17 minute read
DISCOVER AND ENJOY
This month’s round-up of shows, art exhibitions, and tours. More on www.whereitalia.com/florence
JEFF KOONS. Shine CONTEMPORARY ART at Palazzo Strozzi • until 30 January 2022
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Francesco Vezzoli in Florence SITE-SPECIFIC
at Piazza della Signoria and Palazzo Vecchio •until 2 February 2022
Rome Chamber Music Festival MUSIC
at Palazzo Vecchio, Salone dei Cinquecento •22 November
JENNY SAVILLE CONTEMPORARY ART
Several locations • until 20 February 2022
SOLO. Arturo Martini e Firenze ART
at Museo del Novecento • until 14 November
SETA FASHION
at Museo Salvatore Ferragamo • until 18 April 2022
SPECIAL DANTE 2021 HISTORY AND ART
at Santa Croce and out of town: Anghiari, Poppi, Castiglion Fiorentino and Montespertoli
... and more about the Secrets Tours at Palazzo Vecchio, the Magi Chapel at Palazzo Medici Riccardi, the new layout of the Gallerie dell’Accademia, the new Sala del Beato Angelico at the Museo di San Marco and the Museo Galileo.
DISCOVER AND ENJOY
Permanent and temporary exhibitions in Florence are back to welcome visitors after difficult months: go and discover the traces of the Italian Renaissance and the great figure of Dante, whose 700th anniversary of his death is being celebrated this year.
PH © ELA BIALKOWSKA OKNOSTUDIO
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PH © 2019 CHRISTIE’S IMAGES LIMITED
PALAZZO STROZZI, UNTIL 30 JANUARY 2022
THE SPECTATOR AT THE CENTRE OF ART
CONTEMPORARY ART A new major exhibition dedicated to Jeff Koons, one of the most important and controversial figures in contemporary art, who has revolutionised the art system from the 1970s to the present day. The works recount 40 years of the American artist’s career and place the viewer at the centre of his surroundings. “Shine” is the key word on which the exhibition is built, in a game of ambiguity between splendour and glow, being and appearing. On display, the famous sculptures in perfectly polished metal replicating luxury objects, such as the “Baccarat Crystal Set” or the iconic inflatable toys such as the famous “Rabbit” and “Balloon Dog” (Red), through to the re-interpretation of pop culture characters such as the “Hulk”, or the re-invention of the idea of ready-made using everyday objects such as “One Ball Total Equilibrium Tank”.
JEFF KOONS. Shine
Palazzo Strozzi, Piazza degli Strozzi. www.palazzostrozzi.org
Francesco Vezzoli, “La musa dell’archeologia piange” (2021), in the Studiolo di Francesco I de’ Medici at Palazzo Vecchio
PIAZZA DELLA SIGNORIA - PALAZZO VECCHIO UNTIL 2 FEBRUARY 2022
UNEXPECTING MUSES IN THE CITY
SITE-SPECIFIC After the interventions of Jan Fabre, Urs Fisher and Jeff Koons and the presentation of a work by Giuseppe Penone, with Francesco Vezzoli Piazza della Signoria once again becomes the fulcrum of contemporary art. Vezzoli is the first living Italian artist to create a site-specific work for Piazza della Signoria: a monumental twentieth-century lion rampant crushes a Roman head from the second century AD in its jaws; a second sculpture is positioned inside the Studiolo di Francesco I de’ Medici in Palazzo Vecchio, a precious treasure chest full of mysterious suggestions. Two works that recreate a surreal world made of archaeology and fantasy, memory and invention.
Francesco Vezzoli in Florence
Piazza della Signoria and Palazzo Vecchio (Studiolo di Francesco I). musefirenze.it
PHOTOS © ELA BIALKOWSKA OKNOSTUDIO
PALAZZO VECCHIO, 22 NOVEMBER CELEBRATING BEETHOVEN
MUSIC The prestigious Rome Chamber Music Festival celebrates its first 18 years of music this year with its artistic director Robert McDuffie. In addition to the four concerts in Rome at the end of November, the orchestra arrives for the first time in Florence with a special date on 22 November in the Salone dei Cinquecento in Palazzo Vecchio. An exceptional programme that combines the originality of the pieces with a relay of appointments in the company of 10 renowned masters together with 30 young talents and professionals. The musical evening takes place in the sign of Ludwig van Beethoven and the masterful “Razumovsky” in honour of the celebrations of the 250th anniversary of his birth in 2020.
Rome Chamber Music Festival
Palazzo Vecchio, Salone dei Cinquecento. romechamberfestival.org
SEVERAL LOCATIONS, UNTIL 20 FEBRUARY 2022 JENNY SAVILLE MEETS MICHELANGELO
CONTEMPORARY ART Enormous depictions of naked female bodies, portrayed posed on stools or lying down, displaying provocative sexual forms: these are the themes that the young English artist Jenny Saville uses to confront the great masters of the Italian Renaissance, particularly Michelangelo. In various locations in the city, Saville represents a contemporary humanism that puts the female figure, crushed by the weight of existence, back at the centre of the story. In the rooms of the Museo del Novecento, as in the Salone dei Cinquecento in Palazzo Vecchio, in the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo as in the Pinacoteca of the Museo degli Innocenti and in Casa Buonarroti.
JENNY SAVILLE. Several locations. www.museonovecento.it
PALAZZO VECCHIO DISCOVERING THE SECRETS OF FLORENCE
Percorsi Segreti.
Palazzo Vecchio, Salone dei Cinquecento, Studiolo di Francesco I. musefirenze.it/attivita/ percorsi-segreti/ EXPERIENCE Guided tours of Palazzo Vecchio allow you to visit a series of particularly precious rooms, including the staircase built at the behest of Gualtieri di Brienne and carved into the thickness of the wall, the Studiolo di Francesco I de’ Medici, a refined treasure chest “of rare and precious things”, and the Scrittoio of his father Cosimo I (better known as the “Tesoretto”), and finally the imposing truss structure that supports the coffered ceiling of the Salone dei Cinquecento.
IVORY MASTERPIECES
Sala degli Avori.
Museo Nazionale del Bargello. Via del Proconsolo, 4. www.bargellomusei. beniculturali.it SCULPTURE Rethinking the exhibition itinerary, improving conservation methods and enhancing the works on display: this was the aim of the complete renovation of the Sala degli Avori in the Museo Nazionale del Bargello, which alone covers a time span of fifteen centuries, from rare Etruscan and Roman objects to 19th century artefacts. This is undoubtedly a collection that in terms of the abundance and prestige can be considered in line with some of the great European museums, such as the South Kensington Museum in London and the Musée de Cluny in Paris.
© ANTONIO VISCIDO PHOTOS
FIRENZECARD
www.firenzecard.it
“Firenzecard” costs €85 and allows access to 60 museums and is valid for 72 hours from the initial entry to a museum on the Circuit. It can be purchased online or from one of the authorised sales points in Florence. Firenzecard includes: • 1 entry ticket + 1 exhibition supplement + 1 priority ticket for each museum on the Firenzecard circuit • Priority access to museums without booking, except for the Dome, Galleria degli Uffizi and Galleria dell’Accademia, where the booking is required but free. • When purchasing the Firenzecard, you can add “Firenzecard+” to use the city’s public transport (Ataf &Line buses and tramway) and the dedicated commercial offers. Firenzecard+ is valid for 72 hours from the first validation. • Finally, with “Firenzecard Restart” you will be able to visit the museums of the circuit that you didn’t manage to see on your first visit to Florence; you will be able to add another 48 effective hours to your expired FirenzeCard.
UNTIL 14 NOVEMBER
ARTURO MARTINI, MASTER OF THE 20TH CENTURY
ART The link between Arturo Martini and Florence can be seen in the presence of some of his fundamental works from the 1930s – attesting to the cultural dynamism of the city and Tuscany in that period – and also in the relationship with the visual sources that Florentine museums were able to offer him. The exhibition is part of the “Solo” cycle dedicated to the major artists of the twentieth century, designed to recount lesser-known aspects of the lives of the great protagonists of painting and sculpture of the last century: Emilio Vedova, Piero Manzoni, Vincenzo Agnetti, Gino Severini, Fabio Mauri, Mirko and Medardo Rosso.
© ARRIGO COPPITZ PH
SOLO. Arturo Martini e Firenze
Museo del Novecento. Piazza Santa Maria Novella, 10. www.museonovecento.it
MUSEO SALVATORE FERRAGAMO, UNTIL 18 APRIL 2022 ▲ A WUNDERKAMMER OF SILK PRINTS
BY FERRAGAMO
FASHION Until 1950, the Ferragamo name was synonymous with women’s footwear. The brand’s founder, Salvatore, dreamed of transforming his internationally renowned brand into a fashion label that dressed a woman from head to toe. And his dream came true: it was one of his daughters, Fulvia, who launched in the 1970s the continuous production of women’s and men’s silk accessories with personalized patterns characterized by exclusive decorative subjects, especially flowers and exotic animals. This creative world overflows with inspirational references, from oriental art to twentieth-century paintings or ancient tomes on botany. At the Museo Salvatore Ferragamo you can explore the universe of printed fabrics, ties and scarves combined with the sources of inspiration for each motif - whether it be a book, a painting, vase or sculpture.
SETA. Museo Salvatore Ferragamo. Palazzo Spini Feroni. www.ferragamo.com
THE RENAISSANCE BEGAN HERE
PAINTING Lorenzo the Magnificent lived in Palazzo Medici Riccardi and the greatest artists worked there. Unmissable from the Medici period are the Magi Chapel, frescoed in the 15th century by Benozzo Gozzoli, a work of rare beauty, as are the famous “Madonna with Child” by Filippo Lippi, the elegant Michelozzo’s courtyard and the Medici Gardens with the Limonaia.
The Magi Chapel
Palazzo Medici Riccardi. musefirenze.it
MASSIMO SESTINI © PH
NEWS FROM THE “DAVID” MUSEUM
COLLECTION A new layout has marked the reopening of the Galleria dell’Accademia in recent weeks: from the Gipsoteca to the Sala del Colosso, from the Sale Bizantine to the Dipartimento degli Strumenti Musicali. Six hundred works have found a new location in the museum with the largest number of Michelangelo’s sculptures in the world, in particular the ones placed along a path that accompanies the visitor to Michelangelo’s “David”. Work will continue in the coming months to make the vast Florentine collection of masterpieces of painting, sculpture and musical instruments even more attractive.
Galleria dell’Accademia. Via Ricasoli, 58/60. www.galleriaaccademiafirenze.it
THE SACRED LIGHT OF PAINTING
Sala del Beato Angelico
Museo di San Marco. Piazza San Marco, 3 www.polomusealetoscana. beniculturali.it
© ANTONIO QUATTRONE PH
COLLECTION In the famous museum dedicated to the great painter and Dominican friar Beato Angelico, a room houses the world’s most important collection of works on wood by the founder of the early Florentine Renaissance: 16 works are housed in the new “Sala del Beato Angelico”, which has been completely refurbished to offer the public works with a clear and refined design that touches on peaks of pictorial delicacy and transparency.
FROM GALILEO TOWARDS THE MODERN SCIENCE
Museo Galileo
Piazza dei Giudici, 1. www.museogalileo.it SCIENCE Don’t miss a visit to the Museo Galileo, an extraordinary collection of scientific instruments collected over nearly three centuries by the Medici and Lorraine families, including the only original telescopes by Galileo Galilei in the world. This is a precious testimony to the progressive improvement of observation and measurement instruments that favoured the enormous advancement of scientific knowledge in the 16th and 17th centuries, a decisive contribution to the affirmation of modern science.
Santa Maria Novella
DANTE 2021
Celebrating Dante Alighieri, the father of the Italian language, also means celebrating the symbol that tells of Italy to the world, of its humanism and its identity made of beauty and warm hospitality. To commemorate the 700th anniversary of his death, a full calendar of initiatives has been created involving the three cities associated with Dante (Ravenna, Verona and Florence) and several locations in Tuscany. The programme of events will reach its culmination with the inauguration of the Museum of the Italian Language at Santa Maria Novella. The main sites in Florence that will host the events will include the Uffizi Galleries, the theatre of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, the University of Florence, the Accademia della Crusca, the Galileo Museum, the Fondazione Franco Zeffirelli, the Bargello and the Casa di Dante Museum. For info: www.700dantefirenze.it
SANTA CROCE,UNTIL 10 JANUARY 2022
NARRATING DANTE’S DIVINE COMEDY
The monumental complex of Santa Croce is hosting a new cultural project that aims to update the iconic engravings of Gustave Dorè – French engraver considered one of the greatest illustrators of Dante Alighieri’s “Divine Comedy” - by carrying out an original re-reading of his legacy. A multimedia event based on high-definition projections that aims not only to “explain” the Divine Comedy but also to “narrate” Dante and the relevance of his universal message. It is in Santa Croce, Dante’s place par excellence, that this initiative intends to reconcile the figure of the Supreme Poet with his native city. The artistic expression of the exhibition’s creator, Felice Limosani, aims to make Dante’s message even more alive and relevant, through an approach that combines humanistic disciplines with digital technologies (Digital Humanities).
DANTE. Il Poeta Eterno by Felice Limosani
Complesso Monumentale di Santa Croce www.santacroceopera.it
WHO IS DANTE?
Poet, man of letters, politician, philosopher and theologian, Dante Alighieri (Florence 1265-Ravenna 1321) is a pillar of European and world literature and represents an entire culture. His “Divine Comedy”, which for centuries has been considered the greatest work written in the Italian language and one of the masterpieces of world literature, describes a journey into the afterlife, witnessing first-hand the dramas and suffering of the damned, the punishments to which they are subjected and the glories they have earned. A journey into history and mankind, filled with emotions, hopes and eternal feelings.
OUT OF FLORENCE
A new five-year project to enhance Tuscany’s artistic heritage, “Terre degli Uffizi”, debuts with a number of exhibitions in the area around Florence as part of the celebrations for the 700th anniversary of Dante Alighieri's death.
ANGHIARI (AREZZO) - MUSEO DELLA BATTAGLIA DI ANGHIARI, UNTIL 6 JANUARY 2022
EXHIBITION: “LA CIVILTÀ DELLE ARMI E LE CORTI DEL RINASCIMENTO”
In the Renaissance, city and suburbs were inextricably linked. In particular, the town of Anghiari during the 15th century provided loyal men-at-arms to various lordly armies in the city: characters who were committed to transforming themselves from knights and soldiers into men of court and culture.
POPPI (AREZZO) - CASTELLO DEI CONTI GUIDI, UNTIL 30 NOVEMBER
EXHIBITION: “NEL SEGNO DI DANTE”
The paintings on display are linked to the three Canticles of the “Divine Comedy” and deal with themes and characters from the Casentino valley, a territory with which the poet Dante had a close relationship: he stayed there several times as a guest of the Counts Guidi and on 11 June 1289 he took part, aged 24, in the Battle of Campaldino.
CASTIGLION FIORENTINO (AREZZO) - PINACOTECA UNTIL 6 JANUARY 2022 ► EXHIBITION:
“L’ULTIMO SIGILLO”
The exhibition focuses on the figure of St Francis of Assisi, whose Sanctuary of La Verna, near Castiglion Fiorentino, is one of the most celebrated places in Christianity.
MONTESPERTOLI (FIRENZE) - MUSEO ARTE SACRA DI SAN PIERO IN MERCATO, UNTIL 10 DECEMBER ◄ EXHIBITION:
A small “Madonna and Child” of the Giotto school is kept today in the vicinity of the castle that during the Second World War was the refuge for the works of the museums of Florence. Here, it will be compared with a very similar painting in the Uffizi.
2022 EVENTS IN ITALY
JANUARY
14-18/1 | Milan | Milano Moda Uomo. www.milanomodauomo.it 20-23/1 | Cortina d’Ampezzo (Veneto) | Alpine World Ski Championship. www.fis-ski.com 30/1 | Val di Fassa (Trentino-Alto Adige) | 49th Marcialonga Skimarathon. www.marcialonga.it
FEBRUARY
6-27/2 | Viareggio (Tuscany) | Carnevale di Viareggio. viareggio.ilcarnevale.com 12/2 -1/3 | Venice | Carnevale di Venezia. www.carnevale.venezia.it 22-28/2 | Milan | Milano Moda Donna. www.milanomodadonna.it
MARCH
End of March | Several locations | Spring Days FAI. www.giornatefai.it 27/3| Rome | Run Rome The Marathon. www.runromethemarathon.com
APRIL
1-3/4 | Milan | Miart www.miart.it 5-10/4 | Milan | Salone del Mobile. Milano. www.salonemilano.it Mid-April | Milan | Milano Art Week. milanoartweek.comune.milano.it 10-13/4 | Verona | Vinitaly. www.vinitaly.com 23/4-27/11 | Venice | Biennale Arte 2022 (59th edition). www.labiennale.org 27/4-1/5 | Milan | MIA Fair (105th edition). www.miafair.it
MAY
2-15/5 | Rome | Tennis. Internazionali BNL d’Italia. www.internazionalibnlditalia.com 6-29/5 | Several locations in Italy | Giro d’Italia (105th edition). www.giroditalia.it Mid-May | Brescia-Rome-Brescia | Mille Miglia 2022. www.1000miglia.it 28/5-5/6 | Venice | Salone Nautico Venezia. www.salonenautico.venezia.it End of May | Mugello (Tuscany) | Moto GP. Gran Premio d’Italia. www.motogp.com
2022 EVENTS IN ITALY
JUNE
17-21/6 | Milan | Milano Moda Uomo. www.milanomodauomo.it 17/6-4/9| Verona | Arena di Verona 99th Opera Festival. www.arena.it 20-23/6 | Verona | Vinitaly (54th edition). www.vinitaly.com
JULY
3/7 | Siena | Palio. www.ilpalio.org 8-17/7 | Perugia | Umbria Jazz. www.umbriajazz.it 16/7 | Venice | Festa del Redentore. venice.whereitalia.com
AUGUST
16/8 | Siena | Palio dell’Assunta. www.ilpalio.org
SEPTEMBER
1-11/9 | Venice | International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art. www.labiennale.org 3-11/9 | Venice | The Venice Glass Week. www.theveniceglassweek.com 16-19/9 | Terni | Umbria Jazz. www.umbriajazz.it 11/9 | Monza (Milan) | Formula 1. Italian Grand Prix. www.formula1.com 20-26/9 | Milan | Milano Moda Donna. www.cameramoda.it 21-27/9 | Milan | Milano Moda Donna. www.cameramoda.it
OCTOBER
1-6/10 | Genoa | International Boat Show. www.salonenautico.com 8/10– 6/12 | Alba (Piedmont) | International Alba White Truffle Fair. www.fieradeltartufo.org 9/10 | Trieste | Barcolana. www.barcolana.it 14-23/10 | Perugia | Eurochocolate. www.eurochocolate.com
NOVEMBER
Mid-November | Milan | BookCity Milano. bookcitymilano.it and Music Week. www.milanomusicweek.it 21/11 | Venice | Festa della Salute. venice.whereitalia.com
DECEMBER
7/12| Milan | Teatro alla Scala – Opening of the Opera Season. www.teatroallascala.org
[ WELCOME TO ITALIA ] Dream experiences
To discover the beauties of the city or to try out special experiences, Welcome to Italia offers you some unmissable opportunities. Choose whether to take part in exclusive city tours or book the experience you’ve been dreaming: www.welcometoitalia.com
ALL ABOUT FLORENCE!
You will have the opportunity to enjoy a guided tour of the Accademia Gallery and the Uffizi and to walk around the city center.
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TOP MUSEUM TOUR
Visit the two most important museums in Florence which host some of the greatest art pieces of the Italian history. The guided tours include the skip the line tickets.
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[ WELCOME TO ITALIA ] Dream experiences
FLORENCE BY NIGHT PRIVATE EXPERIENCE
Explore the city center with a private tour: you can enjoy a pleasant walk with an expert guide.
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EXCLUSIVE TOUR AT THE ACCADEMIA
Don’t miss an original tour discovering the stories of the “David” by Michelangelo.
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DUOMO SMART PRIVATE TOUR
Enter the fascinating church of Santa Maria del Fiore with skip the line access. One hour tour with a private guide.
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[ WELCOME TO ITALIA ] Dream experiences
THE SPECIAL ONES
MARKET TOUR AND TUSCAN COOKING EXPERIENCE
Let’s visit the Sant’Ambrogio Market with a chefguide and buy all the necessary for a cooking class. Enjoy your meal with a wine tasting.
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RAFTING TOUR ON THE RIVER ARNO
Enjoy a scenic and relaxing getaway on the Arno river with a rafting tour from San Niccolò Bridge, passing under the Ponte Vecchio and back.
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