FLORENCE / EVENTS HOME BACK TO FLORENCE INFO SECRET TUSCANY Travel consultants   Division of Logos Holidays Inc. New York   Email: info@secret-tuscany.com   Contact: Mrs. Mariaclaudia Gherardini Phone/Fax +39-055-291237 Cell phone +39-338-5490672 SPRING IN FLORENCE AND TUSCANY & CURIOSITIES FROM THE WORLD 30/06/2008 Events, prices and times are occasionally subject to change, so phone or send an e mail to the event organisation to be completely sure. BOBOLI GARDEN IN FLORENCE - CONCERTS AT THE GROTTA DEL BUONTALENTI 18/12/2006 BOBOLI GARDEN Opening hours: 8.15 to 6 pm (March and October). 8.15 to 7pm (April, May and September) 8.15 to 8 pm (June August). Closed on the 1st and the last Monday of each month, New Year's Day, May 1st and Christmas Day. The tickets is valid also for the Museo degli Argenti and the Porcelain Museum. Full price € 4 Cafés: there is a café beautifully situated in the 18th-century Kaffeehaus in the Boboli Gardens and another in the palace courtyard. CONTACT: How to contact the Boboli Gardens office by telephone: +39 0552298732; +39 0552651838 or by Fax: +39 0552298732 E-mail: giardino.boboli@polomuseale.firenze.it SHOWS AT A PRIVATE CLUB IN FLORENCE: CIRCO-LO TEATRO DEL SALE 16/12/2006 CIRCO-LO TEATRO DEL SALE is a private club with annual membership. Founded by Fabio Picchi, owner of the famous restaurant CIBREO, is located just nearby the Sant'Ambrogio food market. Staff: Maria Cassi - artistic manager. Deborah McKenna - food manager. Annalisa Passigli - public relations. In the lounge area members will find newspapers, books and magazines. they are welcome to sit and relax, work quietly or meet other members, have a cup of coffee or a stimulating tea. They are open Tuesday through Saturday from 09.00 to 15.00 and 18.00 to 00.00. there is a buffet served at breakfast, lunch and dinner for members only. Breakfast: 9.00 - 11.00 Lunch: 12.30 - 14.15 Dinner: 19.00 - 20.45 Reservation is requested for dinner. (055-2001492) From 19.00 to 21.15 large buffet (please arrive before 20.45); at 21.30 beginning of the show. The management committe estabilished a special membership card price of 5 euros a year for foreigners who don't settles permanently in Florence. A UNIQUE JEWELS DESIGNER: KOH by KAORI UETAKE 14/12/2005 Born in Osaka in 1973, she currently leaves in Tokyo. With a degree in Fine Arts at the Musashino Art University of Tokyo, in the year 1996 she decided to move to Florence (Italy) to get a specialization in goldsmith and incassatura. From 1999 to 2002 she moved back to Japan to work at Mikimoto Jewerly co. in Tokyo and in 2003 she created her own brand named KOH. She presently travel between Japan and Italy and she create tailor-made unique jewels. E mail: koh@collinacolline.com LINKS TO : WEBSITE ART & EXHIBITION: POLO MUSEALE FIORENTINO 12/12/2005 The Polo Museale Fiorentino is an institution which administers the largest ensemble of art works in Italy. It includes twenty museums varying in importance from the Uffizi Gallery to the Medici Villa of Cerreto Guidi, from the Accademia Gallery to the Cenacolo of Santa Apollonia. It employs over 900 persons (art historians, administrative staff and warders, restorers, photographers, librarians), is responsible for 250 thousand catalogued works of art, and receives over 5 million visitors each year. The Polo Museale of Florence is part of the State administration of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage. It is run by a Superintendent, who is also a qualified art historian, in the person of Prof.Antonio Paolucci. LINKS TO : VISIT THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE EVENTS TICKETS PURCHASE: CHARTA 05/08/2005 CHARTA Opera, concerts, festival and many others events in one single showcase. A vast choice of tickets for the most important Italian theatres and other events with the possibility of choosing the seating area from the theatre plan and of knowing the position of the purchased seats. An efficient, fast and secure online booking and payment service. LINKS TO : VISIT THE WEBSITE PISA: THE LEANING TOWER AND GUIDED TOURS OF THE TOWN 01/08/2005 Visit the leaning tower ! Price: Euro 15 per person, entrance every 40 minutes, 40 persons maximum. E mail us for guided visits. LINKS TO : PISA TOUR LEANING TOWER HISTORY SPECIAL: CENACOLI A FIRENZE / LAST SUPPERS IN FLORENCE 31/07/2005 THE CENACOLO OF SANTA CROCE the Last supper by Taddeo Gaddi (c. 1340). Above it are the Tree of the Cross and other scenes. Previously attributed to Giotto, it is perhaps the first great representation of the Last Supper in Florence. Where: Museo dell'opera di Santa Croce, Piazza Santa Croce, 16 - Florence (in the great hall of the 14th century ex-refectory). Info: +39 055 - 244619 Hours: 9:30 am - 5:30 pm Entrance fee: € 4,00 per person. THE CENACOLO OF SANTO SPIRITO A fragment of the Last Supper. Above it stands the scene of the Crucifixion by A. Orcagna (c. 1370). Where: Refectory of Santo Spirito (Fodazione Romano) Florence Info: +39 055/287043 Hours: 9 am - 1:30 pm. Entrance fee: € 2,20 per person. Closed on Mondays. THE CENACOLO OF SANTA APOLLONIA Above this Last Supper is the Crucifixion, Deposition and Resurrection by Andrea del Castagno (c. 1450). Where: Museo del Cenacolo di Sant'Apollonia (Refectory) - Via XXVII Aprile, 1 Florence. Info: +39 055/23885 Hours: 8:15 am - 1:30 pm. Entrance fee: free. Closed on the 1st / 3rd / 5th Sundays and 2nd and 4th Mondays. THE CENACOLO OF THE BADIA AT PASSIGNANO The first of the great representations of the Last Supper by D. Ghirlandaio (1476). Where: BADIA DI PASSIGNANO, Tavarnelle val di Pesa. CLOSED FOR RESTORATION UNTIL THE END OF YEAR 2005. THE CENACOLO OF OGNISSANTI The Last supper in the large refectory of the Ognissanti convent is by Domenico Ghirlandaio (1480). The Sinopia of the fresco can also be seen. Where: Cenacolo del Ghirlandaio, Borgognissanti, 42 - Florence. Info: +39 055/2396802. Opening: Mondays, Tuesdays, Saturdays. Hours: 9 - 12am. Free entrance. THE CENACOLO OF SAN MARCO This fresco by Domenico Ghirlandaio representing the Last Supper (c. 1482) decorates the small refectory of the Domenican convent of San Marco. Where: Museo di San Marco, P.za S. Marco, 1 Florence. Info: +39 055/23885. Hours: From Monday to Friday 8:15 am - 1:50 pm / Saturdays: 8:15 am - 6:50 pm / Sundays: 8:15 am - 7:00 pm Closed the 1st / 3rd / 5th Sundays and 2nd and 4th Mondays. Entrance fee: € 2,00 for european citizens (between 18 and 65 years / for other ages is free). € 4,00 for extra-european citizens. THE CENACOLO OF FOLIGNO In the refectory of the ex-convent of the Franciscan tertiaries of S. Onofrio, known as Fuligno, the artist Perugino painted his Last Supper (c. 1495). This particular Last Supper is characterized by a bright Umbriam background. The figures seem to have been executed by the artist's assistants. Where: Conservatorio di Foligno, Via Faenza,42 - Florence. Info: +39 055/286982. Visits by appointment only. Hours: Monday / Tuesday / Saturday 9:00 am - 12:00 pm. Entrance fee: free offer. THE CENACOLO DELLA CALZA The convent where Franciabigio painted the whole back wall with a representation of the Last Supper (1514) used to be called S. Giovanni alla Porta di San pier Gattolino. Its current name derives from the hood worn by the monks. Where: P.za della Calza, 6 - Firenze . Info: +39 055/222287 Hours: 9 am - 5 pm Entrance fee: free. Closed on Saturday and Sunday. THE CENACOLO OF SAN SALVI In the old refectory of the Vallombrosan Abbey on the outskirts of Florence, Andrea del Sarto painted the life-like Last Supper, his most spectacular masterpiece. The Last Supper was begun in 1519 and was finished between 1526 and 1527. Where: Cenacolo di Andrea del Sarto - Via S. Salvi, 16 - Firenze. Info: +39 055/23885 Hours: 8:15 am - 1:50 pm. Entrance fee: free. Closed on Mondays. FLORENCE SPECIAL: THE OLDEST SHOPS IN FLORENCE 09/05/2004 DISCOVER THE SECRET OLDEST SHOPS IN FLORENCE A fully informative website that describes the oldest shops of the ancient district of Florence such as Piazza della Repubblica, santa maria Novella, Santa Croce, Olrearno with San Frediano, Santo Spirito and San Niccolò districts. LINKS TO : VISIT THE WEBSITE TROMPE-L'OEIL & FINE ART: DINA DE BROZZI 01/02/2004 Dina De Brozzi has been painting all her life; at the age of ten her father gave her a set of oil paints on the understanding that it would be a good hobby, but twenty years later painting is very much her passion and her everyday reality. From the very beginning she has preferred large surfaces; in fact her very first canvas was so large that it had to be rolled up to get it out of her bedroom. She very quickly found that walls were the answer. What could be bigger than walls, and what could be more challenging than creating imaginary worlds in trompe l'oeil, the most realistic way of painting. Through spending her childhood in Italy she has inherited the fabulous wealth of Italian art and history and this remains for her a constant source of inspiration; to her a flat facade can become the richest three-dimensional architecture, an enormous perspective with colonnades and galleries, playful fountains, walls covered in ivy, hill-towns, hanging gardens, distant mountains, half-decayed ruins that bring to life the dead end of a courtyard or give completely new meaning to a half-forgotten space. The realism of her trompe-l'oeil and her inquisitive eye for detail is backed up by her studious research of documentation and materials, allowing her to paint with authority the finest of details, whether it be the pores of the skin, the rain drops on the leaves, the dust on the bottles, or the cat patiently sitting in wait, half concealed behind some painted drapery. Dina has taken her passion around the world and is happy to decorate any space, any room, any wall, always trying to create through her painting a more enjoyable and magical world. She travels widely and undertakes commissions all over the world. LINKS TO : VISIT THE WEBSITE ART & EXHIBITIONS - GALLERY HOLLY SNAPP - VENICE 01/01/2004 Gallery Holly Snapp is situated on the charming Calle delle Botteghe in San Marco, which lies off Campo Santo Stefano, just around the corner from Venice's premier art exhibition venue, Palazzo Grassi. This inviting historic neighborhood now has 16 art and antiques galleries, and has evolved into Venice's principal arts district. Gallery was opened by Holly Snapp in 1996 and has become the city's leading specialist in Venetian watercolours. The success of the gallery was confirmed with the creation in 1998 of a second exhibition space, Gallery II, located just 30 feet from the original gallery. From watercolours to oils, from drawings and portraits to sculpture and photography, these two galleries have set a standard of excellence for interpretations of Venice, and figurative representation of the human form, as well as maintaining a space open for versions of the avant-garde in line with Venice's famous Biennale. Operating both galleries simultaneously allows Gallery Holly Snapp to maintain a permanent exhibition of distinguished local artists such as Geoffrey Humphries, while also displaying temporary exhibits of acclaimed work by noted painters such as Huck Scarry and John Orlando Birt. Over the last 6 years, Gallery Holly Snapp has become an important destination in its own right for visitors to Venice. LINKS TO : VISIT TTHE WEBSITE FASHION IN FLORENCE: PITTI IMMAGINE 10/12/2003 TRADE FAIRS Pitti Immagine Uomo, men's clothing and accessories. Pitti Immagine Bimbo, clothing and accessories for children. Pitti Immagine Casa collections of linens, textiles and accessories for home furnishing and decoration. Where: Fortezza da Basso, Viale Strozzi. Info: tel. 055/49721 or 055/36931 LINKS TO : OFFICIAL WEBSITE CONTEMPORARY ART IN FLORENCE: BIAGIOTTI GALLERY 01/07/2003 BIAGIOTTI GALLERY CONTEMPORARY ART IN FLORENCE Adress: Via delle Belle Donne 39/R, 50123 Firenze Tel/fax: 0039 055 214757 E-Mail: galleria@florenceartbiagiotti.com LINKS TO : WEBSITE THEATRE IN FLORENCE: TEATRO VERDI SEASON 2004/2005 01/06/2003 The Teatro Verdi of Florence was founded in September 1854 by Girolamo Pagliano. Its orginal name was Teatro delle Antiche Stinche after the Trecento prison on which it was constructed. (Several cells are still visible today on the underground levels of the theatre.) The theatre, which assumed its current name in 1901, was designed by the architect Telemaco Bonaiuti and was completed under his supervision. Between 1950 and the present, the theatre has undergone three different renovations in compliance with building codes. These adaptations have modified the interior of the hall but have preserved the classical Italian structure of the theatre: an ample orchestra pit, six levels of loges and the former royal box transformed into a dress circle, and the interior decor of the main entrance and the two foyers. Since January 1998, Teatro Verdi has been the venue for Orchestra della Toscana's rehearsals and concerst. Today, as throughout its 150 years, the theatre presents a program which includes various performing arts in addition to housing ORT's classical music concerts: theatre, opera, operetta, ballet, pop and jazz concerts, film premières and conventions. LINKS TO : VISIT THE WEBSITE SURROUNDINGS OF FLORENCE - FIESOLE 01/04/2003 FIESOLE Nestled on a hill overlooking the Arno valley, in a splendid panoramic setting, Fiesole dates back to ancient times as we can see from the vast archeological area with ruins of the Etruscan temple and walls, the Roman amphitheater and baths and the Museo Civico that contains many excavated items. The Gothic Cathedral of San Romolo (12th century) and the Basilica of Sant’Alessandro, the oldest in the city, are places of interest. The Museo Bandini, with its collection of paintings by Italian artists from the 13th to 15th century and the Museo Primo Conti, with oils and drawings by the recently deceased Florentine artist, are both worth a visit. SPECIAL: FILIPPO LIPPI 01/01/2003 FILIPPO LIPPI Prato boasts the richest collection of works by Fra Filippo Lippi, the Carmelite monk and genius artist whose originality fueled the development of the Renaissance. Filippo Lippi was born in Florence in 1406 and orphaned due to poverty eight years later. He was taken in by a Carmelite convent, where he entered the order at age 15. Although he never apprenticed with a master, he had a natural talent in painting, and quickly became a famous artist of the Florentine Renaissance. The controvery of his life, with his independent spirit and scandalous marriage to a nun, was only surpassed by his renown as a painter. His work is characterized by an ability to convey the most complex stories with clarity, as well as the everyday behavior and emotions of both sinner and saint. Filippo lived and worked in Prato from 1452 to 1465 after being commissioned the main chapel of the Cathedral. Here, in Prato, one can visit his frescoes in the Cathedral of Santo Stefano, which remains open to the public during ongoing restoration. A collection of his panel paintings from this period can also be found in Prato in the exhibit The Treasures of the City at the Museum of Wall Painting in San Domenico. The show also features the works of Filippo's son, Filippino Lippi. Where: Museo di Pittura Murale (Museum of Wall Painting) - I Tesori della citta - Piazza S Domenico, 8 Info: Telephone 0574.440501 Where: Cathedral of S. Stefano (Entrance behind Cathedral) - Via S. Stefano, 1 PRATO RESERVATION REQUIRED Call center: Agenzia per il Turismo di Prato, Telephone: 057424112 (Monday-Saturday, 9am-1pm).