At 8pm on April 22, Florence will welcome a two-wheeled invasion. Cultural biking event Velonotte dates to 2006, when it first took place in Moscow—it’s the brainchild of Russian historian and urban activist Sergey Nikitin.
The strictly nocturnal event has 22 editions under its belt, boasts over 97,000 participants and has been held in major cities such as St. Petersburg, Istanbul, New York and London. The Florentine chapter is being organized in collaboration with Florence Bike Festival and was conceived for families with children.
Departing from piazza della Signoria, Velonotte will take you and your little ones on a one-of-a-kind 11km joyride from Roman to contemporary times, following in the footsteps of cultural heavyweights like Brunelleschi (did you know this year is his 640th anniversary?), Michelangelo, Robert Browning, Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Tchaikovsky. Participants will receive educational materials and colour-in postcards (bring crayons and markers!) to use along the way as well as an audio guide in English, Italian and Russian made available via smartphone, so be sure to arrive equipped with headphones and 3G.
The tour’s six planned stops will also feature two immersive theatrical performances (one of which recreates the lost Medicean garden of San Marco, where Michelangelo took his baby steps into the world of art under the careful guidance of Lorenzo il Magnifico) and a final midnight pit stop with sweet treats in piazza Santo Spirito.
For more information and tickets, see the website.
