News from Florence, Italy, focusing on art and culture, Covid-19, food and wine, and more.
The reopening of a large area of Piazza Ghiberti was celebrated this past weekend. The square had been closed for years due to the construction of an underground parking garage and, to the relief of local vendors and inhabitants, the works have finally been finished and the greatly enlarged piazza
Just seven games away from the end of the Italian Championships the top ranking team Milan was dealt a tough blow when it lost the match 2 to 0 against Siena last Sunday. Juventus has now taken the leading spot in the Championship classification with 70 points, while Milan remained
Italian cyclist Danilo Di Luca triumphed at the Amstel Gold Race, the first classification in the triple of the Ardenne, as well as a qualifying trial for the ProTour. Dutchman Boogerd came in second and two more Italians, Celestino and Rebellin, took third and fourth places.
On the 30th day of the Italian A Series Championships, Reggio Calabria’s Eurofiditalia beat Reggio Emilia’s Bipop 98 to 95 in an overtime game away from home.
Alex Barros took first place at the GP in Portugal this past weekend. Valentino Rossi came in second, Max Biaggi, third , and Marco Melandri at fourth. Gibernaud fell, probably because of rainy conditions, and was forced to withdraw from the race.
Modern lifestyles with less time to dedicate to food shopping and cooking, and so-called low calorie and long-conservation substitutes have caused the consumption of fresh bread to fall drastically in the past five years. Consumer trends show that the millenary tradition of eating one of the numerous varieties
40-year-old Italian astronaut and Air Force Major, Roberto Vittori, joined American astronaut, John Phillips and Russian Commander, Sergei Krikalev aboard the International Space Station last Sunday. The Eneide Mission is his second space voyage.
Italian officials returned without many answers from a visit to Washington last week where they discussed the investigation process for the murder of top Italian security officer, Nicola Calipari. Calipari was shot by U.S. Soldiers in Iraq while he was on a rescue mission for the much anticipated and
As many as 10,000 people per hour have been passing in front of Pope John Paul II’s new tomb in the catacombs of St. Peter’s in Rome. While attention now begins to turn toward the new pope, many devoted followers still pay their respects to
A national bus, metro, and tram strike is set for Friday, April 22nd. Buses in Florence will stop for four hours between 16.30 and 20.30. All other cities will choose their own hours to carry out the strike and times will vary.
Local officials hope to reduce manufacture and sales of falsified items. Contraband street sellers had a hard time avoiding the police this past weekend due to recent changes in local policy which now call for heightened attention to keeping vendors of falsified name-brand items off of the central streets
The Region of Tuscany and the City of Florence will soon be offering free Internet access to the public. A total of 379 access points will be opened throughout Tuscany. 25 locations equipped with computers, printers and Internet connection will be opened in Florence alone and should be operating by
The President of the Tuscany Region, Claudio Martini, has invited the Premier of Western Australia, Geoff Gallop, to participate in the inauguration activities for the 69th Annual Artisan Fair of Florence. The Premier, along with aboriginal artists and their works, will inaugurate Western Australia’s stand at the fair
“Fa’ la cosa giusta!” is a new guidebook to critical consumption within the Tuscany Region. A detailed list of about 200 shops and organizations has been collected in this guide ...
The Tuscany Region now offers Italian lessons for foreigners on the Internet. The new portal Trio was recently created by the regional government in an attempt to propose “life long learning” opportunities to both Italian and foreign residents. Courses range from beginning to intermediate levels and enrolment is
The Math Museum, or, Giardino di Archimede, celebrated its first anniversary last weekend, as well as a positive attendance, registering 10,000 visitors to the museum during its first year of activities. This new Florentine museum is actually the only museum in Italy dedicated entirely to Mathematics. The museum is
A comprehensive encyclopedia covering everything on the history of Tuscany is now available on the Internet. Two main sections cover the region’s history as well as Tuscany’s direct influence throughout the rest of Europe. To take a look at this impressive archive go to www.toecana-
To welcome in the spring, Tuscan museums will offer extended opening hours, special visits to sites normally closed to the public, and events for children, from April 23rd to May 8th. The Region has organised this initiative in accordance with their motto, “a knowledge of one’s cultural
Two weeks ago, a series of violent incidents by fans in stadiums throughout the country left the football league shocked, and forced it to take drastic measures immediately in order to quell what seemed to be an epidemic of violence. The results during this past weekend of games were highly
Two weekends ago the Fiorentina played an incredible game for a tie result with one of the league’s top teams, Juventus. Unfortunately, the team could not muster the same energy and will in another recent game against Livorno, and lost 2 to 0. This means they did not
Party name Party Game – pot the logo Follow the Leader La Margherita – Democrazia è Libertà (DL) Daisy (Daisy Democracy is Freedom – now isn’t that nice?) Francesco Rutelli, ...
The serial killer who terrorized Florence will soon be the protagonist of a movie. Roman actor and director Lorenzo Flaherty has bought the film rights to the book, Compagni di sangue, which recounts the investigation of the brutal murders of 8 couples in the Florence area between 1968 and
Several historic locations in the centre of Florence have recently announced that they may be forced to close up shop. Due to a changing economic climate that no longer favours the locally-owned artisan shop tradition, these stores now risk eviction. In recent years, much of the real estate
The idyllic Frescobaldi vineyard, nestled in the Tuscan hills near Montespertoli, was abruptly invaded by police last week in a surprise action to verify charges that one of the most important wine making companies in Tuscany was not following regulations and was mixing their grapes. An ex-employee of the