HOPS/Brewer of the Year
January 18-20
TuscanyHall (ex-Teatro Tenda at the Obihall), via Fabrizio de’ Andre/lungarno Aldo Moro, Florence
The Fermento Birra network is behind Florence’s splashiest event for the craft beer-curious. Brewer of the Year (Birraio dell’Anno) is now in its 10th edition: part competition, part massive beer marketplace, the event spotlights exclusively Italian brewers and features an award ceremony (4.30pm, January 20) at which renowned taster Lorenzo “Kuaska” Dabove announces who’s nabbed the titles of Brewer of the Year and Emerging Brewer. Apart from the beers and the animated producers “on tap” to explain them, expect a range of food trucks, on-stage beer shows and guided tastings (with reservations required.) A range of ticketing-and-token options is available; all include a souvenir glass. For more information, see www.birraiodellanno.it.
SHOP/Vintage Selection
January 23-27
Fortezza da Basso, viale Filippo Strozzi 1, Florence
Momo Vintage, Florence
Just as the winter sales start to slow down, into town comes Vintage Selection, tempting all secondhand savants to keep shopping. (This one isn’t complaining.) The sprawling marketplace, now in its 33rd edition, will feature an array of vendors from up and down the Boot, hawking everything from sparkly Chanel bags with nary a scuff to lumberjack flannels with luxury price tags. Running simultaneously with the knitwear trade showcase Pitti Filati, Vintage Selection will have a special corner carved out at the larger fair, inside the Padiglione Cavaniglia. At press time, edition 33’s theme is still hush-hush, but the common thread through all past editions of Vintage Selection is a reverence for nostalgia and repurposed goods. Stay tuned for the full program and exhibitor list via www.vintageselection.it.
SPORT/International Skate Awards
January 19-20
Mandela Forum, piazza Enrico Berlinguer 5, Florence
World-class champions of the skating rink will return to the Mandela Forum this year for the ninth edition of the International Skate Awards: the Florence show promises to be fast-paced spectacle bringing together established athletes, emerging young stars and new recruits. Skaters’ competitive sides come out in full force on Saturday evening in the Top Champions Skate Awards event (from 9pm), while Sunday will feature its customary musical entertainment, this year with a Pink Floyd “Dark Side of the Moon” theme. For more information call 335/8244308 or visit the Mandela Forum website.
ICY/Firenze Winter Park
Until February 24
Ex area Kontiki, Obihall, via Fabrizio de’ Andre/lungarno Aldo Moro, Florence
Before your schedule gets jam-packed, take January to chill out—but do it more creatively than just hibernating inside your home. The Firenze Winter Park is a seasonal fixture (it’s been running since late October, technically), but the prime time to visit is in the slower months when you and your family are likely feeling stir-crazy. Venture out for a day (or night) of ice skating: you’ll find two expansive rinks designed for skaters of all sizes and levels, and first-timers and little ones can try their hand at “Ice Stock”. (An activity somewhat similar to curling, it requires no skates.) Per tradition, the winter park will also host a lively, almost sagra-style dining area, but this year Tuscan specialties take a backseat to pizza. For hours, prices and a full list of activities, see www.firenzewinterpark.it.
PLUS
The local edition of the 2019 Women’s March (see this article on the original 2017 editions in Florence and Rome) will take place in piazza San Lorenzo on Saturday, January 19 from 2.30 to 4.30pm. There will be space for sign-making at the event. For more information, call 349.8482393 or view the official overarching platform on the Women’s March website.
