LIGHT MODE
DARK MODE
I like Edison as much as the next person. Indeed, when I first arrived in Florence, I jokingly referred to it as my second home. It was where I checked my e-mail, had my morning cappuccino, went to the loo, did my Italian homework, and wrote in
Catering to those tourists, students, and expatriates craving an American fix, a ‘culinary’ comfort from home, purveyors of distinctly American food have found a niche in Florence. Although New York style Chinese takeout has yet to hit the scene, imported peanut butter, fresh blueberry muffins, Campbell’s
It almost sounds like the beginning of a novel: a group of friends sharing a bottle of wine and talking about the opening of a McDonald’s restaurant at the foot of the Spanish Steps in Rome. About how this could be the end of the treasured, ancient Italian
If you rent an apartment here, one of the things you will quickly discover is the Italian mode of home electricity. You’ll probably want to plug in your computer right away or charge up your cell phone. You’ll find that you need to buy
More than a century ago, the glory of the Florentine artistic sights and the breath-taking views of the city and its surroundings were being caught on canvas, in sketchbooks, and in the diaries of foreign travellers during their grand tours of Italy. Their descriptions still remain, attesting to the
On the hillside behind Palazzo Pitti are the magnificent Boboli Gardens, which are among the most beautiful and best-preserved gardens in Italy. Our second stroll in search of discovery in the wonderful and unusual city of Florence begins from these gardens of paradise, laid out in the 16th century
Imagine Florence during the Renaissance, but not in the full splendour that you see in the tourist guides. Imagine it in the bloody grip of its enemies. On the 17th of February 1520, the Florentines were suffering famine and pestilence, they were under the threat of excommunication from the Church,
You don’t ever own a bicycle in Florence; you just look after it for a while for the bike thieves, the better the bike, the less time you have to look after it. A bicycle shop-owner once told me that there aren’t any second-hand
Florence is a city of movement—a city of dance. From the Renaissance sculptures and frescos that adorn churches and piazzas featuring men and women in elegant positions of comportment, to the Italian use of gesture and the intricate, cobble-stoned street maneuverings of car, moped and pedestrian, Florence
Florence may hold the world’s best concentration of Renaissance art, but there is another movement overshadowed by the Renaissance that Florence keeps well hidden. Tucked away in churches around the city are jewels of the Mannerist movement, masterpieces that most people will unknowingly miss in favour of lining
I suggest that you and your friends begin your day with a visit to the Museum of Opificio Pietre Dure, Via Alfani, 78, a rare and precious museum, where, ...
From the outside, it is just one among the many XVIth century palazzi which can be found at almost every corner of the city. But number 18 of via Maggio is no ordinary palace and hides more beauty than the eye can see at a first glimpse. Behind the Renaissance
Sunday, May 15th the colourful carovana (caravan of Giro d’Italia (Tour of Italy) made its cheerful entry into Florence, which hosted the arrival of the 9th tappa (stage) of the 88th edition of La Corsa Rosa (The Pink Race), as the Giro is affectionately nicknamed. The Giro d&
The noise, the traffic, the heat, the dust of 600-year-old buildings and the exhaust of motor scooters and Pullman buses; the squadrons of German and Italian tourists dutifully following the high-held umbrella or long stemmed plastic rose; “too much ‘David’,” ditto the Madonnas
If you have had enough of impersonal hotel rooms with indifferent service and like the idea of a bit of luxury combined with the atmosphere of an elegant private residence, 12-room Casa Howard could provide the answer. Occupying a handsome palazzo on Via della Scala (a
Since inaugurating the expansion of Line 1 on July 16, 2018, the City of Florence has been on path towards the total modernization of its tram network, opening Line 2 ...
