Author: Jane Fortune
Author and philanthropist, Dr. Jane Fortune is founder and chair of the Advancing Women Artists Foundation and creator of the Jane Fortune Research Program on Women Artists in the Age of the Medici at the Medici Archive Project. Her books include When the World Answered: Florence, Women Artists and the 1966 Flood; To Florence, Con Amore: 90 Ways to Love the City; Art by Women in Florence and Invisible Women: Forgotten Artists of Florence. She is known as “Indiana Jane” because of her efforts to identify and restore art by women artists in Florentine museums and deposits.
November 30, 2006
ART + CULTURE
Trattoria Zibibbo
ZIBIBBOVia di Terzollina 3/rTel: 055 433 383 (reservations are necessary) Monday-Friday: 8am-11pmSaturday: 8am-12pm Sunday:10am-3pmTen minutes from the center of Florence, this fabulous trattoria is unmistakably Mediterranean in flavor. Its kitchen is personally overseen by one of Florence’s most talented chefs, owner Benedetta
ART + CULTURE
Works by women artists in Florence museums
During my research for an upcoming guide book, I have come across a total of 45 women artists represented in Florentine museums. As an art-lover, rather than art historian, I was initially surprised to find so many works by both Italian and non-Italian women present in city museums,
November 16, 2006
ART + CULTURE
Ristorante Leo in Santa Croce
Ristorante Leo in Santa CroceVia Torta, 7/r055-210829Closed Mondays
The restaurant, built on the remains of an ancient Roman amphitheater, whose interior contains original capitals dating to the middle ages, is lovingly overseen by Mario Conti, Roberto Esposito and Angelo Tocci, its owners and chefs. When we first
ART + CULTURE
Giuggiu Jewellery
Angela CaputiVia S. Spirito 58/r055-212-972www.angelalcaputi.com
Angela Caputi founded her signature ‘Giuggiu’ collection in Florence, in 1975. Known throughout Italy and abroad, she designs very high fashion costume jewelry. Her workshop, located at Via S. Spirito, 58, is staffed only by women–it
ART + CULTURE
Artisan belts
InfinityBorgo S.S. Aspostoli 18/r055-239-8405www.infinityfirenze.com
Since 1973, Eugenio Provaroni and his American wife, Jane Dengler, have designed and hand made exquisite, often one of a kind, contemporary leather and metal belts in the old Florentine tradition. Their small workshop is located in an 11th-century
November 2, 2006
ART + CULTURE
Ristorante La Maremma
Owner Enzo Ragazzini and his son, Luca, have been advising us on their food and wine for many years (with impromptu Italian lessons thrown in). Years ago we had a large family gathering at La Maremma. My partner, Bob, however, was not with us because he was ill. As we
October 19, 2006
ART + CULTURE
Unforgettable places and special works of art
Tabernacles are lovely frescoed or sculptured niches shaped like small temples. During medieval times they were placed on almost every corner and usually contained a sacred image— often of the Madonna and Child. Tabernacles have been important since the 1200s but became particularly important in 1348, after the plague wiped out more than half of […]
ART + CULTURE
Orate pro pictoria – Prayer for the painter
She came from a wealthy family with a street in Florence named after them. She hobnobbed with the famous painters of her day. She painted prodigiously, but only three paintings have been authenticated. Today, she remains virtually unknown. Who was she?
She was a woman at a time when
ART + CULTURE
Ristorante del Fagioli
In this section, expect suggestions regarding restaurants Bob and I particularly love— for their good food, and especially the friendship and kindness each has extended to us over the 15 years we have been coming to Florence. Several restaurants will be well-known, others may not be, but each
ART + CULTURE
The Church of Santa Croce
Florence’s Pantheon and my favorite church in Florence, Santa Croce hosts 270 tombstones that pave the floor of the church, honoring those who strongly impacted the course of history in the fields of art, history and music. The most famous tomb belongs to Michelangelo, followed by those of