The summer is in full swing! The four-month-long festivities of the Estate Fiorentina programme that kickstarted June 1 involve 139 organizers, 121 widespread projects, four special themed events, 9 large festivals and 14 summer spaces. Until September 30, all the happenings this season in Florence, from dance to talks and shows for all ages, are covered at www.estatefiorentina.it.
Multidisciplinary mashups
Secret Florence brings together visual art, performance, dance, music and cinema until July 5, with site-specific performances, immersive installations, and more. The lineup sees all kinds of arts interacting with the spaces of the city, realized by Tempo Reale Firenze, Fabbrica Europa, Lo Schermo dell’arte, Musicus Concentus, and the Virgilio Sieni dance company. From September 25-27, Genius Loci brings audiences to the Santa Croce complex to explore deeper meanings, with guests like Fred Hersch, Emma Nolde and Anais Drago across evenings of music, philosophy and talks.
Celebrating movement
The Florence Dance Performing Arts Festival continues until July 24 in the Chiostro Maggiore of Santa Maria Novella, featuring international names from the world of dance, as well as musical events with the Orchestra da Camera Fiorentina. The multi-site contemporary Site Dance Festival ends on September 27, moving through several neighbourhoods in Florence and extending beyond the city to reach Vaglia and Lastra a Signa. Open Air Circus is a contemporary circus festival coming to the Cascine Park from September 11-21, with national and international stars wowing with immersive and poetic performances.
Live sound
Of the major festivals, you won’t want to miss Sagrati in Musica. Running until September 7, top-tier concerts are performed in some of the city’s churchyards and basilicas, curated by Toscana Classica. From a quartet playing Walt Disney to jazz and blues, the varied programme includes an homage to Walt Disney by the Leviosa Quartet on July 5, Swingin’ Sidewalks takes to the streets on July 13, and the Quintett8ni return to Santa Croce on July 20. From July 23-25, Festival au Désert Firenze comes to the Cascine Park for a three-day fest blending cultures and musical traditions from Africa, the Mediterranean and Europe, with artists of the caliber of Zawose Queens, Kalifa Koneand Riccardo Onori. From September 2-14, the Firenze Jazz Festival spreads 20-plus concerts across the city, from historic villas to the Oltrarno, featuring names like Isaiah Collier, Alfa Mist and David Krakauer. Electronic music is at the heart of the Lattexplus Festival in the Cavea of Teatro del Maggio on September 20, with music and art combined in performances by Miss Kittin, Helena Hauff, Acid Arab and more.
Themed events
From June 5 to September 20, Non mollare – storie diverse is an event series around the anti-fascist paper Non Mollare, drawing attention to the democratic history of Italy. La Gaberiana, curated by Associazione Centro Studi Musicomedians, takes place from July 14-17 and is dedicated to the works of Giorgio Gaber, while July 21-29 sees the second edition of Corpo Celeste by the Virgilio Sieni dance company. Sacred sites become host to poetic performances, with lessons on gesture and talks forming part of the programme.
Summer spots
14 summer spaces give us plenty to choose from, with spritzes under the sun and memorable serate to be found at popular spots, with new entries piazza Edison, piazza Indipendenza, Giardino San Lorenzo a Greve and the former campsite of Piazzale Michelangelo.
