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.
TECHNO/Carl Craig
March 16, 9:30pm Viper Theatre, via Pistoiese, Florence
Star of the international electronic music scene, and recently mentioned by Rolling Stone as one of the ‘25 DJs That Rule the Earth’, Detroit-based Craig will perform live DJ sets. Jazz and soul influences inspire his techno music, and his creative remixes of electronic and jazz songs stand him out from the usual techno sound. Buy tickets from www.viperclub.eu.
GYPSY/ In cammino nel tempo
Until May 21, free Natural History Museum, Anthropology and Ethnology Department, via del Proconsolo 12, Florence.
A photographic exploration of the lives and culture of the Roma people who live in the Florentine area. From first-generation Roma, who have held on to the unique characteristics of their community of origin, to second and third generations who work and attend school here, the exhibit shows how a meeting of cultures has led to mutual enrichment and sheds light on the sociocultural and religious traditions of the often overlooked and misunderstood local Roma population. See www.msn.unifi.it for details.
HERITAGE/Giornata FAI
March 23 and 24 Various places across Italy
The Italian Environment Fund (FAI) is celebrating the arrival of spring with special openings of around 700 heritage sites across the country, including churches, castles, palaces and parks. Guided visits in English and other non-Italian languages are available. See www.giornatafai.it for the full list of sites.
TF EVENT/Irish dancing class
March 21, 6pm
The Fiddler’s Elbow, piazza Santa Maria Novella 7r, Florence
Kick up your heels and celebrate Irish heritage with The Florentine. Together with The Fiddler’s Elbow pub, we are offering a free Irish dancing class taught by dancer Catie Horseman, who is ranked 51st in the world. Irish ceili dancing is easy to pick up, so no dance experience is required. Come have fun with friends and meet new people. For dancers, the first beer is frees. E-mail info@theflorentinepress.com for details.
Irish Dancing in Florence with Catie Horseman from The Florentine on Vimeo.
TUNES/Eros Ramazzotti
March 24 and 25, 9pm Nelson Mandela Forum, viale Pasquale Paoli 3, Florence
One of few Italian singers to gain huge worldwide popularity, Italian pop star Eros Ramazzotti has sold over 55 million records during his 25-year career. With catchy, melodic tunes and an unusual voice, he always puts on an energetic and passionate performance sure to get the entire audience singing along. Get tickets and more information from www.mandelaforum.it.
FANTASY/ Bart Herreman
March 23–June 9 Palazzo Mediceo, Seravezza (Lucca)
A journey through the surreal world of Belgian photographer Bart Herreman, from giraffes in the Duomo to winged elephants on the beach. Esefossevero (And if it were true) pushes the limits of reality through 80 photographs in which improbable places meet fantastical creatures. The exhibit is part of the annual photography festival Seravezza Fotografia, which brings stars of photography, national and international, to a wide audience, including workshops, photography courses and a series of other photography exhibits in the Seravezza area. See www.seravezzafotografia.it for more.
CULTURE/Musical Aperitifs
Various dates until May 28, 5pm Villa Bardini, Costa San Giorgio 2, Florence
Enjoy the soaring notes of classical music in Florence’s beautiful Villa Bardini, a seventeenth-century villa overlooking the city and surrounded by historic, terraced gardens. Listen to music by Purcell, Chopin, Schumann and more, including a piano recital and concertos from the Luigi Cherubini Music Conservatory, followed by an aperitif in the rooms of the villa. Reservations are required. Children enter free. Before every concert, enjoy a discount on tickets to the villa’s temporary exhibits, including the current show, From Boldini to De Pisis, and later Francesco Messina, as well as free guided tours. Call 055/20066206 to book or visit www.bardinipeyron.it for more information.
SCULPTURE/The Springtime of the Renaissance
March 23–August 18 Palazzo Strozzi, piazza Strozzi, Florence
Exploring the origins of the ‘miracle’ of the Renaissance in Florence, this exhibit displays masterpieces by many of the most famous Florentine artists, including Lorenzo Ghiberti, Filippo Brunelleschi, Donatello, Michelozzo, Masaccio and more. The show focuses on Florentine sculpture in the early- and mid-1400s, the art form through which the Renaissance got started. After Palazzo Strozzi, the exhibit will move to the Musée du Louvre in Paris. Visit www.palazzostrozzi.org for more. As every Strozzi exhibit, this one is complemented by a contemporary look into the different forms of beauty, with An Idea of Beauty, from March 29–July 28, at the Centre of Contemporary Art La Strozzina; see www.strozzina.org for details.
OUT OF TOWN/Antonio Ligabue
Until June 9 Lu.C.C.A. (Lucca Center of Contemporary Art), Lucca
Exploring the relationship between art, brilliance and mental instability, the exhibit Antonio Ligabue: Instinct, Genius and Madness presents 80 works by one of the most controversial and unpredictable artists of twentieth century Italy. Ligabue, whose life was marked by tragic events, used a variety of artistic techniques, including oil on canvas, drawings, graphics and sculptures, all of which are represented in the exhibit. Find out more at www.luccamuseum.com.
