You’d have to have been dropped on the head when young to not notice the fortuitous timeliness of this Fall’s exhibits at Palazzo Strozzi – upstairs “Money and Beauty: Bankers, Botticelli and the Bonfire of the Vanities” and downstairs “Declining Democracy”. Both exhibits are equally contemporary, and they will make you reflect upon our current, collective situation whether you’re an Italian resident or a visitor from abroad.

From September 28 2011, the city of Florence will be adding 14 new wifi hotspots to the existing network. Beyond the wifi provided free by “Firenze wifi”, there are a few other places in the …

The Umbria Slow: Food, Culture, & Travel iPhone app makes me want to visit Umbria, often billed – as the authors write – as “Tuscany’s poor stepsister.” Poor Umbria and its residents have something of …

A short list of what’s on in September 2011 here in Florence.
EVENTS
Sept 6-11, Emergency, incontro nazionale. Talks every evening and all weekend on diverse themes related to world issues, from doctors to journalists, plus some …

The story of how I came to buy Giuseppe Mazzini’s peaches is one of good timing combined with local friendliness. One of the things we hoped for when we bought a house in Maremma was …

It’s not every day that you hear about a really hip and youthful event in Tuscany. We’re inundated with classical concerts (and I have nothing against that!) and Renaissance art (ditto), but contemporary culture needs …

There is something about sunflowers that I find irresistible. I know, it’s a platitude, everyone loves sunflowers, what is not to like. I don’t care. When I drive past a field of these HUGE heads …

It hit the news yesterday and the debate has exploded in the press: Matteo Renzi has declared that there will be a referendum to allow Florentines to decide if the facade of the Church of …

This weekend we decided to try a different beach in Maremma. At the north end of Marina di Grosseto there’s a long stretch of free beach called Fiumara. Turns out that this beach is a …

When the heat makes one’s appetite wane, Florentines go to dinner in the hills beyond the city. You’ll need a car to get to any of these restaurants outside of the city, known for their …

Everything has been done before. The fact that we keep repeating ourselves is undeniable by anyone who observes any sector of human life, from fashion, which is constantly undergoing revivals, to art which seldom says …

This might be a short post, folks, because it’s just the last week of June and the city has already emptied out considerably. I really wonder how all these people can afford to go on …