After your umpteenth trip to the Santa Croce Christmas market, even the sparkliest holiday lights can start to lose their luster. If you’re staying in Florence for the festive season, but feel a slight Grinch streak—or simply want some time sans Santa Clauses and chestnuts—here are some options landing during the holly-jolly twelve days, but lacking in partridges in pear trees.______________________________________________________________________________
Sleeping Beauty8.45pm, January 5, 2016Teatro della Pergola, via della Pergola 24, Florence
Book your tickets for this fairytale evening now: it’s sure to sell out quickly, featuring performances by members of two internationally renowned dance companies, the Kiev and Moscow Ballets. The classic tale is sweet and sentimental, but it’s also spectacularly theatrical—expect jaw-dropping choreography, costumes and sets. Tickets are available via Box Office Toscana locations or by calling 334/1891173.______________________________________________________________________________
Studies in Mannerist DecompositionUntil February 20, 2016Museo Marino Marini, piazza San Pancrazio
Drawing inspiration from the Rucellai chapel, a Renaissance masterpiece adjacent to the sculpture museum, this site-specific solo show is a study in stylistic elements of European architecture and theatre from the Renaissance onward. Through drawings, models and digital prints, Bronstein has created a hypothetical history of the Rucellai chapel, modifying it with Mannerist and Baroque elements.______________________________________________________________________________
Tasso Hostel turns 3December 27, 9pm–1amVia Villani 15, Florence
Who needs Capodanno when there’s a blowout birthday celebration on the horizon? Head to Tasso Hostel to celebrate three years of the travelers, performers and locals who have brought vivacità to the venue. This pre-NYE party will see the DNArt DJs on stage, and, most likely, Tasso’s fun mix of travelers and long-term residents.
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Modern and Contemporary ArtGalleria Tornabuoni Arte, Lungarno Cellini 3Until November 26, 2016
This long-running exhibition opened quietly at Tornabuoni Arte last weekend, but includes modern masters from Cubism (Pablo Picasso) and the scuola metafisica (Giorgio de Chirico) to Arte Povera (Michelangelo Pistoletto). The exhibition offers a wide-ranging overview of modern art movements, a welcome shift for those whose museum visits have started to feel a bit monotonous.
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Out of Town: Prato FestivalDecember 22–31Various venues in Prato
Just as that late-December dead zone looms, Prato will host wintery concerts and even a coffee festival to keep things interesting. If you’d like to look beyond Florence for your New Year’s Eve plans, look forward to a free concert from the Piazza Vittorio Orchestra (December 31, 11.30pm, piazza del Comune). When those post-Christmas caffeine cravings start, head to piazza del Comune for the Pausa Caffe’ Festival, offering top coffees from five continents.
