Between the bunches of mimosa flowers and well-wishes to the women in our lives, International Women’s Day on March 8 presents a wide variety of opportunities across Florence from exhibitions and guided tours to talks and podcasts.
Free entry to museums
The state-run museums offer free entrance for women, including the Uffizi Galleries, Palazzo Pitti, the Boboli Gardens, the Bargello National Museum, the Medici Chapels Museum, Palazzo Davanzati and the Orsanmichele complex.
The Museo dell’Opera del Duomo is offering free entrance to the museum, baptistry and crypt of Santa Reparata to all residents of Florence on March 8. Residents can get a free Giglio Pass by displaying valid ID at the ticket office.
The Florentine Civic Museums and Palazzo Medici Riccardi are free for women on March 8, including the Palazzo Vecchio Museum (with guided tours on Eleanor of Toledo and Laura Battiferri costing 2.50/5 euro), Museo Novecento, the Arnolfo Tower, Santa Maria Novella complex and the Stefano Bardini Museum.
The Accademia Gallery offers free entry to all visitors.
Exhibitions + guided tours
Annya Sand will become the first female artist in residence at the Hotel Savoy on International Women’s Day, and her exhibition, Annya Sand’s Tribute To Women, will be open to the public from March 9 to May 20. The exhibition explores the theme of femininity and comprises nine artworks from across the breadth of her international career. Booking is available by contacting enquiries.savoy@roccofortehotels.com.
The Uffizi Galleries launch an online exhibition to mark the occasion, exploring illustrious women from the portrait collection, including Queen Roxelana, the Ottoman Princess Mihrimah Sultan and Queen of England, Catherine of Aragon.
The Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale is also unveiling an exhibition along the theme of women, under the title Donne del cielo: da muse a scienziate (Women of the Sky: From Muses to Scientists), remaining in place until June 8. A guided visit of the exhibition can be booked for International Women’s Day, alongside a tour of a parallel initiative at Santa Croce.
A special visit to the Santa Croce complex has been designed for International Women’s Day to celebrate the important female figures commemorated in funerary monuments within the church and its cloisters. Visitors will be guided along an educational route through the church to visit the tombs of Florence Nightingale, the Blessed Umiliana de’ Cerchi, and more. Bookings can be made online, from March 5.
At the Four Seasons Hotel, there will be a unique opportunity to discover the history of two remarkable women who previously inhabited the Palazzo della Gherardesca. Tour guide Sara Innocenti will direct an exclusive tour of the palace and gardens on March 8 at 11am, detailing the lives of the Countess Costanza de’ Medici della Gherardesca, and the humanist, Alessandra Scala. Booking is available via email at caterina.tritto@fourseasons.com
Sisterhood in Art: Plautilla’s 500th anniversary is an official presentation of an LdM restoration project on a newly found painting by the nun-artist’s workshop. The presentation at the Santa Maria Novella infopoint 4b at 11.30am has limited space available. Contact jane@caravaggioandcontemporary.com to find out more.
Concerts
In piazza Duomo, immediately in front of the Regione Toscana, a free concert titled Insieme per cambiare musica will bring festive flair to International Women’s Day, reminding attendees of its origins as a fight for equality and female rights. A number of artists and groups will take to the stage between 4 and 7pm, with readings by Tosca d’Aquino and Serra Yilmaz. Sign up for free.
Talks, comedy + film
Starting on International Women’s Day, the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo is launching a podcast focused on the women who feature in the Duomo, including historical and biblical women as well as saints and artists. The first episode will be released on March 8 and will be dedicated to Eve, with each of the following episodes being released every Friday in the coming weeks on Spotify, Apple, Google Podcasts and the museum’s own website. Also for the occasion, there will be a reading in English of the podcast’s first episode in the Sala del Paradiso on March 8, at 11am and 4pm, and in Italian at 11.30am and 4.30pm.
The British Institute of Florence’s lecture series, Mystics, Magicians and Madmen of the Renaissance, will continue on International Women’s Day, with a lecture at 6pm dedicated to mysticism and contact with the Divine. As it takes place on March 8, special attention will be paid to historical female mystics Lucia Broccadelli, St. Maria Maddalena de’ Pazzi and St. Catherine of Genova. Bookings can be made online to attend either in person or via Zoom.
Manifattura Tabacchi hosts a range of free talks and workshops on March 8, including Bach Flowers: Allies of Women at Shake Cafè, a talk organized by LOSTUDIOESSE on the link between health, beauty, awareness and self-confidence, and an evening dedicated to beauty with VIVIDO, Divine Estetica and Polverenera Parrucchieri.
An all-female comedy show takes place at Fitzpatrick’s Irish pub at 9pm on March 9, with the international female line-up bound to entertain. Get your tickets.
In honour of International Women’s Day on March 8, local libraries present a series of reading proposals and talks on the topic, while Giunti Odeon and Cinema Astra screen female-centred films.
The University of Florence hosts a series of screenings and talks on topics related to inclusion and diversity.
Dining out
25 Hours Hotel is collaborating with Street Levels Gallery and Bioritmo for a fun-filled Friday evening. From 8 to 10pm, there will be an apericena buffet in the hotel’s San Paolino restaurant for 25 euro per person, with a drink included. The evening’s entertainment comes from visual artist Luchadora, who will be doing a live painting from 8:30pm, and a DJ set from Bioritmo until the small hours. Tickets can be booked in advance or paid upon entrance.
Never missing an opportunity for a celebration, the Hard Rock Café has designed a themed dinner for International Women’s Day. A special three-course menu will be accompanied by live music from 9pm for 35.95 euro per person, 2 euro of which will be donated to an International Women’s Month charitable initiative. Bookings can be made for between 7 and 9pm via their website.
Pasticceria Buonamici in San Frediano is offering a Mimosa-themed aperitivo to mirror the yellow flowers traditionally given to women in Italy for the occasion. From 5 to 8pm on Friday, guests can enjoy a drink and nibbles for 8 euro per person.
Health
SYNLAB centres across Tuscany are opening their doors on International Women’s day. With prior booking, free individual consultations with a midwife will be available alongside informative sessions on women’s health matters, including contraception, how to check for breast tumours, and support during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Bookings can be made via telephone at +39 055 4211617, email at info.toscana@synlab.it or directly at one of the centres running free consultations. Full information is available on their website.
