As the days trickle by and Florentine summer comes to an end, those who aren’t quite ready to let go of the season will be kept entertained by numerous outdoor events and exhibitions. Amongst these is the annual Settembre in Piazza della Passera festival, a selection of culturally oriented events livening up this gorgeous Oltrarno gem. Easy to miss, the tiny square is surrounded by shops and artisans and has been putting on a string of September events for years.
This time, things kick off on September 6 with a poetry slam performance – the newest addition to the festival, having only been introduced in 2014. This third edition will feature a poetry competition with the audience acting as the jury. Poetry slams are fairly new in Italy, having first been more popular in the United States and only recently reaching Europe. This event will introduce audiences to emerging poetry slammers, giving them the chance to make their voices heard as judges.
The second day (September 7) sees a musical poetry exhibition in the square, called “Nel Nosocomio”—this time, poetry will be joined by music and theatre. A variety of actors will take part in the performance, including amongst others Giusi Merli, noted for her role in Paolo Sorrentino’s Academy Award-winning La grande bellezza. Actors will perform an allegorical discovery of contemporary Italy, exploring topics spanning politics, vanity, and bureaucracy. The name is based on Rosaria Lo Russo’s most recent poetry book, Nel Nosocomio; Rosaria is also the organiser of both poetry evenings this year.
Thursday (September 8) brings the comeback of a huge multimedia event, Fu.Ori (Fusione di Orizzonti), a show based on the relationship between music and visual arts, such as photography, cinema, and painting. A concert will be combined with the exhibition of works by different artists.
The festival closes on September 9 with an eclectic musical evening, RANDOM: this evening concert will bring together the best students of Florence’s Conservatorio Cherubini and CAM. The show will include a variety of musical genres, from classical to jazz to popular—without any conduction or intermission.
All events are part of official Estate Fiorentina 2016 programming, offer free entry and begin at 9pm. Neighboring spots like Caffè degli Artigiani and Trattoria Quattro Leoni will have bites to eat for hungry festival attendees.
For more information, see the square’s official Facebook page.
