Our events listing keeps you up-to-date on the latest and greatest in culture, music and other English-friendly entertainment. This is a selection of the best of them.
CELEBRATE/Easter Sunday
March 31, Florence
Easter in Florence includes the centuries-old tradition of the famous ‘exploding’ cart in piazza Duomo, complete with white oxen and a colourful firework display. Arrive early to beat the crowds and be blown away by this Florentine tradition, known as the scoppio del carro (see TF 30, 160), and follow the historic parade from Porta al Prato to piazza del Duomo (for details, see www.comune.fi.it). Most businesses will be closed over the weekend, while Italians take off to celebrate the holiday with day trips and hearty feasts of colomba cake and oversized hollow chocolate eggs stuffed with a surprise gift, so plan your weekend accordingly!
LECTURES/Félicie de Fauveau
April 4 and 5, 3:30pm, free
The Sala della Colonna of Santa Maria del Carmine (April 4) and Sala del Cenacolo of Santa Croce (April 5), Florence
A favorite of Charles X, Tuscan-born sculptor Félicie de Fauveau led a radical life as a political activist and eccentric artist during the early nineteenth-century. Her eventual voluntary exile landed her in Florence where she set up a workshop in the San Frediano area. Gather round for the unveiling of two of her freshly restored sculptures and sit in for the lecture series (in Italian) by some of Florence’s most renowned nineteenth-century scholars to learn about Fauveau’s whirlwind life, neogothic artwork and new discoveries about her techniques. For more information, write to invisiblewomen@theflorentine.net.
ATHLETE/Artistic Gymnastics
April 6, from 10am
Nelson Mandela Forum, viale Paoli 3, Florence
Prepare to be amazed by this breathtaking display by Italian gymnasts in competition: back flips, hand springs and impressive leaps, achieved through extraordinary feats of balance, agility, and coordination. Witness up close the gravity-defying acrobatics of internationally famed athletes. See www.mandelaforum.it for more information.
CONTEMPORARY/An Idea of Beauty
March 29–July 28
Centre for Contemporary Culture La Strozzina, Palazzo Strozzi, Florence
Beauty is truly in the eyes of the beholder with this contemporary look at traditional views of beauty through the works of eight international artists who take mundane objects, moments and gestures of everyday life to discover an untraditional meaning of the concept, inviting the audience to participate physically and emotionally in the artworks. See www.strozzina.org for more information.
OUT OF TOWN/From the Passion to the Resurrection
Until August 31
Siena Duomo
Travel back in time to consider the last moments of Christ’s life through the eyes of humankind over the centuries. The exhibit, Resurrexi: From the Passion to the Resurrection, presents works from the Duomo’s collection, among them miniatures, frescoes and paintings on wood, highlighting the varied artistic depictions of Christ’s final moments and rebirth. See www.operaduomo.siena.it or call 577/286300 for details.
TF TOUR/Women Artists in the Vasari Corridor
April 12, 4pm
Loggia dei Lanzi, under the statue of Perseus, Florence
Take a tour with TF’s own Alexandra Lawrence and authors Jane Fortune and Linda Falcone to discover some little-known masterpieces in Florence: art by women in the Vasari Corridor. Included is a copy of the latest publication by the TF Press, Art by Women in Florence: A Guide through Five Hundred Years, and the visit will be followed by an aperitivo at Caffe della Galleria in piazza Pitti (7 euro). Reservations are required: e-mail a.lawrence@theflorentine.net or call 333/8689458
TF WALKS/Sant’Ambrogio
April 6, 10:30am
Meeting at the church of Sant’Ambrogio, Florence
Discover Knights Templar, ‘potenze’, miraculous chalices, Florentine mosaics and more on this guided walk through the lively Sant’Ambrogio neighborhood. We will visit the churches of Sant’Ambrogio and San Giuseppe and take a guided tour of the renowned Lastrucci Bottega d’Arte mosaic workshop, located in the ancient Spedale San Francesco de’ Macci. Reservations are required by emailing a.lawrence@theflorentine.net or calling 333/8689458. See http://tinyurl.com/AprilVisits for details.
RENAISSANCE/Medici Splendour
Until October 6
Museum of the Medici Chapels, Piazza di Madonna degli Aldobrandini 6, Florence
Five hundred years ago, Giovanni, Lorenzo the Magnificent’s second son, became the first Medici pope. Follow his life, from birth, his time in the papacy, and his return home, to discover why his years on the papal throne were hailed as a new ‘golden age,’ and admire works by Botticelli, Ghirlandaio, Raphael and other renowned artists. See www.unannoadarte.it for details.
ARTISTS/Book presentation
April 14, 4:30pm, free
Villa Il Palmerino, via del Palmerino 10, Florence
Enjoy an afternoon in Fiesole to journey through 500 years of art by women. Jane Fortune and Linda Falcone, authors of Art by Women in Florence: A Guide through Five Hundred Years, published by The Florentine Press, will present the book and discuss recently restored works by women artists in Florence’s museums and churches. The afternoon will be the kick-off event for a weeklong exhibition of contemporary art, Coincidenze, at the villa from April 14 to 21, featuring works by four of Il Palmerino’s resident women artists. For reservations and exhibition hours, call 339/8944725 or write to associazione@palmerino.it.
