SUNDAY, FEB 7th - FREE ENTRANCE IN ALL STATE RUN MUSEUMS OF FLORENCE

Sunday, Feb 7th, 2016 (the first sunday of the month) the state run museums of Florence will be free of charge !!!

There is no need to make reservationS, just queue up and in few minutes you will enter the museum.

Here is the list of the state run museums that you can visit:

 Galleria degli Uffizi, 

Galleria dell'Accademia,

 Galleria Palatina e Galleria d'Arte Moderna,

 Museo degli Argenti, Galleria del Costume, Museo delle Porcellane,
Giardino di Boboli e Giardino Bardini,

 Museo del Bargello,

 Cappelle Medicee,

Museo Archeologico,

 Palazzo Davanzati,

Cenacolo di Andrea del Sarto.

VINTAGE SELECTION n. 27

 

VINTAGE SELECTION n.27: “V Generation”, the Vintage Generation

From Wednesday Jan 27th to Sunday Jan 31st, 2016, the venue that was formerly Florence’s first railway station [Stazione Leopolda] will be hosting the 27^th edition of VINTAGE SELECTION, the market-fair featuring vintage fashions, accessories, miscellanea and remakes, that logged over 13,500 visitors at the previous winter edition. 

 

Vintage Selection has earned itself a special status amongst the Italian and European fairs that have fashion, design and vintage culture at their heart. This is a result of the various special features that have so powerfully contributed to its success to date: first and foremost the scouting and selection of the exhibition proposals, but also the fact that it is held concomitantly with Pitti Filati, the key international event featuring yarns for the knitting industry organized by Pitti Immagine at the Fortezza da Basso from Wednesday 27 to Friday 29 January. A unique synergy has been established between these two events which, for five days, will transform the city of Florence into a big yarn and quality clothing exhibition-event.

 

Similarly the title-theme of Vintage Selection 27 will be “V Generation”: the “Vintage Generation”, the multi-generations of very young men and women, as well as the young and not so young people who love to wear clothing and accessories from the ’50s, ’60s, ’70s, ’80s, ’90s and ’00s, mixing them according to their own personal style of dressing and creating new trends.

 

“V Generation” will be the guiding-theme inspiring the fair’s latest layout in the Stazione Leopolda curated by Alessandro Moradei and will inspire VVV VERY VINTAGE VISION, an exhibition-installation occupying the area at the center of the two aisles, along both sides of which all the stands will be arranged as well as the other areas devoted to entertainment, meetings and refreshments that characterize Vintage Selection.

 

It is open every day from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and it cost €5 to enter the fair area.

Tickes are available on web site www.stazione-leopolda.com

facebook.com/vintageselection
Tel. +39/055-212622  

 

Here you can find more useful infos http://vintageselection.blogspot.it/ 

 

 

 

 

REOPENING OF THE BAPTISTERY

After 2 years of renovations the baptistery of Florence is becoming ready for the new opening
on  Oct 25th, 2015.

The scaffolding is beeing dismantled these days while the north gate builded by Lorenzo Ghiberti in years 1403-1424 has moved and is visible in the new Museo dell'Opera del Duomo.

It took Ghiberti 21 years to complete these doors. These gilded bronze doors consist of twenty-eight panels, with twenty panels depicting the life of Christ from the New Testament. The eight lower panels show the four evangelists and the Church Fathers Saint Ambrose, Saint Jerome, Saint Gregory and Saint Augustine. The panels are surrounded by a framework of foliage in the door case and gilded busts of prophets and sibyls at the intersections of the panels. Originally installed on the east side, in place of Pisano's doors, they were later moved to the north side.

 

Check this video to see how they mooved this heavy door into the museum !!!

They did it twice one for each side on the door. The weight of each side is 4000 kilos...

ENJOY THE SUNSET

I just want to share with you this sunset I pictured today while having a walk around. 

Have used no filters, only an iPhone camera.

STREETS OF FLORENCE

Look that tiny balcony over that fountain... Amaizing!!! 

Lucky people who owns it!!!

Do you wanna know where it is???

GIARDINO DELLA GHERARDESCA

The "Giardino della Gherardesca" is the biggest private park of Florence (4,5 hectares) and now it is property of the Four Seasons Hotels Firenze.

For this reason it is open only for the guests of the hotel.

But once a year the Four Season organize an open day for charity and the money collected are devolved to the kids of the "Istituto degli Innocenti" of Florence.

I went there and I took some pics of the gardens... wich are breathtaking.

FLYING UMBRELLAS

Via Romana - Firenze

Go and see these flying umbrellas in via Romana, next to Palazzo Pitti.

Via Romana - Firenze

MAKING A MOVIE IN S. SPIRITO

Santo Spirito went back in years '800. There were some scenes from a film based on a story of Giacomo Leopardi.

Soon you'll see it in the television. 

THE MARVELOUS CITY

Florence, Italy - 13 June 2013

PONTE VECCHIO

Ponte Vecchio - 06 June 2013

WINE TOWN 2013

Wine Town Firenze 2013

The alcoholic week-end of Florence is coming.

Get ready for some wine tasting in the historical city centre...

Buy the wine card w/ only €15, grab a wine glass and taste as much as you can...

For more infos please visit www.winetown.it

MEDIEVAL CARNIVAL IN SAN CASCIANO VP

San Casciano Val di Pesa - il carnevale medievale

Carnival never ends!!! 

Sunday, April 7th in San Casciano Val di Pesa, only 20km away from Florence, 

there will be the medieval carnival.

This small town is situated in the middle of the Chianti and Valdelsa district and in year 1326 Castruccio Castracani, the duke of Lucca, took control over the castle of San Casciano and destroyed it.

San Casciano Val di Pesa

And so the fourth edition of the medieval carnival, called the "Siege of Castruccio", brings you back in that difficult period of the city.

The main event will be the "Carousel of the districts" where the five districts the Horse, the Lilium,  the Lion, the Tower and the Rooster will contest "the key of the village" against Castruccio Castracani.

San Casciano Val di Pesa

The free event will start at 10am and go on until sunset.

The artistic direction is entrusted to the "Associazione Culturale Laboratorio Amaltea" and on their website you'll find more useful information.

www.laboratorioamaltea.org

THE PERFECT ESCAPE FROM THE FLORENTINE HEAT: FIESOLE

During your stay in Florence I will suggest you a breezy half day trip to Fiesole, which is perched on a hill overlooking the Arno valley.



Piazza Garibaldi - Fiesole


Fiesole is a small town with a main square, a few restaurants and shops, a few minor sights, and a great view. The ancient Etruscans knew a good spot when they saw one, and chose to settle here, estabilishing Fiesole about 400 years before the Romans founded Florence. Also healthy Renaissance families chose Fiesole as a prefered vacation spot, building villas in the surrounding hillsides. Later, in the 19-th century Romantics spent part of the Grand Tour admiring the vistas.

Fiesole

               GETTING TO FIESOLE

Bus #7 runs every 30 minutes from the train station or the San Marco square. Tickets costs €1.20 for 90 min or €3 for a daily ticket.
Sightseeing buses has a stop to Fiesole.
Taxis from Florence cost approx. €20 to Fiesole.

Sightseeing bus in Fiesole

SIGHTS IN FIESOLE

Fiesole's sight are either free or covered under one €10 combo ticket, avaible at the Roman Theater.

Via San Francesco - Fiesole

Terrace with a View - Catch the sunset (and your breath) from the view terrace just below San Francesco's Church. It's a 5/6 min hike from the main bus stop: Face the bell tower and take via San Francesco, on the left.


Church of San Francesco - For even more hill-climbing, continue up from the view terrace to this charming little church. The small scale and the colorful altar paintings make this church more enjoyable than Fiesole's Duomo. Free of charge from Mon-Sat 8-12 & 15-19, Sun 7-11 & 15-19.



Church of San Francesco - Fiesole





The Duomo of Fiesole



Duomo - While this church has a drab, 19th-century exterior, the interior is worth a look, if only for the blue-and-white glazed Giovanni della Robbia statue of St. Romulus over the entry door. Free entrance daily 8-12 & 15-18.



Museum of Fiesole



Roman Theater and Archaeological Park -

Occasionally used today for plays, this well preserved theater held up to 2000 people. The site's other ruins are, well, ruined, and lacking in explanation. But the valley view and peaceful setting are lovely. €10 combo-ticket also covers Civic and Bandini museums, Wed-Mon 10-18, closed Tue.

Civic Museum - Located with the Aercheological Park, the museum imparts insight into Fiesole's Etruscan and Roman roots with well-displayed artifacts and with a few English descriptions in the corners. Wed-Mon 10-18, closed Tue.

Bandini Mueseum - This small museum diplays the wooden panels of lesser know Gothic and Renaissance painters as well as the glazed terra-cotta figures of Andrea della Robbia. Wed-Mon 10-18, closed Tue.

Tourist Information

The TI is immediately to the right of the Roman Aercheological Park, at via Portigiani, 3 (open daily 9.30-18.30 - phone 055-598-720)

EATING IN FIESOLE

I will suggest to you an open air pic-nic in Fiesole. Bring some sandwiches and drinks with and just sit in one of the manys gardens of Fiesole. This will be a really lovely lunch for you.