Music and concerts
New York Gospel
Choir: The last concert of the Toscana Gospel Festival features 25
extraordinary singers who have come all the way from New York. January 1, 5pm,
Teatro Metastasio, Prato, www.toscanagospelfestival.net.
The Valkyrie: The
Maggio Musicale Fiorentino performs the second opera in Wagner’s Ring Cycle,
featuring the stirring Ride of the Valkyries. January 15, 17, 20 and 22, Teatro
Communale, Florence, www.maggiofiorentino.it.
Opera at St. Marks: A series of opera concerts in Florence’s English church. Each act is preceded
by an explanation in English, and the programme is in English, Italian, French
and German. January 3, 12 and 26 – La Traviata; January 5 – La Bohème. St
Mark’s English church, via Maggio 18, Florence, www.concertoclassico.info.
Concerts at Teatro della Pergola:
January 12, 11.30am: Bruno Canino plays piano music by
Chopin, Liszt, Debussy
January 12, 4pm: 13 short piano masterpieces
January 13, 9pm: Beethoven’s sonatas for violin and piano
January 19, 4pm: Quartets by Frank Schubert
January 20, 9pm: Quartets by Frank Schubert
January 26, 4pm: Quartets by Beethoven
Teatro della
Pergola, via della Pergola 18, Florence, www.amicimusica.fi.it
Concerts at the Viper
Theatre:
January 11, 9.30pm: Firenze Suona Prog, 70s style rock
January 12, 9.30pm: Crystal Distortion – Ixindamix – Jeff23
– 69DB, techno music from around Europe
Viper Theatre, via Pistoiese, Florence, www.viperclub.eu
Frankenstein Junior: a Mel Brooks musical at Teatro Verdi. January 3-6, Teatro Verdi, via Ghibellina 101, Florence, www.teatroverdionline.it.
Tango Macho: Tango at Teatro Verdi from the Argentinian
Enrique and Guillermo De Fazio. January 22, Teatro Verdi, via Ghibellina 101, Florence,
www.teatroverdionline.it.
Dance
Contemporary dance in
Florence:
January 13 and 14, 9pm: I AM THAT I AM, Jean Genet’s
servants swallowed by a ventriloquist. CANGO – Cantieri Goldonetta, via Santa Maria 23, Florence, Tel.
055/2280525, www.cango.fi.it.
January 14 (9pm) and 15 (5pm), Aethetica by Kaos, Baletto di
Firenze, a performance of style, energy and emotion. Teatro Le Laudi, via Leonardo da Vinci 2,
Florence, www.teatrolelaudi.it.
Contemporary dance in Castiglion Fiorentino (AR):
January 7, 9.15pm: Pasto a due – a dance tragedy about
revence.
January 28, 9.15pm: Three dance performances – Waiting for
suite hope, Psyche and Verdinestella/Estratto.
Teatro Comunale,
via Trieste 8, Castiglion Fiorentino (AR), www.dotlinedanza.it.
Lectures and
Conferences
The Arab Spring: Lecture
(in Italian) at Stanford University by Imam Elzir Izzedin and other experts in
the field. January 9, 5pm, Palazzo
Capponi, via de’ Bardi 36, Florence, stanfordinflorence@stanford.edu.
Hope Summit: Summit
in English for people who have endured personal hardship, lost a loved one, got
divorced, lost their home, job, company and who find themselves without
purpose, to manifest hopes and realise dreams. January 12, 2-6.30pm, Hotel
Helvetia & Bristol, via dei Pescioni 2, Florence, registration obligatory
at www.wouterlooten.com/events.
Epiphany, January
6
The Italian equivalent of Santa Claus, the Befana, arrives
with candy for kids on January 6. A parade in the centre of Florence, from
piazza Pitti to the Duomo, will feature the three Wise Men on horseback and the
city’s flag throwers.
Exhibits
Marilyn: The
Salvatore Ferragamo Museum pays homage to Marilyn Monroe with a major
exhibition dedicated to her a half century after her death. Until January 28, Museo Salvatore Ferragamo, via
Tornabuoni, Florence, www.museoferragamo.com.
The Thirties: The
Arts in Italy beyond Fascism: 100 paintings, sculptures and design objects
by many of the most significant artists in Fascist Italy. There are also
several related exhibits around the city, such as The Thirties in Fashion,
Magazines and Literary cafes at the Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale and The
Thirties for Women at Palazzo Giugni. Until January 27, Palazzo Strozzi, piazza Strozzi, Florence,
www.palazzostrozzi.org.
Francis Bacon and the
Existential Condition in Contemporary Art: Bacon’s paintings placed in
dialogue with works by five international contemporary artists, giving life to
timeless questions of existentialism. Until January 13, The Strozzina, Palazzo Strozzi, piazza Strozzi, Florence,
www.strozzina.org.
Embodiments: Beautiful anatomical sculptures, made using everything from shells and old
dolls to catheters, from American artist Janice Gordon. Until January 31,
Museum of Natural History La Specola, via Romana 17, Florence,
www.janicegordon.net.
Art and Alchemy: Sixty works of art illustrating the Medici’s passion for alchemy during the
16th and 17th Centuries. December 15 – February 3, Uffizi gallery, Florence,
www.polomuseale.firenze.it.
Tribute to Italo
Calvino: Treasures from the Alinari archives displayed for a tribute
exhibition to world-renowned writer and novelist Italo Calvino. Until January
6, MNAF museum, piazza Santa Maria Novella 14r, Florence, www.mnaf.it.
Ai Weiwei: Works
by one of the most important living contemporary artists in an exhibit
comprising sculpture, installations, video and photography. Until January 26, via del Castello 11, San
Gimigniano, www.galleriacontinua.com.
Wassily Kandinsky,
from Russia to Europe: Over 50 works from the Russian artist seen as the
father of abstract painting. Until
February 3, Palazzo Blu, Lungarno Gambacorti 9, Pisa, www.palazzoblu.org.
Coveri Story:
Glamorous, joyful and imaginative: photos, clothes, designs and more from the
Florentine/Prato fashion designer. Until January 18, Auditorium Camera di
Commercio, Prato, www.coveristory.it.
European Photo
Exhibition: Exhibit by twelve young European photographers. Until January 6, Palazzo della Fondazione Banca
del Monte di Lucca, piazza S. Martino 7, via del Molinetto, Lucca,
www.studioesseci.net.
Puer Natus: Illustrations
of Jesus’s childhood in the choir books of Siena’s cathedral. Until January 27, Siena’s Duomo, piazza del Duomo,
www.operaduomo.siena.it.
La Peste a Lucca: Exhibit of work by Lorenzo Viani, Until November
30, 2013, Lorenzo Viani, Galleria d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea Lorenzo Viani,
Viareggio, www.gamc.it.
From Fattori to the
20th century: Unknown works from the collections of Roster, Del Greco and
Olschki. Until January 6, Villa Bardini, Costa San Giorgio 2, Florence, www.entecarifirenze.it.
The Alchemy of
Colours: A collection of artworks made using the historic Scagliola
technique. Until January 6, free,
Ente Cassa di Risparmio di Firenze, via Bufalini 6, Florence, Tel 055/5384964,
staff@osservatoriomestieridarte.it.
Le Vie delle Lettere: Medicean Typography between Rome and the East –
documentary exhibition. Until June 22, Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana, piazza
di San Lorenzo, Florence, 9, Tel. 055/210760, www.bmonline.it.
Rediscovering the
Abode of Snow: Centenary Exhibition of the De Filippi 1913-14 Central Asian
Expedition. Until March 5, free,
Palazzo Bastogi, via dell’Oriuolo 33-35, Florence, www.flippodeflippi.it.
Comics and
Surroundings: Editors and Illustrators in Florence in the thirties –
documentary exhibition. Until January 27, Biblioteca Marucelliana, via Camillo
Benso Conte di Cavour 43, Florence, Tel. 055/2722253,
www.maru.firenze.sbn.it/eventi.htm.
The story of UFO: The history of the radical Florentine group, UFO. Until February 2, Centro per l’arte contemporanea
Luigi Pecci, Prato, Tel. 05745317, www.centropecci.it.
Humble Glory: Works
of art in paper and straw from the seventeenth to the nineteenth century. Until January 13, Oratorio di San Carlo,
Castelfiorentino, Tel. 057164448, www.museobenozzogozzoli.it.
Aperitivo ad Arte at Palazzo Davanzati: Visit to the museum and aperitivo in the
courtyard. Every Friday until February 1, 7pm, Palazzo Davanzati, via
Porta Rossa 13, Florence, reservation required at Tel. 055/294883.
Nativity Scenes
Christmas in the
World: A collection of over a thousand nativity scenes from all over the
world, displayed in San Giovanni Valdarno’s Basilica di Maria Santissima delle
Grazie (piazza Masaccio). Until January 6, 2013, www.natalenelmondo.it.
Other towns known for their nativity scenes displayed in
their historic centres are Palazzuolo sul Senio, Cerreto Guidi, San Godenzo,
Calenzano and Cigoli (most of them remain at least until January 6).
Children
Santa’s Village:
Children will meet faries, elves and even Father Christmas himself in the
centre of Camaiore, until January 6, www.comune.camaiore.lu.it.
Winter Park: Ice
skating on a large rink (800 square metres) next to the Obihall with a real
snow track for skiing and snowboarding. There will also be a bar, restaurant,
exhibition stands and entertainment for children. December 1 – January 27,
Obihall, Lungarno Aldo Moro, Florence, www.firenzewinterpark.it.
Fiabesque: The
whole town of Peccioli transforms into a magical world of fairy tales with
street games, performers, dance and workshops and, on January 5, Cartoon Night,
dedicated to animated cartoons. Centre of Peccioli, December 26, 29, 30 and
January 5-6, www.fiabesque.org.
Ice skating: There is a large skating rink at the Parterre (piazza della Liberta) in Florence, which will remain until January 6. www.comune.fi.it.
Markets and
Festivals
Christmas in Rufina: Shows, exhibits, poetry , food and more. Until January 6, historic centre of
Rufina, Tel. 055/8396523, www.comune.rufina.fi.it
Christmas in San
Casciano: Shows, art, music , food and more. Until January 6, historic
centre of San Casciano val di Pesa, Tel. 055/8256390, www.comune.san-casciano-val-di-pesa.fi.it
