From Florence Queer Festival to literary fests and days dedicated to historic hospitals, here’s your round-up for October 6-13.
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Here’s our round-up for October 6-13.
From Florence Queer Festival to literary fests and days dedicated to historic hospitals, here’s your round-up for October 6-13.
Cinema, theatre, art and literature exploring queer stories and culture form the Florence Queer Festival programme for its 20th edition. Short and feature films screened at Cinema La Compagnia cinema will be judged by a jury, with a range of extra events including drag shows, a brunch show, talks and more.
A free-entry festival bringing books by independent booksellers to wider audiences includes over 50 presentations, many workshops and even a reading space for children, with guests like Piero Pelù, Saverio Tommasi, and Lorenzo Baglioni. Open on Friday from 5-10pm, and Saturday and Sunday from 10am-10pm.
Culture, free guided tours, and a concert take place for the national day of Italian historic hospitals on October 9. The Santa Maria Nuova hospital and the former psychiatric hospital, San Salvi, will be visitable for the occasion, as well as the Misericordia e Dolce hospital in Prato and the Oratory of Sant’Antonio Abate in Pescia. At 11am on October 9, a concert will take place at the Church of San Egidio in the Bufalini room of Santa Maria Nuova. Booking required by October 7 by emailing info@fondazionesantamarianuova.it, with FFP2 masks and a Green Pass required to access the hospitals. For times and more info see the website.
As part of the programming for the Middle East Now festival, Museo Novecento in Florence will dispay the Bound Narratives exhibition, a curated selection of around 30 photography books made by a wide variety of talented authors and artists. Through documentary photography books, diaries, academic research, essays, archival images, sketches and more, the display emphasizes the importance of sharing the myriad perspectives of local and diasporic communities, and the power of subversive narratives and self-representation.
Celebrating the rich cultural heritage of Lucca, LuBeC sees a range of high-level meetings and talks in both Italian and English, discussing themes around the development and knowledge of the supply chain that binds culture and innovation. The free entry events feature directors of many of the main Italian and international museums, economists, writers, philosophers, artists, administrators, managers, operators and experts in the sector, in an exchange of ideas with the public. The theme for this years summit will be Museums of the Future.
Technology takes over for days dedicated to digital innovation. The 12th edition of the festival tailors towards a sustainable future, with four days of talks, workshops and more across 13 locations in Pisa. Events look at the relationship between law and food, war and democracy, and art at a time when NFT and Blockchain prompt discussion. Music, cinema and art form part of the wide-ranging programme.
From 10am to 6.30pm on October 8 at Borgo Petriolo in Bagno a Ripoli, a free-entry autumn festival dedicated to great wine and food takes place in the picturesque surroundings. Visits to the stone mill take place from 10am to 4pm, with the Ristorante del Borgo open for lunch and dinner (book by calling 055 214889). Ceramic workshops (aged 5 and up) will be led by Giulia la Cocciaia from 10am to midday, and educational workshops in Aulé with Nicole, as well as outdoor games and painting from 2-4pm. Contribution of 5 euro per child for each workshop.
Local author L.A. Robbins will present her short story collection ‘Unspooling the Light’ at Il Conventino Caffè Letterario at 6.30pm on October 6, with the collection addressing themes of transience, identity, gender and belonging.
With no fewer than five Italian men in the world’s top 100, Florence is going crazy for tennis with the return of an ATP250 tournament after 28 years. Expect incredible racquet skills from home favourites Berrettini, Sinner and Musetti as well as international stars Aliassime and Monfils at new sporting venue Palazzo Wanny.
Join calligrapher and designer Betty Soldi to develop self-expression through handwritten words spritzed with some fragrant notes. Discover L’Iris, the first eau de parfum from the 800 year old Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella, and delve into the scent to create your own handwritten piece. A refreshing aperitivo with views over Florence will follow, at the luxurious venue of Villa San Michele, A Belmond Hotel. Cost 60 euro per person (materials included). Places are limited. Contact to book: T: 055 5678200, or email concierge.vsm@belmond.com.
The 11th edition of FAI Autumn Days takes place on October 15-16, with 700 sites in 350 cities of Italy accessible for visits upon donation for members (sign-up available online). Palaces, villas, churches, castles, archaeological areas, museums, military sites, and more will open their doors for the occasion, as well as nature trails, visits to parks and gardens and various itineraries. Florentine venues include Villa Favard, Villa del Poggio Imperiale and Castello Montauto.
8 October 2022 - 26 February 2023
Over 130 works curated by Francesca Dini retrace the fascinating evolution and revolution of the Macchiaioli. The progressive painters from Tuscany were avant-gardes in Europe in the mid-late 19th century, with many masterpieces on display on loan from private collections and museums such as the Uffizi, the Gallery of Modern Art of Genoa, and the National Gallery of Modern Art in Rome.
The cinema, art and culture of the Middle East is celebrated with a dedicated festival held at Cinema La Compagnia and Cinema Stensen from October 4-9, opened by Hany Abu-Assad’s Huda’s Salon in the presence of the actor Jalal Masarwa.