DESIGN/Helidon Xhixha
Until October 29
Boboli Gardens, Palazzo Pitti, Florence
Scorching temperatures and Helidon Xhixha’s In Scattered Order installations make this summer a prime time to visit the Boboli Gardens. Teaming up with art critic Diego Giolitti, Uffizi Gallery director Eike Schmidt has brought contemporary works by the Albanian artist to Florence’s “backyard”. Xhixha, winner of the Public Medal at the 2016 London Design Biennale, uses monumental sculpture to explore the concepts of chaos versus order, commenting on how the ideas have been interpreted in philosophy, art and the natural world. (More than a few of the sculptures have been mistaken for fun house mirrors by Boboli visitors, though we can’t say for sure whether that was the artist’s original intention). More information here.
MUSIC/Tuttapposto a Ferragosto
7pm nightly until August 20
Giardino dell’ARTEcultura, via Vittorio Emanuele II 4, Florence
This low-key live music festival is a fixture for those summering in the city each year. Put on some Gatsby-inspired gear and show up for a Speakeasy themed night (Saturday 19); take in tunes from Hong Kong-hailing singer Heidi-Li (Sunday 20); or embrace the bluesy sounds of the Filippo Barontini Bluesboy Trio (Friday 18). The backdrop is one of Florence’s coolest green spaces, a family-friendly venue serving up pizza and cocktails to keep the heat at bay. For more information, see the Giardino dell’ARTEcultura website.
CONTEMPORARY/Ytalia
Until October 1
Forte Belvedere and various venues, Florence
Ph. Agostino Osio | © Studio Alto Piano
Take a summer saunter up to Forte Belvedere to take in one of the year’s most buzzed-about exhibitions (not to mention one of Florence’s most incredible views). Inaugurated in June, “Ytalia: Energy Thought Beauty. Everything is Connected“ spotlights 20th century and contemporary Italian artists. The exhibition also touches down in eight other prestigious venues—Palazzo Vecchio, the Uffizi Gallery, the Palatine and Modern Art Galleries at Palazzo Pitti, the Boboli Gardens, Santa Croce, the Marino Marini Museum and Museo Novecento. Artists in the lineup include Giovanni Anselmo, Jannis Kounellis and Luciano Fabro, among others. For additional information, see the exhibition website.
The first days post-Ferragosto in Florence are always on the slower side – see our complete guide to August in the city for more inspiration and places to explore!
