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The Florentine
What’s on and events in Florence, Italy, including exhibitions, movies, music, travel and more.
Galleria Continua, located in the heart of Tuscany’s most popular hilltop town, San Gimignano, is a dynamic art gallery that continually offers its visitors some of the most sought-after contemporary art in all of Italy, and indeed the world. At present, the gallery is host to several
Few people would argue that Villa Gamberaia is the jewel in Settignano’s crown, though it didn’t always shine as brilliantly as it has in the last hundred years or so. ...
Full of cultural, geological and natural history, the island of Capraia is truly one of Tuscany’s most magnificent locations. One of the seven islands of the Tuscan Archipelago National Park, Capraia was formed, according to ancient legend, when the Tyrrhenian Venus, the god-dess of beauty and love,
When Enrico Caruso sang Andrea Chenier from the windows of Bellosguardo, he looked out on the blue Tuscan sky and the green hills of Lastra a Signa. The famous tenor bought the villa in 1906 because of the peacefulness of the area and because the dry air would be good
It just doesn’t sound like a great idea: promoting wines made with the native negroamaro grape (also spelled neroamaro and neramaro, which means ‘black and bitter’), and with the primitivo grape, which has nothing to do with being primitive (it’s related instead to the
‘Eureka!’ The treasure miners accidentally found in Monsummano wasn’t gold. The natural ‘gem’ discovered more than a hundred years ago on Giusti family property was much bigger and more unique. ...
Summer in Siena means the Palio a famed historic horse race run each year on July 2 and Aug. 16. The Palio tradition dates back to the 11th cen-tury, when the race was initiated to honor the Madonna dellAssunta, patroness and advocate of Siena, for her protection of
Siena has a more insular and less forthcoming atmosphere than Florence – but it’s one you definitely should get to know. If you have little time to spend in the city, use it wisely by wandering the steep and twisting streets, viewing the numerous palazzi, the Duomo, the
Sicily is chalk to Florence’s cheese. If you’ve headed there from the north, sometimes you wonder if you’re still in Italy at all. The differences are hard to pin down – the cliché of a poor, pastoral cousin certainly sells this complex
I got lost on my last trip to Venice. It makes no difference that it was my twentieth trip to La Serenissima in half as many years, or that I can, on a very good day, navigate its infinite bridges and narrow calli without a second thought. During
Most people are familiar with the masked revellers at the Carnevale in Venice, but another truly fantastic celebration ofCarneVa (literally meaning the “meat goes”) is held each year in the Tuscan coastal city of Viareggio. Here the stars of the show are the spectacular papier-mâch&
Proverbial wisdom about early birds catching worms doesn’t apply to boar. I am used to fox hunting in the US, where you have to be ready to go at dawn. Not so with boar hunting; at nine am the hunters were just starting to arrive. The
Isn’t winter a drag? Rest assured though, it’s better here than in my home town Edinburgh, which gets the worst of the eternal dark Scottish winters. At this time of year, Scots must actively seek ways to lift the spirits, and for me the
Situation:Two teachers with two school-age children, my wife and I have lots and lots of time for traveling -- Christmas, Easter, Summer -- however, being two teachers with two children we don’t have lots of money. Question: Since we have time to see the world, how
With just weeks to go until the start of the 2006 Winter Olympic Games, the beautiful baroque city of Turin is bustling with excitement. Flags and banners wave from bridges that cross the lovely Po River. Road and building work have switched into high gear, and as the date of
“I will tell you what our stay is like. Very well, as far as board and lodging is concerned; what disturbs me a bit is the noise. We live in ...
More than 7 million tourists pile into Florence each year, so it stands to reason that this small city suffers from serious overcrowding. Add severe traffic problems and the resulting levels of noise and pollution, and it’s not surprising that many visitors opt for accommodation that is situated
It is no secret that Italians are leaving bigger cities in search of a slower paced rural lifestyle. The current revival of small towns throughout Italy is allowing people to rediscover the beauty and benefits of a more simple and traditional way of living. Tourism is also following the
It is no secret that Italians are leaving bigger cities in search of a slower paced rural lifestyle. The current revival of small towns throughout Italy is allowing people to rediscover the beauty and benefits of a more simple and traditional way of living. Tourism is also following the
Tuscany is full of natural hot springs or ‘terme,’ many of which date from Roman or even Etruscan times and whose waters, originating from deep within the earth’s crust, have long been associated with curative properties. Each individual spring has a different make up in terms
Ineeded a break. From what, I’m not sure. It wasn’t work; I had just spent 3 weeks at the sea. Actually, I needed some hard, tough, exercise. Plus some solitude. Something that only comes from being in the mountains, and mountains
“You live in Pistoia, how quaint” was the response of a friend from Florence when I told him about my place of residence. His reply pretty well sums up the ...
