ISSUE No. 146
ISSUE / No. 146
June 30, 2011
To download the current and past issues, you need a subscription to The Florentine.
If you have already one pleaselog in or subscribe now.
Florence News
View from the top
This year's Feast of San Giovanni brought many novelties, among them a new view of the city. Following a months-long 300,000-euro restoration, the San Niccolò Tower was opened to some 600 locals and tourists for the first time. Florence's mayor, Matteo Renzi, said at the …
Florence News
Walking city
Legambiente: 'Courageous and forward planning'
The national environmental association Legambiente
has praised the plan to create additional pedestrian zones in Florence's most
historic areas: piazza Pitti, Piazza Santo Spirito, via Tornabuoni and Por
Santa Maria.
Vittorio
Cogliati Dezza, Legambiente president, recently told the press: ‘This initiative
is among the most courageous and …
Florence News
Tourist tax approved
Local council also to launch ?Firenze Holding'
With a near-unanimous vote, Florence city
council approved a motion to put into effect the much-discussed surtax on hotel
stays, also known as the tourist tax.
The new
tax, which varies from 1 to 5 euro, depending on the type of accommodation and
the number of …
Letters to the Editor
Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor, I was hoping, during my month in Florence this summer, to escape (however, briefly) from America and its low-brow obsessions. To look at paintings rather than watch television. To have face-to-face conversations in a piazza rather than computer-mediated conversations over Facebook. So when I learned …
Florence News
Special opening for a special event ,
Casa Martelli Museum to host charity event for FILE
On July 7, one of Florence's lesser-known yet
important museums, Museo Casa Martelli, will open to the public in a benefit
for the Fondazione Italiana di Leniterapia (FILE), from 10:30am and will stay
open until 7:30pm.
Located on
via Ferdinando Zannetti 8, near piazza del Duomo, …
Florence News
Wine goes green
Cooperative in Montespertoli to run on clean energy
With its new photovoltaic system, the Colli
Fiorentini Wine Cooperative in Montespertoli (via Nuova del Virginio 34) will soon make
pollution-free wine.
In a move
to reduce its carbon footprint, the wine cooperative, which produces some
35,000 hectorlitres of wine a year, is the first in …
Florence News
Get your fill in Signoria
Water available to tourists and locals alike
Still or sparkling? Locals and tourists alike
can now fill up on either for free as Florence makes fresh drinking water
available in the heart of city.
Recently
opened next to Florence's city hall, Palazzo Vecchio, the purified water
dispenser may not be the most aesthetically …
Community News
Calling U.S. citizens abroad
Are you a U.S. citizen abroad? The nonpartisan, nonprofit Overseas Vote Foundation has launched the Overseas Citizens Count Project website as part of a research project to establish a reliable count of U.S. citizens living outside the United States. The website, which will remain open …Florence News
The bus ticket is on the table
Being able to speak English in a tourist city like Florence is essential, especially for bus drivers. That is why Florence's local bus service, Ataf, has sent its first batch of workers to English-language school. The 90-hour course, taught during work hours, teaches drivers to …Florence News
Glass containers banned after hours
As of June 24, local bars and restaurants in the city centre can no longer serve beverages of any kind, alcoholic or non-alcoholic, in glasses or glass bottles and containers between the hours of 10pm and 6am. The ordinance, passed by the Florence Prefecture, will …Florence News
In the dentist's chair
A new office in the Misericordia of Sesto Fiorentino provides low-cost dental care to the needy. With 30 percent of dentists across Italy thinking of closing their offices because of a drop in clients during the economic crisis, a dentist duo in Sesto decided to …Florence News
Florence on film
The first movie in Italy filmed on an iPod Touch will be made over the course of 12 days in Florence. Featuring a video camera, the iPod will be used by Lorenzo Berti, theatre director, who will produce a film on one of the most …
Florence News
Florence's first museum on Foursquare
Palazzo Strozzi recently became the first museum in Florence and the only museum in Italy to offer special services and promotions on Foursquare (find out more on Foursquare in TF 132). Palazzo Strozzi now rewards with a special offer loyal museum-goers who 'check in' at the …
Tuscany News
Tuscany says no to burqa ban
Northern League's motion rejected in regional council
A
motion to ban burqas was rejected during a session of the Regional
Council of Tuscany.
Politicians from the
Tuscany chapter of the right-leaning Northern League had proposed the
motion, and, as chapter directors Gian Luca Lazzeri and Antonio
Gambetta Vianna explained, the party called for full …
Tuscany News
The superstar of Maremma
Capalbio endowed with 5 sails
This
year, the Blue Guide of the Legambiente and the Italian Touring Club,
which annually ranks the sea and lake resorts for their natural
beauty, celebrates the Maremma coast. Seven of the eight coastal
towns in the province of Grosseto took the highest spots: four …
Tuscany News
France > Italy
Tuscan wine is nation's leading export
The
competition between culinary and wine capitals, Italy and France,
continues. Recent data from the national farmers association
Coldiretti reveals that in 2010, Italy, producing some 49.6 million
hectoliters, surpassed France in production of wine; French wine
production was stuck at 46.2 million.
Italy's advance on
France is …
Tuscany News
Fungus attack
Pisa's olive trees at risk
A
dangerous fungus is attacking the olive trees in Pisa, according to
reports from San Giuliano, Vecchiano, Calci and Vicopisano.
So far, experts have
isolated in the province two types of the fungus, whose scientific
name is verticillium dahliae.
The fungus that is affecting trees is the …
Tuscany News
Good samaritan
'Penniless' man leaves fortune to old-age home
Imagine
the surprise of those in Pistoia who thought that Giuseppe Piazza was
penniless. Upon his death at 94 in early June, it was discovered that
he had bequeathed all of his worldly goods, some 4 million euro in
homes, apartments, buildings and cash, to …
Tuscany News
Along the coast
Private railway to connect Turin to Livorno
Arenaways,
the first private operator to use Italian railways, began service on
November 15, 2010 with a non-stop Turin-Milan train. Now the railway
operator will connect Turin to Livorno.
Based in Alessandria,
Arenaways will run the Turin-Livorno route through September 4. Every
day at 5am, the train …
Italy News
The sky's the limit,
Turin's Mole gets a touch up
Currently
on exhibit in Turin are 40 spectacular photographs taken from the top
of the Mole Antonelliana, Turin's most recognizable landmark,
snapped during the restoration of its cupola. On display through
October 15 as part of the exhibition Cantiere Mole 2011 at the
National Museum of …
Italy News
Nuns on the net
Catholic university offers multimedia course
'The
digital era in which we are living can present risks linked to the
incorrect use of new technologies. But it is also an era of great
dialogue, openness, and knowledge of different cultures and worlds,
that can enrich spiritually and personally,' say organizers of …
Italy News
Rome is 'the spot',
World's best skateboarders compete on the coast
For the second consecutive year, the World Cup of Skateboarding will take place in the seaside resort town of Ostia, near Rome.
The event will run from July 1 through 3, most of it at The Spot sports park, the only skatepark …
Italy News
Social predictors
More Italians turning to cosmetic surgery, drinking, and Facebook
How
have Italians changed in the modern era? What are the major stresses
that are changing behaviours? A recent survey by Censis has revealed
a host of new social problems affecting Italians. The report noted an
increase in the use of antidepressants and a rise …
Italy News
Italian to head ECB
The current governor of the Bank of Italy, Mario Draghi, was recently named president of the European Central Bank (ECB). Taking over from France's Jean-Claude Trichet on November 1, Draghi will have an eight-year mandate. President of the Italian Republic, Giorgio Napolitano, expressed ‘deep satisfaction' on …Italy News
Peron jewels found in Milan
Missing for almost two years, the jewels of Argentina's former first lady, Evita Peron, were recovered by police in late June in a hotel room in Milan. Among the recovered objects were a tiara given to Peron in the 1950s by the Dutch royal family, …Italy News
Colosseum restoration underway
The 25-million-euro project to restore the Colosseum will start in September, Rome officials recently announced. Expected to take up to 36 months to complete, the restorative effort will focus on the north and south facades and the underground areas. Work will also include construction of a …Italy News
Mozzarella made for Muslims
An Italian food producer from the Campania region says it will start making halal mozzarella from buffalo milk so that Muslims can also enjoy the Italian delicacy. The first Italian producer to make halal mozzarella, La Baronia, which is based at Castel di Sasso, near Caserta, …Italy News
Career changes
Last year 338,823 people in Italy were unemployed and, as a result, changed their profession, says a recent study by Censis. Results showed that career changes were more common among men (210,060) than women (128,764). Career changes were a popular option among those under 40 years …
Sport News
Like old times
Azzurri beat the Bianchi in this year's Calcio Storico
After
years of controversy, the city of Florence has reclaimed one of its
oldest traditions, Calcio Storico Fiorentino (see front page story,
TF 145). The recent tournament marked both an end to the violence and
squabbling of recent years and the start of a new …
Sport News
'Staying together'
Sinisa set to stay in Florence
ACF
Fiorentina coach Sinisa Mihajlovic says he staying with the Viola as
head coach, despite rumours that he is being courted by his former
club, Milan's Internazionale. He worked alongside Roberto Mancini
in 2008 as assistant manager at Inter and many believed that
Mihajlovic was a …
Sport News
Champions again
Siena's Mens Sana claim fifth consecutive trophy
Montepaschi
bested Bennet Cantù 63 to 61 on June 19, still dominating as Italian
basketball champions. With their fifth consecutive win since 2006,
Siena's Mens Sana beat their rivals in Game 5, winning four of five
games and claiming the record for number of scudetti …
Sport News
Italian Open 'Rocked'
Englishman wins golf title in Turin
Robert
Rock's time has finally come with his first win in 10 years at the
BMW Italian Open in Turin.
The Englishman had a great
performance on the golf course, but he still had to sweat to earn the
title. The final round began with a …
Sport News
Lounge by the river
Florence's beach now open
As
the hot temperatures and blazing sun return, city dwellers can relax
at the Florence's own Lungarno Beach every day from 10am until
mid-September. Located just under the San Niccolò bridge ramp, near
piazza Poggi, the beach is equipped with lounge chairs, a beach
volleyball court, …
Movie Reviews
Movie Reviews - June 30 to July 13,
Thurs, June 30 Clevland vs Wall Street DISTRIBUTION CYCLE Italian director Nanni Moretti will introduce Clevland vs Wall Street, a documentary shown at Cannes on the devastation caused by foreclosures as a result of the financial crisis features a mock trial in which Wall Street is the defendant. …
Best Events
The don't miss list - June 30 to July 14
We'll keep you up-to-date on the latest and greatest in culture, music and more English-friendly entertainment here in our Top Picks! Enjoy Florence. USA/Independence day party July 2 to 3, Parco d'Arte Pazzagli, via S Andrea a Rovezzano 5, Florence With American Independence day, July 4, falling on a Monday this …
Summer in Florence
Live the river
Canottieri celebrate 125 years with exhibition
by
Tiare Dunlap
‘It's easy to notice,
especially in Italy, that there is a patron saint of pretty much
everything. In times of doubt you can take your pick of any number of
nearly divine beings, from Jude, the patron saint of lost causes, to
Radegunde, who guards …
Monuments + More
The Demidoff statue
From Russia, with love
Grieving
the sudden death in Florence in 1828 of their father, Count Nicholas
Demidoff, Tsar Alexander I's ambassador to the Grand Duchy of
Tuscany, brothers Paul and Anatole Demidoff commissioned Lorenzo
Bartolini to sculpt a memorial to him. It was to be placed in the
grounds …
Life
Fabbrica Italia
The carmaker that made history
Anywhere
you might go in Florence, it seems, the FIAT brand is there. Its
presence is marked by the old navy blue logo and the new red one on
cars and advertisements, an indicator of both the company's success
and the brand's popularity in its …
The Arts
Then and now
Curator and artist Ezio Gribaudo f?ted in Lucca
While
working for the art gallery Fratelli Pozzo, Ezio Gribaudo, who was
born in Turin in 1929, met almost every great artist of the 1960s and
1970s. With his outgoing, dynamic personality, he persuaded
financiers to support avant-garde exhibits, and, an artist himself,
he forged lifelong …
The Arts
Oakes' perspective
Inspired by nature and the Renaissance
Ryan and Trevor Oakes, 26-year-old American twin brothers, are conducting experiments in perspective drawing, fittingly in Florence, on Brunelleschi and Alberti's stomping grounds. From June 22 through 30, they were in residence in the courtyard at Palazzo Strozzi, just a stone's …
In Other Words
Firefly
Though scarpa is the Italian word for ‘shoe,' it was also my friend's surname. Even we children used it, bravely copying the way adults couldn't resist placing an article in front of it. ‘Lo Scarpa,' they'd say. This habit is not …Florentinisms
Da dare e da serbare, Un c'e' verso, Parea unto
Your in-progress dictionary of the Florentine dialect
Da dare e da serbare: Literally ‘to give and to keep.' Figuratively, the saying indicates something possessed in large quantity-so much that there is plenty to go around.
Example: ‘Sta' tranquillo che stiacciata ce nè da dare e da serbare, un t'hai …
Florence for Students
See Florence for less
A budget itinerary for the frugal daytripper
The skies are clear over Florence, the sun is shining and the days are longer, but with the beautiful Tuscan weather come the big crowds. While the center is flooded with people, here is an itinerary for a day of sightseeing …
Insider Florence
A picture of the past
The oldest shop in Florence
by
Marc Justin
Florence has abundance of beautiful piazzas, churches and museums that speak to the city's importance in centuries past. However, as Marc Justin discovered, the city's small, less obvious spaces often tell an interesting yet rarely told story.
I'm walking along via de' …
Summer in Florence
The Tango Touch
Embrace the heat of the summer night: kick up your heels in a passionate tango al fresco. Florence abounds with open-air tango events all summer long, and it is not uncommon to catch a improvised milonga under the porticos in piazza …
Recipes
Whether mother or sister, it's Florentine
Crespelle alla Fiorentina
by
Emiko Davies
The crêpe, that wafer-thin French cousin to the plump and fluffy American pancake, may actually have its origins in Florence. Completely transformed in a Florentine kitchen, Crespelle alla Fiorentina, Florentine style crêpes, are made with the same recipe and technique as …
Features
Articles
Community
Special Issues
The English-speaking news magazine in Florence
Tuesday, May 21, 2013