BALLET/The Nutcracker
8.45pm, December 23
Teatro della Pergola, via della Pergola 12/32, Florence
In the mood for something merry? Spend a night with the Sugar Plum Fairy, the Mice King and company when the Ballet of Moscow performs holiday classic The Nutcracker. Tchaikovsky’s iconic score comes to life on stage with a cast of colorful, costumed characters. A plot refresher: young Clara breaks away from her family’s Christmas Eve party when her brother Fritz breaks her brand-new Nutcracker. Drifting off, she ends up in a dream land where the schiaccanoci is brought to life and eventually turns into a prince. Let this holiday standard waltz its way back into your memory, just before Christmas Eve: book tickets by calling 055.0763333.
MARKET/Florence SensationS
December 21-23
Obihall, via Fabrizio de’ Andre/lungarno Aldo Moro, Florence
Did the end of December sneak up on you? This one-stop shop and merry marketplace offers a perfect solution for anyone with a long list of last-minute gifts to grab. Inside the spacious ex-Teatro Tenda area in the Obihall, visitors can explore a range of sections, including vintage, crafts, food, beauty and wellness and holistic goods. If you need to take the little ones along, there’ll be children’s entertainment and entry for kids under 12 is free (3 euro for adults). For more information see the official Facebook page.
FASHION/New Kid Open Studio
Until December 24
Via Maggio 15, Florence
There’s a “New Kid” on the block and Florence’s fashion set has taken note. The creative footwear label New Kid offers fresh, contemporary, somewhat off-kilter designs, carried out with high-quality, sturdy materials that can survive the Florentine streets. The brand is strictly Made in Italy, produced on a small scale via a network of family-run factories. At their Oltrarno location, New Kid’s international team is hosting a holiday sale and Open Studio, a chance to meet the team behind this trailblazing brand and to stock up on last-minute gifts for yourself or the fashionista on your list. Opt for made-to-order wares, snag deals on old stock or choose one of the “new releases”. For more information see the official Facebook event.
EXHIBITION/Meet the Gatekeepers
Until February 14, 2017
Aula Magliabechiana at the Uffizi Gallery, Florence
The Uffizi inaugurates its new temporary exhibition space with a free show dedicated not to Renaissance masters, but to military police. The Comando Carabinieri per la Tutela del Patrimonio Comunale, sometimes affectionately referred to as the “Arts army”, is the branch of Italian military police safeguarding Italy’s cultural heritage from crimes and counterfeit. “The Tri-Color Defense: Gatekeepers of Cultural Identity” spotlights a variety of artworks from different periods that have benefitted from the task force’s work. Works on display are all partially or fully recovered subjects of terrorist attacks, war crimes, thefts or illicit deals, or have been otherwise targeted or compromised. One section also explores the pioneering work of Rodolfo Siviero, whose recovery efforts during the Nazi plunder preceded the formation of this police branch. Offering free entry, the exhibition is small, manageable and moving, perfect for exploring on a leisurely late-December afternoon.
