LIGHT MODE
DARK MODE
Athletes at this year’s Winter Olympics may have been surprised to find that the coveted medals they had come to the Apennines to compete for were missing their golden centers. The Olympic officials who had commissioned the new medal design said that the hole was no mistake - it
Think of the viali, the belt of roads cinching in Florence north of the Arno. Now shut your eyes, mentally replace them with the old city walls, wipe away the modern architecture in the surrounding area, and you’re seeing Florence as it appeared from the 14th to the
Florence is a relatively safe place, but as in every big city, petty crime such as pick pocketing and bag snatching is quite common, even though statistics show that reported incidents of pick pocketing in Italy have decreased by 11.4% over the last 8 years and bag snatching has
Whether it be shopping at the Tuesday morning market, taking a run along the river, swimming at the public pool or frequenting the discotecas, you may have spent time in Florence’s largest public park, il Parco delle Cascine. This massive park, more than 290 acres, is about
In spite of an abundance of twinkling white lights, a fair showing of tasteful decorations and a token Mercato di Natale in Piazza Santa Croce, Florence is not most people’s fantasy Christmas destination. Buy the presents here and move on. If you are after a good dose
It’s that time of year again, which I am sure more than a few of us have a love-hate relationship with: Christmas. Receiving presents is of course the best bit, but having to get other people’s presents can be stressful and time consuming, especially when
Just a short walk from the hustle and bustle of the Duomo, past the Galleria dell’ Accademia where Michelangelo’s David watches triumphantly, and very nakedly, over throngs of tourists, there quietly waits another Brunelleschi masterpiece, the ‘Spedale degli Innocenti in Piazza Santissima Annunziata. With its classical
Remember Giambologna’s turkey in the Bargello? Did you ever wonder if that sixteenth-century Florentine bronze sculpture had anything to do with the roasted and stuffed bird that you gobble up at Thanksgiving and Christmas? With the bird that Benjamin Franklin had wanted to put on the American
A few metres from the Bargello – to be precise, at Via del Proconsolo 16r – stands a fine building, once the home of the Guild of Judges and Notaries, and now the property of an art-loving enthusiast who is also a gastronomic entrepreneur. The result is that
Unlike most people, I am usually filled with a sense of dread by the thought of a few days in Italy. Not because I have anything against its people or their magnificent country, but because in my profession a three-day trip to Italy usually equates to a huge amount
I like Edison as much as the next person. Indeed, when I first arrived in Florence, I jokingly referred to it as my second home. It was where I checked my e-mail, had my morning cappuccino, went to the loo, did my Italian homework, and wrote in
Catering to those tourists, students, and expatriates craving an American fix, a ‘culinary’ comfort from home, purveyors of distinctly American food have found a niche in Florence. Although New York style Chinese takeout has yet to hit the scene, imported peanut butter, fresh blueberry muffins, Campbell’s
It almost sounds like the beginning of a novel: a group of friends sharing a bottle of wine and talking about the opening of a McDonald’s restaurant at the foot of the Spanish Steps in Rome. About how this could be the end of the treasured, ancient Italian
If you rent an apartment here, one of the things you will quickly discover is the Italian mode of home electricity. You’ll probably want to plug in your computer right away or charge up your cell phone. You’ll find that you need to buy
More than a century ago, the glory of the Florentine artistic sights and the breath-taking views of the city and its surroundings were being caught on canvas, in sketchbooks, and in the diaries of foreign travellers during their grand tours of Italy. Their descriptions still remain, attesting to the
On the hillside behind Palazzo Pitti are the magnificent Boboli Gardens, which are among the most beautiful and best-preserved gardens in Italy. Our second stroll in search of discovery in the wonderful and unusual city of Florence begins from these gardens of paradise, laid out in the 16th century
Imagine Florence during the Renaissance, but not in the full splendour that you see in the tourist guides. Imagine it in the bloody grip of its enemies. On the 17th of February 1520, the Florentines were suffering famine and pestilence, they were under the threat of excommunication from the Church,
You don’t ever own a bicycle in Florence; you just look after it for a while for the bike thieves, the better the bike, the less time you have to look after it. A bicycle shop-owner once told me that there aren’t any second-hand
Florence is a city of movement—a city of dance. From the Renaissance sculptures and frescos that adorn churches and piazzas featuring men and women in elegant positions of comportment, to the Italian use of gesture and the intricate, cobble-stoned street maneuverings of car, moped and pedestrian, Florence
Florence may hold the world’s best concentration of Renaissance art, but there is another movement overshadowed by the Renaissance that Florence keeps well hidden. Tucked away in churches around the city are jewels of the Mannerist movement, masterpieces that most people will unknowingly miss in favour of lining
I suggest that you and your friends begin your day with a visit to the Museum of Opificio Pietre Dure, Via Alfani, 78, a rare and precious museum, where, ...
From the outside, it is just one among the many XVIth century palazzi which can be found at almost every corner of the city. But number 18 of via Maggio is no ordinary palace and hides more beauty than the eye can see at a first glimpse. Behind the Renaissance
Sunday, May 15th the colourful carovana (caravan of Giro d’Italia (Tour of Italy) made its cheerful entry into Florence, which hosted the arrival of the 9th tappa (stage) of the 88th edition of La Corsa Rosa (The Pink Race), as the Giro is affectionately nicknamed. The Giro d&
