Florence News - June 2016 by FN

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Fireworks and Style

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Pitti Fashion shows inaugurate spectrum of summer events

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Lorenzo Picchi GR APHIC & L AYOUT DESIGN: Narine Nalbandyan Ekaterina Chebotareva

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lorence is drenched in the colors of fashion this summer as Pitti Immagine returns. Showcasing the latest in contemporary lifestyle trends, the series of trade fairs once again brings top designers to Florence for Pitti Uomo 90 (June 14–17), Pitti Bimbo (June 23–25) and Pitti Filati (June 19 – July 1) located at Fortezza da Basso and throughout the city. It is one of the first in a series of similarly colorful events this summer taking place in June. Estate al Bargello continues its spectacle of dance, music and theater in the courtyard of the Bargello National Museum, while the Roman theater at Fiesole hosts music, cinema and dance for Estate Fiesolana from June 16. The city brims with energy with celebrations to commemorate the feast day of its patron saint John the Baptist on June 24. Best

known for calcio storico fiorentino, a barbarous combination of football, rugby and wrestling that pits the four quarters of the city against each other, the anniversary also includes a rowing regatta on the Arno and the San Giovanni Nocturnal Run, a marathon consisting of a 10-kilometer competitive run and a four-kilometer walk that starts and finishes from the Piazza del Duomo on June 20. As night falls over the city on June 24, the legendary ‘fires of San Giovanni’, a pagan summer rite now a modern pyrotechnic spectacle, set the sky alight over Piazzale Michelangelo. Estate Fiesolana takes place at the historical Roman theater in Fiesole, with its theater section to its lineup of music, cinema and dance, from June 16 throughout the whole summer. Opera aficionados can enjoy the Puccini Fes-

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JUNE www.florencenews.it tival in Torre del Lago from July 15 to Aug. 13, for blues lovers the Pistoia Blues Festival runs from July 5 to 16, while the Lucca Summer Festival returns in July with many international stars ready to jump and make it big on stage. The most important recurrency in Florence this month is without a doubt the celebration of the city’s patron saint St. John the Baptist whose was disseminated throughout Europe on the florin, the Florentine coin that was introduced in 1252, and who was even mentioned by Dante in his masterpiece The Divine Comedy. St. John the Baptist is also present in a fifteenth-century fresco representing Christ’s baptism by the Lorenzo di Bicci workshop, and a 1467 triptych by Neri di Bicci in the church of San Felice. St John can also be seen on the capitals in the Palazzo Ricasoli Firidolfi courtyard and in the private chapel of Palazzo Ridolfi in Via Maggio, which was built at the end of the 16th century by Giovan Battista Zanchini and attributed to Santi di Tito. To get inside the heart of this Florentine feast day, the words of 19th century English poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning are perhaps some of the most revealing. Barret Browning spent her Florentine days writing verses in her literary shelter of Casa Guidi on Via Maggio, an apartment that she shared with her husband Robert Browning at the south end of the street, and which can be visited every year from April to November. Amongst her writings, she describes how the feast day was celebrated during the

period of the Italian Risorgimento. In a letter to her sister dated June 1847, Barrett Browing writes: “Meanwhile, here is the grand festa of San Giovanni, the patron saint of Florence, the grandest festa of the year—and there are to be chariot races in the piazza close to us, and horse races (without riders) somewhere else—games in the manner of the ancients—also fireworks at night. We had intended to have hidden our sublime faces from these things—but after all, I suppose we shall not—it seems foolish not to see what is so characteristic of the people when we have only to open our eyes—so we have ordered the carriage as usual at six, and I will tell you the result. The fireworks I certainly shall like to see: for I like fireworks, and Robert says that Italy is famous for them. Altogether it will cost us a few pauls and two headaches, perhaps.” Characteristic of both yesterday and today, the annual St John the Baptist fireworks display that the city offers to its residents and visitors is a real Florentine tradition that struck the English poet. This is how she describes it: “I couldn’t help screaming out for pleasure, and surprise. I never had seen any good fireworks, but Robert, who had, declared that nothing ever met his eyes to compare with these...and then the whole scene, the river, the people, the garden & characteristic houses contrived to throw one into a fit of ec[s]tasy—it was my turn to be child, after all my fine reflection of the hour before. (...) I cannot describe to you how marvellously beautiful it was.”

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On the Trail of Leonardo’s DNA fter the recent identification of 41 of Leonardo’s living descendants, researchers of the Leonardo Project consortium are now on the trail of the genius’ DNA. The objective is to compare Leonardo’s DNA, which still must be found (the tomb in the chapel of the Ambroise Castle in France is visited by thousands of tourists every year), with that of Leonardo’s father, of other relatives of the artist that are in Florence, and of the genius’ mother Caterina in Milan. Researchers are then planning on looking for biological traces in the tombs and the paintings to finally elaborate a “genetic profile” of Leonardo within 2019, in coincidence with the 500th anniversary of his death. The identification of Leonardo’s DNA would follow that of Caravaggio, obtained in 2010 thanks to the efforts of the group of researchers lead by Silvano Vinceti, and of the Mona Lisa who, according to the reconstruction by German expert Maike Vogt-Luerssen was former Leonardo’s wife Isabel of Aragon. The new research last month identified 41 living descendants of Leonardo; these astonishing results will make it possible to isolate Leonardo’s DNA exactly five centuries after his death in France. Carried out by art historians Alessandro Vezzosi, who directs the Leonardo da Vinci Museum in the town of Vinci where Leonardo was born on April 15, 1452, and Agnese Sabato, the research iden-

tified among Leonardo’s living relatives the famous Italian movie director Franco Zeffirelli. The son of Ottorino Corsi and nephew of Olinto Corsi (a notorious person in Vinci at the end of the 19th century), Zeffirelli, whose real name is Gianfranco Corsi, became related with the Leonardo in 1794 follow-

ing the marriage between Michelangelo Tommasi Corsi and Teresa Alessandra Giovanna di Ser Antonio Da Vinci, a direct descendant of Leonardo’s father Piero. Among the the 35 living descen-

dants of Leonardo is Giovanni Calosi, a former accountant of a small company in Vinci, who was the first to be informed of the discovery nine years ago and since then helped identifying the other descendants. When he was told about the finding, Calosi recalled the words of his mother, Dina, who often talked of documents and letters spelled backwards, from the right to the left, as only Leonardo was doing. These letters and documents, which had been sold by the family, could be read only in front of a mirror. Calosi’ s daughter, who also helped identify other descendants, also recalls the words of her grandmother and concludes that the recent research has transformed legend into history. Leonardo Da Vinci hit the headlines of newspapers and other media last month not only because of the finding of his descendants, but also because another researcher said that Leonardo’s most famous painting, the Mona Lisa, is androgynous. The researcher, Silvano Vinceti, concluded that, to portray the Mona Lisa, Leonardo did not use just one model but two, the first one being Lisa Gherardini, the second being his pupil Gian Giacomo Caprotti. Vinceti carried out his study through infrared rays, photoshop and documents, the latter being the only base for previous researches.

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NEWS Italy Opens Up 250 Historic Homes and Gardens Italy has recently opened up to the public, for free, some 250 historic homes and gardens. Among the historic sites now viewable are Palazzo Cellamare in Naples, homes from different periods of Caravaggio, Casanova and Goethe, which will be open as part of the Association of Italian Historic Houses (ADSI) on Saturday and Sunday. The non-museum areas of Rome’s Palazzo Ruspoli, Villa di Corliano, known in the 1600s as “the most beautiful building around Pisa,” and Palazzo della Meridiana, one of the 42 registered in the “Rolli di Genova” and a UNESCO World Heritage site will are also open. Some of the fascinating private historic residences and gardens will also host concerts and shows. Among this year’s “debuts” are Villa Hercolani Belpoggio in Bologna, Palazzo Sergardi in Siena and Palazzo Ravaschieri in Chiavari.

Bargello, Uffizi and Accademia Extend Opening Hours The 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. from May to Sept. 27.

Uffizi to Increase Personalized Routes The Uffizi Gallery is planning to introduce more personalized routes for visitors similar to those offered by some of the most important museums in the world such as The Louvre in Paris. Director of the Uffizi Eike Schmidt said last month that details are still to be defined but soon – 2018 or 2019, with some measures that may be introduced earlier – visitors will have more visit options. Schmidt also said that the museum will put its staircases back to use.

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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

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

JUNE 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

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.

♦ 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)

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 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.

♦ Real Time and Time of Reality. The Clocks at Palazzo Pitti from the XVIII to the XX Century

Curated by Marzia Faietti, Giorgio Marini and Catherine Whistler Uffizi, Department of Print and Drawings, Oct. 18 - Jan. 8 (2017)

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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,

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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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.

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Uffizi Hosts Painted Wooden Sculptures

Liu Xiaodong’s “Migrations” on Display

he Strozzina area of Palazzo Strozzi is showcasing the exhibit Migrations by Liu Xiaodong until June 19. The exhibition showcases paintings, drawings and photographs realized by the Chinese artist in Tuscany between the autumn of 2015 and the spring of 2016. Its background are the cities of Florence and Prato and the countryside between Florence and Siena, which the artist filters through his direct contact with local people. The idea for such a display came from the artist’s strong interest in the Chinese community in Prato, the largest such community in It-

aly and one of the most important in Europe, now in its third generation. Xiaodong, who one may tell almost has the eye of a documentarist, reflects on how migrating people interact with their new physical, geographical and cultural environments, highlighting the current dramas taking place on the European borders that Xiaodong has witnessed in first person in Bodrum, Turkey, and Kos, Greece.In addition to other areas around Florence that host Chinese communities, such as San Donnino and Osmannoro, the artist also portrays the classic Tuscan countryside, including the hills of Chi-

anti, the Val d’Orcia and the Crete Senesi. Born in the Liaoning province in 1963, Xiaodong is rewarded for his personal style mixing classic painting with a reporter-type attitude on the contemporary world. In his art, routine moments and daily events of a world marked by or social tensions and conflicts take on an epic monumentality, assuming a new poetic dimension. As the artist himself wrote: “Yearning for a better place, a better life, is an intrinsic part of man's nature. Migrations are bursting with hope and energy yet at the same time they are weighed down by anxiety and loss.”

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.

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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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

Santo Spirito

SOS

Gothic, rebuilt in 1444 by Brunelleschi; Bell tower (Baccio dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Agnolo), Vestibule, Sacresty, Last supper of S. Spirito frescoed by Orcagna.

Santa Maria del Fiore 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 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

EMERGENCIES

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

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).

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

Santa Maria Novella Gothic, started in 1246, completed in 1360.

LAW ENFORCEMENT

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

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). 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

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

TOURIST INFO POINTS

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

ON THE ROAD Roadside Assistance for Foreigners: 800 116800 Obstruction, theft, and towed vehicles: 055 4224142 Highways, route planning and traffic jams: www.autostrade.it/en

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

JUNE 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

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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

“Color: The Perfect Thought”

JUNE www.florencenews.it

“Buffoons, Peasants and Gamblers at the Medici Court”

Santo Ficara Art Gallery presents D’ Oora

Exhibit at Palazzo Pitti until Sept. 11

HANNAH JOLLY

he Santo Ficara Contemporary Art Gallery is presenting the exhibit “Color: The Perfect Thought” by Domenico D’Oora until June 20. The exhibit showcases fifteen works realized in 2016 made of acrylic resin on canvas and on multilayer boards placed in Plexigrass or Pvc. Born in London in 1953, D’Oora has since the 1990’s collaborated with important contemporary art galleries in Italy, Germany and Switzerland and has showcased his works in more than 40 personal exhibit. In his works, color becomes the manifestation of a costantly evolving thought, intuition and knowledge at the same time. The modulated surfaces end up defining the boundaries of a moment of concentration where the two dimensions of space and time cohabit in the same instant. Color’s exalted presence, offering itself

with no limits, assumes an unexpected physicality in which light and shadow become indissoluble. Ideal conception and execution are in D’Oora’s art fragments of a system that combines perception and production, in which the three dimensions of each piece express medidative intensity and a subtle disquietude, aiming to radically reconstruct, through each particular, a concept of totality.

Color: The Perfect Thought Santo Ficara Contemporary Art Gallery Via Ghibellina, 164/r Monday to Saturday: 10 a.m. 12:30 p.m., 4 – 7 p.m. Tel.: + 39 055 2340239 www.santoficara.it

he exhibit presents 30 pieces of art, paintings and sculptures, different from those of the same kind common in the Medici collections of art in the 16th and 17th centuries and featured in other museums in Florence, mainly recovered from the storage facilities of the Palatine Gallery and of the Gallery of Statues and Paintings, both belonging to the Uffizi complex. The comical nature of these subjects, figures that really existed and had with the job of entertaining the aristocracy distracting the nobles from the boredom of royal life with their improvisations, deformities, and mental impairments, is exemplified in the three kinds of the professional buffoon: the speaking jester, skilled in verbal acrobatics and witty improvisation; the physical buffoon, with the anomaly of achondroplasia and deformity; and the mentally impaired buffoon depicted in Justus Susterman’s Meo Matto. “The position of buffoons, midway between objects of amusement and the lord’s speaking conscience, elevated them to the rank of lead-

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-

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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

“It looks like a Vespa!”

18 Florence News

CITY BEAT

Pitti Uomo Returns June 14-17 A guide to all the events

itti Uomo, the most important fashion event in Florence dedicated to menswear, is coming back to the Fortezza da Basso from June 14 to 17 for its 90th fair. Within a space of 60,000 square metres divided in 15 sections, 1,219 brands – 536 from abroad for a total of 44% of all exhibitors – will showcase their new collections inspired to the theme of this year

that is Lucky Numbers and that focuses on the aesthetics, graphics and symbolism of numbers, both in and out of fashion. New names, special projects and the return of previous participants will be the main ‘ingredients’ of the fair. Drumohr returns with an independent stand in the Monumental Area and presents the Informal Jacket project: ful-

ly-fashioned jersey jackets, strictly stretch, designed for the international traveling man. Pal Zileri will present the Lab Pal Zileri line while Tateossian London will launch its new accessories including a leather capsule collection – a line of ultra-contemporary backpacks with matching wallets and belts – and a line of moonstone jewellery. Among the returning brands is

JUNE www.florencenews.it also Premiata, which will present a project that showcases the new collection and style. ISKO™, the major global denim producer, will present an innovative itinerary to discover the denim of the future. Burlington will launch its new direction and Mandarina Duck will star one of the most successful icons of the ’80s, the Utility backpack, revisited in an urban and contemporary style. Fred Perry is bringing a handful of special projects in collaboration with the Amy Winehouse Foundation, the Lauren Wreath Collection and its co-branding initiatives with Raf Simons and Art Comes First. Lyle & Scott is presenting its new collection for spring and summer and sport brands Le Coq Sportif, House of Holland and Umbro will preview their new directions. Among the brands showcasing at Pitti for the first time is Hudson Jeans, an iconic name in made-inthe-USA denim, while; Giro d’stil is holding “The Most Fashionable Bicycle Race on The Planet”. Finally, top international menswear brands will take part in a special tour over the four days of the fair: impeccably dressed cyclists racing bespoke Velorbis bicycles at Fortezza da Basso – on a track in the Cortile della Polveriera – and on the streets of Florence. During the event two major magazines, Rolling Stone and Undici, will present projects inspired by the show’s general theme with special installations. Rolling Stone has commissioned street artist Laurina Paperina to create a “Wall of Fame” of the 90 numbers of the Ne-

apolitan lottery tradition Smorfia, while Undici will set up 11 massive sculptures dedicated to the jersey numbers of legendary players in European football history in a section called Epic Numbers.

EVENTS THE CENTRO DI FIRENZE PER LA MODA ITALIANA GALA EVENING Monday, June 13, the Centro Di Firenze Per La Moda Italiana will host a pre-opening event. A gala dinner and entertainment at Palazzo Pitti will welcome Pitti Uomo’s international community and celebrate the 13th anniversary of Classico Italia. KARL LAGERFELD - VISIONS OF FASHION Karl Lagerfeld’s Visions of Fashion will open at Palazzo Pitti on June 14. Curated by Eric Pfrunder and Gerhard Steidl, this event is a retrospective of Karl Lagerfeld’s career in photography and includes never-before-seen photographs. The exhibition is curated by the Fondazione Pitti Immagine Discovery and the Uffizi Gallery with the support of Centro di Firenze per la Moda Italiana and Pitti Immagine. FLORENCE CALLING: RAF SIMONS This event will celebrate the return of one of contemporary fashion’s greatest innovators to Florence. On Thursday, June 16, Simons will

JUNE www.florencenews.it unveil his Spring/Summer 2017 collection with a special project created for Pitti Uomo 90. GOSHA RUBCHINSKIY, MENSWEAR GUEST DESIGNER Pitti Uomo 90’s Menswear Guest Designer is Gosha Rubchinskiy. The Russian designer’s work combines the aesthetics of post-Soviet Russian youth culture with sportswear influences and allusions to photography and film. Since 2012, the brand has been produced and distributed by Comme des Garçons. On Wednesday, June 15, Rubchinskiy will present the Spring/Summer 2017 collection with a special photography project designed for Pitti. CARTIER’S MEN’S WORLD Cartier will present its ‘Men’s World’. The fifteenth-century palace in the heart of Florence will be the venue for the presentation of the Drive de Cartier watch, a timepiece that combines the Maison’s eternal elegance with the independent spirit that distinguishes Cartier’s man. FAUSTO PUGLISI, PITTI ITALICS Fausto Puglisi is the star of Pitti Italics. Born in Sicily in 1976, Puglisi’s vision reflects the contrast between his Italian origins and his fascination for the myriad facets of American culture. For Pitti Uomo, Puglisi has planned the international preview of his first menswear capsule collection, which he will present with the 2017 women’s resort collection.

Piazza San Felice 1/r 055 0500731 vintageceleste@hotmail.it

VISVIM, THE DESIGNER PROJECT This summer’s Designer Project is Visvim. Hiroki Nakamura - founder and designer of the Japanese brand Visvim - creates menswear collections that are the fruit of his eclectic approach, in which American workwear elements are updated with high-tech design. In Florence, for the first time ever, on Thursday, June 16, Nakamura will be showing a performance for a complete Visvim experience. Visvim will present a special installation in the Futuro Maschile section. LUCIO VANOTTI is Pitti Italics This summer the Pitti Italics designer is Lucio Vanotti. Born in Bergamo in 1975, Vanotti was one of the finalists of the Who is on Next? Uomo contest. His label made its runway debut in January 2016 when Giorgio Armani invited him to show in the Armani Theatre at Via Bergognone. Vanotti’s hallmarks are sartorial skill and purity of form for a sophisticated, gender neutral and naturally minimalist style. A joint project between Pitti Uomo and Pitti Filati, celebrating the union of experimentation and fashion. Pitti Italics will present a special event for Pitti Filati 79: the featured name will be Sansovino 6, the brand founded by Edward Buchanan, a designer considered a leading talent in women’s fashion and knitwear whose up-to-date, contemporary vision has led to the creation of new forms.

POLIMODA FASHION WEEK To move beyond the boundaries between school and work, to tear down the barriers between business and design, to close the gaps between creative inspiration and the market, Polimoda’s Fashion Week will present a rich calendar: from the runway show featuring top designers at Palazzo Strozzi, to the “speed dating” event for final-year students and businesses, to the new talent development project for fashion. “A SHIRT A STAR”, THE L’UOMO VOGUE AND GQ ITALIA COCKTAIL PARTY TO CELEBRATE 60 YEARS OF XACUS On the evening of Tuesday June 14 at Palazzo Budini Gattai, a cocktail party will be held in collaboration with L’Uomo Vogue and GQ Italia to celebrate the 60 years of history of the Xacus brand. In the full style of the two magazines, it will feature an interpretation of the shirt and of the world of Xacus through a highly evocative and striking layout.

Florence News 19

CITY BEAT BETWEEN ART AND FASHION AT FERRAGAMO MUSEUM Tra Arte e Moda is a long-running exhibition (May 19, 2016 – April 7, 2017) sponsored and organized by the Fondazione and Museo Salvatore Ferragamo. Set in the Ferragamo museum and other cultural institutions and museums, the show deals with the complex relationship between art and fashion, a perfect topic for the Pitti community. LUISAVIAROMA’S FIRENZE4EVER The theme of the 13th edition of

GUCCI’S EPIPHANY On Thursday, June 16, the Gucci Museum will be the venue for an exclusive reception organized by Gucci, to present Epiphany, a limited-edition book by Ari Marcopoulos published by IdeaBook. Epiphany is a collection of pictures he shot while creating the Gucci Pre-Fall 2016 Lookbook. Mr. Marcopoulos will be signing copies of the book at the event.

THE ITALIAN FASHION OUTLETS ON VIA DEI NERI Via dei Neri 86-88/r

Firenze4Ever will be Underwater Love, a series of events culminating in a final ceremony to be held at 8 p.m. on June 13 with the participation of fashion bloggers, influencers, the press, designers and celebrities when the Bridge of Love will be opened, an installation designed by the Architect Claudio Nardi: floating cubes connected by suspended bridges will join the two banks of the Arno River in remembrance of the flood of Florence that occurred 50 years ago. For info www.pittimmagine.com

20 Florence News

CITY BEAT

Lifestyle, Kidswear at Pitti Bimbo

he Fortezza da Basso will host the 83rd Pitti Bimbo, the most important international event dedicated to kidswear, teeneagerwear and lifestyle, from June 23 to 25. Pitti Bimbo will showcase 479 collections for kids (last year 446 collections were on display), half of which are coming from abroad. Last year, a total of 6,700 buyers from all over the world and 10,000 visitors attended the event that, with its mix of creativity and experimentation, offered a complete

representation of kids fashion. Among the highlights of this June’s Pitti Bimbo are the presence of Edgardo Osorio, founder and director of Aquazzurra, who will launch his first collection – Aquazzurra Mini – for kids; the return of the C.W.F. group which features brands such as Little Marc Jacobs will be launching a new collections branded by Zadig & Voltaire and Florentine brand Patrizia Pepe; the cutting edge scandinavian brand Minna Parrika will have its

JUNE www.florencenews.it

first year at Pitti Bimbo; Joshua Saunders will launch its first girls collection; finally, Leitmotiv will preview its collections. Two special shows will be inspired by research and contemporary lifestyle, a space – called Fun Glasses will be dedicated to kids’ glasses, and two areas will be, for the first time in the history of the event, dedicated to creativity: Bike!Bike! is the area dedicated to bikes for kids (among the attending brands are important ones in the field such as Legami, Triobike and Fix Your Bike). Kdesign will be a journey into the world of design thought for kids with brands such as Design Mood, Oeuf and Guum, a house that is more and more a place where the spaces for kids and adults intertwine. Other highlights include the new Pop Up Stores offering lifestyle products such as jewelry, accessories, furnishings, items for newborns and baby & beauty care; an eco-section with the best brands operating in the field of sustainable fashion; and finally a section for sportswear and activewear. Pitti Bimbo will also be covered by BOF The Business of Fashion, the leader digital platform in fashion business.

Pitti Bimbo 83 June 23-25 Opening Hours: 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. (last day 5 p.m.) www.pittimmagine.com

Fashion Museum Opens

n agreement between the management of the Uffizi Gallery and Pitti Immagine Discovery, the foundation including Pitti Immagine and the Florentine center for Italian fashion, gave birth last month to a new Museum of Fashion and Costume. The objective is to start a threeyear program of events dedicated to contemporary fashion begin-

ning with an exhibit of photos by designer Karl Lagerfeld that will start June 14, during the Pitti Uomo international trade fair, and will end Oct. 23. The exhibit, called ‘Vision of Fashion’, will showcase 200 photos and fashion reports by Lagerfeld, including a self-portrait. The museum will then host next year an exhibit showcasing the gallery’s archives.

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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Filati, Again

Trade show returns June 29-July 1

itti Immagine Filati, the international event featuring yarns for the knitting industry, is returning this month to Florence. The event will take place at Fortezza da Basso from June 29 to July 1. Both a dynamic research lab and an authoritative global observatory that looks into lifestyle trends for the future, Pitti Filati presents world-scale excellence in yarns to international buyers and designers of the most famous fashion brands

who attend the event in search for creative inspiration. The 79th Pitti Filati will feature previews of yarns for the 2017/2018 Fall/Winter season in a dynamic setting that makes visitors feel welcome and makes doing business a pleasure. In an area of 20,000 square meters, a total of 140 brands – of which 110 are Italian – will be taking part in the event. The foreign brands are mostly from Great Britain, Japan,

Turkey, Romania, Peru, France, Germany, New Zealand and South Africa. Most of the nearly three dozen exhibitors in the Fashion at Work are Italian, as are the nearly 20 exhibitors that will be stationed in the KnitClub area. Pitti Italics, the program through which the Fondazione Pitti Immagine Discovery promotes and supports internationally promising new-generation Italian or Italy-based fashion designers, will present for the first time a special event at Pitti Filati, creating a bridge between this fair and Pitti Uomo – a bridge with two lanes: research and fashion. The featured name at Pitti Filati will be Sansovino 6, the brand founded by the American-Milanese by adoption designer Edward Buchanan, who is considered one of the leading talents in women’s fashions and knitwear: his contemporary vision offers a totally new slant. Produced by Pitti Immagine and Consorzio Promozione Filati, a competition for aspiring designers from some of the world’s best fashion schools Feel the Yarn, supports young talents who will create original knit garments, expanding the creative potential of yarns manufactured by the finest mills in Italy. Some 26 students selected from 13 fashion-design schools around the world and 22 Italian mills coordinated by the Consorzio Promozione Filati will also participate at Pitti Filati with their collections for the 2017/2018 Fall/Winter season. The theme for the competition will be Knitting Time, with knits as an expression of the rhythm of daily

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Florence News 21

CITY BEAT life. A special prize called “Splendour of Life”, donated by Salvatore Ferragamo, will be given to the project that best interprets the beauty of our typical Italian lifestyle: an internship, with the inclusion in the knits’ working group for the development of the Fall/ Winter 2017/2018 collection. Finalists will also have the opportunity of one-on-one meetings with the designers and representatives of the style bureaus of the labels at the fair. The area called Spazio

The 79th Pitti Filati will feature previews of yarns for the 2017/2018 Fall/Winter season in a dynamic setting that makes visitors feel welcome and makes doing business a pleasure. Ricerca, with its title-theme H24 – twenty-four hours in knit, will explore the materials’ potentials in relation to chemical and physical changes, sensations and needs that regulate our bodies and our days. H24 will highlight applications of various fibers through 24 “moments”, 24 colors, 24 atmospheres, 24 sensations and 24 physical states that need a different garment for every hour of the

day and night. The section KnitClub will showcase knitting mills, offering an important opportunity for constructive market dialogue among knitwear manufacturers and buyers, designers and style bureaus of the world’s most famous fashion brands such as Linea Adani, Burns & Factory, Maglificio Capelli, Confezioni Chicca, Elsa Carlani Cashmere Lab, Elsamanda, Gli Angeli Tricot, Maglificio Adele, Maglificio Gottardi, Maglificio MGS, Maglificio Pini, Maglificio Pisani, Maglificio Venezia, Maison New Club, Ommy, SRL, Styling Marya, Teodori and Ventanni. Located on the Lower Level of the Main Pavilion, the Fashion at Work section will bring together Italian and foreign exhibitors involved with style consulting, stitch and prototype development, printing on knits, knitting machinery, buttons and notions, trimmings, embroideries and appliqués, dyeing and finishing, trend carnets and style bureaus, color-coding systems and software for design and manufacturing. Another event is the Moda Futuribile project, presented by Dyloan Studio, which aims at promoting the fashion system’s excellence by developing a series of items that embody the know-how and design synergies that spring from manufacturing and creativity. The focus of Moda Futuribile this year will be knitted accessories, the goal is that of integrating knit in accessory product such as shoes and bags implemented by the new technologies approached by the project Moda Futuribile.

22 Florence News

CITY BEAT

JUNE www.florencenews.it

Maggio Musicale Presents Summer Concerts T

he Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Europe’s oldest and most prestigious music festival, is returning until July 4 looking back on over 80 years. In fact, it was precisely in May 1933, that the Maggio Musicale, one of the oldest European festivals and the oldest interdisciplinary festival in Italy, was born. With its three groups – the orchestra, chorus and corps de ballet – the Maggio Musicale means for Florence what the Scala means for Milan or the Fenice means for Venice. Despite its name – born unaware of modern marketing rules and confusing nowadays the tourists visiting Florence who don’t understand if it’s a month, a festival or a theatre – Maggio Musicale Fiorentino has sensationally marked a turning point in the history of the opera. It happened in that first festival of 1933, by will of Vittorio Gui who had founded the Orchestra Stabile Fiorentina in 1928; the revolutionary scenes from the Puritans signed by the surrealist maestro Giorgio De Chirico shook the audience and critics as much as they marked the era of a new way of conceiving theatrical productions. De Chirico had indicated in that first edition the need for a new relationship between music and art direction. The love between theatre and visual arts sparked in Florence and within a few years, that liaison dangereuse became popular not only in Florence but

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Following is the program of the concerts of this summer. Zubin Mehta/ Diana Damrau Opera di Firenze June 9, 8 p.m. Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Chorus and Orchestra/ Zubin Mehta Opera di Firenze June 18, 8 p.m. Filarmonica della Scala/ Myung-whun Chung Opera di Firenze June 19, 8 p.m.

worldwide. In such climate, it was easy to combine modernity (Casella, Dallapiccola, Stravinskij) and rediscoveries (Spontini, Rossini and Cherubini), introduce the use of directions for theatrical opera productions (Visconti, Ronconi, Zeffirelli, De Filippo, Liliana Cavani, Olmi, Monicelli, Ivory), group up the greatest composers and conductors (from Furtwangelr to Karajan, then Muti, Abbado and Mehta) and add international casts: while Callas was singing Norma, the Puritans and Médée, Tebaldi was interpreting the Siege of Corinthe and Traviata. Meanwhile, the playbill of each

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edition, rich in symphonic and chamber concerts, was completed with drama performances: in 1948, Strehler brought the Tempest to Boboli, and the following year, Visconti created the legendary Troilus and Cressida that, at a cost of 38 million lire (already back then extremely expensive for the Maggio festival) brought on the stage a truly national performance of the Italian theatre, with Vittorio Gassmann, Giorgio Albertazzi, Rina Morelli, Carlo Ninchi, Paolo Stoppa and Marcello Mastroianni. Memorable opera productions included The Girl of the West of 1954 (conducted by Mitropoulos,

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directed by Curzio Malaparte), the Wozzeck of 1979 (conducted by Bruno Bartoletti, directed by Liliana Cavani), The Rake’s Progress of 1982 (conducted by Riccardo Chailly and directed by Ken Russell), and the Turandot by Zubin Mehta (Maggio’s beloved principal conductor since 1985) with the extraordinary stage direction by Zhang Yimou in 1997. Faithful to its origins, the festival continued to recruit artists for its scenes: from Sironi, Soffici, Maccari, Kokoshcka, Savinio, Clerici, Primo Conti and Derek Barman to the most recent collaboration with the Oscar-awarded Dante Rossetti.

Wiener Philarmoniker/ Daniele Gatti Opera di Firenze June 28, 8 p.m. Berliner Philarmoniker/ Yannick Nèzet-Sègun Opera di Firenze June 30, 8 p.m. S. Petersburg Philarmonic Orchestra/ Jurij Temirkanov Opera di Firenze July 4, 8 p.m. www.operadifirenze.it

JUNE www.florencenews.it

Florence News 23

CITY BEAT

“Portraits of Dance”

Florence Dance Festival returns from June 21 through July 27 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’

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

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

JUNE

24 Florence News

CITY BEAT

www.florencenews.it

Fiesole Presents its Estate Fiesolana Festival to begin June 16

Design by Naz Kangal

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 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 Winehouse, 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

Learn How to Sew C

olorful, creative and social. It is this shop, named Merenda in Sartoria and tucked away in the heart of San Frediano, that a local young woman with a passion for sewing teaches an art that was a joy and a way of life for our grandmothers. The workshop’s title derives from the idea of enjoying afternoon tea at the tailor’s. What the shop offers is not simply limited to sewing. Classes are available in knitting, crocheting, and other workshops are run throughout the year, further fusing creativity with a friendly atmosphere. Merenda in Sartoria is a place to delve into the world of design more seriously for aspiring seamstresses, or to pursue a budding hobby amidst an environment of good conversation and innovation. Events are announced on the facebook page of the shop.

Merenda in Sartoria Via del Drago d’Oro, 11/r 338 958 9205 info@merendainsartoria.com

JUNE www.florencenews.it

A ‘Port’ for Jazz and Traditional Italian Music A

s with any port, Porto di Mare-Eskimo is synonymous with exchange, correspondence, and coming and going. This year the club has an important novelty: courses of typical Italian dance Tarantella, which will be taking place on Friday night. Porto di Mare's focus on live music and cultural exchange is one that the man who started the club, Francesco Cofone, holds close to his heart.

“We never play anything recorded here” he says with a smile. The method of bridging cultures at Porto di Mare is just getting out an instrument and beginning to play. “I’d be keen to talk to anyone who is interested in playing and sharing their music with us,” Francesco says. The club has also created its own big band, the Eskimo Jazz Orchestra. An all-star Tuscan jazz band born under the initiative of

Francesco, it includes some of the biggest and respected names on the jazz scene amongst its members. Among these are trumpeter and band conductor Fabio Morgera, who played under legendary American jazz cornetist; composer and conductor Butch Morris for 30 years in New York; Dario Cecchini, sax and leader of Italian marching band Funk Off; trumpeter Luca Marianini; trombone player Stefano Scalzi and guitarist Riccardo Onori, who both played alongside renowned Italian singer-songwriter and rapper Jovanotti; percussionists Walter Paoli, ex-member of 1970s Italian jazz, progressive rock and electronic group Area, and Piero Borri; clarinet player Nico Gori; and guitarists Paolo Conte, Ivano Fossati and Riccardo Galardini – to name just (a little more than) a few.

Florence News 25

MUSIC

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

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-

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.

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:

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

July 9 Van Morrison and Tom Jones

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

26 Florence News

CITY BEAT

Calcio Storico Honors Patron Saint

Foto credits: Flickr user Francesca Romana Correale

s part of a celebration of Florence’s patron saint, John the Baptist, the Calcio Storico Fiorentino is held annually in June, a tradition dating back to the sixteenth century that puts the four districts the Romans divided Florence into head-to-head in a game that mixes football, rugby, and wrestling, invented by the Romans to train

their troops and conserved by Florentines, who still play it every year in the Piazza Santa Croce. The sport originates from the traditional game played over 500 years ago, and the ancient rules are still observed. Before each game a procession of drummers, flag-bearers, team members and other Florentines,

all dressed in sixteenth-century Renaissance attire, parades from Piazza Santa Maria Novella to Piazza della Signoria, through Via dei Neri and Via dei Benci and on to the field of play, Piazza Santa Croce. Matches last 50 minutes and are played on a field covered in sand, doubly long as it is wide, with net goals at each end. Each team has 27 players: 4 Datori Indietro (goalkeepers), 3 Datori Innanzi (fullbacks), 5 Sconciatori (halfbacks), and 15 Innanzi or Corridori (forwards). The game starts when the "Pallaio" throws the ball to the center line, followed by the firing of a small cannon, announcing the beginning of the conflict. From this moment on, the players attempt to get the ball into the opponent's goal. The teams change sides with every point scored. Tactics such as head-butting, punching, elbowing and choking are allowed, although the modern version forbids sucker punches and kicks to the head. Players continue to play despite any injuries they may incur, as there are no substitutes. Many players boast that they would rather die on the field than in the hospital.

JUNE www.florencenews.it The Captain and Alfiere (flag bearer's) tent sits in the center of the goal net. They don't actively participate in the game, but act as referees along two “side judges” per district, making eight total. The Maestro di Campo is “Master” of the game and ensures it runs smoothly, stepping in to reestablish order and maintain discipline in case of a fight on field. The team which scores the most cacce (points) wins. Historically, the winners are awarded a white calf to represent the “sweet taste of victory.” Today, the victorious team wins a calf’s equivalent weight in mouth-watering bistecca fiorentina. Originally, Calcio Storico was reserved for aristocratic noblemen who played every night between Epiphany and Lent in front of the Basilica of Santa Croce, and the areas of Via Il Prato, Piazza della Signoria or Piazza Santa Maria Novella. In fact, even Popes were known to play the Calcio in the Vatican, including Clement VII, Leo XI and Urban VIII. The pageant of Calcio was prohibited for a period in 1739 by the Grand Dukes of Lorraine, but was restarted by the Fascist government which came to power in the 1930s.

Calcio Storico in brief Santa Maria Novella (Reds): Northwest quadrant of the city Basilica of Santa Maria Novella Banner: Golden sun Gonfalons of company: White Lion, Lion Red, Viper, Unicorn St. John (Greens): Northeast quadrant of the city Baptistery of San Giovanni Banner: Depiction of the Baptistery Gonfalons of company: Keys, Vaio, Green Dragon, Golden Lion Holy Cross (Blues): Southeast quadrant of the city Basilica of Santa Croce Banner: Golden cross Gonfalons of company: Ox, Black Lion, Wheels, Tow Holy Spirit (Whites): Southwest quadrant of the city Basilica of the Holy Spirit Banner: White dove Gonfalons of company: Shell, Ladder, Lash, Dragon

June 11: Verdi San Giovanni (Greens) vs. Bianchi Santo Spirito (Whites) June 12: Azzurri Santa Croce (Blues) vs. Rossi Santa Maria Novella (Reds) Final match: June 24 All matches begin at 5 p.m. Tickets cost from approx. from €21 to €52 and are available online through Boxol.it. Tickets for seated areas must be bought ahead of time; standing room only tickets available on game days.

Find your customized Calcio Storico shirt at the concept store Jack in Flo in Via Ghibellina 121

JUNE www.florencenews.it

Florence News 27

CITY BEAT

NYU Presents Long Take Florence Film Festival

A Gallery of Trophies Discover the Soccer Museum

ICAN

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M ER A *

will be headed by Italian writer and director Enrico Ghezzi. The other members of the jury are: Antonio Diodato (singer-songwriter), Chiara Feriani (visual artist), Tommaso Sacchi (Department of Culture, Florence), and Martina Rojas (filmmaker). The host of the festival is Filippo Belacchi, a writer and professor of Contemporary Literature at Gonzaga University, Florence. The festival is structured in a competitive session, in which the jury will award one of the ten international participants for best video production, and a noncompetitive session: a showcase of the

E FF

ew York University in Florence is presenting The Long Take Florence Film Festival on June 22 as Part of The Season 2016 at Villa La Pietra. The festival is the first of its kind for audiovisual works made with the ‘long take’ technique: a single, unbroken camera shot. The event includes an international showcase of innovative short films and competition for the best film, with film projections and the award ceremony concentrated in one day. The artistic direction is by Domenico Cannalire, a member of the NYU Florence faculty, and filmmaker Graziano Staino. The jury

best short films and music videos worldwide that used or simulated use of the ‘long take’ technique.

Long Take Florence Film Festival June 22 NYU Florence, Villa La Pietra - Via Bolognese, 120 – 50139 Firenze www.florencelongtake.com www.nyu.edu/global/lapietra/ season/ lapietra.reply@nyu.edu 055/5007210.

ourists drawn to Florence by its art and architecture sometimes miss out completely on one of its most interesting museums: the Soccer Museum, or Museo del Calcio, located in the Coverciano area, not far from the stadium. The Soccer Museum is divided into three floors that reveal the history of Italian and international soccer from its origins in the 20th century. Over the years, Fini has collected priceless treasures such as cleats, jerseys, trophies, posters and soccer balls. All jerseys exhibited belonged to former players, and the cleats on display date back since the years of the sport’s pioneers during the second half of the 19th century. The special focus is of course the history of the Italian national team. Newspaper articles and even a library of more than 1,500 volumes on the history of soccer black and white photos of Mussolini and the 1934 and 1938 Italian national teams flaunt Italy’s achievements.

The founder and director of the Museum is Massimo Fini. Having served as physiotherapist of the Italian national team from 1962 to 1982, Fini himself is a living memory of soccer in Italy. The Coverciano sports center, due to its reasonable distance for players traveling from teams all around the country, is the house of the Italian national team where they train and prepare for international tournaments, including the upcoming World Cup. While visiting the city during the month of the World Cup, why not pay a visit to the Museo del Calcio?

Museo del Calcio Viale Aldo Palazzeschi, 20 Mon. to Fri. 9 a.m.–1 p.m.; 3–7 p.m.; Saturday: 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. Sunday: Open for group reservations Entry: € 5; reduced €3

28 Florence News

HISTORY

THAT Gown!

Eleonora di Toledo's iconic dress C.DE MELO

f one does a Google image search on the Internet for "Eleonora di Toledo" (wife of Grand Duke Cosimo I), Bronzino’s famous double portrait depicting the grand duchess and her young son, Giovanni, inevitably pops up as a result. At first glance, this famous painting appears to be nothing more than an aesthetically pleasing work of art. Upon closer inspection, however, one can ascertain that it is actually a form of propaganda, an advertisement. The piece was specifically designed to support the economic agenda of 16th century Florence while simultaneously validating Cosimo I’s rule. The iconic cream and black gown of brocaded velvet was comprised of gold weft loops. This laborious technique, known as calledriccio sopra riccio (loop over loop), produces a luxuriant texture. In celebration of the revival of the silk industry in Florence, Bronzino replicated the intricacies of this fabric with realistic precision. Interestingly, the painting was completed in August 1545- the same year in which Cosimo I began commissioning Bronzino and Pontormo to create twenty breathtaking tapestries for his palazzo (those same tapestries were re-

cently featured in the Palazzo Vecchio exhibition: Il Principe dei Sogni: Giuseppe negli Arazzi Medicei). Each massive piece was woven in Florence on Florentine looms. Eleonora’s expensive gown, precious jewels, and the heavy use of gold is akin to today’s political and corporate power-dressing. She was the daughter of the Viceroy of Naples (the noble Don Pedro di Alvarez di Toledo), who hailed from one of the wealthiest and most powerful families in Spain. The black velvet arabesques flowing throughout the fabric is reminiscent of the black velvet gowns favored by the Spanish royal court. By dressing alla Spagnola, the grand duchess asserts her aristocratic bloodline, immense wealth, and important political connections. Dr. Sheila Barker, the educational program director for the Medici Archive Project, offers an interesting lecture: Pearls, Prunes, and Malaria: behind the scenes of Bronzino's double portrait of Eleonora di Toledo and Giovanni de' Medici. In this lecture, Dr. Barker mentions that Maria di Salviatti (Cosimo I's mother), purchased two hundred fine quality Venetian pearls with the intention of impressing the young Spanish noblewoman. Eleonora received this lavish gift prior to marrying Cosimo I, and they are most likely the same pearls fea-

JUNE www.florencenews.it

tured in this portrait. The gold motifs displayed throughout the fabric alludes to Eleonora’s fecundity. Historians refer to the shape as a pomegranate (albeit a stylized one), a well-known symbol of fertility. The pomegranate also represents the Catholic Church and its followers (many seeds within a single fruit), as well as Jesus's resurrection, which is why this particular fruit is featured in many religious works of art (like theMadonna of the Pomegranate by Sandro Botticelli, painted in 1487). Curiously, the large motif on the bodice front differs in appearance from the rest of those on the gown. While the pomegranate is the official accepted theory within the art historical canon, one cannot help but notice this particular motif's conical shape and overlapping leaves. The shape is closer in appearance to an artichoke rather than a pomegranate. There is no evidence supporting this possibility, but it is interesting to note that the artichoke is also a symbol of fertility. To illustrate this point, a 16th century painting by Jan Gossaert depicts Mary Tudor holding an artichoke alongside her second husband, Charles Brandon. Her first marriage to the French king did not produce progeny, but she gave Brandon four children. Renaissance noblewomen were expected to provide as many heirs as possible for their husbands- and preferably more than one male. Should calamity befall upon the heir, the next male in line could inherit and continue the family lin-

• Pietro (10 Aug. 1546 – 10 June 1547)- died in infancy • Garzia (5 July 1547 – 12 Dec. 1562) • Antonio (July 1, 1548 – July 1548)died in infancy • Ferdinando (30 July 1549 – 17 Feb. 1609) • Anna (19 March 1553 – 6 Aug. 1553)- died in infancy • Pietro (3 June 1554 – 25 April 1604)

eage. The heir's brothers were like insurance policies. Eleonora bore her fifth child (Lucrezia) two months before Bronzino completed the painting. Giovanni was the second son (Francesco being Cosimo's heir). Keep in mind that she married Cosimo in 1539! By the time she died in 1562 the grand duchess had given her husband an impressive total of eleven children: • Maria (April 3, 1540 – Nov. 19, 1557) • Francesco (March 25, 1541 – Oct. 19, 1587) • Isabella (31 Aug. 1542 – 16 July 1576) • Giovanni (28 Sept. 1543 – Nov. 1562) • Lucrezia (7 June 1545 – 21 April 1561)

Lastly, Bronzino depicted Eleonora and Giovanni with radiant skin and robust health. This physical idealization, combined with their formal pose and serene expressions, reminds us of the many Madonna and Christ child paintings throughout Florence. Eleonora was a faithful Catholic, frequently lauded for her chaste comportment and piety. During the Renaissance, the Holy Virgin's image underwent a radical transformation. The serious, matronly Mary (so common in medieval art) was replaced by a beautiful young mother by artists like Fra' Fillipo Lippi, Sandro Botticelli, and Raffaello Sanzio. In a period where the line between human and the divine was blurred, Bronzino's implication (whether intentional or not) is quite valid.

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

PINART BOTTEGA D’OLTRARNO

ARTISAN LEATHER JOURNALS & ITALIAN PENS Situated 30 meters from the Ponte Vecchio, Pinart has offered quality stationery for more than 20 years. • •

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

Open: Mon–Sat: 10 a.m.–7:30 p.m.; Sun: 11 a.m.–7 p.m. Via Guicciardini, 2/r 055 23 98 450 www.pinart.it

Cartoleria Lory Srl P.za Frescobaldi 8r 50125 055-213246 Shop.lory.net www.digital-fineart.it www.lorycad.net

JUNE www.florencenews.it

Race for Glory Palio returns July 2

Foto credits: Flickr user Janus Kinase

AMBER BROWN & EVI 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

Ancient Tower Restored

5 Tips for Visiting Greve

1) How to get to Greve: Hop on bus line 365 and you will get to Greve in Chianti in just about an hour.

2) What to do: Every Saturday morning, the weekly market takes place in Greve in Chianti’s main square, Piazza Matteotti. The Saturday morning market offers local products by artisans, workshops and restaurants.

an Gimignano now has one more attraction for the 3.5 million tourists that flock to its ancient streets every year with the restoration of the Campatelli Tower complete and open to the public. The gentlewoman Lydia Campatelli, who was living in the family palace in San Gimignano, before dying in 2004 left her private goods to the Fondo Ambiente Italia, the national association that since 1975 protects and valorizes nature, art and landscape in the country. Thanks to the efforts of FAI and of the Ferragamo family, which also founded the restoration as a tribute to Marquis Fiamma di San Giuliano Ferragamo who died prematurely in 1998, it is now possible to visit both the the tower and the palace itself, which has also been restored with its original furnishings, pictures and paintings, most of which belonged to Lydia Campatelli’s uncle Guido Peyron. The new name of the tower is Fiamma Tower, in memory of Fiamma di San Giuliano Ferragamo.

3) What to see: the Piazza Matteotti; the Chiesa Santa Croce, constructed in the 11th century and was rebuilt in 1325 with a neoclassic façade; the Montefioralle and Verrazzano castles. 4) Museums: Greve offers two museums, The Museum of San Francesco and The Wine Museum, just outside the square. 5) What to eat: Beyond sipping on the wine from Greve in Chianti, must-eats in Greve are grilled meat and pig products such as prosciutto, salami, finocchiona, crostini, and truffles.

The Tourist Info Point in the main square, Piazza Matteotti.

JUNE www.florencenews.it

June Events in Chianti June 4-5 Lamole Perfumes Lamole – Greve in Chianti Wine and other typical products from 11 a.m. To 8 p.m. June 5 Greve in Chianti Vespa National Rally Piazza Matteotti – Greve in Chianti from 811 a.m. 2° Chianti Classico Marathon Panzano in Chianti 8 a.m. Summer at the Poggio Poggio alla Croce From June to September Every Saturday and Sunday 5 p.m. entertainment for children; 9 p.m. various shows June 9 Stars and Merchants Strada in Chianti Main square Night artisanal market with music and other entertainments from 5 to 11 p.m. June 18-19 Sun Feast Lucolena from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.

June 22 The Happy Widower Theatre of the San Francesco Museum 9:15 p.m. June 23 La Bohème Greve Summer Opera Academy Master class and opera Greve in Chianti Piazza Matteotti 9 p.m. June 25 Chianti’n Rock Rock concert featuring several bands Panzano in Chianti Sport arena June 30 Classic music concert Greve Summer Opera Academy Master class and opera Strada in Chianti Piazza Landi 9 p.m.

Book your trip to Chianti with tour agency KEYS OF FLORENCE. www.keysofflorence.com

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

SPECIALTIES

WINE & TYPICAL TUSCAN PRODUCTS

Typical Tuscan Grill Handmade Pasta

Via C. Battisti 9 50022 Greve in Chianti 0558544802 www.enoristorantegallonero.it

Piazza Matteotti 18 50022 Greve in Chianti (FI) 055853631 chianticlassicoshop@gmail.com

SUPER CARRIAGE TOUR AND WINE TASTING

Here the perfect chance to live a special moment in Chianti a romantic CARRAGE tour will take you in two of the most charming wineries of Greve in Chianti

For more information go to www.helloflorence.net

JUNE www.florencenews.it

“Robert Capa in Italy. 1943–1944” T

Exhibit depicts war waged by ordinary people

he Modern and Contemporary Art Gallery Raffaele De Garda in San Gimignano is presenting the exhibition Robert Capa in Italy. 1943–1944 until July 10, showcasing pictures from the Robert Capa Master Selection III series of the

SAN GIMIGNANO

San Gimignano Prepares Harvest Feast Fiera delle Messi returns June 17-19

Monreale just outside of Palermo and the surrender of Palermo; the famous Four Days of Naples, when the city’s residents pulled together to form a united front against the German troops; and the battle of Monteccassino, with shots of civilians escaping from the battlefield taking place in the surrounding mountains.

Robert Capa in Italy. 1943–1944 Until July 10 Modern and Contemporary Art Gallery Raffaele De Garda San Gimignano, Via Folgore da San Gimignano 11 Open daily from 9.30 a.m. – 7 p.m.

National Hungarian Museum in Budapest. The exhibit depicts war waged by both soldiers and civilians, from the Allied landing in Sicily through to such historic events as the Allied soldiers welcomed by the people of

Florence News 31

Cost: €7.50 full price; €6.50 reduced (over 65, kids from 7 to 17, groups of at least 20 people) www.sangimignanomusei.it

A Journey Through Human Cruelty

modern version of the Harvest Feast of the Middles Ages, in which towns of central Italy celebrated the harvest season with music, dances and jousters, every year on the third weekend of June the festival recreates the magic atmosphere of the happiest moment of the year. Organized by the Cavalieri di Santa Fina – an association that gets its name name from Fina dei Ciardi, patron of the city, and that has the goal of celebrating the past of San Gimignano – the event begins on Friday, June 17 at 9:30 p.m. in Piazza Duomo and goes until 11 p.m. with dances, drums and knights exhibits. On Saturday festivities start at 4 p.m. with a reproduction of a mil-

itary camp in the Rocca di Montestaffoli. A colorful costume parade that will arrive in Piazza Duomo at 4:30 p.m., marking the start of other attractions and events that wil end at night with music and dancing in the piazza. On Sunday, the festival begins at 11 a.m. with a medieval market in the Piazza delle Erbe. In the afternoon are scheduled a parade with more than 500 men dressed in handmade costumes, a joust and a flag-thrower show. At 7 p.m. the Joust of Bastioni will reward with a gold blaze the knights of the best of the four borough’s contrade. The festival will end on Sunday at around 7:30 p.m. with a circle dance involving all participants and visitors.

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

Explore the Gagliardi Contemporary Art Gallery

he Galleria Gagliardi was established in 1991, in a 400-square-meter space once used as a garage and farm machinery store. Today the gallery bears absolutely no resemblance to the original building apart from a section of the floor made up of oak boards, covering a hole which once enabled repairs to the underside of cars and machinery in the absence of a ramp. This work of art was created by the previous owner, Dino Conforti, and has been left in his memory. Since 1991, the exhibition area of the gallery has been extended and the gallery has now become a cultural reference for the promotion and sale of contemporary art. Every work is chosen directly from the studios of artists who constantly experiment new solutions through their research, renewing their approach and skills. The gallery exhibits ceramic, bronze and marble sculptures; conceptual, abstract and figurative paintings as well as works in steel, iron and wood by Italian and international artists. Via San Giovanni, 57 San Gimignano www.galleriagagliardi.com

To book a tour to San Gimignano go to Italyonabudgettours.com

SUMMER TRIPS WITH BUS2ALPS Check out some of our upcoming trips below, and make sure to check out more online at www.bus2alps.com

Amalfi Coast Budapest

Every weekend 6/16, 7/21

Taste of Tuscany

Every Weekend

Cinque Terre Day Trip

Every Weekend

Croatia

Every weekend

Interlaken & Lake Como

bus2alps.com

6/2, 6/16, 7/14, 7/21 bus2alps

@bus2alps_travel

JUNE www.florencenews.it

Florence News 33

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

34 Florence News

TRAVEL

Visit the Amalfi Coast with Bus2Alps K

nown for its picturesque sights and a laid-back beach vibe that has attracted celebrities, weekend jetsetters and college students from all around the world, the Amalfi Coast is one of Italy’s true paradises. It is also the site of a variety of unmissable destinations, including Naples, Pompeii and the Isle of Capri. Spring is the best time to visit this region because the crowds and heat have not yet swarmed the beaches, making the trip with Bus2alps to the Isle

bus2alps

of Capri and the seaside towns of Positano and Sorrento ideal. When first visiting this region, visitors are greeted with the sight of Mount Vesuvius looming over the countryside and dramatic views of traditional cities built into sloping cliffs.As the tour journeys to the Isle of Capri, visitors experience a mystical place that is home to many ancient myths, including the sirens from Homer’s Odyssey. On the private boat tour around the island provided by Bus2alps,

AMALFI COAST €265

Tattoo Piercing Via degli alfani 32/r Firenze +39 344 20 48 393 +39 342 75 47 804 Fb: Blood Brotherhood

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you too will be captivated, not by mythical creatures, but by the natural beauty of the area. Visitors also journey to the world-famous Blue Grotto and the peak of Mount Solaro. The grotto is not only exceptional because it is an accessible sea cave, but the sunlight that travels through the entrance illuminates the clear water and creates brilliant blue and green hues. Mount Solaro is the tallest point on Capri, reaching 589 meters and providing unparalleled views of the landscape. After sunbathing and exploring the island, visit the seaside town of Positano, a short ride from Sant’Agnello and Sorrento. Positano is made up of multicolored buildings that cling to the cliff above the hot black sand and pebble beaches. Visitors can enjoy people-watching in the glorious surrounds and a variety of water sports. Only the Bus2alps tour includes a ferry to Capri with a private boat tour of the island, as well as transportation to Positano and Pompeii. The last day of the trip includes a tour of the ruins of Pompeii accompanied by an optional private guide, who recounts fascinating tales of the ancient city’s history. The trip was awarded Second-Best Tour Worldwide and is the twoNext Tripwinner Dates:of Best Tour in Europe time Every Weekend in 2012 and 2013. by TourRadar

JUNE www.florencenews.it

Included: • Round-trip luxury coach transport (with A/C, DVD & bathroom) • Accommodation with your friends at top-rated hostels • Breakfast • Private ferry to the Isle of Capri with a private guided boat tour of the island (with a stop at the Blue Grotto) • Private transfer to Positano • Private transport to Pompeii • Exclusive Bus2alps discounts everywhere • A Bus2alps trip leader • The Amalfi Coast Bus2alps destination guide

WINE FROM CASK IN SANTO SPIRITO 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. Il Santo Vino also provides a home-delivery service alongside selected local specialty and organic products, such as truffled goods, honey, jam, coffee and a variety of Sicilian spreads. Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday: 10 a.m.–2.30 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

FIRENZE ASIAN FUSION RESTAURANT

ALL YOU CAN EAT

GRILLING AND CHURRASCO

serving bytable-side the table ...also for lunch Served for lunch and dinner

LUNCH:

Buffet all you can eat 10,90 €- Saturday/Sunday and holidays 12,90 € (Drinks Excluded)

DINNER:

Buffet all you can eat 21,00 € (Drinks Excluded) shorter than 120cm pay 6.00 € for lunch and 12.00 € for dinner ChildrenChildren shorten than 120cm pay 6,00 € for lunch and 12,00 € for dinner

PINGUSTO FLORENCE

Largo Annigoni, 11 - Tel. 055 23 44 397 - www.pingusto.it Open every 12.10-15.00 Open every day day 12.10 a.m. - 3 p.m.and and19.10-23.30 7.10 - 11.30 p.m.

JUNE www.florencenews.it

Florence News 37

FOOD&WINE

Warm Weather = Lighter Fare.

ummer in Florence requires lighter meals and easier recipes, and shrimp is a good choice of protein since it's easier to digest than pork or beef. Gamberetti (shrimp) is a popular seafood item not only in Florence,

but in many parts of the world. In the US alone, for example, about one billion pounds of shrimp are eaten every year by Americans. Interestingly, there are over 128 different species of shrimp and some of them can live as long as 6 years.

Yvonne Rodriguez of CONTI (a respected name in the world of Tuscan gourmet cuisine) is constantly posting recipes on her Facebook page, and this particular dish is perfect for this time of year.

CONTI SQUID INK LINGUINE WITH PRAWNS & CHERRY TOMATOES "This is a colorful and richly flavored pasta dish using fresh ingredients. I prefer to use the Sicilian cherry tomatoes when in season because of their deep striking ruby red color and sweetness. No reason to add salt. The anchovies and capers add the perfect amount of brininess that complements the sweetness of the tomatoes and prawns. Enjoy this dish with a Bolgheri Red. Buon Appetito!"- Yvonne C. Rodriguez INGREDIENTS: 15 to 18 large prawns, shelled and deveined 6 to 7 cloves of garlic, finely minced 500 grams cherry tomatoes, halved 4 anchovy fillets 4 tbs Pantelleria capers 3 tbsp Italian parlsey, minced 500 grams Conti Bronze Drawn Seppia Linguine (or any sepia pasta) 4 tbsp Conti extra virgin olive oil

4. Turn on the pasta water. When it comes to a boil, reduce heat and add pasta. Undercook the pasta about two minutes.

PREPARATION: 1. Remove the heads and shells from the shrimp. Grab the vein with your fingertips and pull. The vein will come out of the body very easily. Rinse and set aside. 2. Pre-boil an ample amount of water to accommodate the pasta. Add a copious amount of salt to the water and bring to a boil. Turn off the water. Water for pasta will be ready in half the time. 3. Pour extra virgin olive oil into pan and add finely minced garlic. Turn on low to medium heat to sauté the garlic until soft. Increase the flame to high heat and add cherry tomato halves along with the slight tomato juice that has accumulated to slightly sear. Reduce flame to medium heat. Add anchovy fillets and crush into sauce with a wooden spoon. Add the capers. Allow cherry tomatoes to reduce into a thick sauce in about 10 to 15 minutes. Add the shrimp to the tomato sauce and cover.

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

5. After two minutes or so, the shrimp will be pink and will no longer be translucent. Turn the prawns over, cover and steam another minute. Remove the shrimp from the sauce and set aside. Add the pasta to the tomato mixture. Mix ingredients together another

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

one to two minutes to cook the pasta al dente. Once ingredients are thoroughly incorporated, add shrimp and parsley. Toss well. Serves 6 persons.

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

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

38 Florence News

FOOD&WINE

Taste Wine with Pino In a 700-year-old well

‘P

ozzo Divino’ is a witty play on words: literally meaning ‘divine well’, it also translates as ‘wine well’ when read as ‘Pozzo di Vino’. The ancient well is now the cellar that hosts Pozzo Divino’s wine tours. Dating back to 1312, the well was built to supply water through a vast system of underground tunnels and pipes to the prisoners of a local prison known as ‘The Stinche’ (now Teatro Verdi) that stretched as far as the Bargello. Pino bought the location in 2006 and restored it himself with the help of some friends. Despite its

restoration, Pino reveals that it was always his principal intention to maintain a tangible sense of history when stepping into the cellar. This is something he has undoubtedly achieved; the place is almost like a time-machine propelling you back a few centuries into a part of authentic medieval Florence – albeit in excellent condition. Pino imparts his knowledge while taking guests around the cellar, offering a range of Italian wines to sample with an appetizer of complementary regional cheeses, cuts of meats, bread, olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

JUNE www.florencenews.it

Guests are offered a spectrum of Tuscan flavors to try, from a variety of the region’s renowned Chianti Classico to white wines that include Chardonnay, Sauvignon and Pinot Grigio. The wine-tasting ends with the most exclusive reds of the cellar: Bolgheri, Super Tuscan, Morellino and Montepulciano. Upon request, guests also enjoy a buffet lunch comprising fresh pasta, specialty Italian second courses, and “the best panini in the world” made by Pino himself. Pino boasts that 90 percent of the wines he holds are of Tuscan origin, and that his tours prove so popular that he often ships back boxes of the wine sampled to America in order to appease impressed customers. Those looking to take a taste of Tuscany back home can find comprehensive information on shipping zones and freight costs on the company’s website. Pozzo Divino’s wine tours can be organized for tourist groups, families and universities, and cost only €15 a head – which not only makes it an experience to enjoy over the festive season but also an ideal Christmas gift for lovers of Tuscany’s finest vintages.

Pozzo Divino Only 15 Euro! Via Ghibellina, 144/r 055 24 66 907 Open from Monday to Saturday Wine-tasting on Sundays by appointment (minimum 10 people) www.pozzodivino.it

Dine with Dante

amed after Dante Alighieri’s The Divine Comedy, a homely, rustic taverna fittingly lies on Via dei Cimatori, only a few meters away from Dante’s house. The restaurant offers traditional dishes based on medieval recipes. Some are adapted and revisited for the modern age in a way that one maintains the omnipresent feeling of Florentine history and tradition – so much so that Dante himself could walk in and dine next to you. Others are as they were centuries ago. Traditional medieval-style dishes include homemade ribbon pasta with wild boar and mushroom sauce, roast shin of pork with new potatoes and seasonal vegetables, risotto inspired by medieval Tus-

can flavors, and tasting plates of assorted cheeses accompanied with fresh fruit and jams, including the taverna’s specialty hot red pepper jam. Also serving as a wine bar and pizzeria, the restaurant offers an eclectic selection of wines from its cellar, an outdoor summer terrace, and is fittingly decorated in a medieval style with armour and banners.

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

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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Sapori & Dintorni Via de’ Bardi, 45/47

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

FOR THE

L ABEL LOVERS INDULGE IN DESIGNER BRANDS FOR UP TO 70% LESS, JUST 30 MINUTES FROM THE CITY CENTRE. Love fashion? Head to Barberino Designer Outlet. You’ll find sought-after brands for up to 70% less, all year round. With over 130 stores to choose from, plus tempting cafés and restaurants, we’re the perfect place to indulge in summer fashion.

GE T T I NG HERE We run a convenient shuttle bus service, 8 times per day, from Florence railway station - Piazza Stazione, 44 – in front of the Zoppini store. Visit our website to find out more.

LU XU RY B RANDS

SAVE AN EXTRA

10%

Take this page to our information desk to enjoy an extra 10% off outlet prices.

Take your pick from Italian and international brands including Dolce & Gabbana, Blumarine, Hugo Boss and many more.

TAX F R EE SHOPPING Non-EU citizens can enjoy a tax refund on products purchased in our centre.

MCARTHURGLEN.IT/BARBERINO

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