The time has come for me to tell you about my first date with my husband, on the occasion of our 8 year wedding anniversary (next week) and of the one year anniversary of the Italy Blogging Roundtable, of which the topic is (drumroll please) anniversaries.
The day I fell irrevocably in love with Tommaso was …
Florence »
Free Unanchor Itinerary on Kindle for Florence, Rome and more – May 18-19 2012 only!
Just a short “news” post to let fans know that on Friday May 18 and Saturday May 19 2102, travelers with Kindles can download my Florence 3-day itinerary, normally 5.99$, for FREE! (Promotion times are from just midnight pacific time on Friday through midnight Saturday night, pacific time.)
Unanchor has published 10 itineraries for Kindle, so stock up – you can get one for Ancient Rome, Paris, New York, Sydney, Seoul, San Francisco, Bangkok, or Beijing too!
San Pietro in Montorio and Bramante’s Tempietto
Sometimes, the hunt for perfection makes it necessary to hike uphill. This is the case with Bramante’s Tempietto, which you’ll forgive me if I call a “jewel” of Renaissance architecture, for its size and perfection is much like a little, domed jewel box.
The best food in Europe is in Italy… and then in the UK
A survey of 2,068 British adults who were asked “What country in Europe has the best food” has found that Brits like Italian food (30%). But the funny thing is, Brits also like British food (22%)! This data has been – rightly so – made into an infographic.
Uffizi now offers evening aperitivo and evening museum visit!
The Uffizi Gallery has finally woken up to what international museums have been doing for ages: an aperitivo in the museum, with extended evening hours. (I wrote about this phenomenon in 2010 for Illywords.)
Thursdays from April 26 through the end of June, from 7-9:30pm, you can enter the Uffizi for an aperitivo buffet and drink …
Andrea Commodi and Michelangelo – an exhibit at Casa Buonarroti
Present-day Michelangelo fans will appreciate this unusual opportunity to get to know one of Michelangelo’s past admirers: artist Andrea Commodi (1560 – 1638). The museum of Casa Buonarroti in Florence is hosting an exhibit this summer (until August 31 2012) that puts works by Commodi from the Uffizi’s drawing collection (Gabinetto Disegni e Stampe) alongside …
Italy Roundtable – an invitation accepted
A year ago I received an email from Jessica Spiegel of Why Go Italy in which she invited me to a project that would unite a few Italy bloggers. I was very honoured to be included in her shortlist of people she considered good enough for the task. We ended up being a group of …
Fondation Maeght: 60s positivism and perfect integration of art and architecture
There is a place in which art and architecture are perfectly integrated, in aesthetic style and function, creating a sensation that is both calming and exciting at the same time. The Fondation Maeght in Saint-Paul-de-Vence (Southern France, near Nice) is my all-time favourite museum.
It must have been incredible to live in the midst of the …
Umbria through Instagram (and other Android apps)
If you thought Instagram was just a gimmicky way to make crap photos into good ones, think again. I’m a recent convert; very specifically, I converted last week when Kirsten Alana showed a group of us in an iphoneography workshop the amazing things she can do with her iPhone 4s. The take-home message was: if …
The best Schiacciata all’olio in Florence bakeries
An anonymous document that has been circulating in my husband’s office has fallen into my hands. The document, with a very formal cover page and introduction, was born as a joke but has become the definitive guide to the best Schiacciata all’olio in Florence, with a ranking of all bakeries where to buy it. With …
Prato’s textile museum wants you to touch their exhibit!
Prato’s textile museum (Museo del Tessuto) says ‘hello’ to contemporary art and modern museum practise with the exhibit ‘Il Tessuto è Tutto‘ (Fabric is Everything). With this exhibit, that opened in March 2012, the museum broke in a new contemporary space that is over 1000 square meters large – 5 times the previous area dedicated …
Japonism in Tuscany – who knew?
Apparently, before the current trend in sushi restaurants hit Florence, there was a time that Florentines (and Italians) were crazy about Japan. And then they forgot all about it. For a while. Luckily, some scholars have thought to compile evidence of Japanism in 19th and early 20th century Tuscany, resulting in a small but interesting …
Slow Art Day 2012 in Florence at Palazzo Strozzi
It’s that time again… for annual Slow Art Day! The date is Saturday April 28 2012, worldwide. In Florence, the event will be taking place at Palazzo Strozzi from 3-7pm.
Last year I co-organized Slow Art in Florence 2011 with Palazzo Strozzi’s education department and we had almost a hundred people show up! The year before, …
Nicolas Collins sound design workshop in Florence, May 13-15, 2012
The folks at Radio Papesse sent me this cool opportunity for anyone interested in sound design or circuit hacking for noisy results.
Nicolas Collins is a professor of sound design at the Art Institute of Chicago. studied composition with Alvin Lucier at Wesleyan University, worked for many years with David Tudor, and has collaborated with numerous …
art history »
Titian’s Capitoline Baptism of Christ on display in Siena
A Titian in Siena. A dialogue across Italy and its artistic styles. On the occasion of the fifth centenary of Titian’s painting “The Baptism of Christ,” normally at the Pinacoteca Capitolina, an exceptional loan has spurred an opportunity to renew the museum path and services at Siena’s Duomo complex, and for us to take a …
Info and Events »
Major events in Florence to help you plan your 2012 holiday
Beyond the many permanent tourist attractions in Florence and Tuscany, like churches and museums, temporary exhibits, major concerts, fairs and other events make life or a holiday here more varied. To help you plan your 2012 holidays in Florence and Tuscany, here is a description of events to look forward to. As these get announced …
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