October 2017 by FN

Florence News OCTOBER 2017, N 017

Accad e

Uffiz www.florencenews.it 42o€n from ers per p

FLORENCE TAXI

TAXI

TAXI - ENGLISH SPEAKING TAXI - ENGLISH SPEAKING TAXI - ENGLISH SPEAKING

BEST OF FLORENCE

FLORENCE TAXI

Uffizi - Accademia - City Tour

Uffizi 42€ Academy Gallery 39€ Priority entrance tickets

Call your taxi with this app:

TAXI

Small Groups or Private Ones

SKIPTHE THE LINE SKIP LINE

BOOK NOW! NOW! BOOK booking@keysofflorence.com booking@keysofflorence.com +39 324 075 6714

Premium Tourist Services

More info and tours: www.keysofflorence.com

HAUNTED FLORENCE

Basilica di San Lorenzo

Via L

.Go

THE THREE BIGGEST SUPERMARKETS IN THE CITY CENTER • Borgo San Lorenzo (near the Dome) • Largo Fratelli Alinari, 6/7 (near the station) • Via de’Bardi, 45/47 (near the Ponte Vecchio)

Il Supermercato... da Gustare e deGustare

Basilica di San Lorenzo

Via L

.Go

_S&D_Firenze_3 PDV_31x38.indd 1

06/11/15 17.30

LUGGAGE AND TRAVEL GOODS Since 1815

Via Porta Rossa 71-73/r 055 212747 www.valigeriagazzarrini.com

_S&D_Firenze_3 PDV_31x38.indd 1

mia

39€

from per pe rs

06/11/15 17.30

Florence News

NEWS

Urs Fischer on Display

lorence News is distributed F throughout Florence in all key reference points for the English-

speaking community, including hotels and hostels, universities and language schools, libraries, tourist information points, restaurants and cafes. Free copy.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Lorenzo Picchi GR APHIC & L AYOUT DESIGN: Narine Nalbandyan, Ekaterina Chebotareva CONTRIBUTORS: Christine De Melo, Thomas Ricciotti, Cheyenne Curley, Caroline Mahar, Liz O’ Hara, Carolina R Espinal, Daniel Cook, Logan Rose, Koral Captain, Carolina Rivas, Blanca Revonato, Dana Maria, Emma Teitgen. REGISTERED AT THE TRIBUNAL OF FLORENCE N. 6008, ON 9/12/2015. PUBLISHER: IAF PRINT: Rotostampa SRL, Florence

INTERN WITH US

Florence News is currently seeking outgoing and motivated candidates for its internship program. Interns will be exposed to all facets of weekly production, including news writing, photography, layout, advertising, public relations, circulation and graphic arts. Students currently studying art history, communications, journalism, marketing, advertising, public relations or graphic design are encouraged to apply.

CONTENT

Tel: + 39 380 90 44 142 Email: fnewev@gmail.com

wo years after Jeff Koons, Piazza Signoria is again hosting the contemporary art event In Florence. The guest will be Urs Fischer, one of the leading contemporary artists in the world, who will present a large metal sculpture about 12 metres tall called Big Clay. The sculpture will be on display from Sept. 22 to Jan 21. “Big Clay is only seemingly monumental. It is a monument to the simplicity and the primordial nature of the human gesture as its moulds a shape. Closer inspection of the work’s aluminium surface reveals the artist’s fingerprints. The sculpture is an enlargement of small pieces of clay modelled by the artist in his workshop. It is a monument to dexterity and to the simplest, most humdrum creative action,” said curator of the exhibit

Francesco Bonomi. Urs Fischer rose to fame in 2011 at the 50th edition of the Venice Biennale, where he melted a full-size wax copy of Giambologna’s Rape of the Sabine Woman, one of the great masterpieces of Renaissance sculpture on display in the Loggia dei Lanzi since 1583. Fischer is now ‘returning’ to Florence with a new project bound to trigger strong reactions and a heated debate on the language of contemporary art, the redefinition of taste, the development of techniques, and the concept of beauty. The sculpture on display in Piazza Signoria aims at creating a contrast between neoclassicism and the shapeless, between ancient and modern, between the “timeless” images of Bandinelli, Cellini and Giambologna, and Fischer’s

OCTOBER ISSUE www.florencenews.it ‘shapeless’ images. “In recent years, we have accepted the challenge of international exhibitions in our city by the world’s great artists, creating short-circuits and experimental dialogues between the classic and the contemporary, between different languages and styles or techniques and materials, with the aim of stimulating people’s curiosity and of revitalising the way they look at things,” said Florence Mayor Dario Nardella. The objective is to continue the trend inaugurated two years ago. “We must challenge the prejudice and the ideology of convenience, we must enjoy neo-Renaissance artist Urs Fischer’s works with astonishment and surprise. This is a major opportunity for us to continue to pursue with courage and determination the path on which we set out with the Biennale In-

ternazionale dell’Antiquariato two years ago. Florence at this juncture has opened up to contemporary art; now a vibrant workshop, it refuses simply to be a fine showcase, an urban museum. We want to be leading players in today’s life so as to avoid downgrading the golden Renaissance to the status of a mere fossil from the past,” said Nardella. Fischer will also be placing two artworks on the Arengario of Palazzo Vecchio, between the reproductions of Michelangelo’s David and Donatello’s Judith and Holofernes, in the furrow of the exhibitions staged by Jeff Koons (2015) and Jan Fabre (2016). The Two Figures will be those of Francesco Bonami and Fabrizio Moretti, seen by the artist as two citizens of the world whose roots lie in the local territory and its culture, two portraits that become abstract bodies as the wax is consumed. Fischer’s choice of the two figures was based on a study of their features conducted in the meetings to prepare the project.

lagnaK zaN yb ngiseD

OCTOBER ISSUE www.florencenews.it

Florence News

NEWS secular works. Among the painters on display are Michelangelo, Pontormo, Rosso Fiorentino, Giorgio Vasari, Jacopo Zucchi, Giovanni Stradano, Girolamo Macchietti, Mirabello Cavalori and Santi di Tito, while sculptors include Giambologna, Bartolomeo Ammannati and Vincenzo Danti. A network of synergies with local

and international museums and institutions, as well as a major restoration campaign, devised and involved 15 masterpieces that played a key role in this exhibition. Among the works restored for the occasion were the Capponi Chapel in Santa Felicita, ten large altarpieces, and a sculpture by Michelangelo which had long needed major restoration.

Giambologna (Douai 1529-Florence 1608) Morgan le Fay 1572, marble, 99 x 45 x 68 cm. Private collection, Courtesy of Patricia Wengraf Ltd.

Bronzino (Agnolo di Cosimo; Florence 1503-72) Deposition of Christ c. 1543-5, oil on panel, 268 x 173 cm. Besançon, Musée des Beaux-Arts et d’Archéologie, inv. D.799. 1.29

The Cinquecento in Florence From Michelangelo and Pontormo to Giambologna

alazzo Strozzi is hosting The Cinquecento in Florence from Sept. 22 to Jan. 21. The exhibition, the final of a trilogy began in 2010 with Bronzino and continued in 2014 with Pontormo and Rosso Fiorentino, showcases Florentine artworks of the second half of the 16th century by artists such as Michelangelo, Andrea del Sarto, Rosso Fiorentino, Pontormo, Bronzino, Giorgio Vasari, Santi di Tito and Giambologna. The Cinquecento in Florence explores an era of outstanding cultural and intellectual talent in which the prevalent debate pitted the supporters of the “modern manner” against those of the Counter-Reformation. This contrast between sacred and profane resumed in an era marked by the

Council of Trent and in Florence by the personality of Francesco I de’ Medici, one of the greatest figures in the history of courtly patronage of the arts in Europe. The Cinquecento in Florence

showcases over 70 paintings and sculptures that capture the cultural climate of those years through a dialogue, which is presented as part of a layout both chronological and thematic, involving sacred and

The exhibit puts together masterpieces, many of which restored for the occasion, by artists such as Michelangelo, Andrea del Sarto, Rosso Fiorentino, Bronzino, Giorgio Vasari, Santi di Tito, and Giambologna.

Il Cinquecento a Firenze. From Michelangelo, Pontormo and Giambologna Palazzo Strozzi Until Jan. 21, 2018 Open everyday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Thursday from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Entrance allowed up until one hour before closing time. Ticket prices: Euro 12 full price, reduced Euro 9,50, schools 4 Euro. For more info go to www.palazzostrozzi.org

Florence News

NEWS

OCTOBER ISSUE www.florencenews.it

• The Uffizi and its Territory: Designs by Luca Giordano and Taddeo Mazzi for two Large Monastic Complexes

Principal Exhibits • A Gift for the Grand Duke: silver plates for the Feast of St. John Palazzo Pitti, Tesoro dei Granduchi June 24 – Nov. 5 Each year, from 1680 and for the following 58 years, Cosimo III and his successor, his son Gian Gastone, received a precious silver plate decorated with stories illustrating the dynastic glory of their house. The memory of the St. John plates would have been lost with the Medici family’s extinction if the Ginori manufactory had not made plaster casts of the silver originals between 1746 and 1748, so as to reproduce them in porcelain. The exhibit also showcases numerous preparatory drawings by Roman artists such as Carlo Maratta and Ciro Ferri, currently held in a variety of Italian and foreign museums and collections, along with recent porcelain and silver reproductions.

• Lucas Cranach and the Portraits of Luther from the Medici Collection To mark the 500th anniversay of the Lutheran reform

Sept. 5 – Oct. 15 The display of two sketches by Luca Giordano (Naples 1634–1705) and Taddeo Mazzi (Palagnedra, Canton Ticino, second half of the 17th century – Florence, first half of the 18th century), recently acquired by the Gallerie degli Uffizi, becomes a reflexion on an aspect of 17th and 18th century collecting that was an expression of the taste for the rapid, dabbed painting that allowed the artist to express himself. Giordano’s preparatory drawing for the decoration of the dome in the Corsini Chapel in the church of the Carmine in Florence and Mazzi’s preparatory drawing for a canvas for the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament in the Santuario di Montesenario provide new elements to enrich the tight fabric of relations linking the Uffizi to its surrounding territory. • The King of Spain’s Grandchildren: Anton Raphael Mengs’ Portrait of Federico and Maria Anna of Lorraine in the Pitti Palace Palazzo Pitti, Sala delle Nicchie Sept. 19 – Jan. 7, 2018 The exhibition presents the Gallerie degli Uffizi’s recent acquisition of a painting by Anton Raphael Mengs (Aussig, 1728 – Rome, 1779) portraying Federico and Maria Anna, the young children of Pietro Leo-

poldo, dressed in contemporary costume and depicted inside Palazzo Pitti. Begun in the early 1770s while the artist was in Florence, the painting was never finished as Mengs kept it with him, eventually leaving it to his daughter, and later to be rediscovered by a descendant of the artist. The painting is displayed alongside a version of the portrait of Pietro Leopoldo’s young children that Mengs painted on the same occasion for their maternal grandfather King Charles III of Spain, depicting the young princes in Spanish court costume (Madrid, Prado), and a portrait of their brother Francesco, the future Emperor of Austria. • The Japanese Renaissance: Nature in Screen Painting from the 15th to the 17th Centuries

To mark the 150th anniversary of Friendship between Italy and Japan

Uffizi, Aula Magliabechiana Sept. 26 – Jan. 7, 2018

This first major exhibition in Europe of painted screens from museums, temples and the Japanese Cultural Affairs Agency inaugurates the program of activities devised to mark the 150th anniversary of friendship between Italy and Japan, and is organised in conjunction with the Japanese Cultural Affairs Agency and with the Embassy of Japan in Italy.Through a selection of about 40 large paintings of landscapes and natural scenes in the traditional sliding screen format to illustrate the golden age of Japanese art from the Muromachi to the Edo era (15th to 17th centuries), and tracks the emergence of the two great trends that marked Japanese painting, reaffirming the aesthetic ideals that we still associate with Japan today: on the one hand, evocative monochrome painting made up of voids and of bare, rapid lines, close to the Chinese tradition and linked with the Zen philosophy which the warrior class embraced as early as the Kamakura period and which adorned the temples and residences of the Samurai; on the other hand, the indigenous style of painting with gold backgrounds and flat fields of colour, more explicit and easier to grasp, that was perfectly suited to adorn the large residential spaces of the bourgeois class and the palaces of the aristocracy.

Uffizi, Sala del Camino Oct. 31 – Jan. 7, 2018 On display is the portrait of Luther by Lucas Cranach (1572–53), a court painter of the Elector of Saxony Frederick the Wise, to mark the 500th anniversary of the day Martin Luther pinned his ninety-five theses against indulgences on the door of Wittenberg’s Schloßkirche. Running a flourishing workshop in the capital of Saxony, Cranach forged such close ties with the Austin friar that he ended up leading players in the new Protestant iconography of art.

OCTOBER ISSUE www.florencenews.it

‘In Random Order’ Exhibit on Helidon Xhixha

alike, yet both tend to engage in a lengthy exploration of Xhixha’s work, generally taking out their smartphones to capture their own image together with the images being reflected by the steel,” said Eike Schmidt, director of the Uffizi Gallery. “Knowledge and the Infinite,” standing in the square before Palazzo Pitti, distorts and refines the austere character of the city’s aesthetic, alluding to the harmonious beauty of the golden ratio, often found among nature, and harking back to the fundamental concepts of order, balance and regularity; “Giotto’s ‘O,’” which refers to the theory of perfection pursued by painter Giotto di Bondone, was notably chosen to inaugurate the renewed Piazza San Firenze. “Working in conjunction with the

Florence News

NEWS Gallerie degli Uffizi, we have decided to extend the celebrated Albanian artist’s one-man show into Piazza San Firenze in an effort to build a dialogue between contemporary art and the square’s spectacular baroque and Renaissance architecture,” said mayor of Florence Dario Nardella. Xhixha’s recent success at the Venice Biennale in 2015 and the 2016 London Design Biennale, along with many prestigious awards, have given him a position of prestige in the panorama of international art. His works are among the most recognizable and sought-after in the realm of contemporary sculpture, an achievement attributable to their natural depth and their ability to speak universally, despite cultural and intellectual differences.

he solo exhibition by Helidon Xhixha In Random Order is taking place at the entrance of Palazzo Pitti, in the Boboli Gardens, and the San Firenze square until Oct. 29. The exhibit explores the dichotomous concepts of chaos and order, as well as the distinction between art and nature. Xhixha has created eight of the 15 sculptures specifically for this exhibition, while also showcasing works created between 2010 and 2016. The surfaces of his sculptures glisten and reflect like mirrors, simultaneously contrasting and

complementing the surrounding cityscape, investigating intellectual and aesthetic themes derived from the 16th and 17th centuries -- themes that also concerned the Medici family and the artists of the Renaissance. “Xhixha’s sculptures, however, are not solely the product of complex theoretical reasoning; rather, they offer an immediate, gut-level experience to the observer regardless of his or her age or intellectual formation. It is indeed rare for sculpture to succeed in drawing the attention of children and adults

In Random Order Giardino di Boboli - Piazza San Firenze, Firenze June 26- Oct. 29 Admission Full price € 10.00; concessions € 5.00 for EU citizens aged 18 to 25; free for children of any nationality under the age of 18, disabled visitors and one career, journalists, academic staff and students of architecture, cultural heritage conservation and the educational sciences, or pursuing the archaeology or art history pathway in a degree course in the humanities and philosophy, or a degree or equivalent course in any European Union member country Opening hours 8.15 a.m. to 7.30 p.m.

Equilibrio 2017 | mirror polished stainless steel | Giardino di Boboli

Educational services for schools Guided tours for school groups by appointment only € 3.00 per student. Info and reservations: Firenze Musei (+39) 055.294883 Guided tours Information and reservations:(+39) 055.290383 firenzemusei@operalaboratori.com Conoscenza 2017 | mirror polished stainless steel | Piazza Pitti

Firenze: Hotel Four Seasons

www.gallerieuffizimostre.it/ helidonxhixha

Florence News

NEWS

OCTOBER ISSUE www.florencenews.it

Unknown Pleasures Displayed

“I Do Not Dare, I Dare Not To Be”

Bardini Museum hosts Glenn Brown

Il Ponte Presents Luca Patella

he contemporary art Gallery Il Ponte is presenting the exhibition I Do Not Dare, I Dare Not To Be by Luca Maria Patella. An internationally renowned research artist, Patella is known for his complex semantic relations and techniques ranging from painting to sculpture-objects, installations, photographs, films and video, graphic works, as well as books and writing. The exhibit runs from Sept. 22 to Nov. 10. Two Physiognomical Vases made from the profiles of the famous portrait of the Dukes of Urbino by Piero della Francesca at the Uffizi Gallery open the showcase. On the walls of second room are works that provided the basis, for some decades now, for Patella’s eclectic research which ranges from art, science, psychoanalysis and language studies. To the end of the

room on the second floor, a Campanaro strikes on the hour and every quarter of an hour almost as to mark the descent to the lower floor, where, from a small window, it appears a dawn-pink child’s bedroom encircled by the words “New Life: naked except for the cloth draped around her, slightly visceral”. Back to the half-dark basement are some of Patella’s “film-works” including Terra Animata (1965-67), recently defined as “a key-work in the history of Land-art” at the MOCA in Los Angeles. The lounge area hosts a large selection of photographic works from the early 1960s that document the artist’s experimentation and his invention of printing and recording techniques (for example, his pioneer use of a fish-eye lens infrared photography and color printing of black-and-white negatives. Born in Rome in 1934, since 1964, Patella has exhibited all over the world, including seven times at the Venice Art Biennale; the V Paris Biennale, the San Marino Biennale, 1967, and has showcased his works in some of the most important contemporary art galleries and museums all over the world. The Galleria Il Ponte is located on Via di Mezzo 42, in the Sant’Ambrogio area.

he exhibition Unknown Pleasures is running at the Museo Bardini from June 10 to Oct. 25, showcasing a spectrum of Glenn Brown’s work. Brown will be installing over twenty pieces including paintings, drawings and sculptures, some of which have been made for this exhibition and shown for the first time. Mining art history and popular culture, Brown has created an artistic language that transcends time and pictorial conventions. His mannerist impulses stem from a desire to breathe new life into the extremities of historical form. Through reference, appropriation and investigation, he presents a contemporary reading of new and remembered images.

Borrowed figures and landscapes are subjected to a thoughtful and extended process of development in which they gradually transform into compelling, exuberant entities. Mixing Renaissance art, Impressionism and Surrealism, Brown creates a space where the abstract and the visceral, the rational and irrational, the beautiful and grotesque, churn in a dizzying amalgamation of reference and form. Placing Brown’s work alongside the renowned collection of Stefano Bardini will allow visitors to admire a leading contemporary artist as well as works of the past. Located on Via Dei Renai 37 in the Oltrarno area of Florence, the Bardini Museum houses several medieval and Renaissance masterpieces such as Charity by Tino da Camaino, the Madonna of the Cordai by Donatello, the monumental paintings of the Crucifix by Bernardo Daddi, St. Michael the Archangel by Pollaiolo, Atlas by Guercino, and series of drawings by Tiepolo and Piazzetta. Born in Hexham, England, Glenn Brown has been featured in numerous group and solo museum exhibitions. Recent solo shows include Glenn Brown,Tate Liverpool, England (2009, traveled to Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, Italy; and Museum Ludwig, Bu-

GETTING BEST

dapest, through 2010); Conversation Piece V, Frans Hals Museum, The Netherlands (2013–14); Glenn Brown, Des Moines Art Center, Iowa (2016, traveled to Contemporary Arts Center, Cinncinatti, through 2017); Glenn Brown/Vincent Van Gogh, Fondation Vincent Van Gogh Arles, France (2016); and most recently Glenn Brown – Rembrandt; Afterlife, Rembrandt House Museum, Amsterdam (2017).

Unknown Pleasures Glenn Brown

Stefano Bardini Museum Until Oct. 26

Hair Therapy HAIRCUT Shatush IN FLORENCE! Hennè Nails

Florence News

NEWS

Santo Ficara Presents Gianni Asdrubali

OCTOBER ISSUE www.florencenews.it

Tribute to Leopoldo

Exhibiting Models of Leonardo’s Designs

T CHEYENNE CURLEY

he Santo Ficara contemporary art gallery presents Zanorre, an exhibition on the works of Gianni Asdrubali, from Oct. 21 to Nov. 15. Born in 1955 in Tuscania, Asdrubali emerged as an abstract painter and is noted for his large-scale works on canvas or wall. In the early 80s he became a member of the Italian art movement, Astrazione Povera, which reduced figures to mere lines and had no place for quotations or the immediate expression of the subject. This style broke away from the popular postmodern and trans-avant-garde movements, which were based in

an overabundance of colors, matter, narrative, and expression. Asdrubali explores the notions of space and emptiness in a whole new way. He has exhibited in some of the world’s most prestigious contemporary art galleries and become one of the most renown Italian abstract artists.

Zanorre Gianni Asdrubali Santo Ficara Art Gallery Oct. 21 - Nov. 15 Via Ghibellina, 164R

he exhibition tributing cardinal Leopoldo de’ Medici will be on display from Nov. 7 to Jan. 28 at Palazzo Pitti. Leopoldo stands out in the panorama of European collecting for the vast scope of his interests and the variety of his collections. Availing himself of highly skilled agents, merchants and secretaries both in Italy and abroad, he put together a collection of utterly sophisticated items from ancient and modern sculpture to coins, medals and cameos, paintings, drawings and engravings, ivories, semi-precious stones and precious objets d’art, portraits large and small, books, scientific instruments and natural rarities. On his death in 1675, most of his works entered the grand ducal collections and many of them were expressly earmarked by his nephew, Grand Duke Cosimo III, for the Galleria degli Uffizi.

he exhibit presents working models of Leonardo’s designs that the Niccolai family has been reconstructing since 1995, when Carlo Niccolai dedicated himself to working full-time with the desire to realise Leonardo’s legacy. His passion founded the Niccolai Collection, the largest private collection of Leonardo models in the world, comprised of 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 that reveal the inner workings of this great man’s mind. The Niccolai family has been widely praised for their ongoing devotion in realising the vast inheritance that Leonardo left to science.

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

CONTEMPORARY • CLASSIC • TIMELESS INTERIOR DESIGN &LIFESTYLE PIAZZA SCARLATTI, 2R • 055 28 33 98 • INFO@BLUKNIGHT.IT • WWW.BLUKNIGHT.IT

OCTOBER ISSUE www.florencenews.it

Theresa May Addresses Post-Brexit Abyss in Florence Speech CAROLINA ESPINAL

ttempting to bridge the gridlock in Brexit negotiations and within her party, British Prime Minister Theresa May delivered a speech in Florence on Friday, Sept. 22, that proposed continuous contributions to the European Union (EU) during an implementation period. Demonstrators gathered outside the Santa Maria Novella church, protesting against the political consequences that could give momentum to nationalistic, anti-migrant sentiments and far-right policies. The long-anticipated speech comes months after the contentious Brexit referendum, a vote fracturing Britain between Pro-Brexit advocates––those framing their resistance on the basis of salvaging and restoring the country’s identity–– and Brexit opponents, those cautioning against the economic ramifications a withdrawal will bring. What defines the Brexit controversy is a salient barricade over which nationalistic values to prioritize. The vital question, however, is how much it will cost Britain. In a quid pro quo, Mrs. May proposed a security partnership that highlighted Britain’s role as a defense measure, offering legal safeguards

to ensure the rights of EU citizens in Britain. “Where there is uncertainty around underlying EU law, I want the UK courts to be able to take into account the judgments of the European Court of Justice with a view to ensuring consistent inter-

The decision to deliver the speech in Florence was strategic in presenting an image of progress. Florence, fostering the Renaissance and epitomizing the European culture, also has a history as a successful trading nation. With a resonance of optimism and

pretation,” May said. May sought to refute the notion that Britain will become a house divided against itself. With a rhetoric echoing a sense of unity, she reiterated that while Britain may be leaving the EU, “[Britain] is not leaving Europe.”

unity, she framed an inspiring mantra: “We can do so much better than this.” But many condemned the speech. While it energized the Brexit hard-liners, the ambiguity following her proposals further divided her cabinet and Conservative par-

Florence News 11

NEWS ty - members already unsettled by Britain’s emancipation. “Brexit is an abyss, an unknown abyss for these people,” said Maria Sofia Falcone, president of the Young European Federalists chapter in Tuscany. “Today, the prime minister showed that her only interest is the single market and not the people.” European Union negotiators have remained adamant, refusing to discuss post-Brexit ties, stating that progress will only be made once the issues they consider a priority are magnified (i.e. the status of EU citizens after Britain’s departure in 2019, Britain’s economic contribution to the bloc, and the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland). “It was a decision made thanks to the rhetoric, the anger, the fear of immigration,” said Giulio Berrino, an Italian student studying law. Finding herself in a tug-of war that highlights the struggle against entropy, the British Prime Minister established a de facto partnership that encourages cooperation and that ensures Britain’s compliance with prior commitments. “I do not want our partners to fear that they will need to pay more or receive less,” May said. By proposing a two-year implementation period, she echoed her vision for the UK, EU’s “strongest friend and partner.” This would prolong the status quo and solicit an extra contribution of 20 billion euros, potentially harming Britain’s economy. Brexit implicitly punctures through the country’s class di-

vides, bringing to light a litany of issues: the reemerging urgency behind Euroscepticism, immigration, and the cultural nostalgia that resents Britain’s bygone sovereignty. “In my studies, I came to the understanding that the only way people progress as a species and as an entire world is with greater cooperation… Isolationism, which was at the very heart of Brexit, will get us nowhere. All that would do is encourage tribalism – it is a reversion to the past,” said Robert Null, a U.S. student that studied Political Science. However, there is a growing worry that the other 27 member states will not allow Britain to cherry pick sections of the EU membership. Insisting a “partnership of interest” and “partnership of values,” Theresa May called for unity between Britain and continental Europe, hoping that it would lubricate future discussions. “There was nothing in her speech that gave anything other than flannel, flimflam promises,” expressed members of British in Italy, whose last protest were against apartheid in South Africa. “We do not protest to make noise; we want change.” May hoped to pave a vision for Europe, for a “future within grasp.” But for many –– like Falcone, Berrino, and Null –– Brexit is a black hole. In this political game of chess, time is of the essence. The question becomes whether Brexit will trigger a checkmate of division or accomplish what May has envisioned. This will be defining for Europe.

12 Florence News

HALLOWEEN

Celebrating Halloween C.DE MELO

A Brief History of Witchcraft in Europe

ome, Italy is the cradle of Catholicism and home to the Vatican. Considering the scope of human history, the Catholic Inquisition took place quite recently. The Malleus Maleficarum (Witch’s Hammer) was first published in Germany in the late 15th century, and served as the veritable handbook for any clergymen wishing to rid their towns of witches. By the time the 16th century Inqui-

sition came around, the Malleus Maleficarum was widely known. If you were accused of witchcraft, you were given the option to perform a public Act of Faith, such as being dunked underwater for long periods of time. If you survived the horrible ordeal, you were declared a witch and burned at the stake. If you died (which was often the case), you were declared innocent and your soul would go straight to Heaven. Today, there are countries in the EU where paganism is common and ancient traditions are still observed. Such is not the case with Italy. Catholicism is deeply rooted in the culture, food, and even secular laws. Coming out as an atheist, a homosexual, or a witch is often met with societal scorn.

Misconceptions Abound- Then and Now

The 15th Century Malleus Maleficarum (The Witch’s Hammer)

nce upon a time, wise women flourished within their local communities. They were healers and midwives, usually well-versed in flower lore, and living in harmony with Nature. These women were respected and their valuable advice often saved the lives of humans and animals. The term Mother Nature, which is still used today, refers to the great energy of the “Mother” or female spirit. Violent, patriarchal deities demanding “exclusive devotion”

brought about a brutal change in the world. In addition to discrediting the wise women who were imperative to the health and well-being of communities and also maintained the precarious balance between men and women, the worshipers of monotheistic male gods made sure these women were destroyed. During the medieval period, “witches” eventually became known as evil creatures of the night who sought out to harm good Christians. They were feared, shunned, humiliated, and abused in inhumane ways. Unfortunately, societal ignorance on the topic of the occult is still rampant throughout the world. Those who choose an alternative path are often viewed with skepticism or come across as intimidating to others. Some are even put to death. Witches seek to live in harmony with Nature, drawing and manipulating energy from the four elements- earth, fire, air, water. Combine this natural power with the strength of our will and you have magic. We apply magic in useful ways, such as healing the body and mind of others and ourselves. Contrary to popular (erroneous) belief, witches don’t believe in Satan or demons. Real witches don’t go around uttering curses or casting spells at whim. The manipulation of energy is not something to be toyed with, but rather to be handled carefully and wisely. In short, witches are neither good nor bad. We strive to be like Nature, which incorporates both light and dark, life and death. The same sky

OCTOBER ISSUE www.florencenews.it that can provide sun and rain for precious crops can also cause a mighty tempest to destroy them.

Witches in Florence Today

auro Cortese knew at a young age that paganism was the path he would follow in life. A voracious reader of the occult and native of Calabria, his family and surroundings helped shape him as a person. The Calabrese believe that the sky, mountains, and sea have stories to tell. There is mysticism in all things within the natural world. Mauro wanted to create an environment where people from all walks of life could gather together to exchange stories and energies. La Soffita delle Streghe is much more than just a “witch shop” where one can purchase books, candles, and crystals. It’s a center for learning and healing; a friendly and safe place within the community where one can ask questions, take a class on astrology or Tarot reading. Young in body but old in soul, Mauro wisely stated that there is no way one person can know everything. For this reason, he invites specialists to instruct people on reike, yoga, nutrition, etc. He offers Tarot readings and leads many sacred rituals that are celebrated throughout the year. With so much to offer, it’s no surprise that La Soffitta delle Streghe’s Facebook Page has well over 175,000 followers from all over the world.

LIVE MUSIC AND SPORTS Via Faenza 27/r • 055 274 1571

La Soffitta delle Streghe- the only occult shop in Florence, Italy

Celebrating Samhain (Halloween) in Florence

amhain is the most sacred of the Sabbats. This is the time when the great “Wheel of Life” turns once again, and the Goddess (Mother Spirit) dies. Death is celebrated as a sacred rite of passage on the night of 31 October. The veil separating the Living from the Dead is temporarily lifted, allowing us to call upon the wisdom of our ancestors. Tradition demands that we write down our accomplishments and failures of the past year and our goals for the next. These slips of paper are then burned in a cauldron, the ensuing smoke a symbol of unspoken desire. The dead Goddess (now a tiny seed), reawakens during the Winter Solstice, and by the Spring Equinox, she is reborn, rejuvenated, and profoundly improved in every sense. She blossoms like a beautiful flower- alive during spring and summer- only to die again in the autumn. This is one of the oldest religions in human history, and the celebrations corre-

OCTOBER ISSUE www.florencenews.it

All Saints in Italy

CAROLINE MAHAR

Get Involved with the Community a Soffitta delle Streghe is part of the BOBOLI Centro Commerciale Naturale (a group of local businesses near the historical Porta Romana) that supports each other. The merchants celebrate Halloween along with the occult shop, and help them advertise a pumpkin carving event that is both fun and informative. Like

The Cozy and Welcoming Interior of La Soffitte delle Streghe, Located on Via Romana 135/R

HALLOWEEN

Between Food Tradition and Religion

spond with the land- from the time of sowing seed to harvesting crops. In conclusion, we all have a dark side- including the Goddess. This is a time when we celebrate that darkness, which is not evil, but rather our profound nature; our real selves with faults intact.

Florence News 13

The Cozy and Welcoming Interior of La Soffitte delle Streghe, Located on Via Romana 135/R

and follow their Facebook page for events and promotions. Located on Via Romana 135/R, La Soffitte delle Streghe also opens their door to the public for the sacred celebration of Samhain but space is limited. Reservations are recommended, so send them an email or give them a call to claim a spot. Feel free to pop in and say hello whenever you’re in the area. You can browse the beautiful Himalayan salt lamps and dream-catchers, admire the pretty stones and mystical crystals, or simply check out their extensive library. Remember, education is the key to tolerance and understanding, so feel free to ask questions! Thank you for reading and Happy Halloween.

C. De Melo

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

nown as All Hallows’ Day, Hallowmas, Feast of All Saints or Solemnity of All Saints, this Christian festival is dedicated to the celebration of all the Saints, known and unknown, of the Catholic calendar. It dates back to the 9th century, and is a cherished by many members of the Christian community. The Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion, the Methodist Church, the Lutheran Church, and other Protestant churches, celebrate All Saints on Nov. 1; the Eastern Orthodox Church and associated Eastern Catholic churches on the first Sunday after Pentecost; Orthodox churches of Chaldea and associated Eastern Catholic churches on the first Friday after Easter. In the Western Christian practice, the liturgical celebration begins at Vespers on the evening of October 31, All Hallows’ Eve (All Saints’ Eve), and ends at the close of November 1. It is thus the day before All Souls’ Day, which commemorates the faithful departed. In many traditions, All Saints’ Day is part of the triduum of Allhallowtide, which lasts three days from October 31 to November 2 inclusive. Christian celebration of All Saints’

Manuela Zangara

Day and All Souls’ Day stems from a belief that there is a powerful spiritual bond between those in heaven (the “Church triumphant”), and the living (the “Church militant”). In Catholic theology, the day commemorates all those who have attained the beatific vision in Heaven. In Italy, and in other Catholic countries such as Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Bolivia, Chile, France, Hungary, Italy, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Malta, Peru, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Spain, and the state of Lousiana, on this day people take flowers to the graves of dead relatives. The way of celebrating this festivity varies from region

to region. In Sicily, parents prepare candy and gifts for children, and tell them that they come from their deceased relatives. Parents only give gifts to the children who are good and recite their prayers. Families make a traditional meal called ceci con le costine soup to celebrate by combining chickpeas, celery, carrots, onions, tomatoes, and pork ribs. Some families in Tuscany use the holiday, All Souls’ Day, to mark the commencement of olive harvesting season. Starting the day after the holiday families spend hours harvesting olives in the groves. In Tuscany families celebrate with a traditional cake called castagnaccio made with chestnut flower. Another Tuscan family favorite is pane dei santi, also known as all saints’ bread. The bread is made up of raisins, figs, and walnuts. Roasted chestnuts, translated in Italian to caldarroste are also a popular treat. Although you may not have Italian relatives to visit at the cemeteries you can still spend time with friends and do something to honor your relatives who have passed away in other countries. You are also bound to find music, cultural festivals, and traditional food to celebrate the day. On All Souls’ Day Italians traditionally use chrysanthemums to honor their relatives because in Tuscan tradition they symbolize death.

HORSEBACK RIDING IN CHIANTI

OPEN EVERY DAY

12:00 - 15:00 / 19:00 - 24:00 Via Ghibellina 128/R 055 2466954 www.ristoranteilteatro.net

EASY RIDING FOR EVERYBODY

Tours include transportation, wine and food tastings, relaxation in scenic and historic settings.

FROM 100 EURO customized tours

+39.366.4738711• www.florencecountrylife.com • info@florencecountrylife.com

14 Florence News

HALLOWEEN

OCTOBER ISSUE www.florencenews.it

HALLOWEEN IN FLORENCE: What to See, Do, and Eat accused of witchcraft and murder. It is said the restless spirits of these condemned people are still there, causing grief and mischief for the living. Supposedly, some of the winding, curvy roads vibrate at night with supernatural energy and people have reported not only hearing voices, but seeing ghostlike apparitions walk along the medieval walls.

C.D. MELO

ounded by the Romans in 59 BCE, it is no surprise that witches and ghosts have made their mark during Florence’s long history. Several years ago, Halloween was virtually unheard of- much less celebrated- in Italy. Fortunately, this is no longer the case.

3. San Miniato al Monte Cemetery: No Halloween is complete without a visit to the local graveyard and Florence has an incredible one. This famous, frequently visited cemetery lies just outside the city center, behind the 11th century monastery dedicated to St. Minius. It is full of hauntingly beautiful statues, mausoleums so grand that any vampire would be proud to be entombed within their walls, and gravestones complete with eerie black and white photographs of the deceased. Famous Italians are buried there, too, like Carlo Collodi- the author of Pinocchio.

WHAT TO SEE: 1. Hotel / Pensione Burchianti: This 17th century building contains beautiful frescoes and gracious rooms. Although the late Mussolini himself has spent the night there, it is rumored that the owner does not. Why? Burchianti is said to be haunted. Guests have reported seeing a male ghost, but don’t worry, he’s apparently friendly. People have also reported feeling shifts of air (as if someone has entered the room), icy breath / vapor, and the feeling of the bed sinking as if someone was sitting on the bed- when there’s no one there, of course!

WHAT DO:

2. Fort Belvedere: Across the river in the Oltrarno there is a medieval fortress that stands proudly atop a hill. This is the area where the city burned the damned: those

Florence Inferno: This is a spooky walking tour that takes place at night. You are encouraged to dress in costume (www.florenceinferno.

com). Tasso Hostel: In addition to hosting a fabulous open-mic night on the first Wednesday of each month, they throw a mean Halloween costume party. With a big indoor / outdoor space and cocktail bar, you will definitely want to dress up for this event (tassohostelflorence. com). WHAT TO EAT: 1. Tartufo (truffle): Aromatic, mouth-watering fungi that can be grated or sliced on meats, pasta, pizza- just about anything! Black or white, they are absolutely delicious. 2. Cavolo Nero (kale): Used in making the famous ribollita soup, which is hearty, healthy and tasty. You can also find this leafy green atop tuscan bread as a crostino. 3. Zucca (pumpkin): Used in ravioli (divine), soup, and even gelato. 4. Castagna (chestnuts): Wonderful when roasted (they are sold on the streets), but also a unique flavor for gelato. Try castagnaccio , which is a torte made with chestnut flour. And of course, wash it all down with wonderful red wine from the

FRESH AND ORIGINAL SINCE 2004 Tel. (+39) 055 290748 | Via dell’Acqua, 2/R - 50122 Firenze

Piazza del

Proconsolo Corso

Borgo

Albizi

Via de ll’An guillara

Borgo de’ Gr eci

Pando lfi

sep

Giu

Via Ghibell ina

Via della Vig na Vec chi a

de’

Ver d

Piazza S. Firenze

Via

Via G hibe

llina

Via

Piazza della Signoria

degli

Via de’ Pandolfini Via dell’ Acqua

del

Calzaiuoli

de’

Via

Calimala

Piazza della Via degli Speziali Repubblica

Duomo

Via

Piazza S. Giovanni

Piazza di S. Croce

Chianti! Have a safe, healthy, and happy Halloween- and if you have any ghostly encounters in the Renaissance city, please let us know on our Florence News Facebook page!

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

OCTOBER ISSUE www.florencenews.it

Florence News 15

HALLOWEEN

Dirty Deeds and Dire Deaths

Between Florence’s Bloody Walls

IVANA SCATOLA

t is said that the feast of Halloween originated from a merging of harvest festivals, pagan celebrations of the dead and most importantly, as the eve before the two day Christian feast days All Hallows’ or All Saints’ Day (November 1), and All Souls’ Day, (November 2): a feast for the dead. With this somber theme in mind, we look back at the most famous deaths Florence has produced in its civic history, and their various sinister forms. The most famous of these is undoubtedly that of Girolamo Savonarola: Dominican friar, Florentine influential political personage and preacher. Savonarola was renowned for his passionate sermons, in which he entirely condemned moral corruption and forewarned of an oncoming apocalypse. He orchestrated the so-called ‘Bonfire of the Vanities’, which was responsible for destroying thousands of Renaissance treasures: books, artworks (allegedly some by Botticelli), clothes and musical instruments, all set alight in an attempt to purge the city of materialistic goods and temptations. After denouncing Pope Alexander VI, he was naturally excommunicated by the leader of the Catholic Church, and soon the city turned against him. He was arrested and imprisoned with fellow friars Fra Dome-

IVANA SCATOLA

nico and Fra Silvestro Maruffi, and tortured, until he confessed that he had invented seeing prophecies and visions that he had previously claimed were divine. The three friars were publicly hanged and then (ironically) burnt in the Piazza della Signoria on May 23, 1498, precisely where a commemorative plaque in honour of the three lies today. Other famous deaths granted by the city are those of the conspirators of the Pazzi plot against the Medici family. An attempt to overthrow the Medici family and their political hold over the city

by means of the assassination of brothers Lorenzo and Giuliano de’ Medici was dramatically carried out in the Duomo, during Mass. The attempt was not entirely successful; Giuliano was killed and Lorenzo was merely wounded, and the conspirators were humiliated in facing their fates. Jacopo de’ Pazzi was flung from a window, and mobs dragged his naked body through the streets and threw it in the Arno. Francesco Salviati was hanged from the walls of the Palazzo Vecchio, and Bernardo di Bandino Baroncelli was publicly executed at the Bargello.

ith Halloween creeping (quite literally) upon us, you can’t help but wonder about Florence’s eclectic history and the sights it must have witnessed in the past. Behind the extraordinary monuments and breathtaking architecture that comprise this city, it is inevitable that a few sinister and gory sights took place. The Bargello National Museum with its gothic Florentine architecture is an ideal location for a horror film. Indeed, as one of the oldest buildings in the city — dating back to 1255 — the Bargello was not always a museum. It now holds some of the city’s most precious sculptures and treasures, including works by Donatello, Michelangelo and Cellini. However, before 1865, the building was the headquarters for the Head of the Guards, whose responsibility it was to arrest, question, and condemn criminals. By 1574, the building had been transformed into a prison, complete with torture chambers. The prison witnessed important

historical moments: sieges, fires and executions such as that of Bernardo di Bandino Baroncelli, conspirator of the infamous Pazzi plot against the Medici family. Furthermore, as a warning and reminder of the building’s purpose, apparently a tree stump would be placed outside the building displaying the victim’s head, for all to see. American writer Charles Godfrey Leland’s reports in his Legends of Florence Collected from the People (1896), that prisoners of the Bargello were subject to horrendous cruelty and maltreatment. He writes that when Cosimo de’ Medici was preparing the venom to poison Piero Strozzi, he would experiment on condemned prisoners of the Bargello. Similarly, Le Murate, a notorious Florentine location for public housing, restaurants, bars and shops and a popular social and cultural hub, is in fact another converted prison and convent. It began in 1424 as the Santissima Annunziata alle Murate and Santa Caterina convent, home to the Benedictine nuns who gave the building its name.

Get your food home delivered! € 3.00 discount for the first order by App! come and visit...

www.thefood.it FN-mezza_pag.indd 1

20/09/17 16:05

MONDAY

YAB Smoove WEDNESDAY

Mucho Mas FRIDAY

Lovers & Friends SATURDAY

YABber Via dei Sassetti 5/r • 055 215160 • www.yab.it • yab.official@gmail.com • Facebook:YAB - Official

OCTOBER ISSUE www.florencenews.it

Florence News 17

FASHION

A Woman of Many Hats

Meet Eleonora Bruno, stylist and former Florentine Polimoda student EMMA TEITGEN

uietly accomplished, Eleonora blushes as she modestly outlines for ISI Florence students visiting her atelier in the Polimoda Design Lab her numerous fash-

ion-forward successes that have landed her on the pages of coveted fashion magazines and at the center of prestigious runway shows. At a mere 30, she has accomplished things other designers her age could only dare to dream of. While describing her various

awards and acclaimed editorials, Eleonora recognizes the pride she has for her accomplishments. She outlines one of her proudest moments, the custom headpiece she created for Harper’s Baazar shot by none other than Karl Lagerfeld. But her brushes with fashion’s elite didn’t stop there—she also de-

signed a series of three hats (perhaps the more appropriate word is ‘crowns’) for fashion legend Anna Della Russo. After Della Russo rocked one of her feather-chic masterpieces at a tribal-themed, star-studded event, the fashionista dedicated three pages of her Vogue

Japan editorial to Bruno’s hats. Eleonora’s dedication to creating head-topping accessories goes far beyond aesthetics. For her, the heads inside the hats are just as important as the material that tops them. She cleverly explains her work as “important hats for intelligent minds,” created for women who are bold enough to wear her eccentric accessories. “Eccentric hats aren’t for everyone,” she acknowledges. “If you look down and are ashamed, that’s not the purpose of wearing a hat.” When asked to speak about the inspiration behind her 2017 fall collection, Eleonora was adamant about the tribal ties that inspire much of her work. This line in particular was inspired by the Maasai tribe in Kenya, which she describes as a people with an elegant aesthetic. “They don’t know they’re making haute couture, but they’re doing it,” she says. For her, venturing into other accessories or appeal does not seem to be an option, at least for now, as she was quick to deny she would stray far from headwear. “I’m quite satisfied creating hats at this moment in my life,” Eleonora assures. What’s in store for our resident hat-master? Her next collection, created with the support of the Polimoda’s talent development

program, will be a commercial approach to her dramatic masterpieces. Eleonora wants to help girls believe that they can wear hats as everyday accessories. Her voice softens as she explains how changing times have led to a simpler aesthetic; women no longer care to put on a hat in the morning. She wistfully explains the elegant aesthetic of past times, in which even the poorest woman would sport a hat as a signifier of elegance and decorum. The revival of a less simplified, more detailed aesthetic is Bruno’s purist motivation behind her first prêtea-porter line.

Eleonora is more than a hat designer. She is a champion of bold, intelligent women who choose to express themselves through what they wear. Her goal is to show everyday women that there is an ELY B girl in all of us—all it takes is a fabulous hat to bring it out.

Emma Teitgen studied at ISI Florence last spring in the FASHION COMMUNICATIONS class offered there each year. In the future, she hopes to enter a lifelong career in the fashion industry.

DEEP

THE ITALIAN FASHION OUTLET

Handcrafted leather sneakers Made in Florence

CREATE YOUR SNEAKERS VIA DEI NERI 88R

Via Castello d’Altafronte 26 | +39 333 3695002 | labshop.fi@levillage.it

18 Florence News

FASHION

Communicating Fashion

ach Summer term, ISI Florence highlights the role of the city as a world capital for menswear. A course dedicated solely to writing and blogging about fashion is offered for undergraduates from many American schools and includes a unique scholarly visit to the Pitti Uomo menswear trade show held at the city’s Fortezza da Basso in June. The course originated in the mind of retired Professor Emeritus Mark Bernheim. A former Fulbright grantee and frequent visitor to Florence, Bernheim for many summers brought groups of students to Italy for cultural exposure. He included fashion education in their time in order to take advantage of the special role Florence plays in promoting the Italian style and design sense. He invited winners from the TV reality hit “Project Runway” to visit and speak with the students about the importance of having a solid and meaningful vision of clothes and accessories, and being able to transmit through vivid language the meaning of design. Upon retirement from the classroom, he affiliated with ISI, a leading Consortium of universities based in historic Palazzo Rucellai in the center of the fashion world on Via della Vigna Nuova in the heart of stylish Florence. Each May-June select seminars read and analyze features, columns, and interviews from sources such as the NY Times. They learn how to write

in a professional manner that presents and interprets the clothes for an active audience. The groups are composed of majors from English, Creative Writing, Communications, Marketing, and the Arts. The classes are held in English and give transferrable approved credits. It has become a part of the fashion scene in the city with its concentration not on making designs but on mastering communications about what design means. Students learn first hand about Italian Style and creative genius. They interact at the Pitti Uomo show with some of the thousands of fashion leaders attending and have the chance to visit ateliers and discuss menswear with designers, stylists, p.r. and communications marketers. Many alumni of the class have found the course and the potential for interning at “Florence News” a good step ahead in career planning as well as giving a unique understanding of the importance fashion and design play in the life and prosperity of Florence.

OCTOBER ISSUE www.florencenews.it

Luisa Via Roma Chooses Cantini

fter working for Tiffany, New York, and David Morris in London and Miami, Florentine Marco Cantini has been chosen by the prestigious brand Luisa Via Roma to create accessories and exclusive jewels. Cantini, who defines himself as a “contemporary artisan” and has recently opened a new shop on Via Castello D’Altafronte, a tiny street off Via Dei Neri right behind the Uffizi, keeps up Florentine traditional craftsmanship fusing it with modern fashion. Marco was born and raised in the most ‘authentic’ neighborhood of Florence, Santo Spirito. In his early years, Marco’s daily life consisted of going to school in the morning and working at a boutique in the afternoon, where he polished frames and restored small objects. He later became the apprentice of a Florentine goldsmith. “I could ‘smell’ the beauty of this noble and ancient art,” Marco says, “but I didn’t want to commit to it until I was 20, when my mentor started teaching me the medieval techniques of his job. My adventure begins here. I bought my first workbench and started creating.” But still, Marco’s curiosity was not satisfied. “I needed to know, to see, to explore. Being Florentine and a goldsmith has been really helpful in my tours and adventures. In London I worked for David Morris on Bond

Fashion Online

Street. It’s there that I was introduced to the world of international fine jewelry,” says Marco. “I understood that, thanks to what I learned in my early ages, I could travel and work all over the world. And that’s what I did. I travelled to Brazil, Mexico, New York and connected my craftsmanship techniques and to the new ones I learned abroad.”

hoppingscanner is a search engine for clothes and accessories for women, men and children, cosmetics and house decor. Easy to manage, it uses tools and filters such as price range, discount percentage, color, size or name of the product, brand, keyword. One can also navigate within the categories and find a series of tips and outfits that are in the trend section. Shoppingscanner has currently four versions: Italian (.it), French (.fr), English (.uk) and American (.com) and nearly 1,000,000 products per site from over 60 of the best Italian, European and American stores. The website gets about 400,000 visitors per month. “We’ve created this search engine that can browse the best online stores and filter products according to brand, price range, discount, color and size. We want shopping online to be easier for everyone. We’re working hard to perfect it. Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening,” say Laura Cappelletti and Alessandra Massaini , co-founder s of the platform.

Marco Cantini

Via del Castello D’Altafronte, 28/r, www.marcocantini.com

www.shoppingscanner.it/com/fr/uk

Mosaics Workshops, Courses, and Guided Visits

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

TRANSPORTATION INCLUDED www.lanuovamusiva.com

Via dei Fossi, 56/r 055 23 96 497

CHIANTI EXPERIENCE HIKING...WINE... FOOD... @MONTERINALDI

WINEMAKER FOR A DAY

Most wine lovers have taken part in cellar tours and wine tastings, but how many have had the chance to spend a few hours in the vineyard with an agronomist learning how the perfect grape is cultivated? Well here is your chance to do just that.

If you delight in hiking in the breathtaking landscape of Chianti.... If you enjoy a home made traditional Tuscan lunch.... If you love drinking great wines paired perfectly withyour food.... Then, “Hiking...Wine...Food@ Monterinaldi” is for you!

Winemaker for a Day is a wine course which will teach you how to taste a wine and discover its characteristics. Much more than a simple wine course, during Winemaker for a Day you will be able to create your own, unique, signature vintage by blending up to 5 different grapes.

Duration: about 5 hours Start time: 10am Mon-Fri Reservation: required Minimum: 2 people Maximum: 12 people

Duration: 4-5 hours Start time: 10am Mon-Fri Reservation: required Minimum: 2 people, Maximum: 12 people

Duration: 3 hours Start time: 10am Reservation: required Maximum: 8 people

OFF - ROAD IN CHIANTI

EDUCATIONAL VINEYARD

This is a unique experience that combines an exciting adventure off-road in a 4x4 to beautiful and unspoilt areas, along with a full homemade lunch accompanied by wines of Castello Monterinaldi, expertly paired to each course. Two different off-road routes are planned: the “medium” and “hard”... the choice is yours! Duration: about 5 hours Start time: 10.00am Mon-Sat Reservation: required Minimum: 4 people Maximum: 8 people

Book your own private experience NOW! Castello Monterinaldi – Società Agricola Monterinaldi s.r.l. Radda in Chianti, Siena, Italy +39 (0) 577 733533 • mail@monterinaldi.it • www.monterinaldi.it

20 Florence News

SHOPPING

OCTOBER ISSUE www.florencenews.it

High Luxury Boutique

A Shuttle to the Barberino Designer Outlet

A new high luxury boutique recently opened its doors near Piazza Strozzi, in the very heart of the city. The shop, called Aeleonore, offers products that combine its two founders’ passion for Arts, Design and Fashion with Florentine and Tuscan traditions. Eleonora Sassoli and Stefano Niccoli, the minds behind Aeleonore, are dedicated to fusing together the charm of Florentine authenticity with innovative solutions for the future, to reinventing a glorious past destined to live forever. History and a mastery of Tuscan craftsmanship are the two integral ingredients of this new brand. The materials for their items – bags, belts, headscarves, jewels – all have a guaranteed traceability. Bags and belts are made of monochromatic leather, which matches with the collection of twelve headscarves with polychromic prints. The use of these colors is intended to create a soft, neutral base with respect to the different colors of the collection and the foulards and jewelry. Aeleonore is located on Via Monalda 3-5-7/r.

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

MONDO PERÙ

Alpaca craftsmanship ORGANIC COTTON ITEMS

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. • •

•

Genuine Leather Original made in Florence

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 dei Pilastri 22r 339 362 5372

Via dei Pilastri 7A/R (next to the Synanogue) www.cuordipelle.com

Fashion Passport

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

CRAFT BEERS

22 Florence News

CITY BEAT

‘Alchemy of Paper and Stone’ Exhibit begins Nov. 4

he Officina Profumo Farmaceutica of Santa Maria Novella will celebrate the 51st anniversary of the Florence flood with an exhibit combining Japanese paper “washi-art” with the Florentine Mosaico Fiorentino. The exhibit, called Alchemy of Paper and Stone, will commence on Nov. 4 at 6 p.m. on VIa della Scala 16. The “washi-art” will be presented through the works of Meiko Yokoyama. The dreamlike quality of Japanese paper “washi-art” is created by ripping and pasting col-

orful paper. In hard contrast, Mosaico Fiorentino will be displayed through works made by local artist Lituana di Sabatino and Satomi Koyama. The Mosaico Fiorentinos are constructed with natural stones of various colors, a wooden arc, wire, and powder. The components are then arranged and the piece itself is polished. As well as the many works exhibited will be an abundance of Japanese paper and panels presenting the Japanese paper making process.

‘Alchemy of Paper and Stone’ Lituana di Sabatino, Mosaico Fiorentino; Meiko Yokoyama, whasi-arte; Satomi Koyama, Mosaico Fiorentino Officina Profumo Farmaceutica of Santa Maria Novella Via della Scala 16 Nov. 4 at 6 p.m.

OCTOBER ISSUE www.florencenews.it

A ‘Port’ for All Musicians

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

band born under the initiative of Francesco, it includes some of the biggest and respected names on the jazz scene amongst its members. Among these are trumpeter and band conductor Fabio Morgera, who played under legendary American jazz cornetist; composer and conductor Butch Morris for 30 years in New York; Dario Cecchini, sax and leader of Italian marching band Funk Off; trumpeter Luca Marianini; trombone player Ste-

The Week at Porto di Mare THE PORT OPEN TO ALL MUSICIANS TUES: PALCO D’AUTORE: Music lab for emerging artists and songwriters WED: CITY LAB PROJECT: Musicians forming an orchestra will accompany the Palco D’Autore artists THURS: CAM’ ON: Students from the school of music CAM exhibit their talents. Then open mic jam sessions open to all musicians FRI - SAT: Rock music or singer-songwriters

“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

fano Scalzi and guitarist Riccardo Onori, who both played alongside renowned Italian singer-songwriter and rapper Jovanotti; percussionists Walter Paoli, ex-member of 1970s Italian jazz, progressive rock and electronic group Area, and Piero Borri; clarinet player Nico Gori; and guitarists Paolo Conte, Ivano Fossati and Riccardo Galardini – to name just (a little more than) a few.

SUN: TARANTA NIGHT: Popular southern Italian music and dance. Starts at 6 p.m. CONTACT FRANCESCO COFONE Via Pisana, 128 055 71 20 34 Porto di Mare

OCTOBER ISSUE www.florencenews.it

Florence Creativity Returns

reativity never ends, especially with the fall edition of the Florence Creativity taking place at the Fortezza da Basso from Thursday, Oct.26 to Sunday, Oct. 29. The fair includes events, courses and expositors presenting new ideas, techniques and materials, and is a not-to-miss event for all of those who feel passion in their hands and those who are interested in developing and investing in the art of ‘do-it-yourself.’ Fabrics, buttons, paints, brushes, needles, threads, glues and paper will be the tools through which anyone will be able to stimulate his or her creativity. The courses offered include painting on silk with all its techniques, home decor, cutting, sewing, cre-

ative sewing, crochet, knitting, repairs, weaving for children and adults alike, creative workshops for children, creating bracelets, bijoux and necklaces, processing wool, painting and so on, as infinite are the ways human creativity can express itself. Tickets cost €10 for adults and €5 for children. A ticket for the four days of the fair cost €16. Entrance is free for children younger than 10 and for accompanies or disables. Groups of more than 10 people will pay €5, for each group bigger than 20 people, a free ticket will be given to the organizer. Those interested in becoming expositors can find a form in the fair website. Opening hours at the event are from 9.30 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Florence News 23

FESTIVALS

Ready for Comics and Games years. In the end of the 70’s, funding issues reduced its frequency to every two years, while in the 1980s it was moved to a sports center outside Lucca city walls where it remained until 1992. After the Salone internazionale del Comics ended in Lucca, city leaders launched a new convention called Lucca Comics, and in 1996 the fair changed its name to Lucca Comics & Games, attracting 50,000 in 2002. The fair then merged with the Salone internazionale del Comics held in Rome from 1995 to 2005, and in 2006, for its 40th anniversary, Lucca Comics & Games merged with the Salone and moved back to Lucca’s city center, with numerous tents and pavilions arranged in different squares within and outside the walls of the medieval city. Last year, the festival attracted 270,000 visitors.

he largest comics festival in Europe and the second worldwide, the annual Lucca Comics & Games returns to the Tuscan city of Lucca Nov. 1 to 5 with a special theme: heroes. This year’s focus will be a ‘hero’ in any form, from those of comic books to those of cartoons, fantasy novels, videogames, movies and television series. Ticket prices vary and can be purchased through the Comics and Games website. Should sales exceed 80,000 before the start of the event, tickets will no longer be available at Lucca. The event as an intense history mixing suffering and success. Launched in 1965, the Salone Internazionale del Comics (“International Congress of Comics”) moved in 1966 to a small square in the center of Lucca and grew in size and importance over the Nov. 1 4 p.m. Radio Animated On Stage. Meeting with Massimo Luca 5 p.m. With Walt ... a Rainbow of Armonie - Rainbow Choir and Coro Azzurre Armonie - a Lucca Comics & Games production 6:30 p.m. Inoue Azumi and Yuyu in concert 7:30 p.m. Leonardo Fiaschi & DB Day’s Band in Concert Nov. 2 3:10 p.m. Radio Animated On Stage. Meeting with the Oliver Onions 4:20 p.m. Cartoon Music Contest -

The Final 7:30 p.m. An Anime Trip - Stefano Bersola in concert with the choir Animeniacs Corp - special guest Pietro Ubaldi, Luigi Lopez and Maurizio Merluzzo - a production of Lucca Comics & Games Nov. 3 4 p.m. Radio Animated On Stage. meeting with Franco Fasano 5 p.m. Nerdina Comedy: Purgatory The stars of Hokuto in concert 6:30 p.m. Busker Festival winners 7 p.m. 80 want to gag

Traditionally homemade gelato since 1939

Via Dei Tavolini 19/R | 055 239 8969

Nov. 4 2 p.m. Cosplay 5 p.m. Cosplay Super Heroes 7:30 p.m. Special Cristina D’Avena with DB Day’s Band 9:30 p.m. Urushi: Tradition Colors JRock + Shamisen 10 p.m. Morrigan - Black Wing Tour 11 p.m. Takarabune: Awa Odori - The colors of the party Nov. 5 2 p.m. Cosplay 5 p.m. Superheroes Dance Battle 7 p.m. Miwa’s got talent - Miwa and its components

I' GIRONE DE' GHIOTTI THE VINAIO NEAR PIAZZA SIGNORIA

TUSCAN PANINI, ARTISANAL BEERS AND WINE TASTING Via dei Cimatori 23/r 055 53 26 053

OCTOBER ISSUE www.florencenews.it

Florence News 25

FOOD&WINE

Top Cook Sheds Light on Worst ‘Crimes’ Against Italian Food THOMAS RICCIOTTI

he curiosity of a little girl by the name of Eleonora to explore the food cupboard of her great grandmother’s kitchen was destined to turn into a hobby and, eventually, a career. It all happened upon returning to Italy after some wandering around European capitals. In fact, when our little girl became a signorinella (a young lady) she moved to London, where she received a degree in media studies. Work brought her to Paris, where she got involved with a local radio station. She would eventually return to Italy, where she settled down in Rome, her native city. There, she decided to put her degree to use and became a journalist. When Eleonora interviewed people for her articles, she invited them to her home and cooked for them create a more relaxed atmosphere. Words flow effortlessly after a tasty meal with a glass of wine, right? This practice produced such delicious results that the interviewees began to ask her for her cooking secrets, and even for cooking lessons. For the little girl who craved her great-grandmother’s ingredients, it was the beginning of a new career. Eleonora decided to take the

plunge and began teaching cooking classes in Rome. Since she believed it to be crucial to incorporate Italian culture into her lessons, she selected venues for the lessons such as old monuments, empty catacombs and Roman palazzos, immersing her students in a lush Italian experience. Her classes became renown and her success culminated leading to the publication of her book, As

The Romans Do. It is a cookbook combined with a journey through Rome’s houses, sanpietrini, tiny side streets, palazzos, traditions and hidden gems. Recently interviewed by the English newspaper The Independent on the worst ‘crimes’ against Italian food, Eleonora Galasso shared

BEER HOUSE CLUB

her knowledge and expertise with all of us. According to her, the very worst crime against Italian food is to ask an Italian chef whether or not pizza and pasta are healthy, which here in Italy is literally considered an insult. When asked about the most common mistakes people can make when eating and preparing Italian food, those that can be considered sacrilegious against the culture, she replied that while it is widely accepted that pasta needs to be prepared in salt water, “should you put the salt (which should religiously be of the rock kind) before it boils, the result would be disastrous: not only would this slow down the whole process, as the water would take an eternity before boiling, but it would result in the product cooking unevenly.” Moreover, “pasta is indeed the queen of the kitchen, so it should never be served as a side to whichever other dish, but on its own, in all its glory.” Let’s backtrack for a moment to the alleged unhealthiness of pasta and pizza. What would be the best answer to those claiming this? According to Eleonora, it would be encouraging them to examine the past: that is, demanding that “these people... look at history: pasta has been eaten since ancient times, helping the growth of healthy populations, without this

we wouldn’t have gotten to where we are today.” Moreover, there is a type of pasta for anyone: “There are over 1000 varieties of pasta, and amongst those a large number of shapes which are made of alternative flours. These can easily be suitable for those with all kinds of intolerances. So yes, pasta is a universal dish and a common language for all.” Let’s come to the ingredients now. The indispensable ones are extra virgin olive oil (“cold pressed, of course”), salted capers and anchovies in oil to add a salty twist to any dish, tomato puree to improve the luscious sauce, and great quantities of fresh and dry spices. And what about wine? How to pair wine with food? Well, here is the answer is more diplomatic: “Each Italian region has its own flagship wine style, so if in doubt when choosing the wine to pair a meal with, check what the locals drink. In Italy, we believe what grows together goes together.” Food studies, like all scientific

fields, is always open to innovation and new solutions. How to approach them? The answer to this question brings us back to one of the core ingredients of Italian culture: “In Italy we call it l’arte d’arrangiarsi - also making do with what one has. So just have a look at those ingredients looking all gloomy in your cupboard or fridge, and starting from as few as a handful of them one delicious meal can be created. Also, it is essential to make good use of leftovers, as throwing them away would be considered sacrilege from where I’m from. This way, each meal would be the continuation of the previous one, in a sort of everlasting motion. Similarly, a leftover glass of Italia Prosecco can play a starring role in a risotto. Simply stir into the rice until absorbed (prior to adding stock) for a pleasingly crunchy outcome.” Understood? You have got to begin with left-overs if you want to create new dishes. And make it the Italian way.

CORSO DEI TINTORI, 34/R

26 Florence News

FOOD&WINE

Taste Wine with Pino In a renovated 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.

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

OCTOBER ISSUE www.florencenews.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

OCTOBER ISSUE www.florencenews.it

A Chocolate Marathon

Eurochocolate Festival in Perugia Oct. 13-22

Florence News 27

FOOD&WINE As in the previous teays, among participating factories are both major brands such as Nestlé, Lindt, Caffarel, Milka, and Toblerone, as well as local less known connois-

seurs. The city of Perugia has a strict connection with chocolate. Now renamed Nestlé, the famous Perugina brand was born here.

FLORENCE TO PERUGIA EUROCHOCOLATE FESTIVAL

ince 1993 one of the main chocolate fairs in Europe, the Eurochocolate Festival returns to Perugia with ten days of tastings and events this month. This year the testimonial is Artemisia, the 7-year-old girl protagonist of quite a few child-related ad campaigns. In the official logo of the event she listens with headphones to the music coming from a sweet chocolate keyboard that she is playing. “Our aim is melting musical notes with sweet notes to involve different musical settings and reach the multi-coloured Eurochocolate people,” says Eurochocolate president Eugenio Guarducci. One of the main novelties this year is in fact the collaboration with MEI, Meeting of Independent Labels, a musical association promoting emerging artists and

bands, thank to which the fair will host a variety of concerts and musical events such as the ChocoMusic, a contest addressed to Italian and European independent rising musicians. Participating artists will also have the opportunity of performing live on the Festival main stage. A series of smaller events are scheduled within the main event. These include the “Master & Courses,” chocolate tastings and classes taking place every day from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; “Chocolate with the Writer,” which takes place every day at 6:30 p.m. giving visitors the opportunity to talk with national and international authors about their work while drinking hot chocolate; “The Chocolate show,” which takes place everyday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. with over 140 of the most famous chocolate brands in the

world come together; “Eurochocolate World,” which takes place every day from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m and showcases the various countries that produce cocoa allowing visitors to sample flavors from around the world; and “Chocolate Sculptures,” a display of sculptures made of chocolate. A favorite attraction is the “Maxi Choco Selfie Stick” which allows visitors to come on stage and take a selfie next to a 7-meter-long Chocolate selfie stick while holding a 6 kilograms chocolate bar in place of an iphone. Making the deal even sweeter, entrance to the festival and all activities are free of charge and a “choco card” entitling visitors to discounts on souvenirs such as t-shirts, smartphone cases, mugs, and of course all things chocolate, can be bought for 6 Euro.

DAY TRIP Indulge in Perugia’s famous 10-day chocolate festival! Eurochocolate Festival is the largest chocolate festival in Europe. Events features beer tents and delightful food, chocolate art, tastings, entertainment and chocolate spa treatments. TRIP DETAILS INCLUDES: Journey by fully-fitted luxury GT coach Expert English speaking escort Meet in PIazza Adua, Firenze (near the restaurant Burger King) and depart 7:30 a.m. Arrive around 10 a.m. at bus parking in Pian di Massiano, Perugia (please note that if bus stop is too busy there is a mini-metro to get into to the festival, ride is about 10-15 minute). Arrive at the main square, Piazza Matteotti, around 10:40 a.m. free time to explore the festival. Meet at 4:30 p.m. in Piazza Matteotti to head back to bus. Depart at 5 p.m. to return to Florence. Arrive in Florence around 7:30 pm. HIGHLIGHTS: Perugia historical city center Chocolate festival guide and map Chocolate tastings & demonstrations NOTE: Make sure you have enough cash with you as most chocolate booths only accept cash

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.

SUNDAY BRUNCH

BUFFET ALL YOU CAN EAT 30 EURO

GLUTEN FREE Reservation is strongly recommended

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

RISTORANTE QUINOA Vicolo di S. Maria Maggiore, 1 055 29 08 76 www.ristorantequinoa.it

Il Supermercato... da Gustare e deGustare HOME DELIVERY SERVICE AVAILABLE 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

Be nso C

.Go

elli

Ric a

i Mart

Via

Via dei Lamberti

Piazza De’ Donati

Chiesa di Santa Trinità

ccia

posto

li Piazza di Santo Stefano

rdin

i Fiu

Piazza Santa Felicita

Ve cch

llo

de ron

agg

Costa S.Gio rgio

lli me

Via d e

Costa S.Gio rgio

e’ B

ardi

agno

dei M

Via M

Via d

Costa

Piazza Santa Felicita

Fiu

’ Bar

Po nte

Via Piazza degli Angiolieri

Sapori & Dintorni Borgo San Lorenzo Po nte Ve cc hio

nti A

gar

iffi

Piazza della Signoria

Piazza di Santa Cicilia

o Sa

ei B

Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore

Battistero di San Giovanni

Via Porta Rossa

Borg

Via d

o Borg o Sa n Lo

renz

Piazza della Repubblica

Via dei Calzaiuoli

Vi ad

uova

N Vigna

Sapori V&ia Dintorni LG ori Largo Fratelli .Alinari, 6/7

Basilica di San Lorenzo

Via delle Oche

Via dei Sassetti

Fo s

Via de’ Tornabuoni

Donne

lla

Via dei Vecchietti

Via dei Pescioni

o or lM Vi a

Belle

lle Via de

arion

Lun

Piazza del Duomo

Via dei Pecori

Via degli Agli

Largo Fratelli Alinari

ucc

Via dei Cerretani

lla Via de

Via d iP

el P

Via d e

Borg Piazza degli Ottaviani

Via

Via d

o n Lo

o Sa

renz

a Vi

lio

Piazza dell’Unità italiana

sol i

Via L

Via

Basilica di Santa Maria Novella

Marte

elli

Via Ric a

ori ’ Gin

ei N

lin

A lli

Via de i

am illo

ant

Basilica di San Lorenzo

g ar

Via C

Piazza dell’Unità italiana

Via d e

el C

Largo Fratelli Alinari

avo ur

lla S tufa Via de

Via d

aen

Stazione Ferroviaria Firenze Santa Maria Novella

F Via

Piazza della Stazione Centrale

ium

lin

A F.

F Via

a Vi

Ta d

to ien

ium

z Na

Vi a

r ll’A de Via

F Via

Stazione Ferroviaria Firenze Santa Maria Novella

a on

Vi a

Lun

’B

gar

Tor r

igia

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

OCTOBER ISSUE www.florencenews.it

Wine Parade

aking place in South Tyrol town of Merano, the Merano Wine Festival is returning from Nov. 10 to 14. The five-day fair will host over 450 winemakers, about 200 culinary specialists, and 15 prominent chefs selected by the Wine Hunter Award Commission. Masterclasses will offer the possibility of a variety of guided tastings of national and international wine excellences in the effort of spreading the culture, and the cult, of wine, while the constantly expanding new sector of biological, biodynamic, natural, “orange” and PIWI wines will have a dedicated section. This year, the grand finale will be the “Catwalk Champagne,” a display of over 250 champagnes by 80 of the most famous French producers. The fair is also open to culinary traditions. The Cooking Farm will be the fulcrum of the new Chef Arena event taking place on Piazza della Rena, a historic square in the cen-

ter of the town, where some of the most renowned Italian chefs and cooking masters, together South Tyrolean countrywomen, will confront over the ingredients and the preparation of typical dishes. Since 1992, Merano Wine Festival has focused on the selection of high value products and, as stated in the festival’s website, is known as a “think tank,” an event aiming at the exchanging of ideas amongst consumers, producers, professionals, and opinion leaders. “It feels like yesterday, that I had the idea to transform the city of Merano into a ‘European place of raffinesse’: where past, present and future of the wine and gastronomic world find a place to confront, get to know, and meet,” said Merano Wine Festival President and Founder Helmuth Köcher. The festival will take place on four locations: Kurhaus, Gourmet Arena, Hotel Terme Merano, Chef Arena, and Teatro Puccini.

FOOD&WINE

Get Your Food Home Delivered

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

Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Thai

10 EURO LUNCH SPECIAL LARGE SELECTION OF VEGAN AND VEGETERIAN DISHES Via Guelfa 3 • 055 906 2056 • www.firenzen.it

Florence News 29

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

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

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

12 EURO

30 Florence News

CHIANTI

OCTOBER ISSUE www.florencenews.it

‘The Italian Way of St. James’

CHIANTI EVENTS Panzano Market

WINEMAKER FOR A DAY Winemaker for a Day is a wine tasting course in which you also will be able to create your own, unique, signature vintage by blending up to 5 different grapes while working alongside our award-winning winemaker. Your signature wine will be shipped home for your future enjoyment.

EDUCATIONAL VINEYARD Spend a few hours in the vineyard with an agronomist learning how grape has to be cultivated. HIKing...wine...food...@monterinaldi Hike in the breathtaking landscape of Chianti before enjoying a home made Tuscan lunch while sipping the real Chianti Classico

OFFROAD ADVENTURE IN CHIANTI Discover the Chianti hills, vineyards and lakes on a land-lover. Then enjoy a homemade lunch paired with Chianti Classico

Oct. 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 until 1pm Panzano in Chianti Hand crafts, vintage antiques, produce, and typical foods of the area

Greve Market

Oct. 4 Greve in Chianti Organic and Artisan Market filled with goods from gardens, kitchens and workshops

Crete Senesi Market

Oct. 8 Crete Senesi Local products such as extra virgin olive oil, wines, organic cheeses and honey, pasta, cured meats, herbal products

Fiera San Luca

Oct. 14 - 22 Impruneta One of the oldest European fairs. Parade with floats, animal fair where animals are traded (18th), local artisans, seasonal foods, and music

Truffle festival

Oct. 23, 29, 30 Montaione Florence Displays of truffles and other foods like chestnut, honey, olive

More info on: www.monterinaldi.it

oil, cheese, etc

Bellezza Ferita- Norcia, Earth Heart Art Quake

Until Oct. 29 Duomo of Siena Artworks that survived last year’s major earthquakes in the Spoleto and Norcia displayed along with photographs of the damage to Italy’s heritage

Annual reveal of the intarsia marble floors Oct. 31 Siena’s Duomo The intricate intarsia marble floors of the Duomo of Siena are uncovered for a 2 month period

Giovanni Boldini Art Exhibition- The seasons of the family Falconiera

All Oct. Musei dell’Antico Palazzo dei Vescovi in Pistoia Works done in the Boldini and Macchiaoli style for Mrs. Falconer

Arezzo Antiques Market

Nov. 4 - 5 Arezzo Antiques Market held in Piazza Grande and throughout the center of Arezzo.

Via Francigena, among ancient routes and modern “pilgrims”

ver 25,000 people, half of whom are Italian, walked at least a part of the Via Francigena last year. Compared to the number of people who walked that stretch in previous years, this is encouraging — an improvement due to the increasing number of bed & breakfasts along the route and to the efforts to promote the route made by the region of Tuscany who has been trying to transform it in a sort of Italian version of the Spanish Way of St. James — but that could, and should, be improved in the future. It was this the conclusion of Italian newspaper Il Fatto Quotidiano that recently published a reportage on the route. According to Il Fatto, the potential of the route are huge and, if well exploited, could make it the Italian version of the St. James Way. First documented as the Lombard Way and then the Frankish Route in 725, according to the travel records of Willibald, Bishop of Eichstätt in Bavaria, the route was named Via Francigena in 876, given its crossing with French territories (Francia, in Italian) at the Abbey of San Salvatore al Monte Amiata in Tuscany and was used

throughout the Middle Ages by pilgrims headed to Rome from the North, particularly from France. Nearly 400 kilometers of the Via pass through Tuscany, accounting in part for the development of a number of the region’s historic settlements and trade and religious centers. Today, tourists and history buffs can enjoy the cultural mecca that is Via Francigena by following one or all of the 15 Tuscan legs, beginning with the journey from Passo della Cisa to Pontremoli and ending with the route from Radicofani to Acquapendente. The Via passes through San Gimignano and its Fortress of Montestaffoli. Originally a castle for the Lombard Astolfo and later a Dominican Convent, the fortress took on a defensive role in the 14th century while under the threat of attack from Siena.

To book a trip to the Via Francigena: www.spreadyourwings.it

Wine aperitivo in San Gimignano (Transportation included)

Wine Tastings in Greve Wine Tasting Wine Shop

From 45 euro

Bistrot

TRUFFLE HUNTING • WINE TOUR IN A CASTLE WALKING TOUR VIA FRANCIGENA ACCOMMODATION IN SAN GIMIGNANO

Via Vittorio Veneto 112/a 50022 Greve in Chianti Tel. +39 055 8546209 Mail: info@enotecadigreve.it Web: www.enotecadigreve.it

Via Vecchia, 3 - 53037 San Gimignano (Siena) 0577 940568 - 3393817394 www.spreadyourwings.it info@spreadyourwings.it

OCTOBER ISSUE www.florencenews.it

A Day in Casole D’Elsa

bout 16 miles from Florence, Casole d’Elsa is one of those places in Tuscany where time will always have trouble passing by. The two must-see places are the churches of San Niccolò and the Collegiata di Santa Maria Assunta. With its Romanesque origins, the church of San Niccolò has a nave and four aisles divided by columns and semi-columns, with two circular apses with mullioned windows. The portico is modern, the central portal is from the early 14th century, and inside are frescoes by Rustichino, a famous Sienese painter lived between the 16th and 17th centuries. At the high altar is a fresco from the 14th century, a Madonna of the Sienese School. It too built in Romanesque style (although today all that remains

of its original style are the façade remains and the bell tower), the collegiata di Santa Maria Assunta was consecrated in 1161. The upper part is decorated with blinds arches divided by slender semi-columns, while the transept is from the 14th century. Within the Comune of Casole d’Elsa are also two other small churches (and, of course, places) not to be missed. In the small village of Mensano is another amazing 12th century church, the Pieve of San Giovanni Battista, whose sculpted capitals of the columns, dividing nave and aisles, are considered amongst the finest examples of Romanesque sculpture in Tuscany. In Pievescola is the Pieve di San Giovanni Battista, built in the same period as the others.

Villa Italia

Monumental Villa in the deepest heart of Tuscany IN CASOLE D’ELSA 22 available beds. Ideal for groups, weddings, large families, business dinners. Spread Your Wings • Via Baccanella, 3/A 53037 • San Gimignano (SI) Tel. +39 0577 940568 • info@spreadyourwings.it • www.spreadyourwings.it

Florence News 31

CHIANTI

Discover Colle Val d’Elsa

A Journey Through Human Cruelty

ts name means “Hill of Elsa Valley”, where “Elsa” is the name of the river which crosses it. Today, Colle di Val d’Elsa is internationally renowned for the production of crystal glassware and art (15% of world production), largely produced in the industrial lower town. The area was settled by man from at least the 4th millennium BC, but first mentions of the city are from the 9th century AD. In 1269 it was the seat of a famous battle during the wars of Guelphs and Ghibellines and in 1479 it was besieged by Neapolitan troops. From the 14th century it was a possession of Florence and the Grand Duchy of Tuscany until the unification of Italy in 1860. In the 20th century it became

an important industrial center. During World War II it was bombed by Allied aircraft. The oldest part of the town is the “colle alta”, the higher part, with a well preserved medieval center. The town developed along the river from the 11th century onwards, building an artificial canal to power various industrial activities, such as wheat mills and paper factories. The city is also famous as the birthplace of sculptor and architect Arnolfo di Cambio.

To book a trip to Colle Val d’Elsa: www.spreadyourwings.it

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

FREE WINE TASTINGS IN COLLE VAL D’ELSA Il Castello di Bibbione

In the heart of Tuscany, Chianti region, between Florence and Siena

Erected by the Cadolingi of Montecascioli, the Castle of Bibbione, in Chianti region, is documented in the very ancient manuscripts from the year 997 by the name of Castrum Bibionis. Surrounded by city walls, which in the past served as a final defence for its inhabitants, the Castle dominates a medieval village and ancient houses dot the slope of the hill. Its lands extend to below the Via Cassia and the Pesa River, between Florence and Siena. Castello di Bibbione Via Collina 66 - 50026 Loc. Montefridolfi San Casciano in Val di Pesa (Florence) 055 8249231 335 8106514 www.castellodibibbione.com

ENOTECA IL SALOTTO DOCG WINES • OIL • GRAPPA • CANTUCCI DI PRATO TYPICAL TUSCAN CAKES

Via Gracco del Secco, 31, 53034 - Colle di Val d’Elsa (SI) 0577926983 • www.enotecailsalotto.com

32 Florence News

CHIANTI

Meet Vernaccia

www.palagetto.it

www.florencenews.it

A Jewel in Chianti

On Horseback in Tuscany

ante Aligheri, Giovanni Boccaccio, Pope Martin IV, Lorenzo the Magnificent, Michelangelo, just to name a few of the greats that praised the most famous wine produced in San Gimignano. A delicious white wine, that is even referenced in Dante’s legendary “Divine Comedy.” First mentioned in tax documents from 1276, Vernaccia is not only one of Italy’s most esteemed wines, but also one of its oldest. The wine boasts a bold straw-yellow color and a flavor that delicately combines floral and fruity. Perfectly suited for fish and white meats in particular, Vernaccia can be enjoyed even more when combined with complimenting cuisine.

OCTOBER ISSUE

Discover Castello Del Nero, 5 Star Hotel and Spa

B ON THE ROAD

you can enjoy snacks, wine and a nice walk around a traditional Tuscan farm. If you have never horse-whispered before, then let horses whisper to you.

his tour offered by Florence Country Life is an adventure through the lush vineyards, native woods, olive groves and rolling hills of Chianti, with a collection of breathtaking and unforgettable views in the most wonderful and romantic way: on horseback. No prior experience is needed. Before the ride, you will be given a lesson by a trained guide to become better acquainted with your horse. After the ride, you will enjoy a Tuscan meal washed down with Chianti wine and an oil tasting. If you do not want to ride a horse, you can still come and enjoy the tour with a 20% discount. So, while your friends go on the horse ride

WINE ON TAP IN SANTO SPIRITO

Florence Country Life From € 100 www.florencecountrylife.com info@florencecountrylife.com Tel.: +39.366.4738711 TRANSPORTATION INCLUDED

uilt in the 12th century and located near Tavarnelle Val di Pesa about 20-minute drive from Florence, Castello del Nero is member of the Leading Hotels of the World, the consortium with more than 375 luxury hotels and resorts in over 75 countries.

called La Taverna, features typical Tuscan flavors. In the wine cellar, located in the oldest part of the castle, it is possible to taste wine and EVO. The ESPA branded SPA is over 1000 square meters and offers personalized treatments, heat experience,

The hotel has 32 rooms and 18 suites painstakingly restored, furbished with elegance and completed with state of the art technology. Its frescoes, vaulted ceilings and fireplaces exude charm and history. There are two are the restaurants, a wine cellar, a bar, a SPA, a swimming pool, four hiking paths, an outdoor VITA Parour and two illuminated tennis courts. The main restaurant, La Torre, offers a creative menu, while the other,

vitality pool, a relaxation area and a fitness suite with the most modern and sophisticated equipment. The outdoor heated swimming pool boasts a magnificent view of the surrounding valley with its lakes. Complimentary shuttle bus service to and from the center of Florence or Siena at scheduled times are available all year round. For more information visit: www.castellodelnero.com.

CHIANTI

WITH SMART TRIP

Bring your bottle to be filled starting from less than €1.50 straight from the barrels of Il Santo Vino. Here patrons can choose from a wide range of Italian wines alongside selected local specialty and organic products.

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

BOOK NOW!

+39 055 239 8640 www.smarttrip.it

VIA CAVOUR 36R SmartTripEurope

OCTOBER ISSUE www.florencenews.it

San Gimignano Hosts Cartier-Bresson

he Raffaele De Grada Art Gallery in San Gimignano is presenting a showcase of 140 pictures by French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson until Oct. 15. Considered a master of candid photography, Cartier-Bresson (1908-2004) worked as photojournalist capturing some key facts of the Spanish Civil War, World War II, and the 1968 student rebellion in Paris. The exhibit, organized in collaboration with the Fondation HCB, was set up in 2003 in Paris by Cartier Bresson, his wife, Martine Franck, and their daughter Méla-

nie. It features a selection of photos curated by the artist’s friend and publisher Robert Delpire. Cartier-Bresson’s art was influenced by surrealist photography and reflects his restless personality and self-taught approach to photography. “I’m just a nervous person, and I love painting; as to photography, I don’t understand anything about it,” he used to say about himself. Not understanding anything about photography implied not developing the shots, something he would leave to professional photogra-

F phers. In fact, Cartier-Bresson never wanted any editing of the negatives or the frames, as he believed that what had to be judged was the photographer’s ability to catch the here and now: that is, the portrayed subject’s immediate response. Photography thus becomes just a tool that should neither prevail nor upset the initial experience of the real time defining a work’s meaning and value. “To me the camera is a sketch book, an instrument of intuition and spontaneity, the master of the instant which, in visual terms, questions and decides simultaneously. In order to give a ‘meaning’ to the world, one has to feel involved in what one frames through the viewfinder. This attitude requires concentration, discipline of mind, sensitivity, and a sense of geometry. It is by economy of means that one arrives at simplicity of expression,” he said. Coherently with this approach, Cartier-Bresson never revised his picture: he either accepted it, or discarded it. To him, taking photos was a way of moving from the imaginary to the real world. “To take a photograph is to hold one’s breath when all faculties converge in a face of fleeing reality. It is at that moment that mastering an image becomes a great physical and intellectual joy,” he said. Cartier Bresson is also famous for having founded in 1947, together with Robert Capa, George Rodger, David Seymour and William Vandivert, the world-renowned Magnum Photos Agency, which is still a pillar of international photojournalism to this day.

Florence News 33

SAN GIMIGNANO

Galleria Gagliardi Presents Their Artists

alleria Gagliardi is currently exhibiting the works of two renowned Italian artists: Nicola Biondani and Angelo Palazzini. Nicola Biondani, born in 1976, obtained the highest quality of artistic education. He attended the Art Institute Guidizzolo in Milan, from which he graduated in 1996; obtained his Master of Arts diploma in 1998; and was taught the fundamentals and nuances of sculpture at the Academy of Fine Arts “C.B. Cignaroli “of Verona, from which he graduated in 2004. Biondani subsequently joined the Verona Opera as a scenographic sculptor, and remained there until he opened his first workshop the following year. From that moment on, the sculptor’s career truly took shape, and his works are now featured in private and public collec-

WINE TASTINGS IN SAN GIMIGNANO

Via Racciano 10 - 53037 San Gimignano 334/6399484 • 0577/943090 www.palagetto.it

tions. Born in 1953, Angelo Palazzini has exhibited in some of the most renowned galleries in Italy and abroad. His works, lauded by critics and spectators, are characterized by their surrealistic qualities, their frenzied fusion of reality and fantasy, and their luxuriant color palate notably derived from Renaissance painting. Palazzini has also showcased these works in many important exhibitions, such as “Surrealism Padano, from De Chirico to Foppiani” Gothic Palace in Piacenza; “Surrealism Padano, from De Chirico to Leonor Fini”, Museo Civico Revoltella in Trieste; “Italian Art 1968-2007”, the Royal Palace, Milan; “Contemplations”, Castel Sismondo, Rimini; and the “Venice Biennale”, 54th edition 2011, Palazzo della Ragione, Milan.

OCTOBER ISSUE www.florencenews.it

Florence News 35

LITERATURE

Fictionalizing an Assassination

LEE FOUST

ot since the tempestuous love affair between Lady Caroline Lamb and Lord Byron has an event from the life of a writer had such an impact upon literature and film as the murky affair surrounding Pier Paolo Pasolini’s assassination. Born in Bologna but rooted in the Casarsa region of the Friuli province through his mother, P.P.P. was a premier figure in Italian culture: a poet, novelist, essayist, journalist, frequent TV talking head, and a filmmaker. His murder at a car turnout by a makeshift soccer field in the beachfront slum of Ostia

outside Rome in 1975 is reminiscent of the assassination U.S. president John Kennedy: a lone youth, a petty criminal named Pino Pelosi, who told an implausible story of being sexually assaulted by the poet before “accidentally” running him over with his own car, was convicted of the crime. Still living today, Pelosi changed his story after nearly 30 years of silence, and has by now told at least three different versions of what happened that night at Ostia, as well as publishing two books about the crime. Writers and filmmakers too have been re-imagining Pasolini’s murder and its murky perpetrator(s) almost since the morning it hit the

newspapers. The 1995 Italian film Pasolini: Un Delitto Italiano (Pasolini: an Italian Crime. That’s my translation— it’s actually called Who Killed Pasolini? in English) is a fairly straightforward docudrama focusing on Pelosi and the investigations of a fictionalized undercover policeman played by Andrea Occhipinti—rather like Oliver Stone’s JFK. The film is co-penned by director Marco Tullio Giordana and Pasolini’s biographer Enzo Siciliano. More recently, in 2014, American director Abel Ferrara made Pasolini, a disappointing movie (in terms of offering no alternative to the court’s almost universally disbelieved verdict) that does boast of a terrific visual re-creation of the period and a stellar performance by Willem Dafoe as the poet. The film also features some of Pasolini’s friends and collaborators playing themselves—an interesting choice given they were 40+ years older than when the events depicted (the poet’s last 24 hours) take place. In Rome Noir, one of Akashic Books’ geographically framed noir series (there are some 80 volumes in print and 20 more forthcoming, ranging from my hometown Oakland Noir to Venice Noir here in Italy), two of the anthology’s twelve stories touch on Pasolini’s fateful last night on earth. While I can’t really recommend the collection as a whole, the opening story, Nicoletta Vallorani’s “Pasolini’s Shadow,” is

a chilling and beautiful evocation of the poet’s fateful drive from the Piazza del Cinquecento to Ostia to meet his fate. The story’s poetry comes through the translation like a blow to the back of the head. There’s a slight return to Pasolini’s Ostia in Cristina Danila Formetta’s “Last Summer Together.” You might also thumb through Marcello Fois, Gianrico Carofiglio, and Evelina Santangelo’s claustrophobic and hard-boiled tales in the anthology, but otherwise Rome Noir’s not much more than a disposable beach read. It’s primarily female writers who’ve responded to Pasolini’s death in writing. Two American

of causation, but within the philosophical concept of nominalism— the theory that everything exists only in words. It’s a text quintessentially postmodern and Ackeresque. If you never read her I recommend it, but with a seatbelt—her novels are utterly unique, challenging, often pornographic, and may well change your view of both literature and the world. Last but not least, for we aging punks, who carried dog-eared pocketbooks of Patti Smith’s Babel around in our jeans back in the day, who remembers “Pasolini (in the Round)?” It’s a 5-page prose poem filled with flickering filmic images, rhymes and alliteration,

While I can’t really recommend the collection as a whole, the opening story, Nicoletta Vallorani’s “Pasolini’s Shadow,” is a chilling and beautiful evocation of the poet’s fateful drive from the Piazza del Cinquecento to Ostia to meet his fate. authors wrote of the event not long after it occurred. Postmodern voice-stealer and pastiche queen Kathy Acker published the short novel My Death My Life, by Pier Paolo Pasolini in 1988 in the tripartite collection Literal Madness. In Acker’s novelette the disembodied voice of the assassinated poet sets out to solve his own murder—not through the mystery novel cliché

allusions to Virgil and Artaud, and was, apparently, written as an elegy for the Italian poet’s passing, a fellow artist’s outcry that Fascists had begun killing European writers again. Outrage, tragedy, mystery, the suspicion of conspiracy, sex, and squalor—Pasolini’s last night on earth has been a consistently evocative starting place for a piece of writing.

In Florence there is a new pharmacy

Cavour Come to visit us. You will find a wide range of skincare products dedicated to you. Ask your pharmacist for advice.

Lloyds Farmacia Cavour Via Cavour, 59/R Firenze

THE RESTAURANT OF THE FLORENTINES

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

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

We are open for you: Monday to Saturday 9.00 - 20.00

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

#bloodbhtattoo

36 Florence News

TRAVEL

OCTOBER ISSUE www.florencenews.it

Tips to Travel Ryanair

irst and foremost, get there early in order to avoid being stuck in the back of the line. The Ryanair boarding procedure will be seamless if you follow these guidelines. Whether you are seated in the back or the front of the plane; once general boarding is announced, it is important to get in line immediately. Be sure to plan accordingly and make sure you arrive early so that there is space for your carry-on baggage. In terms of luggage, make sure that your suitcase coincides with the required Ryanair baggage measurements. If your carry-on exceeds 21.7 x 15.7 x 7.9 in, you are going to face a few complications. Under Ryanair new baggage policy starting Nov. 1, passengers are required to pay 5 euros to take along their handbag and wheelie bag. Instead plan ahead and pay 5 euros in advance for priority boarding in order to carry on a personal item along with their carry-on. Note that if baggage exceeds the strict measurements, the airline requires passengers to check their bag for a fee of upwards of 60 euros. The changes were made to decrease delays. During holidays such as Christmas, Easter, there may be additional fees per bag.

OCTOBER CALENDAR THURSDAY,OCT.5 Amalfi Coast (WT) Croatia (WT) FRIDAY,OCT.6 Green Chiant (DT) Pisa (DT) SATURDAY,OCT. 7 Cinque Terre(DT) Venice (DT) Canyon Adventure (DT) SUNDAY,OCT.8 Cinque Terre (DT) Verona & Garda Lake (DT)

THURSDAY,OCT. 12 Amalfi Coast (WT) Croatia (WT) Eurotrip (FB)

late Festival (DT)

FRIDAY,OCT.13 Spa, Wine & Tuscan Countryside (DT) Green Chianti (DT)

FRIDAY,OCT.20 I Love Tuscany (DT) Green Chianti (DT) Spa, Wine & Tuscan Countryside (DT) Greece Island Hopping (FB) Greece Getaway (FB)

SATURDAY,OCT. 1 4 Perugia Eurochocolate Festival (DT) Canyon Adventure (DT) SUNDAY,OCT. 15 Perugia Eurochoco-

THURSDAY,OCT. 19 Eurotrip (FB)

SATURDAY,OCT. 21 Perugia Eurochocolate Festival (DT) Lucca & Pisa (DT)

SUNDAY,OCT.22 Perugia Eurochocolate Festival (DT) THURSDAY,OCT. 26 Budapest, Vienna & Salzburg (WT) Krakow & Prague (WT) FRIDAY,OCT.27 Green Chianti (DT) SATURDAY,OCT.28 Venice (DT) SUNDAY,OCT.29 Chiantiland (DT)

olate urochoc

Prague

Eurotrip, Paris

BOOK NOW!

+39 055 239 8640 www.smarttrip.it

en erlak

Int

VIA CAVOUR 36R

hianti C n e e r G

Greece Island Hopping

38 Florence News

CITY GUIDE

OCTOBER ISSUE www.florencenews.it

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Galleria Palatina e Appartamenti Reali 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. Piazza Pitti Tel: +39.055.294883 Hours: 8.15-18.50 Closed: Mondays

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

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

Museo degli Argenti Summer apartments of the Grand Dukes. It contains vases in hard stone that belonged to Lorenzo the Magnificent, and the jewellery that belonged to the Electress Palatine. Piazza Pitti Tel: +39.055.294883 Hours: 8.15-18.30 Closed: 1st and last Monday of month.

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

EUROTRIP WITH SMART TRIP

LUX TUESDAY

BEST HIP HOP NIGHT PARTY IN FLORENCE FRIDAY

THE HOUSE OF HIP HOP Via dei Pandolfini, 26r 347 381 8294

For the full program check our facebook page

BOOK NOW!

+39 055 239 8640 www.smarttrip.it

VIA CAVOUR 36R SmartTripEurope

OCTOBER ISSUE Accad e

www.florencenews.it Uffizi

mia

42€ from erson

39€

from per pe rson

per p

BEST OF FLORENCE Uffizi - Accademia - City Tour Priority entrance tickets Small Groups or Private Ones

Your Private Concierge

Florence News 39

CITY GUIDE TOURIST INFORMATION SOS

EMERGENCIES

SKIP THE LINE

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

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

Premium Tourist Services

Firenze Card

Uffizi

42€

The Firenzecard is a way for tourists and locals alike to visit the countless museums the city Accad has to offer. emia 39€ 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 Uffizi - Accademia - City Tour Priority entrance ticketsafter it is activatlasts 72 hours Small Groups or Private Ones ed. Activation SKIP THE LINE occurs when the NOW! card isBOOKused for the first time at booking@keysofflorence.com +39 324 075 6714 a museum. More info and tours: www.keysofflorence.com 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

+ HEALTH SERVICES

from per pe

from rson per pe

rson

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

BEST OF FLORENCE Premium Tourist Services

Accad e

mia

39€

from per pe

rson

BEST OF FLORENCE

Uffizi 42€ Academy Gallery 39€ SKIP THE LINE Uffizi - Accademia - City Tour Priority entrance tickets Small Groups or Private Ones BOOK NOW! booking@keysofflorence.com +39 324 075 6714 More info and tours: www.keysofflorence.com

SKIP THE LINE

BOOK NOW! booking@keysofflorence.com

LAW ENFORCEMENT

Your Private Concierge in Florence Every day problem solving - Workshops Access to treasures off the beaten path Property finding. Ask with confidence

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

BUSES

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

TOURIST INFO POINTS

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

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

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

TAXI

TAXIS

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