, the largest private collection of Leonardo models in the world, comprising more than 300 working models created by himself and his sons, together with a team of artisans, engineers, historians and architects. The models have been displayed at more than 100 international exhibitions throughout Europe and as far afield as Australia, New Zea-

land, China, the US, Brazil, Saudi Arabia and Finland. The exhibit also displays copies of six codices, in which the visitor can view the sketches that reveal the workings of the great man’s mind. The Niccolai family has been widely praised for its ongoing devotion to realising the vast inheritance that Leonardo left to science.

Le Macchine di Leonardo da Vinci Via Cavour 21 www.macchinedileonardo.com

he exhibition Sguardi sul Novecento. Disegni di Artisti Italiani tra le due Guerre (Glances into the 20th century. Drawings of Italian Artists Between the Two Wars) is on display until Sept. 4 at the Department of Drawings and Prints of the Uffizi Gallery. The showcase can be seen during the same opening hours of the Uffizi, from Tuesday to Sunday from 8:15 a.m. to 6:50 p.m. The 37 portraits and self-portraits on display include prints and drawings, mostly unknown to the public, created in the first 30 years of the 20th century and are part of a selection of works donated or purchased by the Department of Drawings and Prints between 2004 and 2015, with the exception of one work that was donated in 1986. Portraits create a game of double glances: that between the artist on his subject, and that between the latter on the observer. “The invention of photography, the new languages of the abstract art of the vanguardist and of the human tragedies of the 19th century have fundamentally transformed the portraiture of the XX century. The works of this exhibit, on paper and thus more delicate, are among the less known of the Uffizi collection, the most ancient and the rich-

Giovanni Costetti, Portrait of Giuseppe Lanza del Vasto

est collection of portraits in the world,” said director of the Uffizi Galleries Eike Schmidt. The interpretative cut suggests paths that investigate the different ways of art in the short and intense decades between the beginning of the century and the outbreak of World War II, especially in Tuscany, between realism, vanguards and rootings in the local figurative tradition. The leitmotif of the exhibit

is the reaffirmation of individuality in a rapidly evolving modernity that constantly redefines the link between the single person and collectivity. “The particular key of interpretation used for this exhibit intends to valorize the constant aspiration to modernity, if not even to the contemporary, of the graphic collection of the Uffizi which began with the very first works collected by the Medicis. The chronological choice of the works of the 20th century is motivated by the historical consistency of that century, left behind not long ago, with the dramatic facts of its first half having left indelible traces in both the collective and the individual memory,” said curator of the Department of Drawings and Prints of the Uffizi Marzia Faietti.

Sguardi sul Novecento Department of Drawings and Prints of the Uffizi Until Sept. 4 Tuesday-Sunday 8:15 a.m.-6:50 p.m.

City Guide MUSEUMS & MONUMENTS Galleria dell’Accademia

Galleria Palatina e Appartamenti Reali

Michelangelo’s masterpieces: the David and the Slaves. Sculpture, paintings and casts by various artists.

Cappelle Medicee

Via Ricasoli, 60 Tel: +39.005.294883 Hours: 8.15-18.50 Closed: Mondays

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.

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.

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

Palazzo Vecchio Quartieri Monumentali

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, on an area covering about 8.000 sq.m.

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

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.

Campanile di Giotto Famous bell tower, a masterpiece of Gothic architecture by Giotto, built between 1334 and 1359.

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.

Piazza del Duomo Tel: +39.055.2302885 Hours: 8.30-18.50. Closed: Easter.

Loggiato degli Uffizi Tel: +39.005.294883 Hours: 8.15-18.50 Closed: Mondays

Museo delle Porcellane Collections of porcelain from reigning royal families. Palazziana del Cavaliere, Boboli Gardens, Piazza Pitti, 1 Tel: +39.055.294883 Hours:8.15-18.30 Closed: 1st and last Monday of month

Galleria d’Arte Moderna

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.

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.

Galleria del Costume Museum on the history of costume. Palazzina della Meridiana, Boboli Gardens. Pitti Palace 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.

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.

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.

Museo degli Argenti

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.

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: 8.15-18.30 Closed: 1st and last Monday of month.

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.

CHURCHES

TOURIST INFORMATION

Santa Maria Novella

SOS

Gothic, started in 1246, completed in 1360.

Santa Maria del Fiore

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

Piazza Santa Maria Novella Tel: 055 210113 Hours: 9.00-17.30, Fri 11.00-17.30, Sun and Holidays 13.00-17.00 Sunday Mass: 8.30, 10.30, 12.00, 18.00

+ HEALTH SERVICES

Gothic, started by Arnolfo di Cambio (1296). Dome (Brunelleschi), works by A. del Castagno, P. Uccello, B. da Maiano, G. Vasari, Michelangelo, Della Robbia, and others.

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

Piazza San Giovanni Tel: 055 2302885 Hours: 10.00-16.30, Saturdays 10.00-16.45, Sundays and Holidays 13.30-16.45 Sunday Mass: 7.30, 9.00, 10.30, 12.00, 18.00

San Marco

Santa Croce Gothic, built in 1294, attributed to Arnolfo di Cambio; Pulpit by Benedetto de Maiano; frescoes in Bardi and Peruzzi Chapels (Giotto); Annunciation (Donatello); Pazzi Chapel (Brunelleschi).

Expanded in 1437 by Michelozzo. Hosts a large crucifix by the school of Orcagna, the “Transfiguration” by Giovan Battista Paggi, the precious altar crucifix by Fra Angelico, Passignano, and Giambologna’s works and decorations of Alessandro Allori. Piazza San Marco Tel: 055 2396950 Hours: 9.30-19.00 Sunday Mass: 10.30, 11.30, 12.30, 18.30

Piazza Santa Croce, 16 Tel: 055 2466105 Hours: 9.30-17.00, Sun and Holidays 14.00-17.00 Sunday Mass: 9.30, 11.00, 12.00, 18.00

Santo Spirito Gothic, rebuilt in 1444 by Brunelleschi; Bell tower (Baccio d’Agnolo), Vestibule, Sacresty, Last supper of S. Spirito frescoed by Orcagna.

San Lorenzo

Piazza del Mercato Centrale 7a.m. to 2p.m. Monday to Saturday

Santo Spirito Daily food market 8a.m. to 2p.m. Monday to Saturday Antique market

San Lorenzo Leather, clothing, and souvenirs. Via Ariento to Via Nazionale 9a.m. to 7p.m. Tuesday to Saturday

All day on 2nd Sunday of the

Sant-Ambrogio Market Food market, mostly locals. Piazza Ghiberti 13 8a.m. to 2p.m. Monday to Saturday

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 Highways, route planning and traffic jams: www.autostrade.it/en

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: Via Santa Caterina da Siena 15 www.fsbusitalia. it, 800 373760 ETRURIA MOBILITA SCARL (Arezzo): www.etruriamobilita.it 0575 39881 CAP (Prato): Largo Frali Alinari 9 www.caputolinee.it, 055 214637 VAIBUS: Piazza Stazione/Via Fiume. www.vaibus.com, 800 602525

TOURIST INFO POINTS

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

TRAINS Trenitalia: 89 2021 Interactive Voice Response System: 063000 Italo: Call center, 6 a.m.-11 p.m. 060708

TAXI

TAXIS

CO.TA.FI 055 4390 SO.CO.TA 055 4242, 055 4798

Piazza S. Lorenzo Tel: 055216634 Hours: 10.00-17.00 Closed: Holidays. Sunday Mass: 9.30, 11.00, 18.00

MARKETS

General food market with typical Tuscan products.

Romanesque building altered by Brunelleschi; Pulpits by Donatello, Old Sacristy, cloisters

Piazza Santo Spirito Tel: 055 210030 Hours: 9.30-12.30 & 16.00-17.00 Holidays: 11.30-12.30 & 16.00-17.30 Sunday Mass: 9.00, 10.30, 18.00 (summer).

Central Market

EMERGENCIES

Cascine Market

Mercato Nuovo/ Porcellino Market

Clothes and shoes; fruits and vegetables.

Leather and knick-knacks.

Cascine Park 8a.m. to 2p.m. on Tuesdays

Piazza di Mercato Nuovo 9a.m. to 7p.m. Tuesday to Sunday

SUMMER EDITION www.florencenews.it

Florence News 15

NEWS

Museo Bardini Hosts “John Currin. Paintings” T

he Museo Bardini is hosting the exhibition John Currin Paintings from June 13 to Oct. 2. One of the most highly regarded contemporary artists, Currin is mostly known for his portraits and his often risqué figurative scenes interpreted with ironic realism. His paintings reveal a profound knowledge of the history of art and an extremely refined sense of pictorial composition. Currin has redefined contemporary portraiture through his depictions of figures at times redolent

of poses found in fashion or even pornographic magazines, placed within settings that are anything, but banal and veined with satirical implications. The interpretation of female eros and American bourgeois psychology emerges in his works as almost surreal and profoundly disconcerting. Currin’s satire is never blatant or obvious, never caricatured or in poor taste. His elegant figures, dressed or posed as actresses or imperturbable mannequins, eager in spirit even in the case of solitary or group

sexual activities, reveal signs and expressions that are unequivocally provocative. The disproportion or perspectival deformation of the anatomy alters the traditional representation of the female nude as seen in traditional Renaissance painting. His works follow on the heels of Pablo Picasso and Willem de Kooning rather than on those of John Singer Sargent or Edward Hopper. An instinctive, but always lavish work, or, rather, a sort of sophisticated and refined “vulgarization” of classical figurative art allows Currin to exhalt the art of painting itself and to define with it a new kind of artistic beauty that avails itself of an unexpected imagery or figurative “manner”. The sometimes inappropriate bodies and faces become beautiful in the pictorial transfiguration through the sophisticated vulgarization of the classical code. Currin searches for and creates paradoxes between real and fake, contemplation and voyeurism, obscene and refined, and photographic truth and figurative imagination. The artist paints with deliberate honesty and studied frankness, casting aside any academic nostalgia and ideological dislike of figurative painting. Never unpleasant, revolting and never predictable, Currin takes on different genres and styles, choosing and alternating

different themes and modes, such as portraiture, still life, the obscene and indecent, the lyrical and sentimental. His skill emerges in portraits realized with quick and defiant brush strokes as in Frans Hals and Édouard Manet, in still lifes made with the calligraphic precision of a Dutch Renaissance painter, in wallpaper and rose bouquets displaying an impressionistic freshness. A catalogue, including essays by Antonella Nesi and Sergio Risaliti plus an interview between the artist and Angus Cook, will be published by Forma Edizioni in conjunction with the exhibition.

John Currin. Paintings June 13-Oct. 2 Museo Stefano Bardini, Via dei Renai 1 Friday – Monday 11 a.m. - 5. p.m. Closed from Tuesday to Thursday and on August 15 Tickets: full price: € 6.00; € 4.50 (ages 18 to 25 and university students) www.musefirenze.it

16 Florence News

NEWS

Filippo Lippi Restored JENNA MROCKO

fter 18 months of restoration, Filippo Lippi’s painting known as The Martelli Annunciation is back on display at the San Lorenzo Church. The restoration was made possible by the nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving Florence’s history Friends of Florence and by the work of Lucia Biondi (painting), Roberto Buda (wooden supports)

and project manager Monica Bietti. That of The Martelli Annunciation is Friends of Florence’s first restoration in the San Lorenzo Church. Recognizing the value in this piece’s restoration has been a process in itself. Back in 2012, re-

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“Buffoons, Peasants and Gamblers at the Medici Court”

storer Biondi attempted to express the work’s urgent need for repair when Friends of Florence were offering a 20,000 euro grant towards new projects. Unfortunately, the Martelli Annunciation was not selected for this generous grant, but Biondi stood firm for almost three HANNAH JOLLY years, communicating the poor, dangerous conditions of the piece. he exhibit presents 30 pieces of The origin of the tempera painting, art, paintings and sculptures, a series of three paneled scenes, is different from those of the same unknown due its lack of accom- kind common in the Medici colpanying documentation and pa- lections of art in the 16th and 17th perwork. However, considering centuries and featured in other the techniques applied and the museums in Florence, mainly repainting’s content, scholars date covered from the storage facilities the Filippo Lippi’s work between of the Palatine Gallery and of the 1439 and 1440. The piece’s name, Gallery of Statues and Paintings, The Martelli Annunciation, pays both belonging to the Uffizi comtribute to the Martelli family, Flo- plex. rentine nobles who contributed to The comical nature of these subthe basilica’s reconstruction, and jects, figures that really existed the inspiration drawn from Do- and had with the job of entertainnatello’s Cavalcanti Annunciation, ing the aristocracy distracting the scenes of a church festival. nobles from the boredom of royal A conference of Filippo Lippi ex- life with their improvisations, deperts is planned for next year, formities, and mental impairwhere the commissioner of The ments, is exemplified in the three Martelli Annunciation will be dis- kinds of the professional buffoon: cussed and debated at length. the speaking jester, skilled in verThe founder and president of bal acrobatics and witty improviFriends of Florence, Countess sation; the physical buffoon, with Simonetta Brandolini d’Adda, also the anomaly of achondroplasia plans to release a digital or print and deformity; and the mentally summary of the painting’s resto- impaired buffoon depicted in Jusration. The Martelli Annunciation tus Susterman’s Meo Matto. can be admired in the Martelli “The position of buffoons, midway Chapel in the left transept of the between objects of amusement Basilica of San Lorenzo in San Lo- and the lord’s speaking conscience, renzo square. elevated them to the rank of lead-

Exhibit at Palazzo Pitti until Sept. 11

ing figures in a playful and strange art which allowed the artist to indulge in a freedom of expression that was often extremely successful. We have but to consider the portraits of the Dwarf Morgante by Bronzino and Valerio Cioli, the dwarfs in Faustino Bocchi’s Sea-

sons, Sustermans’ Meo Matto and all the other works on display in this exhibition, in addition to the sylvan figures and to those engaging in bizarre activities who pop up unexpectedly amid the greenery in the Boboli Gardens,” said Director of the Uffizi Gallery Eike D. Schmidt. Schmidt explained that these devious characters only became depic-

tions in art after the 1500’s. “In the art of the 16th century and later, we witness the rehabilitation and the enfranchisement of laughter, which the Middle Ages, considering it a manifestation of the Devil, had confined to the furthest and most inaccessible corners of its Gothic cathedrals,” he said. The exhibition is accompanied by a tour of the Boboli Gardens in which rustics, peasants, dwarfs, gamblers and hunchbacks come to life, as though they had escaped from the painterly world that had created them, awaiting visitors to surprise them with their tricks, sleights of hand and comical grimaces. The art of this exhibit draws people in due to its abnormality and curiosity. The paintings represent the deformity, disproportion, and oddity that it not typically seen in Baroque painting.

Buffoons, Peasants and Gamblers at the Medici Court Palazzo Pitti Until Sept. 11 Opening Hours: 8:15 a.m.-6:50 p.m. Closed on Mondays

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18 Florence News

CITY BEAT

New & Improved Medici Dynasty Show 2016

C. DE MELO

lorence would never have flourished without the Medici. True, other noble families contributed to the Florentine humanistic movement, but none as much as the city’s generous and progressive rulers. Last year, I wrote about Giuseppe Arone’s brainchild: The Medici Dynasty Show. The multi-media, interactive, and educational presentation was both innovative and unique. Of course, Giuseppe did it with the help of many talented people and the show’s two actors: Carolina Gamini and Tim Daish. Marissa Garreffa, a writer and Australian expat, rewrote the scriptand she did so brilliantly. The show flows like a theatrical performance combining moments of light humor with pockets of intense drama. Now, audience members get to see a different side of the debauched and often mocked Grand Duke Gian Gastone; a noble, humanistic side that evokes our empathy for a man whose destiny was preordained. Historical facts are presented in a manner that makes the audience participant yearn to know more about this incredible dynastic family. Some of the multimedia aspects of

last year’s show has been included this year, like images of relevant artworks and music. The new venue is truly amazing: the former Convent of Sant’Onofrio delle Monache di Foligno, which dates back to the early 15th century. The building is richly decorated with vibrant, well-preserved frescoes by famous local artists like Neri di Bicci. The quiet cloister is charming and the performance takes places within a small Baroque church boasting lovely sculptures and frescoed ceiling. In the span of about an hour, the show presents 300 years of Medici history that will surely enrich your trip to Florence. Ticket price is 30 euro (kids under 12 are free) and it’s well worth the investment. Discounts are available for students and groups. For more information or to book seats, please visit their website: medicidynasty.com

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Why is Lorenzo the Magnificent, ‘Magnificent’?

ave you ever wondered why the most worthy heir, and most famous character of the Medici dynasty, was called Lorenzo ‘the Magnificent’? Obviously not for his beauty, as Lorenzo de’ Medici was quite ugly; but this ugliness comes from the other part of his bloodline: his grandfather Giovanni Tornabuoni and his mother Lucrezia Tornabuoni, known for having a ‘squashed’ nose. One can see this and form his impression in Santa Maria Novella church, in the main Chapel dedicated to the Assumption, as some frescoes depict this (in 1485, Giovanni Tornabuoni acquired the Chapel and commissioned the illustrious painter Domenico Ghirlandaio to paint it, according to the life of the Virgin and that of Saint John the Baptist, Patron Saint of Florence). Nevertheless, it would be a shame to recognize them only for this physical defect. Indeed, they were endowed with great intelligence, an elevated level of alertness, were highly knowledgable and friends with numerous intellectuals, poets, philosophers, humanists, writers and artists; all assets that Lorenzo the Magnificent was bequeathed with. Believe it or not, this denomination ‘the Magnificent’ is the result of an error made by writers. In fact, the exact wording should be ‘the

Magnificent Lorenzo’ (in italian, ’il Magnifico Lorenzo’). Indeed, in Florence he was given the honorary title of ‘Magnificent Lord’ – n.b translation from the italian ‘Magnifico Messere’ – to the Gonfalonier (standard-bearers). However, unlike his grandfather Cosimo the Elder and his father Piero the Gouty, Lorenzo the Magnificent had never been Gonfalonier as he passed away at the age of forty-three years, and the age of forty-five was required to obtain such a title. On the other hand, Lorenzo was designated ‘Magnifico Messere’ after Piero’s death at twenty-one years old – hence his name.

It is therefore a mistake, but more than ever a deserved one as, in addition of the above-mentioned qualities, Lorenzo de’ Medici had a natural flair for finance, was a shrewd businessman, a high-ranking diplomat, a prolific patron of the arts, a talented poet, a great ruler, and much more! One can admire Lorenzo’s exceptional prowess and magnificence in a ceiling fresco made by Giorgio Vasari at Palazzo Vecchio in which ambassadors of the most powerful Italian cities and foreign states pay tribute to Lorenzo the Magnificent seated on a throne.

20 Florence News

CITY BEAT

Fiesole Presents Estate Fiesolana

usic, dance, cinema and theatre: from June 16 until the end of July the Fiesole archaeological area, with its Roman Baths and Theatre, the Cathedral of San Romolo, the Convent of San Francesco and the hills surrounding Fiesole, will be the spectacular scenery of the Estate Fiesolana

summer festival which is returning this year with a mix of local and international cultural productions. The Estate Fiesolana begins on June 16 with Italian actress Stefania Sandrelli receiving the Fiesole Award for cinema giants. This year the prize hits its 50th anniversary,

since it was inaugurated in 1966 in the presence of the famous Italian movie director Luchino Visconti. The different kinds are the musical performances range from important names such as Matteuw Herbert, Enrico Rava, Niccolò Fabi, Cristina Donà, Javier Girotto, Fabrizio Bosso, the Blonde Redhead and the Snurky Puppy from New Yory city, to the anqique music of the Ensemble L'Homme Armè and the chorus of the Coro da Settignano. Local emerging groups will perform as part of a new project, a sort of event within the event, called Costellazione Toscana. The groups that will showcase their music are Zero Brane, Carnèigra, Marina, Blutwrust and UnePassante. Sunset concerts in the Roman Baths will be held by La Voix Humaine, which will be performing lyrics by Cocteau and music by

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SUMMER EDITION www.florencenews.it Poulenc; by pianist Margot Miani, who will propose her Sonate; and by The Aleous Quintet of the Fiesole Music School. Two special projects will complete the music program: the Musical Trekking through the paths of the Monte Ceceri, and the Path of Silence in the Convent of San Francesco. Theatre shows will also take place in Roman Baths. Three companies, two from southern Italy and one from Rome, will perform shows that have double as a common theme: each character in the three shows, in fact, can only exists in its reflection into the other. Each show is based on an original script and the author of the script is also an actor: the Teatro di Borgia company in its I wish I was Amy Wine-

house, Andrea Cosentino in the show First Steps on the Moon, and finally the show Nunzio by Spiro Scimone which has inspired the movie Two Friends winner of the Golden Lion at the last Venice Film Festival. The Roman Theatre will also host a show by Alessandro Baricco and Valeria Solarino on the Greek hero Palamede.

The dance program will give tribute to Shakespeare on the occasion of his 400th death anniversary with Romeo and Juliet performed by the company Balletto di Toscana Junior and the Othel of the Opus Ballet. The program will end with a gala with the best Italian dancers and by a special event with the Japanese Dance company Sankai Juku presenting its Dance of Darkness born on the moral ruins of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Special dinners will take place on June 15, 20, July 20 and Aug. 3 at 8 p.m. in the terrace of the Roman Theatre, on July 13 and 27 at 8 p.m. in the restaurant of the Hotel Aurora. Before each dinner, at 7 p.m. the association Amici dell'Archeologia will conduct a visit to the archaeological area of Fiesole.

Estate Fiesolana Summer 2016 www.estatefiesolana.it Tickets sold at the office of the Roman Theatre in Via Portigiani 1. Presales: www.boxol.it, www.ticketone.it

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Bargello Presents its Summer Events

WILL HAINSWORTH

ance, music and theatre: The Bargello National Museum is presenting the ‘Estate al Bargello’ festival hosting 20 events throughout June and July. All the shows will take place in the Bargello courtyard: a perfect place to spend a summer evening in the company of sculptural works as those by Bartolomeo Ammannati, Giambologna and Cosimo Cenni. Concerts begin in July with the Orchestra da Camera Fiorentina performing the third, fourth and fifth Brandenburg Concert by Johann Sebastian Bach on Tuesday 12 and Wednesday. On Tuesday 19 and

Wednesday 20 director of the Orchestra da Camera Fiorentina and violinist Marco Lorenzini will tribute Antonio Vivaldi. On Monday 25 and Tuesday 26 the accordion and bandoneon of Mario Stefano Pietrodarchi will homage the great Argentinian tango composer Astor Piazzolla. The last two concerts are taking place on Thursday 28 and Friday 29 and are dedicated to some of the greatest film scores of the last century. Music from “Life is Beautiful”, “Cinema Paradiso,” “Once Upon a Time in America” and “The Leopard” all feature as the films boast scores from greats such as Nicola Piovani, Ennio Morricone and Nino Rota. On top of this, Ales-

Florence News 21

CITY BEAT

sandro Silvestro performs a selection of solos on the trumpet whilst Alessio Cioni exhibits his skill on the piano. Music is not the sole focus of July at the Bargello. A wide range of dance is exhibited from the internationally renowned companies that comprise the line up of the Florence Dance Festival. Lauded for their talent, personality and ability to entertain, these guest companies propose performances rooted in Italian and Florentine history. This emphasis on history will be the main ingredient in the 27th edition of the FLorence Dance Festival titled “Portraits of Dance.” The shows presented by the Florence Dance Festival include “Romeo and Juliet”, a co-production between Florence Dance Festival and the Ballet of Milan who have freely adapted Shakespeare’s work whilst utilising the music of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, taking place on July 5; Lucio Dalla’s “Caruso,” a tribute to the Italian musician Lucio Dalla ideated by Mvula Sungani’s taking place on July 11. New York’s Joffrey Ballet Concert Group, founded by Robert Joffrey, will stage their production “American Dance Now” on Friday 15. On July 16 the Company Artemis / Monica Casadei presents the show “La Traviata,” the first chapter of a project dedicated to Giuseppe Verdi, while on Monday 18th July the Imperfect Dancers Company presents the triptych “In-Faust,” “Madame Butterfly” and “Anne Frank.” The Balletto Teatro di Torino will perform its “CHOPinLOVE” on July 21 and on Saturday 23 the Tos-

cana Dance Ub project will appear with their production “New Generation.” The last two events are Kinesis Dance with “Carmen 3.0” on Sunday 24 featuring guest étoile Letizia Giuliani, and the show “Ur-

ban Contamination” dedicated to new forms of dance with Mystes companies ( “Psychosis”) and antithesis ( “Peter Pan”) which will end the program on July 27.

A Short History of the Bargello MARK MASSEY

ne of the oldest buildings in Florence, the building of the Bargello began in 1255. Built with the incorporation of embattlements into its exterior, the Bargello later became the headquarters of the Podestà and Council of Justice. In 1574, it became the living quarters of the Captain of Justice (chief of police), with the building consequently being used as a prison. Renovated numerous times in the 14th-15th centuries, the courtyard, the balcony, and most significant of all, the large first-floor hall, remained unaltered. Built in the 14th century, a covered staircase provides access to an upper loggia. A unique example of Medieval Florentine architecture, the Bargello has been the home of some of the most significant institutions in Florence’s past. It has also been the site of notable historical events, including the Pazzi Conspiracy executions and the Council of One Hundred, of which the poet Dante participated in.

In more recent times, the Bargello has served as the site of the rich (art) culture in the city. Since 1859, it has hosted the Museo Nazionale (National Museum), which showcases some significant artwork, including sculptures, of the Renaissance period. Including works by Michelangelo, other artists featured here are Verrocchio, Cellini, Donatello, and Luca della Robbia.

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22 Florence News

CITY BEAT

SUMMER EDITION www.florencenews.it

“Portraits of Dance”

Florence Dance Festival returns from June 21 through July 27 JENNA MROCKO

he festival’s journey and evolvement over the last 26 years, including over 500 performances, has established a common face of dance in art. The title, “Portraits of Dance” reflects the

performing artists’ self-awareness and shared inspirations. For the majority of this year’s artists, creativity stems from historic, classic characters and the stories that have defined humanity and influenced mankind. To name a

few, their muses include Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, fem fatale Violetta from the La Traviata opera, the hope of Anne Frank and various adaptations of modern day works, the post-war Japanese butoh of Sankai Juku, the renown choreographer and celebrity Twyla Tharp, and the ‘New Generation’

of American choreographers of the Joffrey Ballet Concert Group. Founders and co-artistic directors of the festival and the Florence Dance Center, Marga Nativo and Keith Ferrone, both have extensive dance backgrounds and are ded-

icated to sharing the art of it with the public. The Florence Dance Center, founded in 1987, just three years before the first dance festival took the stage in Florence, plays a vital role in the annual festivities. As a festival performer in past years and enthusiastic promoter of the event, the Florence Dance Center shares the festival’s goals to communicate the art of dance to a wide spread audience and emphasize its socio-cultural significance. The center practices the traditions of dance through disciplined classes and honors dance’s artistic value by encouraging the collaboration with other art forms. As a tradition shared by the Florence community, the annual dance festival is welcomed and anticipated by many. The Florence Dance Festival provides accessible performances to shows and a common stage for local and international artists. Traditionally the festival is hosted in the National Museum of the Bargello’s courtyard, one of Florence’s oldest buildings built in 1255. Yet the festival’s growing size has extended this year’s venues to also include the historic Teatro Verdi and the ancient Roman Theatre of Fiesole. Side events and performances of the festival will take place in Piazza del Carmine, located in the historic center of Florence around the

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corner from the dance center. With shows both during the week and on the weekends, there are multiple opportunities to experience the Florence tradition and the art of dance. Similar to years past, the “Portraits of Dance” lineup does not lack in American presence. Some of the most anticipated events of the festival include performances by New York City’s renowned choreographer Twyla Tharp taking place on June 21 at the Verdi Theatre and the New York’s Joffrey Ballet Concert Group,

titled American Dance Now!, on July 15. Tickets are available for purchase on the festival’s website, florencedancefestival.org.

Florence Dance Festival June 21-July 28 www.florencedancefestival.org

SUMMER EDITION www.florencenews.it

Florence News 23

CITY BEAT

The Lost Art of Glass-Blowing in Tuscany Discovering an old Tuscan tradition C. DE MELO

lass-blowing in Tuscany has a long history. The first record of this art as a trade hails from Gambassi Terme in the 12th century. The glass artisans were called “Bicchierai” and their fame was wide-spread throughout Italy. The glass business boomed in this small medieval town until the inhabitants fled because of the devastating Black Plague. Alhough glass was still considered a luxury item for many families, the Tuscan town of Montaione began creating functional glass. As years passed, the advancement of science created the need for glass paraphernalia to be utilized in medical research. In Florence, for example, the Medici had their own glass blowing studios in the Boboli gardens as well as at the Casino Mediceo di San Marco (a palazzo designed specifically as a laboratory for scientific and artistic experimentation). From the 16th century onward there was a transition in the glass trade as the demand for functional glass increased. The industrialization of the glass industry in Tuscany lured glass artisans to three wealthy cities: Arezzo (known for their colored glass) Colle di Val d’Elsa (known for their crystal)

and Empoli (famous for their green glass). The latter provided the big green demijohn bottle for the olive oil and wine industries. After WWII there were over one hundred factories in Tuscany creating glass by hand. Today, there are only six: Arezzo: IVV and Cristalia Etrusca (both produce utilitarian and decorative glass). Empolit: Mylight (massive lighting structures for hotels) and Nuovacev (decorative, high end crystal) Cole di Val d’Eesa: ColleVilca(wine

glasses, pressed glass, sculpture) and Duccia di Segna(sculpture) And then along came Isak Lystad: The 37 year old trained chef, who is currently the culinary mastermind behind the wine & dine dinner tour offered by Walkabout Florence, learned how to blow glass in his birth city, Seattle, WA. World famous glass artist Dale Chihuly founded the Pilchuck school in Seattle back in 1971 and invited Venetian masters from Murano to teach his students the traditional Italian methods of

WINNER OF 2016 GELATO FESTIVAL Via de' Ginori 49r

glassblowing. Once they learned these techniques, students could create whatever wild designs their imaginations could conjure. More importantly, they could go on to teach others. From 2001 - 2003 Lystad studied Italian cuisine in Italy and then returned to Seattle where he became captivated by the art of glassblowing. After mastering the skill at the Pratt Fine Arts Center, his passion for the craft compelled him to work with many artisans in order to soak up as much information as possible before moving to Tuscany in 2008. Lystad worked at the ColleVilca crystal factory until it hit economic hardship in 2009, tand hen began learning Tuscan cuisine in restaurants whilst building his own glass studio from the ground up. He now works on commissions for a number of artists including renowned artist and designer Ugo Nespolo. His sculptures can be viewed on his personal website: www.isaklystad. com Lystad also collaborates with two Italian glass masters (maestros) who, unfortunately, were forced to seek work elsewhere due to the state of the industry. The apprentice system is the only way to learn the art of glass blowing in Tuscany, and the factory must pay an apprentice the same salary as a full

time employee (an operaio). Needless to say, not many companies are taking in apprentices these days, which is why glass-blowing is quickly becoming a lost art. The classic green glass fiasco, which has been created in Tuscany since the 16th century, will soon be a thing of the past. To avoid this tragedy, Lystad is currently making replicas of traditional Tuscan forms with recycled wine bottles. This environmentally sustainable process sparked inspiration. Lystad would like to create a future for the craft in Tuscany by offering a bridge back to artisan and artistic glass, essentially by teaching people glassblowing in a non industrial environment. In order to make this dream a reality, Lystad needs a venue that is at least 150 square meters in size. If anyone has a space in the center of Florence or knows of one that is available, please contact him directly: EMAIL: info@infinityvetro. com. To see Lystad’s green glass work, please visit: www.infinityvetro.com As always, thank you for reading.

C. De Melo Author of SABINA and other unique fiction novels www.cdemelo.com

24 Florence News

HISTORY

SUMMER EDITION www.florencenews.it

Remembering Ferragamo

Pioneering Air Conditioning

The air cooling system of the Medici at Pitti Palace

Design by Naz Kangal

esearchers at the University of Florence have recently determined that Palazzo Pitti was equipped with an “air conditioning” system to make the sultry summer days more bearable for the Medici. The results of the study conducted by a team of of engineering and architecture experts of the University of Florence revealed that the fresh air coming from the Boboli Park, located behind the building, was channeled through a system of levels of pavement to a room

in the basement of the building equipped with special receipt nozzles. From here, the now chilled air was distributed through a network of trellises into the rooms above. Given a summer temperature of 35 degrees Celsius in the square in front of Palazzo Pitti, the temperature differential in the premises obtained with this system could be significant, amounting to about 10 degrees cooler than the outside temperature. Researchers also discovered that to strengthen cooling power, ice-cold water was stored in

the building to lower the temperature and humidity in the air. Although forms of cooling houses have existed since classical antiquity, the type of air conditioning discovered in the Pitti Palace is unique because is a domestic technology made possible by the presence of a cool garden right next to the building. According to the research team, similar examples can be found in the Custoza Venetian villas and mansions in Palermo from which the system of the Pitti Palace was inspired. Modern air conditioning as we understand it today was not developed until the late 19th century, and wasn’t popularized until the 20th century. Despite this, early forms of it can be traced back to ancient Rome, where aqueduct water was circulated through structural walls in order to cool them. To conduct the investigation, the researchers used models of the Pitti Palace, a wind tunnel, and computer simulations. Hot days in the summer were a problem even for the aristocratic families of the past. With Leonardo engaged in his flying experiments, the Medici had to solve the problem by themselves, and they did it just by opening a few windows and closing some doors. Could their ingenious methods be applied today and help save some energy and possibly some money too?

ugust 7 marks the 55th anniversary of the death of Florence’s world-famous fashion icon, Salvatore Ferragamo. Born into an impoverished family in 1898, Ferragamo created his first pair of shoes at the tender age of nine. He later became an apprentice to a local cobbler in his home town of Bonito in southern Italy and then an entrepreneur at the age of 14, opening a small shoe shop with a total number of six assistants working for him. Persuaded by his elder brother to accompany him to the United States, Ferragamo immigrated to Boston in 1914 at the age of 16. It wasn’t until the designer moved to Santa Barbara, California and finally to Hollywood that his success began. He met high-profile clientele and movie stars, who fell in love with his trademark shoes, and gained a reputation as the

‘shoemaker of dreams.’ With his remarkable talent and entrepreneurial skills, by 1919 Ferragamo had established one of the most famous fashion brands in the world. Upon his return to Italy, Ferragamo set up shop in Florence in Via Minnelli, where he copyrighted his luxury shoe brand. In 1929, he bought and converted Palazzo Spini Feroni into his headquarters. The Salvatore Ferragamo brand eventually expanded to include other luxury goods, such as bags, clothing and perfumes, consistently maintaining its standards of excellence and refinement. Ferragamo died in 1960 at the age of 62 in Pietrasanta, a small town in Tuscany. Ferragamo’s legacy is destined to last for many years to come, and is kept alive by the success of his family and the Salvatore Ferragamo Museum at Palazzo Spini Feroni.

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26 Florence News

CITY BEAT

Flò: A Club with a View Aperitivo, club house music, and a fantastic view on Florence every day of the week. These are the main ‘ingredients’ of the Flo club, located on a terrace next to the Piazzale Michelangelo.

SUMMER EDITION www.florencenews.it

A ‘Port’ for Italian Music

The program of the week is the following: Monday: LATIN FLO’ Latin and Caribbean dances, cuban and Portorican salsa, merengue, samba and cha cha cha. Tuesday: TWERK MAMA Hip-hop, R’n’B, reggae ton. Particularly popular among international students. Wednesday: 33 RPM Live music until 11 p.m.. 70’s-80’s Disco music for the rest of night. Thursday: BOOTLEG Club House music with internationally renowned Djs. Friday: GLAM Soulful and glam music. Saturday: URBAN Live set, intro R’n’B, house music. Sunday: APERITIVO ITALIA Live music and Dj set Italian style.

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. 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.

Porto di Mare

CHECK THE PROGRAM ON FACEBOOK CONTACT FRANCESCO COFONE Via Pisana, 128 055 71 20 34 portodimareeskimo@gmail.com Porto di Mare – Eskimo

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 it is possible to shop about 200 of the most luxurious Designer fashion brands including Dolce & Gabbana, Michael Kors, Hugo Boss, Polo Ralph Lauren, Nike and Patrizia Pepe at 30-70% less all year round. It is possible to reach the Barberino Designer Outlet by shuttle bus from the Florence Santa Maria Novella train station. Tickets can be purchased online or directly on the bus. The price is €13 per person, round trip. Travelling with the shuttle bus you are entitled to a Fashion Passport, a special discount card that will grant you an additional 10% off outlet prices. Shuttle buses to the Barberino Designer Outlet depart from Florence, Piazza Stazione 44 (in front of the Zoppini store) at: 9.30 a.m. – 10.30 a.m. – 11.30 a.m. 12.30 p.m. – 2 p.m. – 3 p.m. – 4 p.m. – 5.30 p.m. Return to Florence at: 11.30 a.m. – 1 p.m. – 2 p.m. – 3 p.m. – 4 p.m. 6 p.m. – 7 p.m. – 9.15 p.m. For more information visit www.mcarthurglen.it/barberino

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28 Florence News

MUSIC

SUMMER EDITION www.florencenews.it

A Great Summer in Music With Sting, Anastasia, Van Morrison, Neil Young, Simply Red, Lionel Richie and Tom Jones

Tuesday, July 5 Mika+ XYLAROO Time: 9 p.m Tickets price: €36 to €60 Saturday, July 9 Italian Blues Night; Francesco Piu, Mike Sponza Band, Finaz feat. Fabrizio Pocci, Lino Vairetti&Patrizio Trampetti, Nick Becattini Band feat. Magic Bones – Maurizio Pugno – Linda Valori Time: 7 p.m Free Entry Sunday, July 10 Brian Auger + Lucky Peterson + James Taylor Quartet +The Twisters with Alice Violato + Leon Time: 9 p.m Ticket price: €20 Monday, July 11 Bastille – Single Show in Italy +Kelevra Time: 9 p.m Ticket price: €30

Tuesday, July12 The National + Father John Misty – Single Show in Italy Time: 9 p.m Ticket price: €35 Tuesday, July 14 Skunk Anansie + Down to Ground Time: 9 p.m Ticket price: €35

uscany will have some of the most important protagonists of the international music scene performing live this summer. On July 28 Florence’s Cascine Park will host one of Sting’s three Italian concerts scheduled for this sum-

Friday, July 15 Whitesnake + Hardcore Superstar + The Answer Time: 9 p.m Ticket price: €40 €45 (at the cash desk at the show night) Saturday, July 16 Damien Rice + Gyda – Single Show in Italy Time: 9 p.m Ticket price: form €35 to €45 *All tickets are available on ticketone.it and boxoffice.

July 16 Neil Young and The Promise of the Real

July 12 Lionel Richie and Earth Wind & Fires

July 20 Simply Red and Anastacia

For tickets see www.summer-festival.com

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Tickets can be bought online at livenation.it and ticketone.it. Other important international stars will appear on the stage of the Lucca Summer Festival. The following is the program of the main concerts of the Lucca Summer Festival:

July 9 Van Morrison and Tom Jones

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mer. The concert is part of Sting’s European Back To Bass Tour in which the English artist will perform his great classics. He will also play on July 27 at the Music Park auditorium in Rome and at the Assago Summer Arena in Milan.

SUMMER EDITION www.florencenews.it

Race for Glory Palio returns Aug. 16

Foto credits: Flickr user Janus Kinase

AMBER BROWN & EVY FUELLE

he tradition began in the fourteenth century, when the districts of Siena known as “the contrade” organized public races in competition with one another. And it is not over, as twice a year, on July 2 and Aug. 16, Siena’s bowl-shaped

Piazza del Campo is covered with a thick layer of dirt, and the Palio takes over. Understanding the Palio, however, is impossible without knowing its history. The first riders rode buffalos in races called pali alla lunga, which weren’t confined to the Piazza del Campo but rather ran across the city. When bullfighting was out-

lawed in 1590, horse races took their place in the piazza. Il Palio is one of only a few medieval festivals in Italy that has carried on its tradition throughout the centuries (not simply brought back for the twentieth century out of nostalgia or for tourism) thanks to the tenacity, pride, and traditionalism of the Sienese. The Palio

Florence News 29

TUSCANY was only ever cancelled only once (during World War II) - apart from this incident the horses have never failed to race since 1656. Medieval games have also taken place in the same central piazza since the 16th century, including public games such as pugna (a type of boxing match or brawl), jousting, and bullfights. Since the first official Palio in 1656, just one race was initially held each year on July 2, named Il Palio di Provenzano, in honor of the Madonna of Provenzano. The second, on Aug. 16, began in 1701 and was named Il Palio dell'Assunta, in honor of the Assumption of Mary. Coinciding with the Feast of the Assumption, it is assumed that this second palio was probably introduced spontaneously as part of the celebration of feast. Of the original 59, there are 17 contrade still in existence today; of these, only 10 are chosen to race in each year’s Palio. The seven contrade that do not take part in the previous year are automatically included, and three more are chosen by draw. Each contrada’s participant enters the square around 3:30 p.m., but the main processional does not start until nearly 5 p.m., when a pageant of flag-throwers bearing the colors and symbols of their districts perform in the piazza. Although a very festive event, the honor at stake is no laughing matter. Districts are known to take extra measures to prevent rival contrade from winning: especially since historical enemies celebrate as joyfully as if they themselves

had won it. Cheating is commonplace since the race has very few rules: jockeys can pull, push and hit both the horses and each other, and use their whips on other competitors and their horses. Il Palio is won not by the jockey, but by the horse who represents his contrada, so a horse can win without its rider if it’s the first to cross the line. The loser of the race is considered to be the contrada whose horse came second, not last. The order of the line-up is decided by lot immediately before the race, and only nine of the 10 contrade initially enter the space between the two ropes that constitutes the starting line: the 10th, called the rincorsa, waits outside, giving him yet another chance to cheat. The front rope is only dropped to start the race once the rincorsa enters the space; and as deals have invariably been made between contrade and jockeys to affect when he enters, this process can take some time, as the rincorsa waits for a particular horse to be well or badly placed. After a rapid and intense three laps around the Campo the race is over 90 seconds later race is over, and the celebrations or lamentations begin. The winning contrada is awarded the prestigious prize of a banner, called the palio or drappellone, which is thought to bring great luck to the district that wins it, and is newly designed each year by a local artist for the July Palio, or an internationally recognized artist for the August Palio.

30 Florence News

CHIANTI

Understanding Chianti Wine Chianti Classico

Chianti

Bottles simply labeled as Chianti are made from a mix grapes from several regions in the Chianti region. The main difference with generic Chianti and the rest, is that the minimum percentage of Sangiovese allowed is 75%, with the rules permitting white grapes to be blended in. Adding white grapes to a red wine isn’t as crazy as you might think! The French have been addingViognier to their Syrah in

the Rhone region of France for decades. The reason they do so is to soften the tannin in the Syrah, and to add what they call “aromatic complexity”. The addition of white grapes into the Sangiovese mix however, is less about romance and more about cutting costs. As with all Chianti’s, there are some minimum rules set, i.e. the minimum alcohol level in regular Chianti is 11.5%, and grape harvest yields are “restricted” to 4 tons per acre.

The Chianti Classico region is central to the region and arguably the most famous. In 1996 it was awarded DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita) status, in an effort to raise its perceived quality. All Italian DOCG wines are actually tasted and analyzed in a lab in order to meet government approval. Kind of like SAT exams for wine. If the wine passes, it will receive an individually numbered governmental seal across the cap or cork. Chianti Classico bears a black rooster on the neck of the bottle. This is a conglomeration of Chianti producers whom have setup the Consorzio Chianti Classico, in a bid to improve the quality and reputation of the region. The minimum percentage of Sangiovese allowed in Chianti Classico is 80%, with only red grapes permitted to make up the rest of the blend. Producers can of course choose to make their wine up to 100% Sangiovese, but it’s the exception and not the rule. The alcohol content must also be at least 12%, and the wine must spend at least 12 months aging in oak barrels. The Chianti Classico region covers an area of around 100 square miles, and the grape harvest is restricted to no more than 3 tons per acre.

SUMMER EDITION www.florencenews.it Chianti Riserva / Classico Riserva

If you guessed that Riserva is Italian for Reserve you would be correct! Riserva on a bottle of Chianti is your first clue that the bottle of Chianti you’re holding, stands head and shoulders above the rest. Riserva is a term that can be applied not just to Chianti, but to plenty of other Italian wines such as Brunello and Barolo. Of course, just to make things difficult, it has various meanings, but Riserva on a Chianti just means that the wine spends a minimum of two years (in oak) and three months (in the bottle) aging. The alcohol content must also be at least 12.5%. Chianti Riserva is also a great candidate for additional bottle aging, depending on the producer and vintage.

Vin Santo

Vin Santo (literally meaning “holy wine”) is a style of Italian wine dessert typical of Tuscany. Vin Santo wines are often made from white grape varieties such as Trebbiano and Malvasia, though Sangiovese may be used to produce a rosè style known as “Occhio di Pernice” or eye of the partridge. Vin Santo is described as a straw wine since is often produced by drying the freshly harvested grapes on straw mats in a warm and well ventilated area of the house. However several producers dry the grapes by hanging on racks indoors. Though technically a dessert wine, the wines can vary in sweetness levels from bone dry (like a Fino Sherry) to extremely sweet.

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SUMMER EDITION www.florencenews.it

Gagliardi Art Gallery Presents Sergio Zanni

he Gagliardi Contemporary Art Gallery is presenting the solo exhibition Pilgrims, Travelers, Wayfarer by sculptor Sergio Zanni. The exhibit, which was inaugurated on July 2 and will be on display until the end of the month, focuses on the figure of the pilgrim. Curated by Elisabetta Pozzetti, the showcase consists of 16 terracotta sculptures (one of which is on display at the entrance of the Museum of the Duomo di San Gimignano), all stemming from the profound reflection that Zanni has conduct-

ed for many years on the essence of Man and his transit in this life. The works on display were chosen to reiterate the sanctity and historic significance of the Via Francigena, that had and has one of its most significant stops precisely in San Gimignano. Zanni’s works tell the stories of the Homeric tradition mixing the naïve wonder of childhood and the ancestral nature of the myth, stories that have not been written (or not yet anyway), but still have the deflagrating power to sail through the centuries

Florence News 31

CHIANTI

unharmed. His sculptures possess an unsettling grace. They flatter the viewer by cajoling him with the apparent sweetness of the figures, lyrical and suspended, at the same time confining you to the darkest corner of the revived conscience. As Pozzetti writes in the accompanying catalogue of the exhibition, the sculptures “live off the artist’s reflections and turmoil, off his questions to which comprehensive answers will never be given…the important thing is to never stop searching:” they may be silent, but they speak wonders. Compact, solid bodies support the weight of tiny heads, possess an unsettling grace and make for a humbling showcase. Sergio Zanni studied painting and deepening research on modeling at the Academy of Fine Arts in Bologna in the early 1960’s. Now considered one of the greatest national sculptors, his most recent showcase, curated in the Tuscan headquarters By Elisabetta Pozzetti, consists of sixteen terracotta sculptures inspired by the spirit of man and its journey through life. Pilgrims, Travelers, Wayfarer is a special tribute to the current Jubilee Year of Mercy, having previously been mounted before in the Old Hospital of Bologna, which for hundreds of years has welcomed pilgrims, travelers and the sick (this coincides with the recent reopening of the Pilgrim’s Village on the Via Francigena). The Galleria Gagliardi is located on Via San Giovanni 57, in San Gimignano and is open every day from 11 a.m. to 7.30 p.m.

Dondoli Awarded ‘Maestro d’Arte e Mestiere’

an Gimignano ‘artisan of icecream’ Sergio Dondoli was awarded last month with the prize of Master of Art and Craft. Dondoli received the prestigious acknowledgment in Milan from the hands of President of the Italian Republic Sergio Mattarella. The MAM prize, which is promoted by the Cologni Foundation of Craftmanship, is given every three years to Italian masters who have distinguished themselves in different fields of craftmanship including ceramics, wood, jewelry, interior design, mechanics, leather, metals, restoration, theatre, tex-

A Journey Through Human Cruelty The Torture and Death Penalty Museum displays more than 100 tools designed to torture and kill. Some of these tools are extremely rare, dating to the sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. They include the notorious ‘iron maiden,’ the guillotine, rack, torture chair and the chastity belt. Also on display are lesser-known sophisticated devices, such as the ‘heretic’s fork,’ the ‘noisemaker’s fife,’ the ‘Spanish spider’, and flaying instruments.

Via San Giovanni, 82 & 125 San Gimignano Open daily: 10 a.m.-8 p.m. 0577-940526, 055-940151 Tickets: Full €10 Concessions: €7; Groups: €5 www.museodellatortura.it

Open every day Monday-Friday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Via Montebeni 6/8 Greve in Chianti GPS: 43.591206; 11.312978 www.piscinedigreveinchianti.it

tile, food and wine, and mosaics. “I am quite proud of receiving this award, as I have always interpreted my job as an artisan who has chosen to work with products of its territory; since the beginning of my career I have had this philosophy, this particular approach to my work, convinced as I am of the importance of promoting the economy of my land. Such an approach has brought me to choose milk and fruits from my area and has helped me to become a reference for the city of San Gimignano. Italy has such a wide range of typical products, and it is our duty to valorize them,” said Dondoli. Among these products Dondoli mentions the DOP saffron produced in San Gimignano, “thanks to which I have made one of my most acknowledged creations: the Santa Fina Cream.”

GELATO WORLD CHAMPION 2006/2007 - 2008/2009 san gimignano (siena) - italy Tel. +39 0577 942244 sergio@gelateriadondoli.com www.gelateriadondoli.com

32 Florence News

SUMMER

SUMMER EDITION www.florencenews.it

Where is the Best Beach?

Surviving Mosquitoes

A guide to the top shores in and around Tuscany

egambiente, the most important Italian environmental agency, has recently awarded some beaches in Tuscany with the Blue Flag. Based on a criteria of 32 items, the beaches were categorized by their water quality, environmental education and information, environmental management, safety and services. For those willing to spend a day at the beach, the best shores in Tuscany are Castiglione della Pescaia, Capalbio, the Accesa in the comune of Massa Marittima; the Giglio Island, that has recovered with the removal of the Concordia, the ship that sunk in 2009 and remained in front of the island until last year; the small island of Capraia (awarded with four flags), Forte dei Marmi, Pietrasanta, Camaiore, Viareggio (all in the province of Lucca); Pisa-Marina di Pisa, Calambrone, Tirrenia (in the province of Pisa); Livorno-Antignano, Quercianella, Rosignano Marittimo-Castiglioncello, Vada, Cecina-Marina, Le Gorette, Bibbona-Marina, Castagneto Carducci, San Vincenzo, Piombino-Parco Naturale della Sterpaia, Marciano Marina-La Fenicia (in the province of Livorno); and Follonica, Grosseto-Marina di Grosseto, Principina a mare, and Monte Argentario (in the province of Grosseto). Further north, but still very acces-

ALEX MARTELLO

sible, is the rocky Italian Riviera of Liguria, the area where the Cinque Terre are. Its blue-flag beaches are: Bordighera, Santo Stefano al mareBaia azzurra, San Lorenzo al Mare (Imperia); Loano, Pietra Ligure Ponente, Finale Ligure, Noli, Spotorno-Zona Moli Sirio e Sant’Antonio, Bergeggi, Savona-Fornaci, Albissola Marina, Albisola Superiore, Celle

Tattoo Piercing

Ligure, Varazze (Savona); Chiavari, Lavagna, Moneglia (Genova); and Framura, Lerici, and Ameglia-Fiumaretta (La Spezia). For those planning on traveling south to Rome, the advice is to check out these beaches: Anzio (Roma), Marina di Latina, Sabaudia, San Felice Circeo, Sperlonga, Gaeta, and Ventotene-Cala Nave (Latina).

valley cut by a river can be a paradise for mosquitoes. And in fact, Florence is a perfect environment with its humid weather for these tiny, unbearable insects that disappear with the cold but come back aggressively with the heat. Especially a particular type of them, those that locals call “tigers.” How to survive them then? Well, before giving any answer, it is best that we understand them a little bit better. Mosquitoes are primarily attracted to sweat and the release of carbon dioxide, but they are also picky about their blood types. People with type O blood get bitten more than those with A or B varieties, which explains why they favor certain people rather than others. They also prefer alcohol consumers, pregnant women, the physically fit, and dark colors (though some species like vibrant colors better). Consuming garlic and vitamin B are natural remedies but also myths that do not work, unfortunately. One good remedy is the chemical repellent DEET, which is very effective. Diffusore insetticida antizanzare are plug in devices that also work well. Just put a table in the fornellino per le zanzare - as they call these devices

WINE ON TAP IN SANTO SPIRITO Rafting

Kayak

Sup

Via degli alfani 32/r Firenze +39 344 20 48 393 +39 342 75 47 804

Rafting,Kayak and SUP on the Arno and the Sieve rivers. Half-day or two day activities over the weekend on rivers, lakes and the sea of Tuscany.

Fb: Blood Brotherhood

#bloodbhtattoo

here - in the morning and one in the evening before going to sleep, and that’s another way to survive mosquitoes. A fornellino can be purchased in local convenience/ grocery stores such as Conad. Natural repellents include: geranium, lavender, lemongrass, and citronella oil. Another solution are sprays or wipes which can be bought in supermarkets too. Spray your ankles, neck, arms and wrists, because it’s here that your enemies will attack you the most. Spray the rest of your body too, as when mosquitoes get aggressive, they get really, really aggressive... Finally at home, frequently dump out stagnant water sitting in your yard and dispose of decaying leaves moreover mosquito defence tablets and liquid electric mosquito repeller which can be bought in supermarkets or in pharmacies,can be useful. The simplest, yet most difficult, piece of advice for tourists trying to remain bug-bite free as the Tuscan sun relentlessly beats down is to wear long, loose and clothing also try to avoid to stay with sweat. Good luck.

www.t-rafting.com info@t-rafting.com Enrico: 3356844664 Sebastian 3398979963

Bring your bottle to be filled starting from less than €1.50 straight from the barrels of Il Santo Vino. Here patrons can choose from a wide range 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

34 Florence News

SUMMER

SUMMER EDITION www.florencenews.it

Escaping the Florentine Heat

stop ‘Ghirlandaio’. Address: Via Micheli Information: 055 27 57 402

from train station S.Maria Novella to bus stop Gioia Address: Via Federigo Stibbert, 26 Info: www.museostibbert.it/en or call 055 47 55 20

Cascine Park

Giardino Torrigiani (Torrigiani Garden)

A guide to the shady spots in Florence

In the summer, Florence is always the hottest city in Italy-- even hotter than the cities in the South. Why? The answer is simple: the humidity of the city makes the temperature feel hotter. To the extent that sometimes the alert is such that local authorities advise seniors and children to remain inside as much as possible, possibly with air conditioning or a fan. What can those who prefer to stay outdoors, even in the terrible Florentine summer days, do then? Maybe this short guide of the shady spots can be useful.

Piazzale Michelangelo The perfect place for a panoramic view of the city, especially great for sunsets. Transportation: Take bus line 12 or 13 from the Santa Maria Novella station.

Opening hours: Every day from 9 a.m. until sunset.station.

Giardino dell’Orticoltura Built in 1879 by Giacomo Roster for the Tuscan Horticultural Society. Transportation: Take bus line 2 from Santa Maria Novella station. Address: Via Vittorio Emanuele II, 4 Information: 055 20 06 62 37 (Tue afternoon or Fri morning)

Bardini Gardens

Giardino delle Rose (Rose Garden) A green terrace with different sort of roses from all around world below Piazzale Michelangelo, overlooking the historic center of the city. Transportation: Take bus line 12 or 13 from S.M.N station Address: Viale Giuseppe Poggi 2 (near Piazza Michelangelo)

On the hills near Piazza Michelangelo is one of Florence’s best kept secrets. Visitors will see camellias, viburnum, hydrangeas, glycines and rose trees of various species. Full ticket: €10 Address: Costa San Giorgio, 2 Information: 055 200 66 206

PAINTING Short and & Longterm DRAWING Workshops on Painting and INTENSIVE Drawing 10 DAYS WORKSHOP DAY CLASSES STUDIO RENTAL AVAILABLE www.facebook.com/studiotoscanella/ Via Toscanella 33R , 50123 Firenze 3407371239 340 737 1239 www.studiotoscanella.com www.studiotoscanella.com

Botanical Gardens Giardino dei Semplici

A daytime hotspot for outdoor activities, much loved by Florentines. Every Tuesday the park hosts the city’s largest open-air market, with a very good offers on local specialties such as cheese, vegetables and honey. Transportation: Take the tram line from the Santa Maria Novella station to the Cascine stop

Frederick Stibbert Villa

Established by Cosimo dei Medici in 1545, this is one of the oldest parks in the world. It is currently maintained by the University of Florence and boasts a collection of carnivorous plants. Transportation: Take bus line 14 from Santa Maria Novella to bus

Transformed from a simple Italian park to a romantic English garden by Giuseppe Poggi, this outdoor space features temples, rock caves, fountains and a mysterious Egyptian temple. Entrance to the garden is free; closed only on Thursdays. Transportation: Take bus line 4

NEW GYM NEAR SANTA MARIA NOVELLA

SNACK BAR ANNA THE BAGEL POINT

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

Enjoy the relaxing atmosphere and the jumbo cappuccinos while having a chat with Anna and Stefano, who will welcome you in a warm and friendly way. Grab one of the many homemade bagels, the bar’s perfected specialty since 1990. These bagels and sandwiches have made this snack spot one of the most popular among local Americans. While taking a break in the back seating area you will be pleased to experience the no-charge table service, which places Snack Bar Anna far from the ‘tourist traps’ in the city.

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

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

The widest privately owned garden in the city boundaries within Europe. The land was inherited by Marquis Pietro Torrigiani in the early 19 th century. He transformed the park into the ‘english style’ as fashion of the time. The garden still known as a botanical garden with great wealth of plant and tree from all around the world. It can be visited if one of the owners will accompany the visitors during their tours. Transportation: Take the bus line 11 from Piazza San Marco to bus stop ‘Campuccio’. Adress:Via dei Serragli 144 Information: www.giardinotorrigiani.it or call 055-224527

Cooking Classes In Tavola aims to spread the rich food and wine culinary traditions of Italy and the Tuscany region through an incredible variety of dishes and recipes to all interested in learning the secrets behind the traditional Italian kitchen. With this intent to promote their knowledge, In Tavola organizes several opportunities for professionals and beginners to participate in cooking and baking lessons with the guidance of professional Chefs in an individual or group setting.

Via dei Velluti, 18/20r 055 217672 www.intavola.org

SUMMER EDITION www.florencenews.it

Florence News 37

TRAVEL

Explore Croatia with Bus2alps

island of Brač. Brač is known for its rolling hills, isolated bays, clear waters and breathtaking views; however, it is also home to medieval buildings and an exciting range of activities, such as windsurfing in the harbor. In the evening Bus2alps organizes an optional trip to the island town of Trogir,

Europe’s best-kept secret

about 30 minutes from Split, to enjoy one of the many dining options available. On the last day the group takes a trip to Krka, where a few hours are dedicated to swimming and exploring the magnificent waterfalls of the national park before heading back to Florence. See www.bus2alps.com for full details.

The trip includes: Round-trip luxury coach transport (with A/C, DVD, & bathroom) Accommodation with your friends at top-rated hostels Breakfast

hile traveling to one of Europe’s well-known destinations can be an exciting experience, visiting one of its best-kept secrets can open the door to true adventure. Croatia’s natural beauty makes it one of the best destinations for outdoor activities, relaxing on the beach and admiring cultural wonders. Untouched sandy beaches, the magnificent wonder of the Krka Waterfalls and whitewater rafting on the emerald-green Cetina River are just the beginning of a perfect coastal getaway.

Student travel company Bus2alps offers a convenient way to reach the country and an itinerary that covers must-see locations and includes the most exciting activities. The tour focuses on the medieval port town of Split located on Croatia’s pristine Dalmatian coast. On the first day Bus2alps organizes an optional whitewater rafting trip on the Cetina River, an adventurous and scenic experience on one of Croatia’s great natural landmarks. Those who don’t join the rafting adventure can spend the day laying out on one of Split’s

bus2alps

beaches, join a tour of the Split city center, visit the Diocletian Palace, rent a bike and ride up Marjan Hill, or take a day trip to local surrounding towns, such as Omiš, or the Krka Waterfalls. Omiš, located 25 kilometers from Split, can be accessed by the local bus and is where the Cetina River meets the sea. An optional pub crawl through Split’s nightlife is also offered, ensuring travelers don’t miss out on the hottest spots. The following day gives the group a chance to join an optional private island cruise tour destined for the

CROATIA

Transport and entrance to Krka Waterfalls National Park Exclusive Bus2alps discounts on various activities (rafting, island-hopping, and more) The Croatia Bus2alps informational guide A Bus2alps trip leader

€265

Next Trip Dates:

Every Weekend

38 Florence News

FOOD&WINE

SUMMER EDITION www.florencenews.it

Dine with Dante

It’s Hot in the Renaissance City. And here is a ‘cool’ recipe

C. DE MELO

he last thing anyone wants to do in this kind of heat is turn on an oven to bake pies, cakes, or cookies for dessert. If fruit alone does not satisfy your sweet tooth, then opt for this quick, easy, no bake recipe. Traditional Key Lime pie originated around the late 19th or early 20th century in Key West, Florida where key limes grow in abun-

dance. Sponge fishermen commonly spent many days at sea and stored non-perishable foodstuffs on board. Canned milk, eggs, and limes would be among these supplies. When combined together (and sweetened with a bit of sugar) the citric acid would cause the “custard” to thicken naturally without baking since the fisherman did not have access to ovens on their boats. The recipe was later adapted for

the oven, and became like the wellknown lemon meringue pie with pastry crust, custard, and baked meringue.

C. De Melo Author of SABINA and other unique fiction novels www.cdemelo.com

No Bake Key Lime Pie 1 can (300 ml) sweetened condensed milk 1 8 oz. (225 grams) Philadelphia cream cheese (Neufchatel cheese), softened 1 pck (180 grams) creme fraiche (or panna di cucina) juice of 3 freshly squeezed key limes *Pie crust: you can follow your favorite recipe or purchase a ready made crust. Graham cracker, chocolate, or traditional pastry works well with this recipe. In large bowl, cream together cheese, condensed milk, and creme fraiche. Blend very well. Add the lime juice and pour into the ready crust. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours (or you can leave it overnight). Top with fruit or serve plain.

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

THE RESTAURANT OF THE FLORENTINES

Wide selection of vegeterian dishes

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

Il Supermercato... da Gustare e deGustare

Sapori & Dintorni is the new way to do the shopping: in the heart of Florence there is a place where Food, Culture and Territory meet. Get in and discover the Big Supermarket to test and taste! Inside you will find many typical products of the Italian food tradition. Buy your favorite product and taste it within the tasting area.

FIND YOUR LOCAL BIG SUPERMARKET IN THE CITY CENTER

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THE BIG SUPERMARKETS ARE OPEN: • Monday - Saturday: from 08.30 am to 9.00 pm • Sunday: from 09.30 am to 9.00 pm

insatiable shoppers Save even more on designer brands, just 30 minutes from Florence Love fashion? Head to Barberino Designer Outlet. You’ll find sought-after brands for up to 70% less all year round – and now you can save even more in our sale. With extra savings in over 130 stores, this is the one summer sale you can’t miss.

S HU T TLE BUS SERV I C E We run a convenient shuttle bus service eight times a day from Florence train station, Piazza Stazione, 44 (in front of Zoppini). Visit our website to find out more.

TAX FREE SHOPPI NG Non-EU citizens can enjoy a tax refund on products purchased in our centre.

BOLOGNA

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MORE TO LOVE MCARTHURGLEN.IT/BARBERINO

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21/06/2016 17:15