The Florence Newspaper Issue 32

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Marilyn MonroeExhibit at the Ferragamo Museum

Return of Il Palio and Calcio Storico

Easy Day Trips close to Florence

Continued on page 4

Andrew Shepherd

Continued on page 2

July the 21st is an important day on the Florentine calendar. On that day in 1925, one of the most excellent Florentines of the 20th century was born: Giovanni Spado-lini.A former History Professor and Editor-in-chief of some of the most important Ital-ian newspapers, Spadolini also served as Italian Prime Minister in 1981-1982 and as President of the Senate from 1987 to 1994. A brilliant historian and talented writer, as a politician he remained a strong defender of liberal ideals and always sup-ported pro-Atlanticism policies for Italy. In the aftermath of WWII, his activity as a writer and as a scholar was already in-tense, culminating in his appointment as editor of the Il Resto del Carlino in 1955, thirteen years before becoming the editor of Italian leading newspaper Il Corriere della Sera in 1968.

The Florence Municipal police have been making headlines nationwide in recent days on account of the sudden and unforeseen 10pm curfew imposed

upon the city’s bustling epicenter of nightlife, Via de’ Benci.

Eugenio GianiPresident of the Florence City Council

JUNE 2012, Suppl. N.32

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A Day to Remember

Honoring FlorentineSymbol Giovanni Spadolini

page 5 pages 20, 22 page 17

Sleepless Nights

Although not the historic cultural center of Flor-ence, Via de’ Benci has long been the center of the city’s evening entertainment and has, for many people, become as synonymous with the city as some of the more historical parts. But be-tween the 25th of May and the 11th June, after

10pm the usual hoard of young locals, study abroad students and tourists made way for lit-tle more than the odd scooter passing through and local residents peering from above, making absolutely sure there’s nobody down there for them to disapprove of.

The fallout and far-reaching effects of the closings on city’s number one nightlife street

Florence NewsF2

Contents Intern With Us

The Life of Giovanni Spadolini

“A Guide to the City” is the monthly supplement to

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The Florence Newspaper is distributed throughout Florence in all key reference points for the English speaking community including hotels and hostels, univer-

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Florence News........2-7

Living in The City.....8-9

Art & Culture...........10

City Guide..........11-14

Food & Wine...........16

Travel......................17

Events.....................18

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The Florence Newspaper is cur-rently seeking outgoing and moti-vated candidates for its internship program.Interns will be exposed to all fac-ets of weekly production, includ-ing news writing, photography, layout, advertising, public rela-tions, circulation and graphic arts.Students currently studying art his-tory, communications, journalism, marketing, advertising, public re-lations or graphic design are en-couraged to apply.Please submit resume, writing sample, and short bio to [email protected] contributors are also en-couraged. If you are interested in submitting stories for publication, email us at [email protected].

Abstract from the book Firenze giorno per giorno. Da Capodanno a San Silvestro, a ogni sfogliar di pa-gina, un evento, un personaggio, un ricordo. Uno straordinario alma-nacco, un ritratto inedito della città e dei fiorentini© Sarnus 2011, cm 17x24, pp. 432, ill. b/n, cart., € 20,00

After leaving the Corriere, he became a member of the Italian Senate in 1972 and minister of a ministry that he created, that of Cultural Assets and Activities, with which he gave an important contribution to the protection and enhancement of the art and culture of Italy. His university career began in 1950 as professor of contemporary history at the University of Florence, and culminated in 1976 when he became chairman of the board at the Bocconi University in Milan, one of the most prestigious athenaeums in Italy.Throughout the years, his literary produc-tion has been consistent, and some of his works – such as Gli uomini che fecero l’Italia, Tradizione garibaldina e storia d’Italia, Cattolicesimo e Risorgimento, all written between the 70’s and the 80’s – are landmarks for studies on the Italian Risorgi-mento.Fundamental is the series of 17 volumes published by the Cassa di Risparmio di Firenze including the book La mia Firenze-Frammenti dell’età favolosa, published af-ter his death in 1995 and edited by the continuer of his work and currently the Pres-ident of the Fondazione Nuova Antologia – the Foundation dedicated to Spadolini – Cosimo Ceccuti. His numerous essays, books and articles are now collected at his former home, Fon-dazione Nuova Antologia in Pian De’ Giul-lariin, a museum that finds his reason of being in Spadolini’s own words: “My desire is to see when I’m dead the rooms of my house at Pian dei Giullari populated by young men studying the pa-pers and books that I collected throughout my life. Aided by a university more open than ours and illuminated by a love for Italy bigger than ours. I want that house

to remain the ‘house of books.’ Everything has to remain as it is, on top of that hill of ancient cypresses: the newspaper, books, collections, to serve new generations of scholars.”Spadolini died in Rome in 1994, but was buried in Florence at San Miniato al Monte. On his tomb is simply written: “An Italian.”

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Florence News F 3

Diamond of Maria de’ Medici Auctioned for 7.5 million Euro

First it belonged to Maria Luisa de’ Medici.; then, throughout the centuries, it wandered around the crowns of half of Europe, decorating the monarchs

of France, England, Netherlands and Prussia. Now, the 35-carat pear-shaped “Beau Sancy” – one of the world’s rarest and most famous dia-monds – has a new owner.The diamond was recently sold at the auction house Sotheby’s in Genova for nearly 7.5 mil-lion euro. The buyer was an anonymous tele-phone bidder who was able to prevail against several competitors.Before him, the last owner of the precious jewel was Prince Georg Friedrich of Prussia. Financial difficulties forced him to sell the piece as part of a magnificent gems collection from the posses-sion of the Prussian royal dynasty. Overall, the auction reached an incredible result of almost 87 million euro. As it is extremely rare for a diamond of this importance to come on the market, the “Beau Sancy” exceeded almost five times all previous estimations. The high revenue and the intense battle fought at the auction reflect the historical prestige of a legendary piece of jewelry. Though only 22.3 x 19.5 mm in size, the diamond’s

New York University in Florence will be holding its 8th edition of The Season at Villa La Pietra, a summer celebration of creative collaboration

conducted on the grounds of the historic Villa La Pietra from June 15th to 27th. World- renowned actors, writers, musicians and artists will collab-orate to present a range of performances from concerts, ballets, films and more. The Season will begin on June 15th at 10:15 a.m. with the Italian premier of the award-winning documentary Auf Wiederesehen, ‘Till we Meet Again’, followed by a conversation between film producer Linda G. Mills and Chel-sea Clinton, daughter of former President of the United States Bill Clinton. Several other events are taking place during the festival, including the performance of a composition written by a group of students from

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Chelsea Clinton among speakers at NYU in Florence’s eventThe Return of The Season

Erin WagnerNYU’s Tisch School of the Arts known as The Continuum Company; a public rehearsal of the capstone performance Flora-Essences of Dance featuring GM Ballet Firenze; a performance by Jonathan Batiste’s ensemble the Stay Human Band; a discussion about the intersection and juxtaposition of art and science; and film screen-ings of Light is Falling and Spark of Being, both by American filmmaker Bill Morrison.Also taking place is an afternoon event featur-ing a dialogue between several renowned au-thors entitled Writers Reading, the premier of the soundtrack for the 1926 German animated fairytale film The Adventures of Prince Achmed and a presentation of Carlo Goldoni’s play Servant of Two Masters by students of the NYU Commedia dell’Arte class.For more information visit www.nyu.edu/glob-al/lapietra.

sales value may be justified when considering its imposing history. The diamond’s royal connections date back four centuries ago. “Beau Sancy” was named after its first owner, French diplomat and financier Nico-

las de Harlay, Lord of Sancy (1546-1629) who bought the stone in the late 16th century in Con-stantinople. The piece is most likely to have origi-nated from the mines in south central India, the source of history’s best-known diamonds, including

the “Hope,” the “Koh-i-Noor” and the “Regent.”However, the rare jewel owes its fame above all to Maria de Medici who wore the diamond when she was crowned queen of France in 1610. Bought by King Henri IV in 1604, the

gem was a special wedding gift for his second wife of Florentine descent. Maria de Medici had long desired the stone, particularly after learning that Sancy had sold an even larger diamond, today known as the “Grand Sancy,”

to King James I. of England. Giving testament to its importance, the stone was mounted atop her Majesty’s crown, as shown in a portrait by Frans II Pourbus which is today displayed at the Louvre. In 1641, the diamond was acquired by the Dutch and used to seal the wedding of Willem II of Orange-Nassau to Mary Stuart, daughter of King Charles I. From England, he eventually came to the Brandenburg Elector Friedrich III who was crowned the first Prussian King Fred-erick I in 1701. He gave him pride of place by ordering the attachment of the “Beau Sancy” to a new royal crown. As the largest gem in the collection of the Prus-sian heritage, the diamond has been passed on from generation to generation. Being worn by the women of the family, the diamond adorned the dress of every royal bride on her wedding day - most recently in the Imperial period.Whether this stone of unparalleled history, which has never been in non-royal hands, will remain in Europe is a matter of speculation. In any case, the new owner may consider himself fortunate to hold in his hands a sparkling wit-ness of more than 400 years of European his-tory.

Florence NewsF4

F lorence is no longer interesting only in terms of its cultural and culinary versatil-ity. Indeed, there is another specialty that

distinguishes Florence or rather Florentines, as they are apparently well-versed in having extra-marital affairs.This is the result of a survey that was recently published on Gleeden.com, the first extramarital dating platform in Italy. In comparison to other Tuscan cities, Florence shows the highest rate of infidelity with almost 10,000 active members.

Florentines listed number one in cheatingInfidelity – A Florentine Specialty?

Nightlife Controversy on Via de’ Benci

Claudia Niemann Yet, the city is closely followed by Pisa, Lucca and Livorno, recording more than 7,000 users who seem to be unhappily married. These fig-ures prove that a considerably large number of Italians are trying to give variety to their love lives.Although controversial, the dating platform for married people has celebrated worldwide suc-cess since its initiation in 2009. It is no secret that in recent years online dating has become one of the most popular ways for singles to meet

people and find potential mates. However, the great run on Gleeden.com illustrates that this trend proves itself true even among those al-ready in relationships. Interestingly, ladies take front rank on the web-site which was conceived by and for married women. Convinced that discrete instruction is needed in order for any affair to be successful, the website also provides useful knowledge to potential adulterers. This may include advice on how to sweeten boring business trips abroad, or

latest rankings which, for instance, inform about global “flirt-behavior.” Thus, anyone looking for such an adventure should possibly check out the website before starting on a journey. Defending itself against criticism, the company claims to be simply honest and helpful to those seeking some excitement and passion in their lives. In many cases this even results in a newly flourished marriage. It is this specific form of so-cial commitment that at least some Florentines seem to appreciate.

W ith little or no warning beforehand and only one street targeted (with the exception of Astor Café, which

was suddenly closed at night some weeks be-fore in the same manner), many business own-ers, their employees and the surrounding busi-nesses that rely heavily on late night revelers were left asking ‘why?’ But they were to find that, like with so many things in Italy, asking that question in a situation like this is about as useful

Everybody knows that nobody takes a drink out of our bar in glass after 10pm.{...} The majority of people in the streets

outside of Lochness are not from, nor have they been in our bar. We can ask them to leave, but we have no power

to compel them to do so. Yet we are still held liable when they refuse.

In a time of economic crisis, to put 100 people’s livelihoods and local businesses

at risk seems like a step in the wrong direction. {...} In every argument there

are two sides to the coin, in this case the edge of the coin and the ones responsi-ble for dealing with the problem are the police, but we haven’t seen a balance

in enforcement.

‘‘

‘‘‘‘

‘‘and illuminating as an elephant with a skipping rope.It’s a complex issue made even more complex by the undeniable reality that there is too much noise on the streets at night, and even more confusing considering the sudden, unexplained reversal of the law on June 11th.The initial feeling was that the local residents had complained to the police about the noise on the street and had insisted that a curfew be enforced. However, a perceived lack of trans-parency from the police as to why and how the curfew had been imposed, and the fact that ap-parently an incredibly uncompromising law was used to impose it, has left many people wonder-ing whether the decision was in fact taken by the police as a means of covering up for their lack of community policing and management of the noise themselves.In reality, there was no easy solution and it is the complexity of the issues at hand that mean the situation had no easy resolution. The job of policing the streets and maintaining public or-der falls under the auspices of the state, mean-ing that the Caribineri and Polizia have the of-ficial responsibility to deal with behavior on the streets. The job of the local Municipal Police is simply to enforce the municipal code, and as such have arguably done their job in imposing the curfew. The Municipal Code has no section which states that it is illegal for the individual

to purchase alcohol anywhere and drink it on the street, yet the bars are liable if somebody is drinking outside their establishment. The prob-lem here lies that the bars who were meeting their responsibilities by ensuring nobody takes glass outside were penalized because people bought drinks elsewhere and happened to be standing outside of their bar, making noise.“Everybody knows that nobody takes a drink out of our bar in glass after 10pm,” states Trine

West, owner of family run bar Lochness Lounge. “The majority of people in the streets outside of Lochness are not from, nor have they been in our bar. We can ask them to leave, but we have no power to compel them to do so. Yet we are still held liable when they refuse.”Typically, the issues were aired out through all the usual channels on Facebook. This began with a so-called ‘flash mob’ organized in the days following the curfew, and took the form of a peaceful protest on Via de’ Benci whereby the 600 people in attendance donned their paja-mas and sat in the street, waving a banner with the words ‘Florence is a city of old people.’The Facebook debate raged on, with one user going so far as to say that, “…it’s the police force’s job to control public property. Sometimes when the bar owners and workers call the po-lice for serious problems they don’t even come to help, they only come to give out fines and close their doors.”The other side of the argument seemed to fo-cus largely on the fact that people felt that the curfew sent a message and that the bars would learn to keep the people outside under control. But is it really the responsibility of the bars to control the people on the streets, considering that many of them were never in the bar in the first place? Wouldn’t a more even-handed ap-proach have been to increase the police pres-ence on Via de’ Benci each night? The simple

visual presence of two or three officers would be an effective tool in itself, and wouldn’t have the ugly side effects of job losses, business closures and further economic damage. The Municipal police were the ones getting the blame for the curfew as they supposedly ‘imposed it to cover their backs’, however, the reality seems to be that it was never their responsibility to police the streets in the first place, but the State’s.Elsewhere, Two days after the celebration of their 50th year of existence on Via de’ Benci, and with many local government officials in at-tendance at the party, one of Red Garter’s man-agers, Francesco Cappelli, was left with a num-ber of staff members to whom he was unable to offer work.“In a time of economic crisis, to put 100 peo-ple’s livelihoods and local businesses at risk seems like a step in the wrong direction,” said Cappelli. “In every argument there are two sides to the coin, in this case the edge of the coin and the ones responsible for dealing with the problem are the police, but we haven’t seen a balance in enforcement.”Another issue which cannot go unmentioned was the method used in enforcing the curfew. As many have pointed out, Article 321 is remi-niscent of the old fascist days in its excessively restrictive nature, and is apparently designed to enable the authorities to seize privately owned property for various, vaguely prescribed rea-sons. In 2012, in a country that is part of the EU

and therefore subject to the supremacy of the European Court of Justice, the use of such a law, and with so little transparency in its execution in no way meets the EU’s basic requirement of pro-portionality. Under this requirement, no person or institution can have their actions restricted beyond the degree absolutely necessary in the public interest, and where there are several pos-sible courses of action the least intrusive must

be used.Did the closure of the bars affect other busi-nesses and workers to the point where it could be considered intrusive? Were less intrusive op-tions available? How would the fact that the law seized legal ownership of the affected bars be-tween 10pm and 7am every day be perceived? Undoubtedly, the European Court of Justice would be satisfied with neither the suitability nor the necessity of the actions taken, and would surely recognize that less extreme and arguably more effective methods were available.No matter which side of the fence you’re on, one thing that everybody agrees upon is that there is a problem with noise on the streets at night. But when it comes to apportioning blame, consider Piazza Santa Croce on a weekend and the huge number of young Italians who sit on the steps of the church drinking and mak-ing noise. Do people not live there too? So, if the bar owners are responsible for people be-ing outside their establishments making noise, whether they have been inside or not, who’s re-sponsible for the great number more people on the steps of the Santa Croce Church? The Pope?Instead of assigning blame to the easiest target, let’s consider how to solve the problem. Eng-land had a huge problem with drunken street violence for years. In some of the more troubled spots (my home town of Wakefield, for exam-ple), this problem has nearly been eradicated completely. Yes, people still get drunk and start

fights with each other. The difference now is that within five seconds there will be four police offic-ers breaking it up and within 30 seconds every-body involved will be in the back of a van. If a greater police presence is such an effective tool in tackling violence in a country with a reputation for excessive drinking and bad behavior, surely it would be substantially more effective in tackling noise in a city like Florence.

Continued from page1

Florence News F 5

Local summer festival to celebrate its 64th year

Estate Fiesolana- June 20th to August 31st

Rich in atmosphere and surprises, Fiesole annually celebrates the Es-tate Fiesolana, one of Italy’s oldest summer festivals.

Its beginnings date back to 1948 and even today the festival is known all over the world for its quality of dance, music and theater performances. From June 20th to August 31st, the ancient Roman Amphitheater will hold outdoor cin-ema, theater and music shows as part of a large cultural program. Summer concerts will also take place in the Castel di Poggio, where opera and jazz are traditionally the heart and soul of the event. This year’s 64th edition includes classics

such as “The Rocky Horror Live Concert Show” on July 7th as well as excursions into the world of contemporary Italian cinema. The event will even feature a visit from ac-tor Toni Servillo on June 30th who will be awarded for his work in Paolo Sorrentino’s film “L’uomo in più” (2001). Although always worth a visit, summertime sees Fiesole turn into the perfect destination to catch a cool breeze while indulging in an exceptionally authentic outdoor experi-ence.Tickets are available at the Teatro Romano: Via Portigiani 3, Fiesole, Tel. 055 5961293 (open from 10 a.m. -6 p.m.) or purchase online: www.boxol.it

Claudia Niemann

Art Courses 4 Kids

The Art Academy of Bianca Cappello has a wealth of opportunities for artists of all ages. The instructors are committed to their craft and feel a special connection with the possibilities that children have to create something special, such as the landscape covering the bathroom wall of the building that was painted by children of the school or the chocolate sculptures lining the walls of the studio. In addition to classes in sculpture, mosaic, painting, jewelry and more, the school offers a crea-tive summer camp for children. The acad-emy is open seven days a week, offering 1-½ hour courses for children and 3-hour courses for adults, as well as studio space for artists.

Via Maggio 44/r Tel.: 055 294 971

[email protected]

Florence Dance Festival

The 23rd Florence Dance Festival (June 25th - July 23rd) honors the 500th an-niversary of the death of Amerigo Vespuc-ci. The festival will feature projects and performances that strive to instill a sense of peace and global cooperation. The Teatro del Opera of San Carlo Napoli, the Ballet of Milan, the National Com-pany of Raffaele Paganini, the Florence Dance Company, the San Pietroburgo National Ballet, and various avant-garde dance companies will be offering perfor-mances in ballet, contemporary dance, and folklore in the National Bargello Mu-seum. The festival will serve not only to celebrate cultural tourism but cultural ties between Italy and America.

[email protected]

Tel.: 055 289276

The Ferragamo museum, located in the basement of Florence’s very own Salva-tore Ferragamo store and upper level offices, was opened to the public in

1995 by the Ferragamo family in an effort to display his truly one-of-a-kind designs and illus-trate the important role he played in the history of shoe design and international fashion.The museum is best known for its 10,000 unique

The Salvatore Ferragamo Museum is dedicating an exhibition to Marilyn Monroe that will be inaugurated on June 19th.

The exhibit, which will take place at the Ferrag-amo Museum in Piazza Santa Trinità, is named “Marilyn,” and will pay homage to both cinema and photography of the American icon.In addition to artwork and outfits depicting Mon-roe, the exhibition will highlight 14 pairs of Fer-ragamo heels designed specifically for Monroe, such as a pair of red Swarovski crystal pumps, all of which were bought in 1999 at a Chris-tie’s auction. The “Marilyn” event follows others dedicated to other American actresses dressed by Ferragamo such as Audrey Hepburn and Greta Garbo.Opening hours will coincide with those of the museum, from 10 am to 6 pm.

Ferragamo Museum to host exhibit honoring Marilyn Monroe

Legendary designer’s legacy defined by innovation and creativity

“Marilyn” The Salvatore Ferragamo Museum

Erin Wagner

Angie Santon

shoe models designed by Salvatore Ferragamo from the end of the 1920’s until his death in 1960. In addition to these models, photo-graphs, patents, sketches, books, magazines and wooden lasts of various famous feet are also on display.The museums’ famous display of shoes provides an exquisite interpretation of past fads and fash-ions, since the shoes are arranged in a biennial rotation and because Ferragamo liked his de-signs to follow particular themes from the current time in which he was crafting.

The museum also collaborates with contempo-rary artists, collectors and benefactors to pro-mote and host events connected to the culture of art and fashion.Ferragamo was awarded the Primo Premio Guggenheim Impresa & Cultura (The Guggen-heim First Prize for Industry and Culture) in 1999 for his investment in culture and his com-munication strategy for the company.

Ferragamo was born in Bonito, a city near Na-ples, in 1898; the eleventh of fourteen children. When he was nine years old, he made his first pair of shoes for his sisters to wear on their con-firmation.He went on to study shoemaking in Naples for a year before opening a small store in his par-ents’ home to support his passion. Years later, in 1914, Salvatore joined his brother and emi-grated to Boston and began working in a cow-boy boot factory. In the years that followed, he made a move to California, first settling in Santa

Barbara and then transferring himself to Holly-wood. There, Ferragamo’s career really started to take off. He began by opening a shop for shoe repairs and made-to-measure shoes, which soon became prized items among the celebrities of that time.His talent opened the doors for a long career de-signing footwear for American cinema. While his reputation grew as the official shoemaker for

celebrities, Salvatore began to continually ques-tion why fashionable shoes had to be so uncom-fortable, or as he stated, “please the eye, yet hurt the foot.” He began studying anatomy at the University of Southern California in attempts to improve his craft to become beautiful yet sup-portive and comfortable.After spending 13 years studying and crafting in the United States, Ferragamo returned to Italy in 1927 and settled in Florence. It was here that he began designing shoes for some of the wealthi-est and most powerful women of the century.

F6 Florence News

American Student Attacked for Defending Harassed Girls

Council Opens Salone dei 500 to Weddings

Uffizi Expansion

Tuscany Awarded 16 Top Quality Beaches

Tony Blair Sighted in FlorenceInternational figures dine together

Region second in Italy in sea ranking

Marriage in the prestigious room to cost 5000 Euro

Gallery to open new rooms, exhibits

A 23-year-old American student was se-verely beaten up by two young Italians while attempting to defend two girls out-

side of a Florentine bar. The girls had just left a bar on Via de Benci when they were approached by the two Italians. After being declined their invitations to spend the rest of the night with them, the two continued to pursue them. The American student saw the

F ormer English Prime Minister Tony Blair was recently spotted in Florence having dinner with several important figures,

among them being Florence Mayor Matteo Renzi.Italian Minister of Economic Development Corrado Passera and Italian Vice Minister of Economy Vittorio Grilli, as well as several other

Erin Wagner

Claudia Niemann

scene and intervened to defend the girls before he was beaten to the ground until he lost con-sciousness.The police are currently attempting to identify the attackers both using the descriptions provided by the women and from surveillance cameras.The episode is just the most recent of long chain of others of this kind regarding Florentine night-life in the last few years.

L ast month, the Florence Council opened the most prestigious rooms of Palazzo Vecchio, including the Salone dei 500 – to wed-

dings. Before June, civil weddings could only occur either in the Red Room, the Sala Rossa, of Palazzo Vecchio, or at Villa Vogel. Now, the Salone dei Cinquecento, the Garden of Roses in Via Poggi and the Bardini Art Mu-seum inside the Palazzo Vecchio have also been opened to marriages.

important international personalities were also at the gathering.The dinner was organized by JP Morgan and took place on the terrace of Palazzo Corsini. According to local newspa-per La Nazione, the new Teatro dell’Opera of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino orchestra was among the topics discussed by the party.

T uscany recently reaffirmed itself as one of the Italian regions with the best beaches and blue sea. Due to the high-quality in-

frastructure, clean sea and sand and an overall natural beauty, 16 Tuscan beaches have been awarded the prestigious Blue Flag this year. The results of the 2012 national rankings showed that Liguria came out as leader by the number of quality beaches (18) followed by Tuscany and Marche, each of which boasts an impressive 16 Blue Flag beaches this season.The Blue Flag Award is an “eco-label” granted by the independent non-profit organization Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) to over 3,450 beaches and marinas throughout Europe, South Africa, Morocco, Tunisia, New Zealand, Brazil, Canada and the Caribbean.The main objective of the Blue Flag program is to work towards the sustainable development of beaches and marinas through strict criteria ad-

dressing issues of water quality, environmental education and information, environmental man-agement, safety and other services.This year, a total of 246 Italian beaches were awarded with the Blue Flag in recognition of their clean waters and safe bathing areas; a number which is 13 more than last year. In fact, the Italian beach resorts represent 10 percent of all the beaches awarded on an international level. Blue Flag beaches in Tuscany include: Forte dei Marmi, Pietrasanta, Camaiore, Viareggio (Luc-ca), Pisa-marina di Pisa-Tirrenia-Calambrone (Pisa), Livorno-Antignano/Quercianella, Cas-tiglioncello e Vada di Rosignano Marittimo, Cecina-Marina/Le Gorette, marina di Bibbona, Castagneto Carducci, San Vincenzo, Piombino-parco naturale della Sterpaia (Livorno), Folloni-ca, Castiglione della Pescaia, Marina e Principi-na di Grosseto, Monte Argentario (Grosseto).

Florence is the first Italian city where it is possible to purchase a bus ticket via sms. The number to send the text to is 4880105. The price of the ticket is 1.20 Euro, to which has to be added the cost for the message which varies depending on the service provider.

Beginning in 2013 the 34 new bus line will connect the suburbs of South Florence – Via Aretina, the Gignoro outlet in Cover-ciano, Le Falle and Girone – to Fiesole. The new line will provide 60 daily runs, and was established for a cost of 50,000 euro.

Getting the Bus Ticket with a SMS

New Bus Connecting to

Fiesole

4880105

Weddings can take place from Tuesdays to Sundays, and fares vary depending on loca-tion and hour. The San Lorenzo Hall, the Villa Vogel, and the Villa Bardini museum cost 1250 Euro (500 Euro for residents). The Garden of the Roses may cost up to 3000 Euro, while the price for the Salone dei Cinquecento is 5000 Euro for everyone, regardless of residency or marriage hours.

A ccording to officials, the Uffizi Gallery will have ten new rooms by June 16th. The expansion is part of the ‘Nuovi

Uffizi’ project, which already opened eight new rooms last December to display the works of painters from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries.The ten new rooms will exhibit the works of prevalent Tuscan painters from the 1500s, in-

cluding those of Andrea del Sarto, Bronzino, and Raffaello. The new rooms will be preceded by a gallery showing Roman and Hellenistic art, including famous sculptures such as the Apollo Citaredo, Dionisio with the Panther, a Niobide, a head of Arianna, the Spinario, the Afrodite, the “Venere al Bagno”, and the “Torso Gaddi.”

Free access to major museums, villas and historical gardens in FlorenceAdmission to museums is granted by showing the card at the entrance, with no reservation requirementsFree travel on public transports: ATAF&Linea buses and tramsFree access to museums and public transport for EU citizens under the age of 18 who are accompanying youUpdated information kit on participating museums

Main advantages of your Firenze CardPRICE: 50 EURO

For more information write to [email protected]

The Firenze Card is valid for 72 hours and provides you the admission only once to all museums of the Circuit, located in Florence. It entitles you to visit permanent collections, exhibitions and other activities held in these museums. You will avoid queues and booking limitations. You are also entitled to use public transports free of charge.

Florence News F 7

Commedia Dell´Arte Course

Italian Language and Culture Courses

Voce alle Parole

The Dance and Drama course is geared toward understanding the theatrical expe-rience as an opportunity to develop your own creativity and expressiveness as web as increasing your artistic experience.The actor, director, educator and writer Roberto Andrioli will lead this theatre workshop with Marco Bendoni, a well-known ancient music dancer. Program:

12 days

•development of the Commedia Dell´Arte in Europe •body expression exercises•instrumental training exercises to develop students´ own expressive body capabili-ties and voice•The Mask: between Art and Magic•analysis of the scenes of theatrical texts of Moliere, Shakespeare, Goldoni and others• choreographies from the fifteenth cen-tury to the nineteenth Language: english / italian

400 EURO

Voce alle Parole is a cultural association that organises a range of linguistic and cultural activities for foreignersin Florence. It offers Italian language courses (standard, intensive, week-end or tailored to individual needs) inits various premises (Palazzo Bianca Cap-pello and Palazzo Bargagli, at the Interna-tional Studies Institute) as well asin-house courses for institutions, organiza-tions and companies on request.

Courses include:- Italian language (levels A1-C1);- sector-specific language (art, finance etc.);- preparation for exams leading to certifi-cates in Italian as second language (CILS, CELI);- one-day events aimed at exploring lan-guage and aspects of local social and cul-tural life. Every Friday, theseries of Florence in a Day... language, art and a café appointments combine an introduction to Italian languagewith a cultural event designed to enhance enjoyment of what Florence has to offer, including art exhibitionsand theme cocktails in historic cafés (‘Gi-ubbe Rosse’).

www.internationalifexperience.cominfo@internationalifexperience.com

Info: [email protected]; www.vocealleparole.it; tel: +39. 366.

385. 37.50.

A Radio Mistery Dinner “Mr Short & Mr Long”

The Foglia d’Oro in New York

The Tapestry Gallery

Tuesday 10 July - Tuesday 31 July

Ensign of Florentine company shining on 42th Street in NY

Epiphanies of precious fabrics at the Uffizi Gallery Tuesday 10 July - Tuesday 31 July

Over 300 successful performances in the Italian language, now also in English, “La Compagnia delle Seg-giole” propose a gastronomic/the-

atrical event joining the pleasure of a delicious dinner and listening a “Radio Myste- ries”. Hunt-ing down the murderer and unraveling the mys-tery during various courses until finally, along with fellow diners, uncovering the criminal!At the center of the scene is one of the cate-gory’s most known authors, Ellery Queen. The sleuth’s whimsical ingenuity is second only to his brilliant genius, who usually concludes his assessments with the solemn and intri- guing for-mula: “By exercise of strict logic and irrefutable deductions from given data the listener can find some hidden data, since he is now in possession of all pertinent facts to solve the crime.”The radio plays, will be enriched, as they were originally, by a series of “noises” and particular

The tapestry exhibit is currently on dis-play at the Uffizi Gallery. The exhibition is aimed at making better known to the Gallery public one of the most precious

sections of its collections, the ancient and noble fame of which is gradually dwindling because, for decades now, the tapestries have been ab-sent from the areas open to visitors.The tapestries are works of art pitilessly con-sumed by time, since the state of conservation is deteriorated by light, dust and tensile stress.In 1987, for these reasons, superb series of tap-estries were removed from the corridors of the Gallery where for decades they had been an element of magnificent elegance. Now, in this exhibition, 17 tapestries originat-ing from notable series of grand ducal prove-nance illustrate the quality of the manufactories in stories of celebrations at the French court and mythological episodes, the passing of the seasons and the passion of Christ, almost like sacred and profane stations in an alternation of decorative borders and dramatic interiors.

“sounds” repro- duced live by a “SOUND EF-FECTS MAN”, who at the end of the evening, will reveal the tricks of the trade and recall little known accounts of a fascinating but disappear-ing profession that has accompanied the life of the radio for almost a hundred years.Returning to detective Ellery Queen’s dining ra-dio play, the listeners, following the clues given, will be asked to attempt resolving the case mys-tery by writing down who they think is guilty. A winner will be drawn from among those who have guessed the answer and will be given a special gift.

The ensign of the renowned Florentine goldsmith Manetti Battiloro now shines in New York, too, where it dominates and decorates the 42th street of Man-

hattan. It is the last important achievement of a tradition that began in Florence in 1820, when Luigi Manetti started a workshop of a goldbeat-er in Via de’ Pescioni. After his death, the com-pany was passed to his son, who created the brand “Giusto Manetti Battiloro.” Then a rapid growth followed, and the Manetti Battiloro be-came popular in European markets and gained worldwide renown.

Villa Viviani - Via G. D’Annunzio, 218Info: 335 6079887 or 055 697347

[email protected]@radiogialli.it [email protected]

Examples from the celebrated Flemish tradition of the sixteenth century can be compared with the local Florentine tapestries, produced in the independent manufactory set up by Cosimo I in 1545 and closed under the Lorraine dynasty in 1738.The striking features of these creations include the richness of the weaving and the materials, enhanced by the comparison between tapestries that have been restored and those awaiting res-toration from the same series. We can also ap-preciate the dazzling brightness of the colours on the back of one of the tapestries showing the Feasts of the Valois which has been preserved from the attacks suffered by the surfaces ex-posed to the light. Finally, the illustration in the exhibition of the res-toration and the manner of working the tapestry further indicates the complexity of such opera-tions and the expertise of the Florentine restora-tion school, one of the best in the world.

Tickets: 11 Euro, reduced 5.50 Euro

The foglia d’oro, or gold leaf, symbolizes a changing of society in the economic, political, and social spheres. It beautifies works of art and monuments, such as the Brunelleschi Dome of Florence, the Louvre Museum in Paris, the White House, and Royal Russian residences, the Teatro la Fenice in Venice, the Albert Memorial in Lon-don, the Opera Garnier in Paris, and the gates of Buckingham Palace.It is through this universal display and appre-ciation that the gold leaf serves as a common thread, uniting all people and cultures through a Florentine tradition.

Erin Wagner

Living in the CityF8

Osteria Santo Spirito

Il Gatto e la Volpe

Located in the dignified Santo Spirito Piazza, the Osteria di Santo Spirito is a classic presentation of true Italian fare. Large portions of impeccably cooked food at affordable prices served by an animated and charismatic staff put the Osteria high on the lists of restaurants not to be missed during a trip to Florence. The restaurant is located steps from Santo Spirito Basilica, and serves to comple-ment the passion inspired by the Santo Spirito through its own passion for food and quality, authentic service.

This restaurant, located near the Barg-ello Museum in the center of Florence on Via Ghibellina, has been offering typical home cooking cuisine to both locals and tourists for more than 30 years.Il Gatto e la Volpe is run by the Florestani family and offers a menu that includes Tuscan specialties, Florentine steak, pas-ta, traditional first and second courses, wood oven pizzas and calzones, cakes, and Tuscan wines. The staff speaks Eng-lish, and opening hours are from 12 pm to 12 am. Credit cards are accepted.

Piazza Santo SpiritoTel. 055 23 82 383

www.osteriasantospirito.itVia Ghibellina 151/r

Tel. 055 28 92 64

Isabelle Chez Moi

Exclusive and glamorous, Isabelle is the hangout spot of the Florence-chic. Lo-cated in the 16th century Buondelmonti palace on Via Tornabuoni, the restaurant and café can be accessed only through a private lift. The background music, com-bined with the fire of the candles and fire-place, match a wonderful view of the city and the flavors of the dishes. Sicilian chef Bartolo Favaloro offers a simple and orig-inal cuisine characterized by the union of Sicilian and Mediterranean ingredients and flavors with those of Tuscany.

Piazza Santa Trinita 1/r Tel. +39 055 28 96 [email protected]

The ClubHouse

RISTORANTE - PIZZERIA - AMERICAN BAR

Typical Tuscan cuisine

The ClubHouse is a modern Restaurant, Pizzeria, and American bistro located steps away from the Duomo in the heart of Florence. The restaurant offers a menu of simple, expertly prepared dishes high-lighted by an array of flavorful Florentine plates, wood fired pizzas, and a full American breakfast. It also features a res-taurant bar which creates a comfortable and relaxed atmosphere perfect for hang-ing out with friends or watching football on their many flat screen TV’s.

Via de’ Ginori 6/RTel. 055 21 14 27

www.theclubhouse.it

Situated on 82 Via Pietrapiana, just mo-ments away from the beautiful Santa Croce Basilica, is the contemporary Mr. Pizza pizzeria. Open since last

October, the restaurant offers a simple and fresh menu available all day and night. The pizzeria

Mr. Pizza offers all day and late night diningPizza around the Clock

Erin Wagner

is among one of the only restaurants in the entire city that is open all night.Luciano, the owner of the pizzeria, was inspired by the clear lack of late-night dining options available to night owls, hungry after a night of socializing and dancing. A former nightclub

employee himself, Luciano noticed that after leaving the bars and clubs, many people were forced to go home with empty stomachs as all of the restaurants had already closed hours before. Mr. Pizza, which is frequented by visitors and lo-cals alike, serves as the clear choice to anyone

looking for a good meal at any time. The interior features a pizza-themed color pal-ette. The wicker stools have red-tomato frames, the walls nod to the color of fields of well-tend-ed wheat and the fresh white accents along the door and walls suggests fresh mozzarella

cheese. The funky barrel-shaped tables are full of different types of pizza ingredients.The menu items are equally fresh and contem-porary, such as the classic Mr. Pizza recipe featuring tomatoes, mozzarella, parmigiano, and riduja and many other classic Napolitan

favorites. The staff assures that Mr. Pizza has something to offer to everyone.“Mr. Pizza is a wonderful place for a casual date night, a meeting spot for friends, and won-derful for children as well,” stated Luciano. The restaurant is centrally located in the historic

Santa Croce district, not far from other points of interest, including Il Duomo and Ponte Vecchio. For the prime location, the food is an unbeliev-able value. According to Luciano, a diner can experience a satisfying meal for between 8 and 12 euros.The restaurant is open for lunch begin-

ning at 11:00 a.m., through the dinner hours, and all night, remaining open until 5:00 a.m. in the morning. In addition, the restaurant offers a delivery service from 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.

For more information, call 055 3860311.

Florence News F 9Living in the City F 9

Kikuya Pub One Eyed Jack Pub

The Kikuya Pub is a wonderful meeting spot for Italians and foreigners looking for a unique pub experience with an interna-tional feel. The bar has a classic charm, which causes it to be continually chosen as a special place to celebrate. The pub is ran enthusiastic Brazilians, lending fur-ther to the cool ambiance that typifies Ki-kuya. The bar is a great place for friends to gather and strangers to meet.

A 3-year-old relaxed rock-and-roll bar located on 2/R Piazza Nazario Sauro, the One Eyed Jack Pub is inspired by the American bar atmosphere encountered by Gabrieli Jack, one of the owners, dur-ing an extended visit to the U.S. In ad-dition to a well-stocked liquor selection, the pub offers an impressive selection of beer on tap. Every night from 4:00-9:00 is “Kick Ass Hour”, and the bar offers free wi-fi, live music and open mic night.

Via de’ Benci 43/RTel. 055 23 44 879www.kikuyapub.it

Piazza Nazario Sauro 2/RTel. 393 95 70 064

www.thejackpub.com

Sei Divino The Diner

First Diner in Florence since 2004

Breakfast

Brunch

Lunch

Dinner

At Sei Divino, an intimate dining experi-ence awaits. The restaurant is known for its excellent aperitivo, which is both high in quality and sensibly priced. Known for its intimate and familial setting, the restau-rant offers quality cocktails accompanied by fresh and well-made aperitivo dishes. In addition, Sei Divino offers an impres-sively large wine bar. The restaurant of-fers a small outdoor patio and a larger indoor seating area.

If you’re craving an American food haven in the heart of Florence, look no further than The Diner, located on a small street near the Palazzo Vecchio. The restaurant boasts both an Authentic American at-mosphere and a authentic menu includ-ing pancakes, hamburgers, fries, and milkshakes. Whether you are looking to try American food for the first time or are looking for a taste of the homeland, The Diner has something to offer.

Borgo Ognissanti 42Tel. 055 21 77 91

Via della Spada 62/R Tel. 055 21 87 57

www.laspadaitalia.com

Unbeknownst to the many tourists un-derstandably attracted by art and architecture, Florence also houses a gallery of soccer: the Museo del Cal-

cio, located in the Coverciano area not far from the stadium.

A historical collection of memorabilia and pride The Soccer Museum of Florence

Thomas Ricciotti

Massimo Fini is the founder and director of the Museum, having served as physiotherapist of the Italian national team from 1962 to 1982. Today, Fini is the curator of both the museum and the Coverciano sport center which, due to its reasonable distance for players traveling from teams all around the country, is the house

of the Italian national team where they train and prepare for international tournaments, including the upcoming European championship. The Museo del Calcio’s three floors reveal the history of Italian and international soccer from its origins in the 20th century. Over the years,

Opening Hours:

Monday to Friday 9 am-1 pm, 3-7 pm

Sunday open only for groups.

Booking necessary.

Prices:

5 Euro, it includes an audioguide

Reduced fare: 3 Euro (from 6 to 14)

Free for younger than 5-year-old

Booking and Reservations:

Tel. + 39 055 60 05 26Email: [email protected]

Viale Aldo Palazzeschi 2050135, Florence

Fini has collected priceless treasures such as cleats, jerseys, trophies, posters and soccer balls. All jerseys exhibited belonged to former players, and the cleats on display date back since the years of the sport’s pioneers during the second half of the 19th century.The special focus is of course the history of the

Italian team. Newspaper articles and black and white photos of Mussolini and the 1934 and 1938 Italian national teams flaunt Italy’s achievements.The Museum boasts a library of more than 1,500 volumes on the history of soccer, as well

as a conference room. Florence is not just art, churches, and architec-ture. While visiting the city during the month of the European championship, a visit to the Mu-seo del Calcio for its 12th anniversary may com-plete the itinerary.

Easy Living Montecarla

For the eighth year in a row, Easy Liv-ing, one of the most loved outdoor bars among Florentines, has returned for the summer.This cultural project was created by the Piazzart association, and every day from dawn to sunset and throughout the sum-mer nights, it organizes a rich cultural program of art, videos, contemporary dance and music on the Terrace of Piaz-za Poggi and the beach below. This year

The Montecarla Club is more than an average nightclub. The club, located in an old palazzo between Via de’Bardi and Piazza de’Mossi, can be entered only through a very small door. Beyond the portal, an alternate universe awaits, balancing a 30s sophistication with wild African artwork. Hodgepodge pieces

Lungarno Beach (in front of Piazza Poggi)Tel. 055 62 53 49

Via de’ BardiTel. 055 23 40 259

Beach Terrace and Bar on the Arno The Kitsch Bar of Florence

presents a new maxiscreen on the Arno beach where it will be possible to watch European championship soccer games, the upcoming 2012 Olympics, as well as movie screenings. As always, there will be a sand castle building tournament on August 15th and a picnic on the beach waiting for the fireworks to celebrate Florence’s patron saint, San Giovanni, on June 24th.

F10 Art & Culture

Reflection through the images of painter Giuseppe Linardi Beyond the Shape

Anna Balzani

It assert J.W. Goethe “there’s no way surer then art to escape the world” and, parame-ters, “there’s no surer tie with it that the art”.Through the artist language we offer a con-

tribution to the perception of being, of the form through which the nature clinically manifests it-self, of the man not only a san object and from it employee but also in quality of observer and projection of this nature.The artist becomes a witness, sometimes annoy-ing, of an age, its change, of the inflection of tendency that characterize it and, in quality of privileged observer, becomes expression of the process of construction of knowledge, critical judgment, of found again identity.In the contemporary world, the environment and climate change, with all that pertains, represents issue always more pervasive of our living, the-matic put into effect them and to alarming in the same time.This problematic one assumes greater consist-ency to the light of the disarming paradox aris-ing to the fact that is in the “knowledge society,” imprinted in knowledge and knowing to make, that this dangerous process of distortion, su-perficial exaltation and deep degradation was started.If knowledge is to know nature in a deeper way, this distorted society shows a substantial detach-ment from the natural world that determines the urgency of taking of consciousness from part of everyone and the awakening of the sense of in-

dividual and collective responsibility.Absorbed from the occupations and wrapped up in the frenzy of theirs fulfillment, we become indifferent to the consequences attributable to

our careless act on the surrounding environ-ment, apparently heedless of the fact that if the problem assumes a planetary dimensions, the only possible solution is determinable individu-ally, in the engagement of the individual in or-der to promote new conceptual schemes and

more effective models of action.The principle of the “butterfly effect” metaphori-cally expresses the relationship which exists be-tween man and nature: the flutter of a butterfly,

comparable to the action of the individual, initi-ates a small change; this last one may set off another and so forth.Our “power” is similar to that of butterflies; however we are able to realize the effects of extraordinary capacity when we abandon dys-

[email protected]

functional patterns of thought involving inaction and we decide consciously in which area to di-rect our intervention.If we cannot unilaterally control a dynamic that is so complex system like the Earth’s climate, prey to an inattentive conformism that doesn’t stop, in the same time we can exercise a sig-nificant influence on it, if only apparently neg-ligible.In light of these considerations, assume the re-flection for images conducted by Giuseppe Linardi and the inherent environmental issues, as well as the connections related, in terms of consumerism.The environmental challenge represents an ethi-cal one; that reasonably should also bring the political class to engage in a common project free from the short sightedness of the legisla-tures, from the utilitarian conflicts and personal rivalries in order to promote the achievement of concrete solutions, guided by the long term goal.His work represents a complaint because it’s the attempt to see clearly where there are shadows, since the true intuition is looking through a dark mirror and captures the essence of things, the difference and the contradiction that lies around them.

of furniture, tables, and chairs, some of which are spotted with leopard print are scattered through the clubs five rooms. The boudoir furnishings and smoky ambi-ance join together to lend an air to early 20th-century decadence. Open late from 10:30-6:00 a.m., the club offers a full bar and indoor smoking. Via de’Bardi.

BEAUTY

GYM

TATTOO

PHARMACY

HERBALIST

GYMNASIUM FITNESS CENTER via palazzuolo 49/r special discount for studentsemail: [email protected]

GUS TATTOO VIA CITTADELLA 22/R055 3247286MAKING ART HISTORY

OFFICINA FARMACEUTICA via della scala 16 055 216276

DE HERBORE VIA DEL PROCONSOLO 43/Ropen from 9am- 7.30pm (Monday- Friday)HERBORIST, MACROBIOTIC, DIETETIC, PHYTOCOSMETICS, PERFUMERY, ORGANIC FOODS AND COSMETICSWWW.DEHERBORE.COM

ITALY & EUROPEFUN IN TUSCANY Via Bernardo Cennini 6 - 50123 (near the train station)

WHEN IN FLORENCEVia G. Verdi 46/r055 386 [email protected]

BUS 2 ALPSC/O BOSTON TRAVEL VIA GUELFA 1G/RWWW.BUS2ALPS.COM

PLUS TOURSVia Santa Caterina D’Alessandria 15

TRAVEL & TOURS

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SHIPPING

SHIPPING SOLUTIONS VIA DELL’AGNOLO 115/R (SANTA CROCE AREA)ANY SOLUTION FOR SHIPPING 055 [email protected]

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SITI WEB GALLERY via Paisiello 58335 5256011

WEB DESIGN

THE DINER via dell’ acqua 2 055 290748all kinds of american brunch foodwww.theflorencediner.com

CLUB CULINARIO TOSCANO DA OSVALDO PIAZZA DEI PERUZZI, 3/RROMANTIC AND EXCLUSIVE TUSCAN PRODUCTSOPEN 7PM-11PM, CLOSED ON SUNDAYTEL: 055 217919

FORNO SARTONI since 1933 via de’ cerchi, 34/Rgood bread, daily in florenceopen every day from 7.30am-8:00pm

EATING OUT EATING OUT

ACQUA AL 2 via della vigna vecchia 40/r 055284170 www.acquaal2.it

GUSTA OSTERIA Via de’ michelozzi, 13/r055 285033

OSTERIA SANTO SPIRITO Piazza di Santo Spirito, 16 popular, great foodspecial 10% discount for students 055 238 23 83

LA SPADAVia della Spada, 62special 20% discount for students 055 218757

IL BOCCALEBORGO S. APOSTOLI 33/R055 283546 SPECIAL FIRST CHOICE COURSE + DRINK 6 EURO

BISTRO` DEL MARELungarno Corsini 4/Rquality in modern ambientopen for lunch and dinner 055 2399224

BRUNCH

TUSCAN CREATIVE CUISINE

BAKERY

TYPICAL TUSCAN RESTAURANTS

TYPICAL SICILIAN & TUSCAN

SEAFOOD RESTAURANT

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IL VEGETARIANOvia delle ruote, 30R055 475030www.il-vegetariano.it

VEGETARIAN RESTAURANT A3map code

GUSTA PIZZA via MAGGIO 46r 055285068 [email protected]

SANDWICHES & CHIANTI WINE

SOFT DRINKS

LO SDRUCCIOLO Sdrucciolo de’ Pitti 8rfreshly made gourmet sandwichesopen every day 11am - 19pmfree internet access

SALUMERIA ENOTECA VERDI Via Verdi 36/Rspecial first course 3.50 €second course with vegetables 5 € and sandwichesopen every day

GUSTAPANINO Via SANTO SPIRITO 2r333 9202673

FRATELLI ZANOBINI VIA SANT’ANTONINO 47/R

ROCCO Via de’ Neri 16/R [email protected]

IL PANINO DEL CHIANTI via de’bardi 63/R 055 2398831typical panini and tasty wine

CHIC RESTAURANT

MOMOYAMA SUSHI BAR borgo san frediano 10/r055 2281840www.momoyama.it

INTERNATIONAL RESTAURANTS

PIZZERIA & RESTAURANTS

RUTH’S via l.c. farini 2a055 2480888special free hummus, wifi service

IL GATTO E LA VOLPE via ghibellina 151/R 055 289264open every daySPECIAL OFFERmargherita and soft drinks 5 euro

LE CARCERI piazza madonna della neve055 2479327special 20% discount forstudents

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ISABELLE Palazzo BuondelmontiPiazza Santa Trinita 1/R (Via Tornabuoni)055 [email protected]

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STUDENT TRAVEL EUROPE

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Uffizi GalleryLoggiato degli Uffizi, 6 HOURSOpen Tuesday to Sunday 8,15 – 18,50TICKETS Full Price: € 6,50Reduced: € 3,25

Accademia GalleryVia Ricasoli, 58-60HOURSTuesday to Sunday8,15 – 18,50TICKETS Full Price: € 6,50Reduced: € 3,25

Bargello National MuseumVia del Proconsolo, 4 HOURSDaily: 8.15-13.50

Market San LorenzoPiazza S. Lorenzo to Via dell’ArientoClosed Sundays & MondaysArticles in leather, souvenirs, cloth-ing

Central MarketStalls inside the San Lorenzo central market in Via dell’ArientoOpen Monday-Saturday: 7am - 2 pmBest food market in the city

Sant’AmbrogioPiazza Ghiberti/Piazza Sant’Ambrogio (indoor & outdoor)Open every weekday (except Sun-day): 7am - 2pmFresh fruits & vegetables, clothes, flowers, shoes & houseware stands

Public SecurityCARABINIERI POLICE 112STATE POLICE 113FIRE DEPARTMENT 115INTERPRETER’S OFFICE 005-20391363

Medical Service24 MEDICAL SERVICE 005-475411MISERICORDIA FIRENZE 005-212221

Transportation Florence Airport 055-3061700FLIGHT INFORMATION 24HRS. 055-3061700TOURIST INFORMATION 055-315874LOST BAGGAGE 055-3061302

MUST-SEE MUSEUMS MARKETS IN FLORENCE USEFUL NUMBERS

TICKETS Full Price: € 4,00Reduced: € 2,00

Museum of Medici ChapelsPiazza di Madonna degli Aldobrandini, 6 HOURSDaily: 8.15-13.50TICKETS Full Price: € 6,00Reduced: € 3,00

The Pitti Palace and Boboli GardensPiazza Pitti 1 HOURS8.15 a.m. to 6.50 p.m. Tues-day through Sunday TICKETSFull euro 8,50Reduced euro 4,25

Porcellino MarketPiazza del Mercato Nuovo Open daily (except Sundays & Monday mornings): 8am - 7pm Articles in Florentine straw, hand embroidery, leather goods, objects in wood, flowers

Cascine MarketCascine ParkOpen every Tuesday morning: 7am - 2pmFood, clothing, antiquities, houseware, specialties

Santo Spirito MarketPiazza Santo SpiritoOpen every second SundaySpecialist organic foods, an-tiques and individual items

Florence SMN RAILWAY STATION LOST & FOUND OFFICE 055-2352190NATIONAL RAILWAYS (+39)0668475475WWW:FERROVIEDELLOSTATO.COM

Radio Taxi0554390 / 0554242 / 05547 / 0554499CITY PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION ATAF & LI-NEACALL TALL-FRER 800424500(FROM MOBILE: 199104245)

Bus Lines Lazzi05515155 / 055351061(SERVES SIENNA, SAN GIMIGNANO, VOLTERRA & MUGELLO)

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FORNO SARTONI since 193310

GUSTA PIZZA 25

ACQUA AL 2 14

GUSTAPANINO 29

MR. PIZZA 32

IL VEGETARIANO 20

LA SPADA16

ROCCO BAR 31

GELATERIA DEI NERI34

RUTH’S 22

SHIPPING SOLUTIONS 8

BUS 2 ALPS6

GUS TATTOO2

THE DINER11

IL PANINO DEL CHIANTI 26

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Oblate LibraryVia dell’ Oriuolo 26 Tel.: 055-2616512 Monday: 2 pm-7 pm / Wednesday-Saturday: 9 am-12 pmhttp://www.bibliotecadelleoblate.it

National Central LibraryPiazza Cavalleggeri 1/a Switch-board phone:055-249191 Tel.: 055-249 191Monday-Friday: 9 am-7pm / Saturday: 9am to 1pmhttp://www.bncf.firenze.sbn.it

Laurentian LibraryPiazza di San Lorenzo 9 Tel.: 055-210760 Monday-Saturday: 9.30 am-1.30 pm, closed on the first Saturday of the month https://www.sbn.it

Tourist Information – Comune di FirenzePiazza Stazione 4 Monday-Saturday: 8.30am-7pm, Sundays & public holidays: 8.30am-2pmTel.: 055-212245 / 055-2728208 [email protected]

New Tourist Point in the Bigallo MuseumPiazza San Giovanni 1 (ground floor)Monday-Saturday: 9am-7pm, Sunday: 9am-2 pmTel.: 055-215440

HISTORIC LIBRARIESTOURIST INFORMATION POINTSUSEFUL NUMBERS

Riccardiana LibraryPalazzo Medici Riccardi - Via Ginori 10 Tel.: 055-212586/ 293385Monday, Thursday: 8 am-5.30 pm / Tuesday, Friday: 8 am-2 pmhttp://www.riccardiana.firenze.sbn.it

Marucelliana LibraryVia Cavour 43-45Tel.: 055-2722200 / 21 06 02 / 21 62 43 Monday-Friday: 8.30 am-7 pm / Saturdays: 8.30 am-1.45 pmhttp://www.maru.firenze.sbn.it

Central City LibraryVia S. Egidio 21 - 50122 FirenzeTel. 055 2616512Monday-Saturday: 8.30am-1.30 pm

APT FirenzeVia Cavour 1 r Monday-Saturday: 8.30am-6.30pm, Sundays & public holidays: 8.30am-2.30pmTel.: 055-290832 / 055-290833 [email protected]

APT FirenzeAirport A. Vespucci Daily: 8.30am-8.30pmTel.: 055-315874 [email protected]

APT FirenzeVia Manzoni 16 Monday-Friday: 9am-1pmTel.: [email protected]

Florence SMN RAILWAY STATION LOST & FOUND OFFICE 055-2352190NATIONAL RAILWAYS (+39)0668475475WWW:FERROVIEDELLOSTATO.COM

Radio Taxi0554390 / 0554242 / 05547 / 0554499CITY PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION ATAF & LI-NEACALL TALL-FRER 800424500(FROM MOBILE: 199104245)

Bus Lines Lazzi05515155 / 055351061(SERVES SIENNA, SAN GIMIGNANO, VOLTERRA & MUGELLO)

Hospitals and Emergency Services

CALL 118

CAREGGI (General and obstetri-cal Aid)V.le Pieraccini 17 Tel.: 055-4277111U.R.P.: Tel.: 055-4277790 / 4277791

NEW HOSPITAL S. GIOVANNI DI DIOVia Torregalli 3Tel.: 055-71921

HOSPITAL S. MARIA NUOVAPiazza S. Maria Nuova 1Tel.: 055-27581

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TUSCAN WINE SCHOOL FLORENCE 35

FLORENCE DANCE CULTURAL

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TABACCHI CAVINI 37

PAPERBACK EXCHANGE 38

LE GIUBBE ROSSE Since 1896

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COLLE BERETO 59

TARTAN JOCK 42

KITSCH AMERICAN BAR53

UNCLE JIMMY 46

ZOE 57

ENOTECA DE’ MACCI 50

MONTECARLA CLUB 61

DATA RECORDS 93 39

BAR SAN FIRENZE Since 192041

FLET AMERICAN BAR 52

FINNEGAN 45

EASY LIVING 56

THE JOSHUA TREE PUB 49

BLOB CLUB 60

ONE EYED JACK 43

KITSCH DEUX 54

THE FISH PUB 47

MOYO 58

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EATING OUT

TAKE AWAY/DELIVERY PIZZAMR. PIZZA Via Pietrapiana, 82055 3860311

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FGELATERIA DELLA PASSERA piazza della passera 15home madehigh quality ice cream

ICE CREAM

GELATERIA DEI NERI via dei neri 20/22r, high quality since 1989

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SPORT & LEISURE

NIGHT LIFE

TOBACCO

WINE SCHOOLEXHIBITIONS

TABACCHI CAVINI Via de’ Neri 41/RSELECTED CUBAN AND TOSCANO CIGARSZIPPO LIGHTERS AND ACCESSORIESFLORENTINE PAPER AND STATIONERY

TUSCAN WINE SCHOOL FLORENCE Via de’ Bardi 23/R055 [email protected]

GALLERIA MICHELANGIOLO Via Cavour 21INTERACTIVE LEONARDO’S MACHINESOPEN FROM 9.30AM- 7.30PM EVERY DAY

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FLORENCE DANCE CULTURAL CENTER Borgo Stella 23/r 055.289276 [email protected]

TREE SLEEPINGhttp://www.tree-sleeping.it

AGUARAJA-CANOA,KAYAK AND RAFTING IN TUSCANYVia Lazzeri 47, 56010 loc. Ghezzano (Comune di San Giuliano Terme)3483301593

CIRCOLO MARINA DI CANDELI CANOA, TENNISVia della Massa 42Bagno a Ripoli055 632708www.marinadicandeli.it

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PUBS

HISTORIC CAFES

ONE EYED JACK piazza nazario sauro 2, 055 6288040live music, dj set, theme parties

TARTAN JOCK CORSO TINTORI 41/R OPEN FROM 3PM- 2AMaperitivo and kitchen open until 2am

KIKUYA Via de’ Benci, 43/R zona s.crocethe oldest english pubopen every night from 5pm- 2am

FINNEGAN Via San Gallo 123RTYPICAL IRISH PUBwww.finneganpub.com

UNCLE JIMMY Via De’ Pescioni 5/R Irish american pub Outside tables

THE FISH PUB Piazza del mercato centrale 44/Rflorentine best party pubhip-hop, r&b, reggeton

DUBLIN PUB Via Faenza 27/R 055 2741571 [email protected]

THE JOSHUA TREE PUB Via della Scala 37/R0123 456789 www.thejoshuatreepub.com‎

BAR SAN FIRENZE Since 1920Piazza di San Firenze, 1/R

LE GIUBBE ROSSE Since 1896 Piazza della Repubblica 13/14r

APERITIVO

OUTDOOR GRILL & LIVE MUSIC

FLET AMERICAN BAR piazza de’ nerli dj set, cocktail bar, tables outside, hamburgers

SEI DIVINO borgo ognissanti 42/Ropen 3pm until latecocktail bar, live music, dj set

KITSCH AMERICAN BAR viale gramsci 1/rmodern ambient,open for lunch toococktail bar, dj set

KITSCH DEUX via san gallo 22/ropen 5pm-3am open for lunch toolive music, dj set, tables outside

THE CLUB HOUSE Via de’ Ginori 6/r special buffet + drink 6 €Every night 6pm-10 pm

EASY LIVING Piazza poggiBeach Terrace and Bar on the Arno

CLUBS

WINE BARENOTECA DE’ MACCI Via De’ Macci 92/R At the corner of Via Mino 4-6-8/r3388846455

FESTA DEL MUGELLO Openair Grill Festival VIA FABRIZIO DE ANDRE’LUNGARNO ALDO MORO(NEAR OBIHALL)

BLOB CLUB via vinegia 21/r 055 211209open every night membership onlywww.blobclub.com

AMERICAN BARS

BOOKSTORES

VINYL RECORDS

ZOE via dei renai 13brunch,light lunch, aperitivo,dj setwww.zoebar.it

MOYO via dei benci 23brunch,light lunch, aperitivo,dj setwww.moyo.it

COLLE BERETO piazza strozzi 5/rbrunch,light lunch, aperitivowww.colleberetocafe.it

MONTECARLA CLUB via de’bardi 2r 055 234 0259Every night happy nightdj set, cocktails

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SHOPPING

PAPERBACK EXCHANGE Via delle Oche [email protected]

DATA RECORDS 93 Via dei Neri 15/r 055 287592 www.superecords.com

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ADVERTISE WITH [email protected]

as low as 20 Euro for at least 6 issues

The Casale farmholding is situated on a hill to the north of the Elsa valley, close to San Gimignano ,Volterra and the sienese chianti zone. The specific area is actually mentioned in paleontological writings as it is rich in marine fossils from the Plio-cene era, some of which are still visible and visitable today in the form of the “ca-lanchi”, huge stalagtite type formations, natural erosions of the clay based soil surface..The farm dates back to 1770 and the company ledger details the annual har-vests from that date to 1915, and still pre-viously to that date there are traces that go back as far as the year 1000, which suggest that the original building was some sort of look-out tower, and even to-day there are remains of the ancient walls still standing in the deepest part of the cel-lars. Naturally the building has changed with the passage of the centuries to bring it to its current external appearance.We have been farming organically and biodynamically since 1980 and our pro-duce bears the “Demeter” trademark from 1995. Our product range includes wine. Red, rosé, and white, sparking white ( spu-mante), vinsanto ( dessert wine), chianti grape flavoured and balsamic vinegars, grappa, oak matured grappa, brandy, extra virgin olive oil and pearl barley.

F16 Food & Wine

Pozzo Divino

Wine Tastings

There is no place better to sample Tus-can wine than Pozzo Divino Wine Shop. Located on the bustling Via Ghibellina, the cozy shop offers great quality wines hadpicked by Pino, the owner. In addi-tion, the shop offers wine tastings in the shop’s original historic cellar dating back to 1312, featuring a stunning “pozzo” or well. To complement your wine tasting, be sure to visit Salumeria Verdi, located down the street from the shop, a small restaurant that is more than a century old and also owned by Pozzo Divino.

Via Ghibellina 144/ RTel: 055 24 66 907

www.pozzodivino.eu

Tuscan Wine School

The Salumeria Verdi

Take the Wine Express and learn how to taste and how wine is made. If you want to learn more about Tuscany’s wines, join us for the extremely interesting 2 hour long Tuscan Classics tasting any after-noon of the week and taste all the typi-cal wines from the most famous regions around Tuscany. We also offer the WSET courses available from Level 1 to Level 3, after which internationally acknowledged diplomas are awarded. This is not a wine school only for experts, but still here one is served the very best wines.

The Salumeria Verdi, located on 36/r Via G. Verdi, is a prime spot for quality food.The gastronomia has been serving the Florentine public since 1900, and of-fers fresh pastas, breads, meats, cheeses, and more. Because the Salumeria is a sis-ter company of the well-known enoteca Pozzo Divino, it offers a cornucopia of quality selections from the wine shop. It is open from Monday through Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., and also offers catering services.

Via de’ Bardi 23RTel. 055 2344142

www.tuscanwineschool.com

Tel. 055 24 45 [email protected]

The F.lli Zanobini Enoteca

Specializing in serving and selling wine, the F.lli Zanobini Enoteca was founded by the brothers Gino and Silvano in 1944, two sommeliers with an authentic passion for wine. The enoteca is located in the San Lorenzo area, near the Central Market. The shop is simply furnished with wood shelves that contain a selection of over 2,500 bottles of wine, liquors, spakling wines. They also sell wines pro-duced in the “Le Lame” estate in San Cas-ciano Val Di Pesa, in the Chianti area. A visit to this shop, where everything “speaks” of Bacco, is definitely worth it. F.lli Zanobini specializes in both retail and wholesale supplies, liquors and other distillates, which would satisfy even the most demanding barman.

Via San Antonino 47/RTel. +39 055 23 96 850

Since 1944

A beginner’s guide to understanding the processTaste Wine like an Expert

Kia Wright and Rick J. Widden

A nice glass of wine during an Italian dinner is a must, but it can be a bit confusing to the untrained mouth deciding whether or not the wine is

worth indulging in. Learning how to properly taste wine will supply a further appreciation for all that a wine has to offer.For those who are not wine connoisseurs, the four steps of tasting a wine are as follows:1) See. The color of the wine alone can give you a lot of information. 2) Sniff. The aroma gives you an idea of the wine before you taste it. 3) Sip. Sip to understand. 4) Summarize.There is much more to a wine than basic red or white color when considering its appearance. Before tasting, or even swirling the wine, notice how it looks. Consider the wine’s color through-out the glass, note if it is darker in the center and lighter on the edges, whether the liquid is rather clear or opaque and if there is visible sediment throughout or settled at the bottom of the glass.Once you have a good handle on the appear-ance of the wine, it is time to get to know the smell. There are two key times to smell wine: when it is first poured and after you have swirled it around in the glass. For the initial smell bring your nose about an inch from the tip of the glass and inhale the aromas. Notice strong smells of fruit, oak, citrus, or flowers. Now swirl the wine around in the glass for 10 to 15 seconds; this will allow more of the aromas to escape up to your nose. For the next smell

put your nose into the glass of wine and inhale a deep breath through your nose. Notice any differences that change in the scent of the wine. Smell is one of the best indicators of a wine’s quality, so be sure to enjoy the full aroma of a wine.Now you are ready for the taste portion of the test. On the first sip, be sure to keep it in your mouth, swishing it all over your tongue to allow the taste to reach all of your taste buds. No-tice if the wine tastes dry, rich, fruity, or oaky. Take another sip, this time keep the liquid on your tongue and breathe through your mouth, exhaling through your nose. This allows the wine to open up in your mouth, releasing more disguised flavors directly to your tongue. Notice any and all difference between the first sip and the second.Remember that certain looks, smells, and tastes do not outright mean a wine is bad. Whether a wine is flavorful or not is based on personal opinion, and a wine will only truly be poor if there are extremely negative looks, scents, and tastes. In order to perfect what you enjoy, try many different wines, and jot down what you enjoy about each.Take into account the first three steps and ask yourself, would I like to have another glass? Though many objective conclusions may be made about a glass of wine, in the end a wine is good if you want more.

For those who are not wine connoisseurs, the four steps of tasting a wine are as follows:

1) See. The color of the wine alone can give you a lot of information. 2) Sniff. The aroma gives you an idea of the wine before you taste it. 3)

Sip. Sip to understand. 4) Summarize.

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Wine education

F 17Travel

Each year thousands of people flock to Florence, but no trip to the Tuscan capi-tal is complete without a day excursion to one of its surrounding treasures. Roll-

ing Tuscan hills and some of the finest gastron-omy in the world lie only a short drive away. If you are willing to travel a bit farther you are soon visiting iconic coastlines, UNESCO world heritage sites and gondola filled canals. What are you waiting for?

Easy day trips close to FlorenceDon’t Miss your own Backyard

Jordan Davis & Gianna Shepherd

For medieval architecture and stunning buttressed cityscapes, head to Siena and San Gimignano. Visitors to these former Eutruscan hill towns will find themselves surrounded by fascinating cul-ture, buildings and of course great food and wine. Easily navigable, travelers find the heart of Siena’s charm in its architecture. The founding families of San Gimignano required that seventy-two towers be built in order to protect the city. Today fifteen of these towers remain, giv-ing San Gimignano a unique skyline and earning

it the nickname of the medieval New York City. Try a family-run winery in San Gimingano for a three-course Tuscan meal and a delicious wine tasting including the famous Vernaccia di San Gimignano. As you are savoring the Vernac-cia and homemade lasagna, the winery own-ers will passionately explain that wine is more than something to drink in the Italian culture. It is “love, poetry and imagination.”A trip to Florence is not complete without experi-

encing a wine tasting in the rolling hills of Tusca-ny. “Si mangia bene e si beve bene” translates “to eat well and drink well”, and that is precisely what you will do in the famous vinyard towns of Montepulciano and Montalcino. Sample both the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and Brunello di Montalcino, wines made with the world-renowned Sangiovese grape. Partak-ing in a wine tasting in Montepulciano is par-ticularly memorable as they are held in a former prison.

Neighboring Montalcino is worth a visit simply for one of the best views in all of Tuscany, luck-ily it is also home to another exquisite wine. Brunello di Montalcino is one of Italy’s most well known wines and the first to be awarded with the prestigious DOCG status. A local gelateria even offers a Brunello flavor of gelato.Heading north east from Florence quickly brings you to a rugged portion of the coast and the Cinque Terre of the Liguria region. These “five

lands” of the Italian Riviera provide the unique opportunity for hiking and lying on a beach in the same day. Start out with a hike and enjoy the spectacular views along the coastal path-way that joins the five towns. The pot of gold at the end of the rainbow comes in the form of the beautiful beach in the fifth town, Monterosso al Mare. Indulge in the Ligurian specialty of pesto pizza or perhaps some mouthwatering seafood paired with a chilled white wine. No one should visit Italy and not see Venice,

and it is also possible to make this a day excur-sion from Florence. Just as you imagined it from the movies, Venice has it all, romantic bridges, singing gondoliers and pigeons flocking in St. Mark’s Square. Wander the maze-like streets and enjoy the calm of a city without cars and scooters. Take the waterbus to the island of Mu-rano for a glass-blowing demonstration. Watch the sun sink into the Adriatic Sea as you enjoy dinner overlooking the water, and end the day

with a Bellini, the famous Venetian cocktail com-bining white peaches and Prosecco. Florence is incredible, but venturing its city walls will allow you to have a greater appreciation of all things Italian: culture, architecture, food and wine, and truly magnificent scenery. Whether your visit includes the Etruscan hillside towns in Tuscany, the vibrant villages on the coast of Cinque Terre or the legendary canals of Venice, you are sure to broaden your horizons and en-joy even more of la dolce vita, “the sweet life.”

F18 Events

EXHIBITS

DANCE & BALLET

SPORT EVENTS

LECTURES & CONFERENCES

SPECIAL EVENTS

CINEMA

MUSIC, CONCERTS & OPERA

EXHIBITION HOMAGE TO MARILYN MONROEFerragamo Museum, Via Tornabuoni 2June 20th 2012– January 28th 2013Open: Monday-Sunday 10am-6pm Tickets: €5tel. 0553562417, www.museoferragamo.it

THE GLEAM OF GOLD. International gothic style in Florence 1375-1440Uffizi Gallery, Piazzale degli UffiziJune 18th – November 4th Open: Tuesday-Sunday 8:15am-6:50pmTickets: € 11tel. 055294883, www.unannoadarte.it

FABULAE PICTAE. MYTHS AND STORIES IN THE CERAMICS OF THE RENAISSANCEMuseo del Bargello, Via del Proconsolo 4May 16th – September 16th Open: Monday-Sunday 8:15-1:50pmTickets: € 7tel. 055294883, www.unannoadarte.it

PATRICK MIMRAM. SYMBOLS AS SYMPTONSMNAF- Museo Nazionale Alinari della fotografia, Piazza S. Maria Novella 14rJune 1st – July 31st Open: Monday- Saturdays 10am-7:30pmTickets: € 9tel. 055216310, www.mnaf.it

MARCO LODOLA AT THE COURT OF THE MEDICI FAMILYPalazzo Medici Riccardi Via Cavour 3June 15th – July 31stOpen: Monday- Sundays 9am-6pm Tickets: € 7tel. 0552760224, www.palazzo-medici.it

ANDREA COMMODI: from his attraction to Michelangelo to his anxiety about newCasa Buonarroti, Via Ghibellina 70May 17th – August 31stOpen: Monday- Saturdays 10am-5:00pmTickets: € 6,50tel. 055241752, www.casabuonarroti.it

LOVETT & CODAGNONE- Contemporary art exhibitionMuseo Marino Marini, Piazza San PancrazioApril 20th – June 23rd Open: Monday-Saturday 10am-5pmtel. 055219432, www.museomarinomarini.it

THE TAPESTRY GALLERY, Epiphanies of precious fabricsUffizi Gallery, Piazzale degli UffiziMarch 20th – June 3rd Tickets: € 11Open: Monday- Friday 9:00am- 5:00pm.tel. 05523885, www.unannoadarte.it

THE MYTH, THE SACRED, THE PORTRAIT. Painting from the repositories of the Palatine GalleryGalleria Palatina (Palazzo Pitti)April 17th – December 22nd Tickets: € 13Open: Tuesday-Sunday 8:15am- 6:50pmtel. 0552388616, www.polomusealefirenze.it

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, Wrecking ball world tour 2012Stadio Artemio Franchi, Viale Man-fredo Fanti 4June 10th at 8.00 pmtel. 055667566, www.bitconcerti.it

MADONNA, World Tour 2012Stadio Artemio Franchi, Viale Manfredi Fanti 4June 16th at 8:00pmtel. 055667566, www.bitconcerti.it

CHRIS CORNELL, Songbook tourCavea del Nuovo Teatro dell’Opera di Firenze, Viale Fratelli Rosselli 1June 29th at 9:00pmtel. 0552779350, www.livenation.it

XIII STAGIONE TOSCANA CLASSICA 2012ORCHESTRA DA CAMERA FIOREN-TINA

June 17th at 9:00pmAuditorium di Santo Stefano al Ponte VecchioMusic by P. J. Tchaykowski, E. Grieg, F.Mendelsshon

June18th at 9:00pmOrsanmichele Museum, Via dell’arte della lana 1Music by J. S.Bach, L. van Beethoven, H. Wienaswski

June 21st at 9:00 pm Auditorium di Santo Stefano al Ponte VecchioMusic by G. Donizetti, G. Puccini, G. Verdi

June 29th at 9:00pmOrsanmichele Museum, Via dell’arte della lana 1Music by F. Chopin, C. Debussy tel. 055783374, www.orcafi.it

LA TRAVIATA- opera by Giuseppe VerdiOrchestra and Chorus of Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Director Z. MehtaTeatro Comunale, Corso Italia 12June 20th, and 21st at 8:30pm, June 23rd at 3:30pm, June 25th , 26th at 8:30pmtel. 0552779350, www.maggiofiorentino.it

JAPAN LAND OF ENCHANTMENT Palazzo Pitti, Museo degli Argenti, Galleria palatina, Galleria d’arte modernaApril 3rd – July 1st Open: Monday- Friday 8:15am- 1:50pm.tel. 055290832, www.unannoadarte.it

FROM FATTORI TO THE 20th CENTURY.UNPUBLISHED WORKS FROM THE ROSTER, DEL GRECO,OLSCHIKI COLLECTIONVilla Bardini, Costa San Giorgio 2April 1st – November 4th tel. 0552638599, www.bardinipeyron.it

AMERICANS IN FLORENCE. SARGENT AND THE AMERICAN IMPRESSIONISTSPalazzo Strozzi, Piazza degli StrozziMarch 3rd – July15th Open: Monday-Sunday 9am-8:00pm, Thursdays 9am-11pmTickets: € 10tel. 0552645155, www.palazzostrozzi.org

CONCERTS AT VILLA BARDINIVilla Bardini, Costa San Giorgio2June 26th at 6:30pmTickets: € 6tel. 0552638599, www.bardinipeyron.it

SUMMER AT BARGELLO, Harmonia Choir CantataMusic by Schubert, Breahms and MendelssohnCourtyard of the Bargello Museum, Via del Proconsolo 4June 27th at 9:15pmtel. 055611299, www.flamensable.com

CONCERT by Orchestra and Cho-rus of Maggio Musicale Fioren-tino, Director Z. MehtaPiazza della Signoria at 9:30pmThursday June 30th at 9:30pmtel. 0552779350, www.maggiofiorentino.it

FLORENCE DANCE FESTIVALMuseo Nazionale del Bargello, Via del Proconsolo 4June 26th – July 23rd tel. 055289276, www.florencedance.org

GALA DANCE WITH MAGGIO DANZAPiazza della SignoriaJune 28th at 9:30tel. 0552779350, www.maggiofiorentino.it

TORNEO SAN GIOVANNI. HISTORICAL FLORENTINE FOOT-BALL TOURNEMENTPiazza Santa Croce at 5:00pmJune 16th ,17th , 24th tel. 0552616054, www.calciostoricofioren-tino.it

73rd SAINT JOHN EVENING RUN, WALKING RACE 30kmPiazza DuomoJune 23rd at 9:00 pm (departure)tel. 0555522957, www.firenzemarathon.it

BONNIE McMULLEN“To see Italy steadily and see it whole: Edith Wharton Italian backgrounds”June 13th at 6pm

THE PICCADILLY PIANO QUINTETA concert of music by Cyril ScottJune 20th at 6pm

CHARLES H. CECIL“The innovative portraits of John Singer Sargent”June 27th at 6pm

TUSCAN SUN FESTIVAL. Festival delle ArtiTeatro della Pergola, Cinema Odeon, Palazzo StrozziJune 11th- 18th tel. 0557476610, www.tuscansunfestival.com

GREGOR VON REZZORI LITERARY PRIZEPalazzo Medici, Cinema teatro Odeon, Palazzo VecchioJune 13th – 15th tel. 0552347273, www.premiovonrezzori.org

SUMMER LITTLE FAIR – organic and hand made local productsPiazza Santo SpiritoJune 17th tel. 055697747

English original sound at Cinema Odeon, Piazza Strozzitel. 055214068, www.odeon.intoscana.it

SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMEN (UK/USA 2012)By Lasse Hallström. With Ewan McGregor, Emily Blunt, Amr WakedJune 11th , 12thShows: 4:00, 6:15, 8:30, 10.40pm

MARTHA, MARCY, MAY, MARLENE (USA 2011)June 15th and 17th Shows: 3:30pmJune 16th Shows: 4:00pm

ALL GOOD THINGS (USA 2010)June 20th Shows: 4pmJune 21stShows: 4:00, 6:00, 10:30pm

COSMOPOLIS (Canada/France/Italy 2012)June 22ndShows: 4:00, 6:15, 10:40pmJune 23rd , 24th , 25th Shows: 4:00, 6:15, 8:30, 10:40pmJune 26th Shows: 4:00, 6:15pm

MARLEY (USA/UK 2012)June 26th Shows: 9:00pmJune 27th and 29th Shows: 4:00, 6:50, 9:30June 28th Shows: 5:30pm

TRIBECA FIRENZE Cinema Odeon, Piazza Strozzitel. www.odeon.intoscana.it, www.tuscan-sunfestival.com

WAGNER’S DREAM (USA 2012)By Susan Froemke. With Robert Lep-age, Deborah Voigt, Jay Hunter Morris and The Metropolitan Opera. June 13th Shows 5:15pm

ANY DAY NOW (USA 2012)By Travis Fine. With Alan Cumming, Garret Dillahunt, Isaac Leyva.June 13th Shows 8:15pm

WOODY ALLEN: A DOCUMENTARY (USA 2011) By Robert B. Weide. With Woody Allen, Letty Aronson, Antonio Banderas. June 13th Shows 10:45pm

F 19History & Culture

The story of a true Renaissance Man and a favorite dessertBuontalenti: A Genius beyond Gelato

Mercedes Matos Carrara Art History Professor at Gonzaga University in Florence

Summertime is a wonderful opportunity for tourists and locals to exchange views on one of the most ancient and delicious sweets: iced fruit desserts, al-

ready known by the Greeks and the Romans, and referred to as sherbets by the Arabs.Catherine de’ Medici, the first Florentine queen of France, had introduced these sherbets into the French court when she married Henry of Valois in 1533. Interestingly enough, her Italian cooks also introduced the art of frying to Paris. French fries are actually Florentine fries and spinach in béchamel sauce are still called Spinach (épi-nard) Florentine in any French cook book!Bernardo Buontalenti, a Mannerist court artist for the Medici Grand Duke, is traditionally cred-ited with the invention of Florentine Gelato. He used an eggnog cream instead of ice for the dessert he created to celebrate the wedding of Marie de’ Medici and King Henry IV of France. One of the most famous ice cream flavors in Florence is still called “Gelato Buontalenti.”Buontalenti’s unique skill as an architect can be seen in the large grotto in the Boboli Gardens, created to incorporate Michelangelo’s Four Pris-oners into the four corners of the entrance hall. Michelangelo’s unfinished statues for the Tomb of Julius II had been carved in Florence during the last Florentine Republic (1527-30). The art-ist was threatened with a lawsuit by the pope’s nephew, Francesco Maria I, Duke of Urbino.The first project for a free standing, three-story tomb in Old St. Peter’s had been done in 1505. However, when the pope died in 1513, only the Moses and the Louvre Dying and Rebellious Slaves had been started. The project became smaller as the years went by.No other della Rovere was elected pope and the two Medici popes Leo X and Clement VII sent Michelangelo to Florence to work in San Lorenzo, the Medici parish church, where he did the New Sacristy and only two of the com-missioned tombs, those of the lesser known Gi-

uliano, Duke of Nemours and Lorenzo Duke of Urbino. Clement VII also commissioned Michel-angelo to build the Laurentian Library above the cloister of San Lorenzo to house the Medici col-lection of manuscripts.When the Medici became dictators, Michelan-gelo left for Rome in 1534, never to return. The Four Prisoners remained in Florence.The Tomb of Julius II, a much smaller version at-tached to the wall, was finally assembled in San Pietro in Vincoli (St. Peter in Chains) in 1545,

exactly 40 years after the first project for Old St. Peter’s.One wonders if the Agony and the Ecstasy, Irving Stone’s biographical novel on Michelangelo, was given that title because of Michelangelo’s torment at the seemingly endless project and his ecstasy at the magnificence of the Moses, domi-nating the tomb wall with its awesome power.Rovere is oak in Italian. In fact, Michelangelo painted many nude youths holding acorns that

flank the nine central scenes from Genesis in the Sistine Chapel ceiling. If one looks at Moses’ horns at San Pietro in Vincoli, acorns rather than horns of light are the first thing that comes to mind. Certainly they have the sectioned appear-ance of acorns, the Della Rovere symbol.When Michelangelo died in 1564, his unsold statues, including the Four Prisoners, were inher-ited by his nephew Leonardo Buonarroti, who gave them to the Medici Grand Duke Cosimo I. Bernardo Buontalenti was asked to build a

grotto for the four statues in the Boboli Gardens by Francesco I, Cosimo’s oldest son and heir, in 1583. The grotto is a perfect example of his ability to dazzle the spectator, a blend of architecture, painting, and sculpture masterminded by Buon-talenti. The entrance walls seem to be dripping with mud. Michelangelo’s Four Prisoners were placed at the corners. The originals have been admired in the Accademia since 1904 and are

substituted by plaster copies. Their stances sug-gest an enormous effort to emerge from the sur-rounding mud. The Greek myth of the deluge with the survivors Deucalion and Pyrra, making mud dolls to repopulate the earth, has been masterfully represented by Piero Mati. Shep-herds with their sheep have taken shape and found shelter in the grotto. The walls with their luxuriant vegetation were decorated by Ber-nardo Poccetti.Francesco I also had the architect do the gar-dens for his villa in Pratolino, with artificial grot-toes in the ground story filled with statues, water games and movable scenery. His colossal statue of the Appenine was placed in front of a small lake. There’s a small room inside the head, il-luminated by the huge eyes. It can be reached by climbing the giant’s back, where the verte-brae form the narrow, moss-covered stone steps. Buontalenti was in charge of the decorations for the wedding festivities of Grand Duke Ferdi-nand I and Christine of Lorraine in May, 1589. He devised all sorts of mind blowing stage sets, including a naval battle between Christians and Turks enacted in Ammannati’s Pitti Palace court-yard, filled with five feet of water.The surprised guests could view the small gal-leons from the balconies on the upper stories surrounding the courtyard. He built the Belve-dere Fortress that could be reached directly from the Boboli Gardens and provided shelter during plague epidemics. Ferdinand I ordered a spe-cial treasure chamber to keep his immense for-tune in gold and silver coins, and only Buontal-enti and the Grand Duke knew the combination to the lock. If robbers tried to enter the room, the lock would fire against the robber and the chamber would automatically fill with water to safeguard the millions in gold and silver coins.Buontalenti’s ice cream was just one of the many inventions done by a true jack of all trades but, with an undeniable mastery in all of them.

Blues festival taking place from July 12th to the 15th

Global shopping event set to take place in Florence for the first time

Pistoia Blues, Starring B.B. King

Vogue Fashion’s Night Out Arriving in September

Open-air blues notes will again warm Tuscan nights with the 33rd edition of the Pistoia Blues.

First taking place in 1980, some of the greatest blues and rock musicians of all time have performed at the festival, includ-ing Muddy Waters, Frank Zappa, The Blues Brothers, Santana, Bob Dylan, Deep Purple and Patti Smith. Featuring almost twenty different live acts, the festival promises four days of jam and memorable performances, all set against stunning scenery. In addition to the nightly concerts, guitar, keyboard, bass and drum lessons will be offered by professional musi-

Great fashion for every budget is the slogan of the 2012 Fash-ion’s Night Out, a globally celebrated shopping festival

initiated by Vogue. Set to take place all over Europe, South America, Australia and Asia, shopaholics around the world should already mark the month of September in their calendars.The Italian edition of the Fashion’s Night Out takes place in Milan on September 6th, in Rome on September 13th and, for the first time, in Florence on September 18th. First initiated in 2009, the event aims at celebrating fashion, cultivating consumer confidence and boosting the economy. In

cians throughout the day. The program will be kicked off with Sub-sonica, currently one of the most appreci-ated Italian rock bands. The highlight event of this year’s edition is the return of blues icon B.B. King, who last performed in Pis-toia seven years ago. The lineup also includes British singer-song-writer of Tuscan descent Paolo Nutini, and two of the leading bands in the American blues-rock scene, Gov’t Mule and John Hiatt & The Combo.Tickets (20-38 Euro) on sale at: Nuovo Box Office, Via delle Vecchie Carceri 1, Tel. 055-210804; purchase online: www.box-ol.it or www.boxofficetoscana.it.

recent years, the initiative saw an enthusi-astic participation of thousands of shoppers throughout the world.Involving 19 countries - more than ever before – the 4th edition of an exceptional shopping-event promises to be even big-ger and better. True to the motto “A Global Celebration of Fashion,” luxury boutiques and department stores will be open until midnight, featuring special limited-edition products, celebrity appearances, and un-forgettable performances. Local fashion stores and designers are en-couraged to participate by hosting an of-ficial Fashion’s Night Out event in their city.

Claudia NiemannClaudia Niemann

F20 Siena & Chianti

Siena’s historical sporting event is a way of life

Il Palio: More than just a Horse Race Jessica Card

Il Palio is a medieval horse race that takes place twice a year, on July 2nd and August 16th, in Siena’s main public square, Il Cam-po, and dates back to the mid-17th century.

August 16, 1656 to be exact. Back then, the city was separated into 59 contrade, distinct sections of the city with their own churches, emblems, colors, governmental institutions, and, above all, strong senses of loyalty and comraderie.Though only 17 contrade remain today, without their own administrative institutions, they still

command this same pride and devotion. Deter-mined by right as well as lot, only ten contrade are represented in the race out of the total 17. Each horse and rider wears the colors and em-blems of the section he represents and mascots range from a tortoise, to a porcupine, to a drag-on and a wave.For the two or three hours before the race, the comparsa, or representatives of the contrada, parade into the campo to the sound of beating drums and the occassional trumpet, dressed in

costumes from the mid-15th century.Flag-bearers, grooms, pages, a drummer, along with the horse and rider make up the retinue; but for this part of the evening the flag-bearers steal the show. With skill and precision, the two me-dieval entertainers toss their standards high into the air to the awe of the crowd and never fail to catch them before they touch the ground below. As 7:30 approaches and the line-up is called, the entire arena falls silent, save for the occa-sional groans as the announcer calls “fuori” and

the horses fall out of line to reset once again. Finally, with little notice, the rope drops and the atmosphere erupts.Without a saddle and little more than the reigns, a whip, and the strength of their legs, the jockeys battle for position as they round each tight turn. Needless to say, the race is not clean nor danger free. After hours of build-up and a minute and a half of hysteria, Il Palio is over, Selva has won, and the celebrations begin. Unless, of course, you are one of the nine losing contrade.

When a crowd of an estimated 33,000 people will silence themselves completely just to hear the line-up, and when you are surrounded by sobbing women as you file out of the campo, you know this is more than just a horse race.So what is all this for? Money? Good luck? Keys to the city? Close. A painted silk banner, or pal-lium, and bragging rights. After witnessing the fervor of the day, seeing the faces of the defeat-ed, and hearing their cries, Il Palio is not just about the prize - it is about the pride of place as

the top contrada in the city, about the communal sense of accomplishment and the shared feeling of being the best of the city, though this is only my interpretation. If you ask any Sienese, they may have a different and better explanation.The celebrations afterwards are as much a part of the experience as the race itself. The winning contrada, Selva this time around, then marches through the campo and proceeds to the streets of Siena for hours after the race. Men, old and young, carry drums and in a unified and flow-

ing rhythm wave their flags bearing the green, orange and white colors of the neighborhood emblazoned with a rhinoceros carrying a tree. The women follow singing loudly the songs of their contrada. Oh, and do not be surprised if you spot a pacifier or baby bottle around the necks or even in the mouths of the victors. Il Palio symbolizes the evolution of life, from infancy to adulthood, and the winning contrada members become like new-borns, hence the baby image-ry.

Sporting events in the United States hardly com-pare to the atmosphere of Il Palio, but perhaps this is the closest America comes to a similar kind of tradition. The race and rituals transport you back to a different place and time, when neigh-borhoods celebrated life and death together and when the contrada commanded as much loyalty and pride as the city or state. Still today, Il Palio manifests the comraderie of a previous era. For now, to catch a glimpse of the atmosphere and excitement, YouTube it, and next month, va’ !

The affordable Arezzo Wave festival returns July 12th to 15th

Music on a Low Budget

Having toured Tuscany for five years, the internationally known Arezzo Wave returns to the city where it all started. From July

12th to 15th, Arezzo will again become the stage for a festival offering music, theater, readings, dance, art and workshops. What is different about the 26th edition of Arezzo Wave is the idea of creating an event at low cost. As part of the organizer’s strategy to fight the current crisis, almost all the events will be free except for the main concerts. This year, a 20 euro fee will cover everything that the event has to offer, so long as you arrive before 8 p.m. every night. Restaurants, hotels and shops will of-fer discounts to those who pay the full 20 euro for the all access pass.The main guests appearing on the stage will

be Yann Tiersen, Caparezza, Ewert and The Two Dragons, Erica Mou, Nina Zilli, Crookers, the Fuel Fandango, Caravan Pal-ace and Bandabardò. Among the special events of this edition is a celebration of 50 years of the Diabolik comic, film screenings as a tribute to John Belushi, performances by the Sosta Palmi-zi dancers, as well as a surprise concert scheduled at dawn. With more than 100 events on the agenda, Arezzo Wave 2012 is set for a sparkling welcome home party.

Tickets (12-30 Euro) on sale at: Nuovo Box Office, via delle Vecchie Carceri 1, Tel. 055-210804; purchase online: www.box-ol.it or www.boxofficetoscana.it.

Claudia Niemann

The Palio on a Budget

Every year on July the 2nd and August the 16th, one of the biggest events of the backpacker calendar is held in Siena.Tuscany on a Budget, a students compa-ny based in Florence, organizes a day trip to Siena to make sure that people are experiencing this cultural event and not missing out on the real spirit of the horse race.The groups will be led by local guides who are going to share the secrets of the Senese and their traditions.Besides the Palio, Tuscany on Budget of-fers a series of activities ranging from € 6 to € 54 in Florence such as city bike tours, gastronomic tours and wine tasting tours to the Chianti region and to the lo-cal villages in Tuscany to 18-35’s willing to learn, taste and see a fun environment with a knowledgeable team.

Via S. Caterina d’Alessandria 1550129 Firenze

Tel: 055 62 86 341 – 348 79 134 54Skype: Tuscany on a Budget

facebook.com/[email protected]

Querceto di Castellina

Querceto di Castellina of Chianti will be holding an aperitivo every Friday this summer. The idea, which comes from wine company owner Jacopo Di Battista, combines a trip to breathtaking Chianti with an outdoor aperitivo. The buffet will feature the meeting of classic Chianti wine and traditional Tuscan dishes, ac-companied by live music. Special events include presentation of special cuisine including Japanese dishes, hamburgers and barbecue, Mexican dishes, and fish selections.

Querceto di Castellina di Jacopo Di Battista & C. Sas Soc. Agr. loc. Querce-to, 9 - 53011 Castellina in Chianti (SI)

- ITALIA Tel. +39 0577 733590Tel: 0577 733590

www.quercetodicastelinna.com

Traditional Tailoring Since 1968Via del Purgatorio, 22/r 50125 FlorenceTel.: 055 280118Cell. 335 99 [email protected]

PIERO CISTERNINO

UN UOMO,

UNA STORIA,

UNA PASSIONE

F22 City Beat

Florence anticipates historic sport and the use of instant replay

Calcio Storico Fiorentino is Back Claudia Niemann

Every June, Florence celebrates the feast day of its patron saint San Giovanni with a series of events involving the entire city. On the morning of June 24th, an

historic parade starts from Piazza Signoria and continues towards the Baptistery of the Cathe-dral with an offering of candles for the patron. After the parade, a solemn mass follows with the exposure of the Saint’s relics. Festivities will conclude with spectacular fireworks at the Piaz-zale Michelangelo in honor of San Giovanni. Among the most popular events linked to the festivity is the Calcio Storico Fiorentino, also known as “historic Florentine football,” held in Piazza Santa Croce. This is year the tournament begins on June 24th. This edition’s innovation is the employment of television cameras to record the games, to help the referee catching players breaking the rules. The historic game precedes soccer, which has yet to incorporate the use of instant replay tech-nology. A tradition dating back to the 16th century, Cal-cio in costume is an ancient sport, a mixture of wrestling, rugby and football. The competition is between the four historic quarters of Florence: San Giovanni (“Greens”), Santa Maria Novella (“Reds”), Santa Croce (“Blues”) and Santo Spirito (“Whites”). Originally, Calcio Storico was reserved for aris-tocratic noblemen who played every night be-tween Epiphany and Lent in front of the Basilica of Santa Croce and some times in the areas

of Via Il Prato, Piazza della Signoria or Piaz-za Santa Maria Novella. In fact, even Popes, such as Clement VII, Leo XI and Urban VIII were known to play Calcio in the Vatican. In 1580, Florentine count Giovanni de’ Bardi published the rules. The game lasts 50 minutes with 27 players on each team who may use any body part to transport the ball across the sand playing field. The team with the most “cacce” wins and is awarded a white calf. Yet, the rules of Calcio are quite different from modern football, allowing tactics such as head-butting, punching, elbowing and choking. It is a bloody and violent sport that stunned even the armies of Charles V who had come to re-install the Medici government with a thunder of cannons in 1529. The Florentines, however, proudly continued their game, leaving the Impe-rial army in utter shock at the costumed players. The pageant of Calcio was prohibited for a pe-riod in 1739 by the Grand Dukes of Lorraine, but was restarted in 1930 by the Fascist Gov-ernment. Today, spectators are taken back to the ancient origins of football in costume, expe-riencing a tradition that has been maintained for over 500 years. Though Calcio Storico may not be for the faint-hearted, this event delivers excitement with the music, processions and colorful Renaissance costumes. Just in time for the European Cham-pionship, one is given the opportunity to expe-rience up close the historical roots of modern football.

Moyo

Moyo is the place to go when looking for great cocktails and a knockout aperitivo. The restaurant touts the line “not ordinary living,” and certainly lives up to this claim, featuring a stout menu of cocktails and a rich buffet of dishes during happy hour. Due to the hip and modern atmosphere as well as the choice music selection, Moyo is very popular, especially during the early evening “aperitivo” hours. The restaurant is also well-known for its deli-cious brunch menu.

Via de’ Benci 23/RTel: 055 2479738

[email protected]

Centro Estetico Oasi

Oasi has the answer to all of your beauty needs. Since 1994, the company has been a bastion of experience and pro-fessionalism, guaranteeing complete sat-isfaction to all of its customers. Among services offered are massages, body and face treatments, depilations, pedicures, nail reconstruction, and eyelash exten-sions. In addition, Oasi features a tanning solarium that was a favorite of the Jersey Shore cast during their stay last summer. The center offers student discounts, includ-ing a 10% discount on beauty services and a 20% discount on tanning.

Via degli Alfani 53/R Tel: 055 23 46 696

email [email protected]

Buca PoldoBuca Poldo

When looking for a Tuscan cellar in a convenient location, look no further than Buca Poldo, a restaurant conveniently lo-cated near Piazza della Signoria and the Ponte Vecchio. The restaurant offers many different kinds of dishes, including Tuscan favorites and original dishes, all expertly crafted by a knowledgeable chef. After the meal, be sure to enjoy homemade dessert, accompanied by Tuscan wine. Two lovely terraces provide a peaceful solace from the activity of the street from late spring to early autumn.

Open Every Day 12:00-15:00 & 19:00-23:00

When looking for a Tuscan cellar in a convenient location, look no further than Buca Poldo, a restaurant conveniently lo-cated near Piazza della Signoria and the Ponte Vecchio. The restaurant offers many different kinds of dishes, including Tuscan favorites and original dishes, all expertly crafted by a knowledgeable chef. After the meal, be sure to enjoy homemade dessert, accompanied by Tuscan wine. Two lovely terraces provide a peaceful solace from the activity of the street from late spring to early autumn.

Open Every Day 12:00-15:00 & 19:00-23:00

Chiasso degli Armagnati 2/RTel. +39 055 23 96 578

www.bucapoldo.it

Chiasso degli Armagnati 2/RTel. +39 055 23 96 578

www.bucapoldo.it

Safe Shipping Solutions

Takes the hassle out of shipping your goods and luggage

Best way to ship your wine, olive oil, or any other bottled goods!

Home pick upSecure and protective packaging Delivery to your home or nominated address

by CARATELLO SrlVia dell’ Agnolo 115/r 50122 Firenze

tel. fax: 055 0118470 cell.:370 1141612

Skype: caratellofirenze email:[email protected]

Rates include:

F 23Sport & Fun

Tree Sleeping

Have you ever considered spending the night in a tree? With Tree Sleeping, it is possible. Adventurous children and adults in good health cam collaborate with trained professionals to find the perfect spot to “set down roots” for the evening, after which you are left in peace to ex-perience the tranquility of nature. Partici-pants choose from several different areas in Tuscany that have been handpicked by knowledgeable employees. Participants can rest easy as ropes, safe ladders, and a fall arrest system will be in place to elimi-nate any risk of falling. Reservations are taken from March to September, depend-ing on weather conditions.

www.tree-sleeping.com

AguarajaWater Rafting

If you are looking for an outdoor excur-sion complete with beautiful sites and thrills, the Aguaraja canoe, kayak and rafting company has the opportunity for you! The two-hour trip takes place onthe Limentra River, downstream of Lake Suviana along the border between the Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany, starting from Bagnana and ending at the Verzuna Bridge. Videos of your expeditionare available for purchase.

Tel: 348 33 01 [email protected]

Horseback Riding in Tuscany

To leisurely explore the Tuscan country-side and its nature in a delightful way, horseback riding is probably the best solution.

The tour offered by Fun in Tuscany, the five-stars-

reviewed tour operator, is an original and popu-lar adventure tour in Tuscany.You will be taken to the Chianti region, where some of the most famous wines are produced. The ride will take you through lush vineyards, native woods, olive groves and rolling hills, of-

fering a collection of breathtaking and unforget-table views.No prior experience is needed for this adven-ture. Before the ride, you will be given a lesson by a trained guide in order to become better

acquainted with your horse.After the ride, you will visit a 13th century cas-tle where you you will enjoy a delicious Tuscan meal washed down with a Chianti wine tasting.If you do not want to ride a horse, you can still come and enjoy the tour with a 20% discount.

So, while your friends go on the horse ride, you can enjoy snacks, drinks and a nice walk around a traditional Tuscan farm. There are more than 75 horses, all of whom live together in harmony with donkeys and ponies.

If you have never whispered to the horses, then let the horses whisper to you.

www.funintuscany.com

Tour Includes:

Other tours available:

Comfortable

air-conditioned

8-seats minivan

Licensed guide

Approx. 2 hours ride

Visit to a 13th century

castle

Traditional Tuscan meal

Chianti wine tasting

Insurance and helmet

Vespa/Scooter

Quad/ATV

Wine Tour

Cooking Class

Chianti Day Tour

Shopping & Spa

Fun Fishing

OUTDOOR TUSCAN GRILL FESTIVAL

INFO AND BOOKING 338 9873176

Lungarno Aldo Moro -Via Fabrizio De Andre’ ( Next to Obi Hall )www.facebook.com/FestaDelMugello

FROM MAY 12 TO SEPTEMBER 2

All games shown live on maxiscreen

The Florence Newspaper Issue 32

Documents

Transcript of The Florence Newspaper Issue 32