Best events in Florence this week March 14-21, 2024

Florentine New Year: Settimana del fiorentino

The third edition of Florentine Week sees cultural events, guided tours, fairs and markets, with tributes to Eleonora da Toledo and the Electress Palatine. Over 150 events celebrate the Florentine New Year on March 25, including a Fiorentino Quiz to test your ‘Florentineness’. The historic gates of the city will receive red lighting while activities include the ‘I am Florentine too’ photographic exhibition at the Oblate Library and arts and crafts in piazza Santa Maria Novella. The Cassettai Fiorentini award Pinocchio gadgets and a free ticket to the Toy Museum of Florence upon saying ‘Capodanno Fiorentino’, and there’ll even be a carriage ride through Casine Park.

Dante: Inferno to Paradise

The theatre company Teatro delle Donne performs Dante: Inferno to Paradise on the Goldoni Theatre stage at 8.30pm on March 14. The documentary made for an English-speaking audience is in anticipation of PBS’s broadcast later this month. The Steeplechase production was directed by Emmy Award-winning Ric Burns, starring Antonio Fazzini as Dante, who will be at the event along with Riccardo Bruscagli and Christine Herring. Admission is free with open seating.

Jannis Kounellis – La Stanza Vede. Disegni 1973-1990

On March 15, an exhibition featuring over 100 drawings by Jannis Kounellis opens at Museo Novecento. Kounellis, a central figure of the ‘Arte Povera’ movement, is widely known for his large structural works, which have previously been exhibited in Palazzo Vecchio and the Uffizi, while this exhibition sheds light on the design process behind them. The sketches come from the 1970s and 1980s, when Kounellis was the height of his career, and reveal the thought processes of the artist at work.

L’incanto di Orfeo

Orpheus, the Greek mythological figure, is explored in his past and contemporary interpretations, curated by Sergio Risaliti and Valentina Zucchi. 80 works from noted Italian and international museums, including the Louvre in Paris and the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, commence with Baccio Bandinelli’s sculpture of Orpheus in the main courtyard. The tragic myths linked to Eurydice, Hades and the Bacchae are also explored through printed volumes and musical works.

daß die Göttin nicht himmelwärts, sondern herab nach ihren Freunden blickt

The collective exhibition brings together 32 international artists of various generations, backgrounds and continents, taking its title from the Goethe’s ‘Italian Journey’ who, while admiring a painting by Titian, realized the unique relationship between the spiritual and human realms: “that the goddess does not gaze up, but down towards her friends”.

Entertainment, drinks + dining at The Social Hub

Enjoy a brunch buffet with an all you can eat sweet and savoury selection from 11am and 4pm on March 17 as the Sinedades perform a repertoire of international pop covers. The Spring Rooftop events calendar includes an 80s and 90s DJ set by Rhythm of Florence on March 14.

St Patrick's Day

Mercato Centrale host an event titled ‘Sorsi d’Irlanda’ from 7pm on March 17, with Galway and Cane di Guerra beers accompanied by popular Irish ballads by the Dirty Old Band. Hard Rock Cafè mark the occasion with Dreams, The Cranberries tribute band, with a themed menu.

Astrococktail

Join The Florentine on Wednesday, March 20, on the occasion of International Astrology Day and the Spring Equinox, at the Hotel Savoy as evolutionary astrologer Dennis Clark leads a talk and impromptu birth chart, followed by an “astro” cocktail and finger food from 7 to 9 pm. Reserve your spot (24 euro): enquiries.savoy@roccofortehotels.com

La Democrazia del Corpo

The dance project by Virgilio Sieni brings both dancers and audiences into closer awareness of their bodies and their capabilities. Cristina Kristal Rizzo performs Monumentum Da on March 16+17, and Francesco Giomi brings Foosball to the stage on March 24.

Daisy’s Dining

The weekly dinner show at House of Nine sees entertainment by Arachel Dolphie and the Daisy’s Cuban Band. Featuring special guest shows once a month, the dinner and show is open to all culinary and music lovers from 8pm every Friday until May, and every Thursday and Friday in May and June.

Tappeto Sonoro: Napalm in the heart

Florence Korea Film Festival

The 22nd edition of the much-loved film fest, on the occasion of the 140th anniversary of the relationship between Italy and Korea, sees special guests such as Kang-ho Song (of Parasite fame) and renowned director Kim Jee-woon, with the programme packing the best of South Korean cinema. Launched with the Italian premiere of Concrete Utopia, a disaster-thriller by Um Tae-hwa, the festival also features cultural events and masterclasses in a full immersion in Korean culture, with a concert at Teatro Verdi on March 30 by Parasite, Squid Game and Okja composer, Jung Jae-Il. A webtoon exhibition will be on display at the Sala Ginori in Palazzo Medici Riccardi, exploring the comics made for phones.

Tempo Reale Festival

The electronic music fest pays homage to Luigi Nono, with Doriene Marselje’s harp and extraordinary sound action in ‘Foosball’,  where table football becomes an instrument played by the public and competitive players. This edition is dedicated to the composer and experimenter Albert Mayr, who recently passed away. Spaces such as Frittelli Gallery, Cango Cantierei Goldonetta and Villa Strozzi host the unmissable performances.