Our
events listing keeps you up-to-date on the latest and greatest in culture,
music and other English-friendly entertainment. This is a selection of the best
of them.
TF WALKS & VISITS/Badia Fiorentina
December 17,
3:30pm – Meeting at the entrance to the Badia on via del Proconsolo
The recent
TF tours of the Vasari corridor have met with such success that we have decided
to expand them to other little known treasures. The abbey of Badia Fiorentina
contains a stunning cloister with a fresco cycle partly by Bronzino, as well as
outstanding Renaissance tombs and Filippino Lippi’s famous Apparition of the
Virgin to St Bernard.
To book your
place, e-mail a.lawrence@theflorentine.net
ACE/Ponte Vecchio Golf Challenge
December
14-16 , Ponte Vecchio and other locations in Florence
Golf as
you’ve never seen it before: international golfers will tee off from the Ponte
Vecchio onto holes on three floating islands on the Arno. The 13th edition of
this highly unusually golf challenge will see two teams (Team International and
Team UK) compete, as well as a host of events for the public, including a
putting green in piazza della Rebubblica.
See www.pontevecchiochallenge.it for
details.
SONG/Toscana Gospel Festival
December
14-January 1, Various theatres and churches in Tuscany
The soaring
vocals and jaunty rhythms of some of the most important American gospel choirs
liven up winter in Tuscany. With 12 concerts in different Tuscan cities, this
year’s edition may just be the best yet. Highlights include the Tri State Mass
choir from New Jersey, Connecticut and New York; gospel star Anthony Morgan
with his Choir of Harlem; and Cora ‘Sister’ Armstrong from Virginia.
Many
concerts are free; for the programme and details, see www.toscanagospelfestival.net
CHARITY/Kids Open Day
December 15,
10am-4pm, Four Seasons Hotel, Borgo Pinti 99, Florence
An open day
to raise money for the Istituto degli Innocenti at the normally closed Giardino
della Gherardesca of the Four Seasons Hotel. The day will include games,
activities and Santa for kids, as well as markets and food stalls.
See www.istitutodeglinnocenti.it for
more information.
ARTISANS/Contemporaneamente
Until
December 24, via Maggio, Florence
An
experimental blend of the antique and the contemporary from the Via Maggio
Association, demonstrating the Florentine genius for encouraging art, design,
crafts and contemporary culture. In this street of antique dealers, 30 shops
and galleries will embrace a modern theme, with a varied calendar of events
including exhibits, lectures, seminars, free guided tours and concerts.
See www.viamaggio.blogspot.it for
details.
PARTY/New Year’s Eve
December
31-January 1. Various places around Florence
Dance in
2013 with techno beats at the Obihall, Subsonica in piazza della Stazione, jazz
in piazza della Repubblica or one of the many other New Year’s concerts and
parties around the city. The Night Lovers Circus at the Obihall (via Fabrizio
De André; until 6am) will feature an electronic circus of dancers, acrobats, DJ
sets and stunning visuals bound to keep you astounded, entertained and on your
toes till the wee hours of the morning.
See www.obihall.it for details and to book
tickets. There will also be many free concerts around the city: chart-topping
Italian rock band Subsonica in front of the Santa Maria Novella station, gospel
in piazza SS Annunziata, a jazz concert in piazza della Repubblica and
classical music from the Orchestra of Lugansk in piazza della Signoria.
See www.comune.fi.it for details. There will
also be two concerts of opera highlights, at the English Church of St. Marks (www.concertoclassico.info) and the
Auditorium al Duomo (www.musicainmaschera.it),
and a fantastical bubble show for kids at Teatro Verdi (www.teatroverdionline.it).
WARM UP TO ART/Best Exhibits in Florence and Tuscany
If you have
not yet see these fantastic exhibits in and around Florence, hustle in from the
cold and catch them before they close in early 2013. Many state museums in
Florence will be open on December 24, December 31 and January 1.
See http://tinyurl.com/TFsExhibits for
more information.
MARILYN: The Salvatore Ferragamo Museum pays homage to Marilyn
Monroe with a major exhibition dedicated to her a half century after her death.
Until January 28, Museo Salvatore Ferragamo, via Tornabuoni, Florence, www.museoferragamo.com
EMBODIMENTS: Beautiful anatomical sculptures, made using
everything from shells and old dolls to catheters, from American artist Janice
Gordon (see interview on page 13). Until January 31, Museum of Natural History
La Specola, via Romana 17, Florence, www.janicegordon.net
THE THIRTIES: The Arts in Italy beyond Fascism: 100 paintings,
sculptures and design objects by many of the most significant artists in
Fascist Italy. There are also several related exhibits around the city, such as
The Thirties in Fashion, Magazines and Literary cafes at the Biblioteca
Nazionale Centrale and The Thirties for Women at Palazzo Giugni. Until
January 27, Palazzo Strozzi, piazza Strozzi, Florence, www.palazzostrozzi.org
FRANCIS BACON and the existential condition in
contemporary art:
Bacon’s
paintings placed in dialogue with works by five international contemporary
artists, giving life to timeless questions of existentialism. Until January 13,
The Strozzina, Palazzo Strozzi, piazza Strozzi, Florence, www.strozzina.org
TRIBUTE TO ITALY CALVINO: Treasures
from the Alinari archives displayed for a tribute exhibition to world-renowned
writer and novelist Italo Calvino. Until January 6, MNAF museum, piazza Santa
Maria Novella 14r, Florence, www.mnaf.it
AI WEIWEI: Works by one of the most important living
contemporary artists in an exhibit comprising sculpture, installations, video
and photography. Until January 26, via del Castello 11, San Gimigniano, www.galleriacontinua.com
ART AND ALCHEMY: Sixty works of art
illustrating the Medici’s passion for alchemy during the 16th and 17th
Centuries. December 15 – February 3, Uffizi gallery, Florence, www.polomuseale.firenze.it
COVERI STORY: Glamorous, joyful and imaginative: photos, clothes,
designs and more from the Florentine/Prato fashion designer. Until January 18,
Auditorium Camera di Commercio, Prato, www.coveristory.it
JANUARY
Our next
issue comes out on January 17 but don’t worry, The Florentine’s website will
keep you updated on events in Florence and Tuscany in the meantime (see http://tinyurl.com/JanuaryEvents).
Watch out for Epiphany on January 6, when, in Italy, the Befana comes to bring
good children sweets, and bad ones coal. Head to the centre of Florence to see
the three Wise Men process on horseback from piazza Pitti to the Duomo,
surrounded by flag throwers and a host of performers in historic costumes.
