On Saturday August 1, the initiative Musica in Giro began with two specially designed vans touring the city, streaming live music from Teatro Verdi.
The Orchestra della Toscana operated behind closed doors at the theatre, with Beatrice Venezi conducting orchestral highlights from the works of Puccini. The music was brought to Florence via televisions mounted on CRICKET PE30s, fully electric little vans with dedicated audio equipment, designed collaboratively by Toyota Material Handling Italia, Tab Italia, Simai and K-array.
A CRICKET PE30 passes through piazza Santo Spirito
One CRICKET PE30 started in piazza Santo Spirito and drove through piazza Pitti, before crossing Ponte alle Grazie and arriving in Santa Croce. The other left piazza dell’Isolotto and headed down via Torcicoda, via Modigliani and via dell’Argingrosso. Both piqued curiosity and laughter among the public.
Musica in Giro is the brainchild of Luigi D’Amico and Stefano Zaccaria, Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing at K-array, which is based in Florence. The project was conceived to raise awareness of the busy concert season that Florence’s theatres would usually be putting on at this time of year, and to bring classical music beyond the walls of the auditorium.
Deputy Mayor of Florence Cristina Giachi and Councillor Tommaso Sacchi were present via video link on behalf of Mayor Dario Nardella. The concert also served as an opportunity to promote Italian quality brands, with Venezi wearing a dress by Salvatore Ferragamo and using a baton made by master goldsmith Paolo Penko.
