Everyone has a secret strategy for coping with the summer heat. Ask around. Some will tell you to find comfort in your kitchen by keeping the shades down all day. Others will suggest you hide in the frozen section of the supermarket. Especially for those staying in the city, ‘surviving August’ means discovering the right method to staying cool, sane, and maybe even happy.Many Florentines will simply tell you to quit complaining about the heat and enjoy the traffic-less streets for a change. Go to the places you avoid when the year’s in full bustle: the libraries, the parks, the alternative museums. Enjoy the fact that no one behind a counter wants to work for real. Take to music in the piazzas and indulge in guilt-less shopping at prices 30 to 70 percent off. And if that doesn’t cheer you up, then be brave and skip town. Go along the coast for the day, and eat spaghetti ai frutti di mare. You’re sure to feel better after that. But if you don’t, don’t lose all hope; the area’s brimming with other August possibilities. As city-dwellers watch the majority of Florentine businesses close down this summer, many will be encouraged to know that something’s actually being opened as well. From July 26, art lovers looking for alternative ways to appreciate culture and avoid excessive crowds will have their heart’s desire. Art patron Michelangelo Buonarroti, great-great grand-nephew of the Michelangelo we all know and love, hired painter Fabrizio Boschi to decorate his house with wall panels in 1615. In the Casa Buonarotti, Boschi created a masterpiece of balance, composition and colour. Boschi’s style, which is said to effectively develop Ruben’s visual techniques and Caravaggio’s naturalism, had a very important influence on the Baroque period in Florence. He experimented with a whole series of techniques, including watercolour, chalk, charcoal and pastel. Twenty paintings and numerous drawings are currently on display, showcasing the artist’s creative development.From July 21 to August 9, classical music lovers can visit Linari, the medieval hamlet of Barberino Val d’Elsa, located between Florence and Siena. A bit of fresh air and a whole lot of music might prove to be the right antidote to sweltering summer heat. A relatively ‘young’ festival founded in 2003, this cultural event showcases ten concerts every summer. Organized by Airdrie Armstrong Terenghi in collaboration with music director Joris van Rijn, Linari’s festival presents a unique group of new musicians who perform a varied program of classical music, ranging from the Baroque era to the 20th century. The festival hosts orchestra musicians from all over the world including Italy, Britain, Aus-tralia, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the United States. Performers often join audience members for a buffet-style meal at the end of each concert. For further information visit: www.linariclassic.com
For those who crave a taste of the past, several summer events will serve to whet the palate. On August 15, venture into the centre of Camaiore near Lucca and see the stands and kiosks that flourish there, giving life to the Camaiore Ferragosto festival, which includes an antiques show. Merchants from all over Italy offer wares of every shape and form, from ancient furniture and knick-knacks to collectable coins, paint-ings and even comic books. Old lace and precious books transport the traveller to another time. Along with antiques, look for music, puppet shows, craftsmanship and food sampling. In mid-August also remember the Palio of Siena. Its very first race was in 1644, and its horses are still running strong today. On August 16, both locals and tourists will crowd the city’s breath-taking Piazza del Campo to see the outcome of the summer’s second Palio di Siena. In this unique equestrian race, Siena’s 17 neighbourhoods compete for the title of champion.
