The Hotel Savoy adds a touch of glamour to Florence’s cultural offering this Christmas with the exhibition titled Le Dive di Zeffirelli (The Divas of Zeffirelli).
The show pays tribute to some of the world’s most famous leading ladies, who worked with Franco Zeffirelli between 1958 and 2009: Maria Callas, Fanny Ardant, Cher, Olivia Hussey, Brooke Shields, Valentina Cortese, Faye Dunaway, Carla Fracci, Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Anne Bancroft, Anna Magnani, Claudia Cardinale, Elizabeth Taylor, Glenn Close, Joan Plowright, Marisa Allasio, Monica Bellucci, Katia Ricciarelli, Teresa Stratas, Mariangela Melato, Monica Vitti and Stefania Sandrelli.
Fanny Ardant “Callas Forever” (2002). Photo Fabian
Hotel guests and cinema lovers are welcome to explore the lobby, the impactful Salotto Lounge and Irene Bar and Restaurant, while only those who stay in the Presidential Suite will be able to experience the two sublime captures of Maria Callas on set during La traviata (1958) and Tosca (1964), in addition to a light-filled sketch designed by Zeffirelli for Il turco in Italia (1955)
“This is a beautiful selection of leading ladies with great personalities, strong and irresistible, who the Maestro always sought for his characters,” says Pippo Corsi Zeffirelli, president of the Franco Zeffirelli Foundation. “We are extremely happy about this exhibition, which the Hotel Savoy suggested and we embraced immediately. We are inaugurating this show in piazza della Repubblica, where my father was born and raised, a coincidence that imbues this project with even more value.” At the press conference, Pippo Corsi Zeffirelli mentioned that plans are in the works to launch an exhibition focusing on Zeffirelli’s leading men over the coming months.
Le Dive di Zeffirelli was opened by Fanny Ardant, the French actress who played the lead role in Franco Zeffirelli’s last feature film, Callas Forever (2002). “I loved Franco Zeffirelli as soon as I met him. He allowed me to experience my most important artistic adventures. Callas Forever is my proudest work and for me it sets the standard for biopics,” comments Fanny Ardant. On December 15, at 6pm, Fanny Ardant presents Callas Forever at Cinema Odeon Firenze.
Organized in partnership with the Franco Zeffirelli Foundation, the black-and-white iconic photography exhibition will be on show from December 16 to April 18, 2022.
