ITINERANT/mArgine Teatro
July 14-15, 7pm
Starting point: piazza dell’Isolotto, Florence
Artistic collective inQuanto teatro has teamed up with the ballerinas and hip-hoppers of the LUV Dance Movement to create an inspired new format for a performance: audience members will pedal through the Quartiere 4 side streets and the Cascine Park on their bikes, while theatre and dance shows will pop up along the way. Led by the Tuscan comic Massimiliano Galligani, mArgine will feature never-before-performed readings from the playwright Andrea Falcone and a dance performance in piazzale Kennedy deep in the park (8.15pm). Florentine dusk itself is another star of the show, and the initiative aims to spotlight some of the lesser-known corners and curves of Florence where people’s paths cross every day. The event is free and open non-bikers, who are welcome to attend the performance portion. For more information, call 3387762875.
FUSION/MusArt Festival
July 17-28
Piazza Santissima Annunziata, Florence
At the third edition of MusArt Festival, piazza Santissima Annunziata will slide back into its now-established summer role as a top-tier concert venue. The new edition is headlined by classic rockers Jethro Tull, American jazz icon Chick Corea, and Italian singer-songwriter Francesco de’ Gregori, but features numerous other artists and celebrates Florentine heritage in equal measure: on show nights, concert ticketholders have the chance to visit area monuments and museums at no cost (featured venues include the Geografico Militare, the Biblioteca Umanistica dell’Università di Firenze, the Innocenti Institute, the Church of Santa Maria degli Innocenti, the Chiesa di San Francesco Poverino, the Giardino del Museo Archeologico, the Basilica di Santissima Annunziata, the Mensa della Caritas Diocesana – San Francesco. It all culminates with a sunrise concert (July 28) in the Istituto degli Innocenti. Get more information via BitConcerti.
NOVELLA/Florence Dance Festival
July 3-August 2
Chiostro Grande of Santa Maria Novella, Florence
Now in its 29th edition, Florence Dance Festival packs its bags for a move to Santa Maria Novella after an eight-year run in the Bargello courtyard. The theme is “Novella Classica”, drawing inspiration from mythology, superheroes and the setting itself (read more about the concept and festival history here). Program highlights this week include a Company Blu performance inspired by Shakespearean sonnets (9.30pm, July 13), an Argentine tango night (9.30pm, July 14) and two movie score-centric concerts from the Orchestra Da Camera Fiorentina (9.30pm, July 16 and 17). View the full program at www.florencedancefestival.org and read our interview with co-founder Keith Ferrone here.
FILM/Apriti Cinema!
Shows at 10pm nightly until August 11
Piazzale degli Uffizi, Florence
By day during the height of summer heat, the swarms of people in piazzale degli Uffizi can be a deterrent. But by night, the Giorgio Vasari-designed square has always had a vastly different feel—a magic even more pronounced now that the venue is serving as an open-air movie theatre for the second consecutive year. Apriti Cinema! features a packed program of nightly films, a mixed bag of selections from Florentine festivals (Middle East Now, Festival dei Popoli, Lo Schermo dell’Arte, Florence Queer Festival, among others). This week’s highlights include a screening of Shab-The Night hosted by River to River Indian Film Festival (July 13) and an Ingmar Bergman centenary tribute with a screening of Wild Strawberries (July 14). Entrance is free while the limited seats last—but the view is grand even from the gallery steps. Full program here.
