We’re publishing this usual Thursday events roundup a day in advance due to the Liberation Day holiday tomorrow. Enjoy!
FLOWERS/Iris Garden
April 25-May 20
Viale Michelangelo 82, Florence
Ph. Giardino Iris
Every Florentine spring brings with it a scramble to the city’s lushest green spots. Chief among these is the Iris Garden, not least for its limited-time-only quality. The irises are in bloom for only a short time, and open access (no booking needed) to the volunteer-run garden comes but once a year, beginning on Liberation Day, April 25. Enter from the eastern end of piazzale Michelangelo and explore at leisure its 2.5 hectares of grounds, which include not only a vibrant variety of irises, but gasp-worthy panoramic views, a Monet-ready pond and a series of cobbled walkways to wind through. Admission is free, but donations to the volunteer-run association are encouraged; hours are 10am-1pm and 3-7.30pm. For more information, see www.societaitalianairis.com.
ARTISANS/MIDA: International Handicrafts Fair
April 24-May 1
Fortezza da Basso, viale Filippo Strozzi 1, Florence
The 83rd edition of the Mostra Internazionale dell’Artigianato Fiorentino places craft and culture at center stage. Held in the Fortezza da Basso, the new edition will spotlight a plethora of Italian and international artisans, with particular focus on the homegrown front this year. Two exhibitions-within-the-exhibition stand out on the program: The Seven Wonders of Tuscany, a section dedicated to the region’s most impressive artisan materials (alabaster, ceramics, gold, marble and more), and Tailor-Made Florence: Cabinets of Curiosities, which takes inspiration from Leonardo da Vinci’s “Platonic Solids” as celebrations to mark the 500th anniversary of the master’s death continue. Plenty of special visits (including to the restoration workshops of the Opificio delle Pietre Dure) and other initiatives are on the program; for details, bookings and ticket prices, see mostraartigianato.it.
WINE/Succo d’Uva
April 27-28
BUH, via Panciatichi 16, Florence
Some 50 natural wine producers from all around the Boot will converge on Florence this weekend for Succo d’Uva, a weekend celebrating the merits of slow, mindful and sustainable wine production. Vino vendors will be selling their best bottles, but this isn’t just a market: expect live music (a tropical concert from The Mauskovic Dance Band on Saturday night, April 27), DJ sets, and food and wine-centric conferences (including a Slow Food Firenze-sponsored seminar on climate change and dietary habits, “Il Cambiamento passa anche dalla tavola,” set for 11.30am on April 27). Membership in the ENTES cultural association (3 euro) is required for admission; for more information see facebook.com/BUHCircoloculturaleurbano.
LITERARY/Camilla Calhoun at Paperback Exchange
April 27, 4-6pm
Paperback Exchange, via delle Oche 4r, Florence
Creative nonfiction author Camilla Calhoun will be in town this week to present and sign copies of her new memoir The White Moth: Three Generations at a Tuscan Villa. A work of heart and heft, the book is a tribute to the author’s Italian mother-in-law but explores more than just personal history, painting a vivid portrait of Italian life from World War II up to the 1970s Red Brigade. For more information, see the Facebook event.
