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The Florentine
Art and culture from Florence, Italy, focusing on exhibitions, museums, artisans and more.
Where do you go if your attempt to overthrow the legitimate government in Italy fails? To have a plate of spaghetti, where else? This is exactly what happened when the coup d'etat planned by Junio Valerio Borghese, the heroic World War II naval commander and post-war, right-wing
The family that brought about Pincocchio Park has given the world a refreshing new translation of Collodi's classic cautionary tale for children. Gloria Italiano, widow of Rolando Anzilotti, the mayor of Pescia responsible for creating the park, worked from the 1883 first edition, which is included in this dual-
As many friends and patrons of the Medici Archive Project already know, the Mediceo del Principato archival corpus is composed mostly of correspondence directed to and originating from the grand dukes and duchesses, princes and princesses, secretaries and ministers, agents and ambassadors in Italy and abroad, and letters primarily dealing
Italians and pasta are like a horse and carriage: they just naturally go together. The very idea of depriving Italians of their beloved pasta seems crazy, but Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, the poet, novelist, critic and founder of Italy's Futurist movement, tried to do just that, although, as grocery stores
In 1992, Gianni Versace, the eclectic Italian fashion designer, purchased Casa Casuarina in South Beach, Miami, for $2.9 million. Constructed in 1930 and modelled after a residence built in Santo Domingo in 1510 by the son of Christopher Columbus, restoration of the house became Versace's obsession. Five years
The year 2004 marked the 500th anniversary of the year in which Michelangelo's David was completed and placed in the Piazza della Signoria. To honor the occasion, the Accademia Gallery, current home of the masterpiece, organized a program of conferences and events, including exhibits, publications and restored works of
The Medici sent gifts to friends, agents, diplomats and rulers all over Europe, and the objects they sent were highly coveted. Sometimes too highly coveted. In a letter thanking his Medici employers for gifts to his wife, an Italian engineer temporarily working at the German court writes: My wife thanks
Children learn to sing it in grade school, at Christmas, the stores pipe it through their music systems and just about every Italian can hum the tune and even knows ...
Passion, intrigue, drama, torture and art. The life of Artemisia Gentileschi-one of the world’s greatest Baroque artists-has all the chiaroscuro trappings of a romance novel. Her father, Orazio ...
On June 17, 1982, with his pockets filled with building bricks, $15,000 in three different currencies and a false passport, Roberto Calvi was found hanging from scaffolding under Blackfriars Bridge ...
There were the Grand Duke and Duchess with all their children, the youngest at his wet nurse's breast, happily suckling away. A courtier, describing a ballet held at the Medici court to the Duchess of Mantua. February 12, 1619 When Cosimo II and Maria Magdalena went
Hard work and ingeniousness may be one of the recipes for a long life. It certainly was for Bruno Cavalieri Ducati, the last of the three brothers who founded the famous motorcycle manufacturing company bearing their name. He died at 96 on May 14, 2001. Adriano Ducati, Bruno's
In the very last day of the year 1544, Bernardo de' Medici, Medicean ambassador to France, wrote a letter to Duke Cosimo I de' Medici about a very special football match played at the French court in Fontainebleau: Yesterday, the most illustrious Dauphin, with thirty Frenchmen played football match against
Most people remember vividly where they were when some momentous event occurred, such as the day John Kennedy was assassinated or when Neil Armstrong walked on the moon. Like them, ...
Picture the scene: Florence, 2002. Palazzo Serristori. Antonio Natali, director of the Uffizi Gallery, notices something wrapped in plastic and rolled around a lamppost. He calls over restoration expert Muriel Vervat and together they unroll it, discovering that it is a painting, its colors obscured by thick, dark mold.
…Count Nicola of Pitigliano had sexually assaulted his own daughter-in-law, wife of the Count’s son, Alessandro … and the family of the woman were planning to go to Pitigliano ...
The actress and sculptor explains her love of art and beauty.
I read cookbooks as if they were novels. Front to back, page by page. And because I love to cook, I'm always curious about new ones. Being fortunate enough to have been born Italian, I learned my way around the kitchen by following my mother and grandmothers as
The same team that brought us the small but perfectly formed Civilized Shopper's Guide to Florence now brings us an alphabetical guide to all things Italian. From the A of aceto balsamico to the V of vespa, this gorgeous little hardback has a classy 1920s look, each double-
Other Italians call them maledetti toscani (‘cursed Tuscans') for their quick intelligence, sharp tongues and biting wits. One Tuscan who fit this description perfectly was Indro Montanelli, probably the most influential Italian journalist of his time. A prolific writer, he also penned numerous books, including innovative histories such as
Jules Maidoff, founder of Studio Art Centers International (SACI) and internationally noted artist, continues his legacy and leadership in the Florentine community with his unique and personal exhibit at the Museo Marino Marini.
Salman Rushdie's The Enchantress of Florence inspires a fury of various and contradictory adjectives while simultaneously defying description-the true mark of a great work of literature. Make no mistake, the controversial author's latest work has lofty literary ambitions; the prose is gorgeous and flowery and fantastical,
What is it about Florence that makes people love it so? For many, it is the city's world-renowned art treasures-the determined look in David's eye, Botticelli's fluttery-draped blondes, Leonardo's crystal landscapes. It is the bronze of the baptistry doors and the story behind
