Here’s the second post from ArtTrav’s colomnist who will be contributing seasonal articles about what to do in Florence with children.

Laura, mother of three-year-old Francesco (in the photo!), is also the energetic founder of ToscanaIN and is involved in the new social network for women, WithAndWithin.

Three-year-old Francesco is the protagonist of Florence for children. He’s very curious and gets bored very easily. This is our selection of the best things to do in Florence over the Christmas 2011 holidays… with kids. I’ve selected activities appropriate for Francesco’s age group, so this is not a comprehensive listing. At the end you will also find some tips about stores and services that visitors to the city might not know. There are some gift ideas here too!

A fair: Firenze Noel (7-11 December 2011 at Leopolda Station)

This Fair is called “The big Christmas Party” and take place at Leopolda Station (viale Fratelli Rosselli, 6r in Florence) from Wednesday 7 December (h.16-21.30) until Sunday 11 December 2011 (10-21.30) – if you arrive there by bus show the ATAF ticket to have a discount (tickets cost 7,50€ for adults and 5,00€ for 6 to 12 years old children).

What can you find there? Animated readings, circus laboratories (with people and with puppets), kitchen – drawing and dance lessons, gospels concerts, etc. Children will learn everything about circus secrets while adults will try and buy typical food and drink (good for your Christmas meals or as a present).

TEATRO PUCCINI “Per grandi e Puccini” season (untranslatable )

For children from 4 to 99 years old, the show “Canto di Natale” powered by Centrale Produzioni full of humour, warmth and suspence, from Charles Dickens novel in Friday 7 December at 18.00 at Teatro Puccini (via delle Cascine 41 in Florence). A show with shadows and lights, phantoms of our past, with songs and choreographies in a space that always change. Tickets 7,00€. On Saturday 7 January at 21.00 a show for 0 to 100 years old people “Il piccolo principe” by Compagnia Mannini Dall’Orto Teatro from Antoine de Saint-Exupery poetic novel. 400 shows around Italy, often sold-out, make this show a cult of the Italian theatre.

A show for fundraising and another by children

On Thursday 15 December a show held by the Scuola Giotto parents to enjoy their children (3-6 years old) and collect money for their school. Two shows with Santa Claus as guest star, full of fun and music, at 16.30 and 17.30 (free offer) at Sala Esse (via del Ghirlandaio, 38 in Florence). Join and tell other families/children!

FESTA English Theatre in Florence has a childrens’ theatre group that is putting on the classic Hansel and Gretel in English on December 17 at the Chiesa Evangelica Metodista – Via De’ Benci 9 at 5:30pm (it’s free). Performed by kids, for kids.

Caffè Letterario Le Murate book reading for trilingual children!

The new Caffè Letterario Le Murate (Piazza delle Murate in Florence) will be hosting the famous children’s writer Arianna Papini on Saturday 17 December at 17.00 to promote her new book, What would you like to be? (Chi Vorresti Essere in Italian) that will be read in Italian, English and Spanish simultaneously (admission free).  There will be a small workshop afterwards with crafts, singing and dancing. A very cute book for early readers (age 3) – if you miss the reading you could buy the book on amazon: Papini – Chi vorresti essere

UNIQUE: a creativity workshop at FERRAGAMO MUSEUM

The special workshop “Creare la moda” (Create fashion) for 4 to 10 years old children at Museo Ferragamo (Palazzo Spini Feroni piazza Santa Trinità 5r in City Center of Florence) with the aim to explain and teach children what a made-in-Italy object should be. The first workshop is on Sunday 18^th December at 15.30 / 16.30 / 17.30 booking in advance. Children will learn about the Ferragamo tradition with a cartoon and, following the instruction of an expert artisan, creating a shoe with their own hands starting with the choice of the right raw materials.

BIBLIOTECA delle OBLATE – spazio BAMBINI e RAGAZZI

There is a lot to do during the Christmas / New Years Eve and Epiphany days in the Children and Youth section of Biblioteca delle Oblate (the Oblate Library) via dell’Oriuolo, 26 in Florence!

Saturday 17^th December, Thursday 22^nd and Thursday 29^th December at 16.30 by Associazione Culturale Allibratori the animated readings “Notte Nero Pece” (Deep Black Night), “Immaginarie Storie” through Japanese Kamishibai and “Le stagioni di Pallina” (Pallina seasons) while in January 2012 the program will start on Thursday 5^th at 16.30 with the animated reading “Storie a colori” and Saturday 7^th at 16.30 with the puppet show “La Befana e la gallina Bianca”

A place to eat… during your Christmas shopping

TheClubHouse in via de’ Ginori 6r in Florence

A perfect stop in the city center close to San Lorenzo market, where you can order anything you want from pizza to pasta and fish and chips (brunch on Sundays). Children can sit in the comfortable chairs with cushions and waiters are very nice with them. If you are a ToscanaIN member (business networking no-profit association) you can get a 15% of discount on a la carte menu and special offers.

A shop for kids’ presents

Imaginarium in via Gioberti 41r (Le Nove Botteghe): via Gioberti is my favourite shopping street in Florence, and Imaginarium is my favourite toy shop. Every child loves it first for its double entrance (a small door for children like Francesco – see picture of him trying to open the little door by himself) and then for its great puppets, colours, animals, etc.! If you join the Imaginarium Club, you’ll receive a card that gives you discounts and special offers (a different gift every month so you are forced to go and spend there). And now you can download the free app “Imaginarium Natale” (for Apple and Android) to write a letter adding your favourite toys and, after sending it via smartphone, Santa Claus in person will call you up: don’t miss it!

A solidarity gift on behalf of Fondazione Meyer

If you are looking for presents with a different purpose, check in the Fondazione Meyer catalogue. You’ll find unique sweaters, T-shirts, mugs, hats, pencils, books, cards, etc. and you’ll help one of the best children’s hospital in Italy (and sick children will thank you!).

Last but not least an idea to spend some time at home

And if it’s too cold or rainy to go out, why don’t you spend your time making something to eat with your child? You can start from the classic North American Gingerbread biscuits (also a nice way to decorate your Christmas tree or for a Christmas present to your neighbours). And a trick: if you fill this form you’ll receive a Christmas recipe a day until December 24 taken for you and your child from “The secret Santa Claus cookbook”. In fact in 2011 Piccolo Cuoco (a project of the non-profit association Piccolo Artista) has been named Santa Claus’ personal assistant and shares with all of you his secret recipes…

A word of thanks to my readers!

Thanks to Alexandra for the hospitality on her blog. In exchange you can read her interview on the English HomePage of the WithandWithin community, a space reserved for women and moms! And thanks to all of you readers for your comments, shares, likes and retweets of my first attempt at blogging last month (if you missed it, see things to do with kids in Florence in November 2011 – some valid tips in there despite the date). I welcome more feedback on these posts. Please note though that this is a personal selection of events and that these posts contain my own opinion. We welcome your constructive thoughts so that all parents can benefit.

Laura, mother of three-year-old Francesco (in the photo!), is also the energetic founder of ToscanaIN and is involved in the new social network for women, WithAndWithin.

My three-year-old Francesco is the protagonist of Florence for children. He’s very curious and gets bored very easily. So I’m starting to gather information on activities to keep children busy and parents happy in Florence on the weekends. And guess what? For parents and children living in Florence, there are loads of opportunities, from kids’ areas in libraries to theatre and music! Here is my list of the best kids’ events in November and December 2011.

In libraries and bookstores

Biblioteca delle oblate – spazio bambini e ragazzi

We can start with the Biblioteca delle Oblate (the Oblate Library), via dell’Oriuolo 26, in the city center (200m from the Duomo) that has a Children and Youth section on the second floor (see photo above). The service offers books in Italian and foreign languages, musical CDs, films and cartoons. With a free library card, children can bring home 8 books per month, 2 CDs+2 DVDs+2 cartoons for a week.

From November 6 until December 18 it will be open also every Sunday from 10.00 to 18.00 (good to spend there some time during the winter rainy and cold days!). And not only! There is an interesting program of interactive readings, literary games, laboratories, workshops and puppet shows during the weekends for children of any age.

Here are a few examples for smaller children (3/6 years old):

Saturdays November 19 at 16.30 the animated readings by Associazione Culturale Allibratori “Il sapore della luna” (The flavour of the moon) is a journey in the African nights together with savanna and jungle animals; and November 26 at the same time, “Un viaggio da leoni” (A lion journey) in one of the most beautiful cities in Europe: Paris.

Saturday December 3 in the morning at 11.00 “Le letture di Sara” animated readings: “Il guerriero e il saggio” and “Yasmin e le mele d’oro”; and then in the afternoon at 16.30 a puppet show “Storie allegre di Carlo Collodi” (Happy stories of Carlo Collodi) with fantastic people of the visionary Florentine writer and creator of Pinocchio by Associazione culturale Altolà.

Libreria libri liberi & Teatrino del gallo

Another wonderful place to introduce smaller children to theatre is Teatrino del Gallo in the limonaia and garden of the bookshop “Libri Liberi” in via San Gallo 25r in Florence (see photo), which specializes in babies’ and childrens’ books and is now celebrating its eighth year of activities with a two-day party on Sunday November 27 and Monday November 28 from 17.00 to 20.00. The party will launch a new green line, a green room, and workshop and shows focused on nature, recycling and bio breaks.

The shows (at 15.30 or at 17.00) for 3-10 years olds held at Teatrino del Gallo in November will be “Cappuccetto cambia colore” by Teatrosfera on Saturday November 19, an interactive show based on the Bruno Munari storyl “Il meraviglioso mondo di Oz” on Sunday November 20 by Teatrosfera and musicians of Maggio Musicale Fiorentino; and “Stanza di Fiaba: Hansel e Gretel” a multisensorial journey in the places of the tale on Sunday the 27^th by Miriam Bardini and Roberta Socci.

Theatre for kids

Pass Teatri Family is an excellent deal for families: it allows 6 entrances for childrens’ shows in different theatres in Florence and nearby for 25€. It means that you can go twice mom+dad+child or three times mom+child and any possible combination. And with Pass Teatri Family you can also have discounts to Museums and Exhibitions around Florence!

Here are the shows on the agenda for November 2011:

Sunday November 27^th you can choose between “All’opera… il lupo e i sette capretti” at Teatro delle Arti (via Matteotti 8, Lastra a Signa (FI)) at 15.30, from the Grimm brothers’ tale powered by Teatrino dei Fondi; or “Boxville – Ballata di Cartone” at Teatro Cantiere Florida (via Pisana 111r ang. Via di Soffiano, Florence) at 16.00, by Compagnia Simona Bucci, appropriate for all ages. An imaginary world made of boxes: big, small, full, empty, a box-city and its inhabitants to have a different point of view of ourselves and the way we interact in our surroundings. The week before at Teatro Cantiere Florida you can book for “Vita da gatti” (not in the Pass Teatri Family program) at 16.00 by Compagnia Ferruccio Filippazzi (ticket 7,00€ for adult and children 3-7 years old)

Sunday December 4 there is “Hansel e Gretel” at Teatro Giotto in Vicchio (FI) at 16.00. Gino Balestrino and sweet puppets made by Natale Panaro follow on Sunday December 11 in“Raperonzolo” at Teatro Comunale Corsini (viale della Repubblica 3, Barberino del Mugello (FI)), Pupi di Stac’s puppet version of the famous tale written by the Grimm brothers, contaminated with Tuscan words and music and the active participation and emotion of the public. Without the Family Pass Teatri card, tickets cost 5,00€ for adults and children.

Child-friendly restaurants and shops

I must say that in Florence (and in Italy in general) it’s really difficult to find a restaurant or a bar with a high chair and a changing table for children (public toilets don’t exist), even if it’s one of the most touristic cities / countries in the world! But things are changing: for a restaurant to be eligible for outside seating on public property, Mayor Matteo Renzi obliges them to have those two baby-friendly objects. There’s hope! But I give you two important tricks in the center of Florence in case of urgent need.

A place to eat: Mc Donald’s has two fast-food restaurants in Florence city center, one in piazza della Stazione 25r (in front of Santa Maria Novella train station) and the second via Cavour 61r (steps from the Duomo). You can dislike or love its hamburger and menu (now you can try McItaly hamburgers created by Gualtiero Marchesi) but once in a while it’s better than many other places especially if you are in a foreign country and need a kitchen that’s always open. Children have their menu with a nice present in it. And they always have baby changing tables in their toilets, so if you need to clean your baby at least you can do so in a comfortable way!

A shop: Prenatal is located in via Brunelleschi 22 beside piazza delle Repubblica in Florence. It’s a must for future moms, as the store carries anything you need for body and birth. But it’s also the first choice for newborns to find anything you need from strollers to linens made for baby-size beds, all kind of clothes, toys and cosmetics. And they know how to create return customers with pre-birth courses, a birth-list, and the Prenatal card that enable you to gain wonderful prizes and discounts. And if you need a 10 minute stop in your shopping session to clean or feed your baby in a quiet place, they have a nursing corner.

Stay tuned on arttrav for more child-friendly posts from Laura! Thanks Laura for the great job… didn’t she do a great job, in English, too?! Laura is open to suggestions for the next kid post, so please add your kid-friendly Florence tips in the comments, or write to her at laura@withandwithin.com. And while you’re at it, why not join withandwithin and see what it’s all about?

The portrait of Anselm Keifer, Over Your Cities Grass Will Grow, by Sophie Fiennes, looks mildly depressing but interesting.

I’ll be getting an all-film pass for November 19-Dec 13… and you?

Press release

Florence, November 19 – December 3, 2011

British artist SARAH MORRIS will be the protagonist of the festival’s opening evening, on Monday, November 21, at the Cinema Odeon in Florence, with the Italian premiere of two of her recent films: Chicago (2011) and Points on a Line (2010).

Israeli artist OMER FAST will present his video-installation TALK SHOW on Saturday, November 19, at Cango-Cantieri Goldonetta (Florence).

The Fourth Edition of LO SCHERMO DELL’ARTE FILM FESTIVAL will be held in Florence from November 19th to December 3rd. Directed by Silvia Lucchesi, the Festival features films and videos in which contemporary arts are the subject. As in previous editions, the Festival is divided into three sections: Sguardi (Glimpses), Cinema d’Artista and Festival Talks. This year, a new section has been added: Mobiles, a new exhibition program which will present, in various locations other than the cinema, single works by international artists; pieces linked with moving images and new media. “Mobiles” takes its title from the sculptures of Alexander Calder, and, like these, it is a mobile, light project, adaptable to different needs.

In this year’s particularly rich Cinema d’Artista program, Sarah Morris, best-known for her documentary films and her broad, square canvases covered with colorful geometric designs (featured in her one-man show at MAMBO in Bologna, in 2009), will be the protagonist of Lo Schermo dell’Arte’s opening evening, with two Italian premieres: Chicago (2011), a picture-portrait of the American city from dawn to night; a look at the daily life of a great metropolis; such as Robert Towne creatd for Los Angeles and Beijing in his previous films. Next up is Points on a Line (USA 2010), devoted to two extraordinary pieces of 20th century architecture: Mies van der Rohe’s Farnsworth House and Philip Johnson’s Glass House. Soundtracks by British artist Liam Gillick, who was the protagonist of the German Pavillion at the Venice Biennale in 2009, add texture to the two films’ extraordinary images. Sarah Morris has recently been selected, alongside other famous artists such as Tracey Emin, Bridget Riley and Howard Hodgkin, to create a symbolic poster for the London Olympics, in 2012.

Included in the Cinema d’Artista program is Armin Linke’s film Alpi (Alps) (Germany, 2011), the result of his seven-year research on contemporary perception of alpine landscapes, in which he filmed places and situations in the territories surrounding the mountain range.

Omer Fast is the guest of this year’s new Mobiles section, which he will inaugurate on the evening of November 19, at 6 p.m., with the presentation of his three-screen video installation TALK SHOW (2010, 65’, courtesy Arratia Beer Galerie, Berlin) at CANGO-Cantieri Goldonetta; the piece will be on view until Dec. 3. TALK SHOW is a live recording of the performance Omer Fast did in New York for Performa 2009. Set on a TV set in front of a live audience, a character tells a story based on his personal memories linked to events from global political news. The principal character, Lisa Ramaci, tells actress Rosie Perez her own personal

experience of the Iraq War. At the end of her story, Lisa leaves and Rosie re-tells what she’s just heard to a third character, who in turn repeats the story to yet another. The sequence in which seven different characters participate is therefore made up of six different narrations born from the first, by Lisa Ramaci: a non-written story which spontaneously transforms itself from an individual memory into a recitation personalized by various characters; a recitation which runs from intimate memoir to tragedy to comedy.

A protagonist of the most recent Venice Biennale and the Whitney Biennial in New York, 2009, Omer Fast is considered one of the most important international video artists. His works are in major museums around the world, including the Tate Modern, MoMA, the Guggenheim, the Hamburger Bahnhof ,and the National Galerie in Berlin. Inauguration on Saturday November 19; the artist will be present.

Sarah Morris, Omer Fast and Armin Linke will be guests of the Festival and will give lectures within the Festival Talks program.

Among the not-to-be-missed documentaries featured in the Sguardi (Glimpses) section are the portraits of Swiss artist Urs Fischer (who was a protagonist of the last Venice Biennale), by Iwan Schumacher (Switzerland, 2010), and of the Danish couple Elmgreen & Dragset, in the film How Are You? by Jannik Splidsboel (Denmark, 2011), and the story of a piece by Anselm Kiefer, one of the most famous contemporary artists: Over Your Cities Grass Will Grow, by Sophie Fiennes (UK, France, Holland 2010), presented recently at the Cannes Festival. In addition, an interesting and up-to-date look at the art world in Russia: Oligarques, Art et Dollars: les Nouveaux Collectionneurs Russes, by Tania Rakhmanova (France, 2010).

Lo Schermo dell’Arte Film Festival was created in Florence in 2008; it’s an original and unique project in Italy, directed by Silvia Lucchesi; among the very few in the world to deal specifically with the theme of the relationship between contemporary art and cinema. Since its First Edition, the Festival has been included in the series “50 giorni di Cinema Internazionale a Firenze” organized by FST, Mediateca Toscana Film Commission, with the support of Regione Toscana, Provincia e Comune di Firenze.

Lo schermo dell’Arte Film Festival – Fourth Edition

Odeon Firenze, Piazza Strozzi November 21 – 24, 2011 Talk Show by OMER FAST Cango-Cantieri Goldonetta, Florence, Via Santa Maria 23-25 November 19 – December 3, 2011

For information:

www.schermodellarte.org

I’m happy to post some information about this event that will be held September 16-30, 2011. The festival is taking place off center for Tuscany, in Pistoia, and it’s run by locals who wish to invigorate the town with alternative music, graphics, street art and other forms of creativity.

Two days of alternative music (Sept 16 & 17) represented by ten groups I’ve personally never heard of, but that look really cool, including Brunori Sas, Une Passante, Ex otago, and Thank you for the drum machine. 20 artists’ work will be on display in and around the city, with light installations, sculpture, photography and more. One of the artists featured is Sara Berti (see work below), who was chosen to represent Italy at the Biennale in Venice this year. Another is local graphic artist Jonathan Calugi, chosen by Print Mag as one of the most promising graphic designers under 30 (see his funky work posted above). You can check out the full programme on their website.

The theme this year is “La Moda Unisce l’Italia” – Fashion Unites Italy. Every part of this fashion show is organized and put on by the students and teachers of the Istituto Cellini- Tornabuoni di Firenze. Students from the fashion studies program have created these historic reproductions of costumes from 1861 to now, made in silk, wool, and lace. These are based on various drawn and photographic sources. There will also be modern pieces inspired by the Risorgimento. Teachers have, of course, directed them in their work, instructing them on the fineries of design and sewing using antique techniques. The same school’s graphic arts program has been in charge of the invitations and posters, while the mechanics area has been busily making souvenirs for the crowd.

The Istituto Tornabuoni has been operating in Florence since 1919; fused with the B. Cellini school in more recent years, the school offers a programme whose roots are in the artisanship upon which this city is built. This creation of physical, quality objects is not nostalgia but a way to understand the present and create solutions for the future.

First published in 2007 by The Florentine Press, it’s out in an expanded and updated edition. This book is being presented by the author and publisher at a brand new bar/social space in Florence: called “Ideal Firenze”, it’s in the landmark rotonda located near Porta a Prato (via il prato 4b).

From the press release:

The Florentine Press presents the second edition of Jane Fortune’s book To Florence con Amore. First published in 2007, Fortune, The Florentine’s own culture editor, suggested 77 ways to love the city. The expanded 2011 edition now includes 90 unsung treasures and fascinating art and cultural gems, as well as great food and drink to help you best explore the city. The new chapter that expands the book suggests thirteen ways to spend an afternoon that you won’t want to miss!

I have some insider information – one, or maybe two, new and interesting websites will also be unveiled that evening!

Aperitivo to follow the book presentation; 7 euros per person including drink and buffet, but FREE if you purchase the book – a good deal, eh!?

I received notice of two interesting events, both related to bicycles (a coincidence?) that will be held on the white night.

Postcards from Beirut presents SCI-FI – storie della scienza a Firenze (history of science in Florence)

A kind of treasure hunt on a bicycle/ itinerary to complete as a group at night – a discovery of the locations of weird science and art, and the best errors made in both, in Florence. Like how (and where?) Antonio Meucci invented the telephone but also a prepared sauce for the brand “Star” and various fizzy drinks. For this strange event, you have to reserve: 3334589278 – info@postcardsfrombeirut.org

Radio Papesse presents Radio on Wheels

The appointment is for 8pm in piazza dell’Indipendenza and the instructions seem pretty simple: show up on a bike with a radio and tune it to FM97.0. But the effect and importance of the project is more profound: It is a bike-speed choreography that will carry the sound wave of a radio army all around the city of Florence. Radios will air the live concert being held at the Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino:Beethoven and Liszt interpreted by Daniel Baremboim on piano and directed by Zubin Mehta. This is an invitation to consider the benefit of art and culture in public spaces as well as the importance of sustainable forms of transportation.

The appointment is for 6pm on Wednesday May 4th 2011 at the British Institute of Florence, where Dr. Campbell will discuss this topic drawn from sections of her book, “Paradise of Exiles” (2009), which is also available on amazon.com and .it. After the lecture there will be refreshments.

The talk by John Hoenig is titled “Disegni Magnifici: The Uffizi’s Collection of Drawings by Bernardo Buontalenti; it’s at 6pm on Thursday April 28, 2011 at at Florence University of the Arts Sala Michelangelo, Via Magliabechi 1 (Florence).

Here’s the abstract:

The Gabinetto Disegni e Stampe degli Uffizi contains almost two hundred unframed sheets in the hand of Buontalenti. All are working drawings commissioned by the Medici family with whom Buontalenti spent his entire career. Although the majority of the drawings are generally scaled technical and decorative designs for both architectural and ephemeral projects – and many contain marginalia that reveal much of the artist’s thought process and working practice – there are some intriguing works which are clearly intended for presentation and worthy of further inspection.

Collecting & Display was founded in 2004 as a global forum for the discussion of all areas connected with the history of collections and their display. From 2005 the independent and interdisciplinary working group has been running regular seminars in London and for the last two years in Florence and has organised international conferences in several European cities.

John Hoenig has had an extensive career as a director and lighting designer in theatre and special events. Since moving to Florence to become an independent scholar, he has been undertaking research at the Uffizi and the V&A into Buontalenti’s theatrical and architectural designs. In the past year, John has presented papers in Florence and London on Buontalenti, Bronzino and the work of his father, Laszlo Hoenig, a Hungarian architect and designer. He continues to produce ephemeral events.

Knit your own PROVENCE pillow from BettaKnit at this event!

Here’s a really cute event for your creative/crafty side! On Thursday April 28 2011, come out to Le Murate from 7-10pm to learn how to knit, or to knit in a group and help others. I’m coordinating the event that is a collaboration between BettaKnit and The Florentine English news-magazine, with the generous use of one of the new spaces at Le Murate provided by the Assessorato alla Cultura.

BettaKnit is a young Pratese company that sells really cute, clean knit designs. You can buy a kit with everything you need to knit the object in question (they’re rated easy/ medium/ hard so some patterns are fine for rank beginners) or, for a few euros more, you can order “knitwear” which will be knit to order by a team of grandmas who donate their proceeds to charity. Isn’t that nice? In fact, BettaKnit’s slogan is “Be Kind”, which reflects a belief in the social and friendly power of creativity.

At the “Knit Lounge” (aka “Maglia e Musica) event at Le Murate, you can choose from two projects. In case you have never knitted and don’t want to try, the “Betta’s” have developed a really pretty no-knit necklace that combines unusual yarns and vintage buttons. The kit for this project costs only 10 euros, more than accessible for an evening out. The second project is a grey cotton pillow (also available in rust or lilac-grey colours) that is pretty easy to knit but will take about 9 hours (once you’ve gotten the hang of knitting). It’s appropriate for a total beginner, and the Betta’s will be on hand to teach you. The kits are really cute and include literally everything (like, knitting needles, yarn, instructions, a label etc) and the launch price for this pillow is only 25 euros, 8 euros off the price listed on the website.

Finally, if you are already a keen knitter, just bring your project and knit in good company (you might be asked to help some beginners sitting next to you ). You might check out the new summer yarn collection and email bettaknit if you’d like to buy some (they can bring it to you, rather than going through the online order process).

Don’t worry, from 7-10pm in Italy you can be guaranteed that there would not just be knitting: there will be food and music too! The aperivito is sponsored by American Salad Co and will involve all sorts of good dips and salads rarely seen in Italy, but made with fresh local ingredients.

Ready to sign up? Please RSVP to reserve your necklace or pillow kit, and also if you’re coming with your own knitting project cuz the caterers need to cook for you! http://bettaknitmurate.eventbrite.com/

representative wheelchair image borrowed from stock photo site

Context Travel, the walking tour company for intellectually curious travelers, announces its new Mobility Program, a selection of å la carte accessible tours and customized trip planning and support services for clients with mobility concerns. And I think that’s a great idea, so I’m happy to report their news here.

Press Release

Since its inception, Context Travel has aimed to provide transformative experiences for intellectually curious travelers. However, due to the physical nature of some cities, this often excluded access for travelers with mobility concerns and physical disabilities. With the creation of this program, Context establishes itself as an innovator in the field of accessible travel, being the first urban tour company to offer personalized and informed services for travelers with disabilities.

The services and features of the program include:

-       a collection of specifically designed itineraries, considering all physical factors (walking surfaces, walking pace and distance, accessibility of sites visited, availability of accessible bathrooms and dining establishments nearby)
-       a team of docents who have been trained in leading mobility-friendly itineraries
-       a client resource document for each city, which include: wheelchair rental information, accessible taxi and transfer options, accessible travel resources and trip planning sites
-       pre and post-booking assistance for creation of a personalized travel itinerary.

To guarantee the benefits and capabilities of this program, Context Travel will be conducting an annual discussion with its in-house staff and a panel of accessible travel experts.

“Our mobility program has always existed in a nebulous way – we worked with travelers with a variety of mobility concerns but did not have a formal set of systems and services in place,” says program coordinator Megan McDonnell. “I see this program as setting a standard for other like-minded travel companies. This program is an ideological partner of our sustainable travel initiatives – this program supports inclusiveness and is a way to give back to a segment of the population that is not well served by the normal standards of the travel industry.”

More about context’s mobility program online.

I bought my htc cell phone on amazon.it and it rocks (both the phone and amazon)

This is a bit of a delayed announcement but i’ve been meaning to mention the launch of Amazon.it – Amazon.com in Italy that took place in November 2010. It’s going to be a while until Italians start thinking of looking here when they need a new product, while those of us used to shopping on amazon back in North America are already pre-trained to know that if you need anything at all, chances are you can find it here. I’ve already had the opportunity to test out the Italian amazon and have been very satisfied.

Amazon.it sells books in English – which is great! – and a good range of electronics. There are also tvs and small home appliances – the selection is a bit limited here.

My first Amazon.it purchase, in January 2011, was my smartphone, an HTC Desire. I bought this phone because the iphone4 was having availability problems in Italy (as far as I know still unresolved) and found that the HTC was capable of pretty much everything for two thirds the price. Amazon.it had the best price, but it appeared to be imported from Germany so I wasn’t sure about the warantee. I called Amazon customer service and believe it or not a very informed lady told me right away that the product shipped with an EU guarantee and that it was valid in Italy, and as well that there was an extra guarantee through amazon itself. My phone arrived a few days later with amazon prime’s awesome low-cost shipping and it even had a bonus memory card that not listed in the product description. For anyone who wants to know, i’m very happy with my htc and it has a new kind of cache to it because most people have never seen one… the iphone is just too popular!

So far it seems to me that amazon.it has really competitive prices and good customer service. We’ll be back .

Go to this page, like Miriam’s facebook page, and follow the instructions to win the necklace pictured (my fave) or one of 3 other items of your choice.

Tuesday February 8, 20:30: Gregorio Nardi (piano) plays Mozart’s Adagio kv 540 and the Sonata kv 280, plus Kurtag, Haydn e Liszt.

Feb 22: clavicembalo di Rossella Giannetti

March 1: Flute Orchestra with Michele Marasco

March 9: violino Stradivari ex-Fenyves di Tamsin Waley-Cohen accompagnata dal grande pianista Stefano Greco

March 29 marzo: Michele Marasco (flute) con Armonia di Corte Estense

April 5: Gregorio Nardi (piano)

Price: 10 euro for each concert. ALl concerts start at 20:30

members of FLAME free + 1CD

5 concerts + one cd = 40 euro

Location of concerts: Museo Nazionale del Bargello, via del Proconsolo 4, Firenze

Info and reservations: FLAMEnsemble

Via G. D’Annunzio 121 | 50135 Firenze

tel 055 611299 | 055 6123516

info@flamensemble.com

www.flamensemble.com

How to participate? It’s Easy!

Make a recipe using Nutella. Eat Nutella with a spoon. A big one. Make art with Nutella. Wax poetic about Nutella. Cuddle with Nutella. Strike a pose with Nutella. Re-live your first experience eating Nutella. Offer Nutella as a sacrifice. Have a Nutella-eating contest or a Nutella party!

For complete info – cuz I know you’re going to get involved – see World Nutella Day.

Aaron Craig will begin the series with “A Chip in the Sugar” on Monday, 22 November at 8:30pm. Other dates are November 22, 29, December 6, 13, 20.

The Province of Florence (this isn’t a comunal or regional project) is working on the requalification of this space with its three courtyards and innumerable layers of history. The plans include a public pool, a gallery space, art and artisan laboratories and teaching areas, and provincial offices. There will be an “elemento architettonico” – a mysterious something architectural – that refers to the work of Carlo Lorenzini, the author of Pinocchio; Lorenzini was born in nearby via Taddea. Do you figure there will be a big sticking out nose-like thing on the building?

Where: Sant’Orsola Ex-Monastery, Via Panicale – Via Guelfa, Florence

When: 18-21 November 2010, 6.00pm-9.00pm, Free entrance

What: Photo exhibition & live performance: Totem della Moda; Video projects: Fashion Lifting, Tessuto Urbano, Text_Game

Curated by Polimoda Fashion Design e Fashion Marketing

Co-founded by Provincia di Firenze and Regione Toscana

Photography Ruggero Lupo Mengoni|
Dee Jay Simone Fabbroni
Hot drink Café Deluxé

A special invite from the Tuscan-American Association, Rotary Firenze Bisenzio and friends of the American community:

A real (American) Thanksgiving Dinner in Florence

Date: Thursday November 25 from 8pm

Location: CIRCOLO UFFICIALI, Via Arazzieri 2 – Firenze (Piazza S. Marco)

RSVP required, see full invitation below

Mazzoni, 1933: Stazione ferroviaria di Siena: veduta verso il lato Empoli

Until November 17 2010 there’s an exhibit in Siena that looks interesting: “Architettura nelle terre di Siena. La prima metà del Novecento”. 100 drawings and plans that explore ecclecticism, rationalism, art deco/ Liberty style and more – at the Complesso Museale Santa Maria della Scala.

From the press release:

Il progetto, realizzato in quasi tre anni di lavoro, si propone di valutare in modo sistematico il portato della sperimentazione architettonica a Siena e in provincia nella prima metà del XX secolo. Dopo il censimento degli edifici più significativi e della documentazione ad essi relativa, è stato affrontato il lavoro degli architetti attivi in quegli anni, ricostruendone il percorso professionale. Dopo una prima presentazione in occasione di una giornata di studi tenutasi il 21 marzo 2009 presso il Palazzo delle Poste di Siena, gli studiosi coinvolti sono stati chiamati a produrre contributi e approfondimenti scientifici, che ora trovano degno spazio nel ricco e articolato catalogo che chiude il percorso di ricerca.

L’esposizione presenta oltre cento disegni d’architettura, spesso di grande bellezza grafica, che vengono per la prima volta esposti al pubblico. Molte delle opere, infatti, provengono da collezioni poco note o difficilmente accessibili come: l’Archivio della Società di Esecutori di Pie Disposizioni, l’Archivio Storico del Comune di Siena, l’Archivio del MART di Rovereto, o collezioni private quali l’Archivio Marchi di Roma e l’Archivio Chierici di Torino.

Dall’Eclettismo al Liberty, dal Novecento al Déco, dal Razionalismo allo “stile littorio”, il percorso permetterà di indagare l’attività di personalità artistiche di rilievo a livello nazionale e non solo, attive in città e sul territorio nella prima metà del XX secolo, come, ad esempio, Virgilio Marchi, che per dieci anni diresse l’Istituto d’Arte di Siena, e Angiolo Mazzoni, a cui si deve la realizzazione della Stazione di Siena, fino a scoprire una nutrita schiera di solidi professionisti locali, i quali, sotto il segno di un ineludibile confronto con la tradizione, intrattengono con la modernità rapporti complessi e sottili, talvolta contraddittori.

Ne emerge una situazione tutt’altro che univoca, solcata da inquietudini e fermenti, fatta di slanci in avanti e recupero integrale di un passato idealizzato, che getta nuova luce sulla produzione architettonica di un territorio apparentemente poco disposto ad accogliere le novità e quasi prigioniero del suo “sogno medievale”.

image (c) 2010 Gianna Scoino

Well known Florentine artist Gianna Scoino has a show opening tomorrow at Galleria Tornabuoni (Borgo San Jacopo 53r) called “Memorie Cucite” – Sewn memories. These multimedia works (paper, sewing thread, hand printing) are subtely beautiful. They sew together memories of the past using a personal visual language.

Opening October 28th at 6pm; Until November 16th. Free.

Yeah. Did you notice that: six years ago? This blog started in October 2004 when I couldn’t find the ideal guidebook to Rome! You can read about the history of arttrav if you’re interested. And in case you also want to know who I am, you can read that too .

THANK YOU to my regular and occasional readers – according to google, you’re 9000+ viewers per month in 156 countries. The top countries reading arttrav are USA, Italy, India, Canada, and UK, and the top post of all time is about the Palazzo Davanzati. It’s thanks to YOU and your feedback that I keep blogging.

The title, Radici or Roots, refers to the choices one (and the artist) makes and the resulting way of self-acceptance. How comfortable are you in your body? What is your place within the natural landscape? Thus Zurlo’s calming landscape photos are forms of self-portraiture.

Castello di Sarteano: Open Monday to Friday, 15:30-19, Sat/Sun 10:30-12:30 and 15:30-19.

Visualizzazione ingrandita della mappa

David Salle, Smoke (2008)

Dreams are the theme of the exhibit in Perugia “TEATRO DEL SOGNO da Chagall a Fellini” that opens September 25th and runs until January 9, 2011. The show will be set up inside the Galleria Nazionale and contains works by modern and contemporary artists influenced in some way by Freud. The theme of dream and the unconscious reminds me rather a lot of the recent exhibit at Palazzo Strozzi in Florence on De Chirico, Max Ernst et al, about which i wrote a long review.

In Perugia, you’ll find works by Marc Chagall, Salvador Dalì, Giorgio de Chirico, Paul Delvaux, Max Ernst, Renè Magritte, André Masson, Joan Mirò, Man Ray, Alberto Savinio, Yves Tanguy, Fernando Botero, Paul Klee, Max Klinger, Plinio Nomellini, Gaetano Previati. In terms of the contemporary artists from the international and italian scenes Sandro Chia, Mimmo Paladino, Julian Schnabel, and David Salle as well as video and installation work by the latests artist-stars Jan Fabre, Damien Hirst, Tony Oursler, Pinot Gallizio.

For more info: www.mostrateatrodelsogno.it

Chagall, Nude above Vitebsk (1933)

I colori dell’Ara Pacis – the colours of the Ara Pacis. The original colours of the building are reconstructed with a projection onto the actual marble structure!

Remaning dates for this Wednesday-night event are: August 4, 11, 18, 25;  and September 1 & 8, 2010. From 9pm to midnight, entry costs 8 euros.

As the town of 300 expects 100,000 visitors, at the visitor center you can buy, for 300 euros, a “pedestrian’s kit” complete with portable “strisce” (crossing stripes), a portable underpass with easy installation, various other types of road signs, and a GPS finder of porcini mushrooms.

Last year’s winner was Calogero Armato who published this text in the newspaper Il Metato:

da oggi nei bar ma anche in altri locali pubblici si potrà richiedere l’acqua minerale biodinamica. Grazie all’utilizzo del pesciolino blu chiamato Gonfietto che vive in un anonimo affluente del Rio Negro in Amazzonia, sensibile alla colite ittica e capace di produrre “gas” dalla propia pancia in modo rapido e biologico dopo aver mangiato soltanto tre fagioli.

Don’t worry, if you can’t go, you can send your lie by email to info@labugia.it. (I’m serious, and there’s a prize for it too.)

This has got to be the worst poster design fail ever. We received this at the office via email and I heard a gasp from a colleague so I had to look too… Are we to believe that seeing Florence through “Wine Goggles” (instead of “beer goggles) is… a good thing? The comune di Firenze has put their logo on this and I’m afraid they haven’t seen it – surely it couldn’t have been approved!?

I almost feel the need to do a little visual analysis here. It’s almost impossible to analyze. The poor graphic artist who had to incorporate some nice logos with an awful concept, a kinda sweaty student-model, fireworks, a sunset, a cut and paste, two tag-lines, and every colour in the rainbow.

The website www.winetownfirenze.com is equally bad, designed by a certain Orlando Perri whose OWN website doesn’t even work. And here is their idea of a “viral video” – to which I suppose I am contributing.

Instead of the two tag lines in the poster, I suggest a third: Wanna get wasted on wine? Attend this event next fall.

Locations are: Acquedotto Vergine, Auditorium di Mecenate, Casa Protostorica di Fidene, Cisterna delle Sette Sale, Cisterna romana di via Cristoforo Colombo, Colombario di Pomponio Hylas, Insula Romana sotto Palazzo Specchi, Ipogeo di Via Livenza, Ludus Magnus, Mausoleo di Monte del Grano, Mitreo dell’Ara Massima di Ercole, Monte Testaccio, Porta Asinaria, Sepolcri Repubblicani, Teatro di Marcello, Trofei di Mario e Porta Magica, Villa di Plinio.

For info: Secret Rome from A to Z official site

Lorenzo Pancini, Memory of Hands, (c) www.theanttheater.com

Every June 24th I try to do something different – it’s San Giovanni, the patron saint of Florence. Most people flock downtown to see the fireworks along the Arno. Last year I got out of the city to a wonderful country meal with De Gustibus, which they are offering again this year. But I’m extremely tempted by the show put on at the Casa della Creativita (just steps from the Duomo on Vicolo Santa Maria Maggiore) by an artists’ collective called The Ant Theater. One of the founding artists is Simone whose work and oral presentation style I admired at the Pecha Kucha night I attended this spring.

The Ant Theater is a collective started by three visual artists in Florence. While working for fashion brands and international publishing houses, they’ve developed a unique approach to the art of drawing in unconventional situations, thank to trusty sketchbooks, watercolour and simple pen drawings. Each has his own distintive obsession: Simone Massoni steals the casual poses and the random speech from street walkers, Ilaria Falorsi depitcts curvy girls in uncommon situations , Cosimo Lorenzo Pancini obsesses about hand positions and details of  friends’ faces. The art of The Ant Theater, created in the dimly lit pubs of Florence, can also be admired group’s website if you cannot make it to the show at the Casa della Creativita’ from June 24 to July 13 2010.

The invitation is open to all from 7pm, drinks and access to the aperitivo table cost 5 euros. Each drink gives you a raffle ticket with which you could win, at the end of the night, one of the 100×70cm canvases on display.

World-renowned organist Matteo Imbruno, the chief organist of the Oude Kerk in Amsterdam will perform works of Frescobaldi, Scheidemann, Zipoli, Byrd, Sweelinck, Muffat and others on the newly renovated pipe organ of the church of Monteggiori on Friday, June 4th at 9:00pm. The organ in the church is a splendid example of 1800s pipe organs, it was built by Odoardo Landucci. “It is one of those treasures passed down through the generations, part of the artistic heritage of the region; something that has an historic and personal value for the residents of the village” says Giampaolo Bertola the mayor of Camaiore.

Maestro Imbruno has performed as a soloist in the most prestigious Organ Festivals in the world, including in Milan, Barcelona, London, Hamburg, Stockholm, Copenhagen, New York, Tokyo and Vienna. He has recorded 8 CDs for various labels and has recorded for BBC’s Radio 3. In this video you can see him ” just practicing” Bach on the organ.

Monteggiori, today home to many world-famous artists, is a charming little Medieval Village overlooking the Mediterranean sea. It was the fortress of Castruccio Castracane, an Italian general who built his Palace there in the early 1300s. The village is in the Comune of Camaiore, province of Lucca and minutes away from the sculptor’s community of Pietrasanta. See photos of, and follow Monteggiori on Facebook!

From Wikipedia

Terra del Sole was a town constructed in 1564 for Cosimo I de’ Medici by Baldassarre Lanci of Urbino, in what is now the Province of Forlì-Cesena, northern Italy. It was one of the first fortified cities to be constructed entirely from new on a planned grid system. Meaning Town of the Sun it was conceived to be the ideal town of the Renaissance period.

From the invitation (in italiano)

Emozioni a Terra del Sole di Adriana Rumbolo e Alessandro Laslo

Lettura recitata a cura dell’attrice Giulia Cavallini; Intermezzi musicali eseguiti dal vivo dal fisarmonicista Daniel Stratznig

Un singolare viaggio fra teatro, musica e scienza, nelle emozioni di una bambina che diventa donna. Un contatto sincero e coinvolgente con la realtà e l’atmosfera che ha accompagnato l’autrice del libro durante la sua adolescenza trascorsa nella piccola città – fortezza di Terra del Sole.

Introduce Leonardo Bieber, Presidente della Commissione Cultura del Comune di Firenze

Conclusioni Adriana Rumbolo: La co-autrice del libro evidenzierà i mo-menti della sua adolescenza, trascorsa a Terra del Sole, accostandoli alla sua esperienza di psicopedagogista, nelle scuole pubbliche fiorentine, ispirata alle ultime scoperte sull’importanza dell’emotività nell’apprendimento, nella creatività e nelle relazioni interpersonali.

The photography show at Palazzo Pichi Sforza (Via XX settembre 134) opens March 27 2010 and is on until June 27 2010.

Add this exhibit to the Piero della Francesca pilgrimage and compare the contemporary artist’s vision to that of the quattrocento!

Deaphoto is a local photography association that I met thanks to Barcamp at Le Murate. They specialize in photographic exploration of the changing urban landscape of the city of Florence. Related to this project, in the exhibit “Sguardi Quotidiani”, six artists show personal reactions to civic or private spaces.

Sabrina Ingrassia looks at the Ponte all’Indiano 30 years after its construction (if you’ve never taken this bridge, you almost have to try it – it seems to go on forever). Sara Severini explores the new world of the screen (TV or computer) inside the home that is the newest location of socialization, and I can truly and sadly relate to that. And Pellegrino Bonito contrasts the new pedestrian area near the Duomo, full of tourists and shoppers, with deserted nighttime scenes of Firenze Nova, a not-too-distant suburb (see photo).

This exhibit takes place walking distance from my house in a space I didn’t know existed. It looks really interesting and I’ll be sure to stop by and take a look.

20 Febbraio – 20 Marzo 2010
SITE SPECIFIC a cura di Serena Fanara
EXFILA – Connessioni Metroplitane
Via M. Leto Casini, 11 – FIRENZE / dal Martedì al Sabato ore 21-02
Ingresso Riservato ai Soci Arci – myspace.com/site.specific – www.exfila.it
Opening party: Sabato 20 Febbraio ore 22

Con Dante, Per Dante
Conferenze e letture
Il ciclo di conferenze si terrà alle ore 16.30 nella
Sala Francesco Mazzoni del Palagio dell’Arte della Lana (Firenze) con il seguente calendario:

Giovedì 4 febbraio 2010
Domenico Cofano: Dante, “poeta dei teologi, teologo dei poeti”

Giovedì 11 febbraio 2010
Bortolo Martinelli: “Il triunfo che lude” (Pd. XXX, 10). Figuralità e figuratività del Paradiso dantesco

Giovedì 18 febbraio 2010
Gabriele Muresu
Con gli increduli della città di Dite (Inferno X)

Giovedì 25 febbraio 2010
Amedeo Marinotti: Poesia e filosofia nell’ermeneutica dantesca

Giovedì 4 marzo 2010
Massimiliano Chiamenti: “Da mia natura trasmutabile son per tutte guise”: la Divina Commedia e il cinematografo

Giovedì 11 marzo 2010
Umberto Carpi: Un inferno guelfo

Giovedì 18 marzo 2010
Marino Rosso: Dante e la teoria dell’amore

Students from a local high school that has a fashion program will stun you with their ability to minutely recreate historical fashion from the 13th century to the present. This love of past artisanship and study of history is an important step towards creating a future in fashion; these students look forward to a bright one. Set up in the suggestive new gallery that links two important streets in downtown Florence, this free exhibit will allow you to step momentarily into the romantic past of bell skirts, detachable sleeves, and corsets.

If you thought high school students couldn’t sew, or didn’t make gorgeous mature-looking models, think again. These dresses are absolutely stunning.

A look back at 2009 through arttrav - how the most significant moments in my year turned into posts.

We started off 2009 with a guided visit of Lucca in early January by new friends Fabio and Laura from FlorenceIN. We have since become close friends, in touch weekly if not daily, while FlorenceIN has become a fixture in our lives. I have a reprise of this visit planned for January 4th 2010 to check out Lucca’s contemporary art scene!

In February, poor arttrav got none of my attention as I was happily teaching art history to undergrads for UGA Cortona and commuting quite a distance to do so.

The Danube

By March I finally got my act together and was able to post the photographs I had taken the month before of the newly restored Fountain of the Four Rivers by Bernini. This article has had a lot of success thanks to Google and interest driven up by the movie Angels and Demons.

April marked the end of the Spring 2009 term at UGA Cortona. I asked students in my “Women and Art” class to each make a biographical video about a woman artist other than Artemisia Gentileschi, and posted these videos online. My favourite is the video about Lavinia Fontana.
Soon afterwards I found myself with extra time on my hands and plenty of energy; this is when we restyled arttrav with the current wordpress theme and launched into facebook and twitter with great enthusiasm.

In May I saw the presentation of a newly restored painting by Artemisia Gentileschi, about which I wrote a review. I finally met Jane Fortune – from afar – at this event, though it took another 6 months to meet her in person and hear about the rest of her “Invisible Women” project.

June was all about “the cheese video” – how to make pecorino cheese – which has some serious (unrealized) viral potential .

In July I gave a talk at a FlorenceIN meeting on “Mediating Cultural Exchange” that represented a major turning point in my life; I met Costanza from Fondazione Sistema Toscana, which led to my current job as arts editor for the Regione Toscana’s Social Media Team. Thanks to FlorenceIN (soon to be renamed ToscanaIN) I’ve met many active residents in Florence and become one myself.
I also launched the arttrav Italy writing contest this month, and was amazed at how many sponsors were willing to offer prizes.

In August it was hot and I wanted to avoid downtown whenever possible; I explored my own area and wrote about “off the beaten track” Florence: the museum and convent of San Salvi.

My favourite article from September is an interview with artist Stefano Giovacchino who was chosen to install his large paper sculptures in Lucca’s piazza dell’Ampiteatro as part of the anteprima of Cartasia, the biennale of contemporary art dedicated to paper as medium. I am starting to get more interested in contemporary art, and predict that there will be more offerings of this sort in Tuscany in 2010 (all of which will be covered on arttrav, or on the website that I write for work, TuscanyArts).
Also in late September I wrote an article commenting on a local government document called Florence is the Next Florence. I actually came up with this phrase which is now the slogan for arts and culture in the new city administration.

On October 25th, Florence’s mayor made Piazza Duomo pedestrian-only, and arttrav was there. It was a pretty big deal. Read the announcement and read about my experience of the space that day (with photos too).

In November, everybody LOVED Pamela Marasco’s contest-winning article in the Tuscany category about truffles and thermal baths in Tuscany.

In December, some of my best articles were written for publication by others. I was happy to be given an advance copy of Jane Fortune’s Invisible Women for review by and in The Florentine; for work I went to see the show Manipulating Reality at the Strozzina, the review of which was first published on the turismo.intoscana blog.

2009 was a great year; with hopes that 2010 will bring great art and events, and enough time to write about them. Happy New Year to all my regular readers; with many thanks to you for giving me reason to keep writing.

Fabulous costume display in loggia

The Biblioteca delle Oblate has it ALL this December! This recently restored public space was already a great place to hang out and study, meet friends or colleagues, and eat lunch or snack. Now, this December, it’s even better. WHY?

1) The Oblate for the month of December is experimenting with being open till Midnight. Yup, all this month it’s open – you can take out books and apply for a library card and have a drink at the bar or surf the net… until midnight. In Florence. And there are special events too. The bigger a success it is, the more likely it is that the city will spend the cash to keep it open in the future, so GO!

Men's costume near the video rentals

2) there is a special exhibit on 18th-century costume that is a really interesting use of spaces within the library complex. The show is entitled “Fashion and Science in Pietro Leopoldo’s Florence”, and its excellent wall text in English and Italian explains the various fashions displayed and the connections between these and some scientific instruments shown in reproduction. The clothing is of course modern reproductions, as they are displayed in areas in which historic cloth would be damaged, but the cool part is that this way there’s art in the open loggie of the building, as well as inside where the books are. Check out the interesting juxtapositions of these figures inside the library.

Bar area (indoor and outdoor)

3) The Oblate has free wifi. Okay, it had it before, but I finally found out how to use it so that i could tell YOU. You need to apply for a library card at the desk, and then for a wifi card and password. It’s easy enough, just bring ID. If you’re not a resident of Florence that’s okay, just bring your passport. Once you get your card you’re golden. You can use the public computers for an hour a day (once you log on, you have one hour to use, you cannot break it up); with your own device you have 3 hours of use per day. The library card also gets you books, cd’s and dvd’s to take home.

4) there are various signs around the library that claim this space as part of the fact that “Florence is the Next Florence” – and you know who loves THAT slogan!

More Photos!

I am going to the opening on December 9th and you are welcome to come; the invitation is the photo in this post or download a pdf here – please rsvp as per the address on the invite.

From Dec 9 2009 to Jan 9 2010, the following locations are open for a free roaming exhibit of local artisans’ works:

Galleria Michail
Via dei Fossi, 44-46 r
Objects of the tradition of artistic handicraft of Tuscany

‘Ino
Via dei Georgofili, 3-7 r
Ceramics of Paola Staccioli

Ora d’Aria Ristorante
via Ghibellina, 3/c r
Papier-mâché of Enrico Paolucci

Il santo Bevitore enoteca gastronomia
Via santo Spirito, 66r
Ceramics of Bruno Gambone

Traditional Christmas Roast and Fundraiser for Groups

December 13, 2009

The Phantom Christmas

Starter: Welcome of mulled wine, cheese straws, blue cheese & walnut paté with port jelly
Main: Roast stuffed goose with prunes & cognac served with roast potatoes, braised red cabbage, carrot & celeriac purée OR Vegetarian option of red onion tarte-tatin
Dessert: Mince pies with custard and a glass of sherry
Water, wine and coffee included

Price: Euro 40.00*

* FUNDRAISER: Mention which group you belong to when reserving and we’ll donate 10% back to them!

Location: pressoVilla del Molino “DULCAMARA”Via Dante da Castiglione, 2 – Loc. Cercina50019 Sesto F.no Firenze

RSVP required: 335.6591939 – paula_carrier@yahoo.co.uk

info: http://www.odysseytaste.com/eng/news.html

hours 13:00-15:00

cash only

Traditional Thanksgiving Dinner
Thursday November 26 from 8pm

MENU:
Roast turkey with all the trimmings and more! (Vegetarian option on request)
Dessert: Pumpkin Pie and Apple Pie
Water, wine, coffee
Price: E. 35.00
Chef: Paula Carrier

Location:
Villa del Molino “DULCAMARA”
Via Dante da Castiglione, 2 – Loc. Cercina – 50019 Sesto F.no Firenze

RSVP required
335.6591939 – paula_carrier@yahoo.co.uk
info: http://www.odysseytaste.com/eng/news.html
hours – 20:00-22:00
cash only, no credit card

Arttrav has been nominated by the BTO for the “best touristic blog” prize!! Please take 30 seconds to vote here (no registration required). Click the red “vota il blog” text, then select arttrav from the list with the black background and click “submit” (you may select more than one contestant if you wish). That’s all. And thank you!!

BTO – Buy Tourism Online – is a 2-day conference and workshop on tourism promotion that will be held Nov. 16-17 2009 at the Stazione Leopolda in Florence. I’m going as a registered “blogger” so I will report back to you with some of the highlights, and will be twittering from the event (@arttrav).

BTO – Buy Tourism Online is directed at:

• Managers and Owners of Hotels and other types of incoming tourism
• All operators along the whole incoming tourism chain
• Bloggers and Social Networks
• Those involved in marketing certain geographical areas and/or special interest holidays
• Web and web-marketing professionals
• Travel and tourism professionals and online travel agencies
• Companies with web-oriented products and services
• Students, researchers and academics in the field of Travel 2.0

Buy Tourism Online can be seen as a focal point of training, information and business meetings between people working in tourism and the suppliers of the new technologies which are rapidly and radically transforming the sector.

The purchase of travel packages online is the fastest-growing segment in the whole market and BTO – Buy Tourism Online aims to represent a reference point where all those working in tourism can find:

• In-depth training on new technology and the advantages their use can bring to their operations
• Analysis and interpretation of market scenarios and the impact of new technology
• Presentation of instances of excellence and best practice to take as models
• Proposals and tools from the best suppliers of consultancy and value added IT services for the tourism sector

BTO – Buy Tourism Online is structured in a new, innovative format which combines conferences and meetings on important issues for the sector, training sessions on more specific subjects, which participants enrol on according to their individual interests, a workshop bringing together quality supply and demand.

You’re invited to dinner with music: Sunday November 15, from 19:30 onwards, at VILLA CARUSO BELLOSGUARDO

The name Villa Caruso Bellosguardo derives from the incredible view it has thanks to its location in the Florentine Hills (Bello= nice, sguardo = view, look). The building actually dates back to its acquisition by the Pucci family in 1540!! They hired the architect and antiquarian Giovanni Antonio Dosio to transform what was essentially a farm into a noble home and park with natural and artificial aspects. At the end of the 19th century the villa passed into the hands of the Campi family; then in 1906 was purchased by the singer Enrico Caruso. At his death the villa changed hands many times, finally purchased by the Gucci family in 1990 and then by the city of Lastra a Signa in 1995.

Dinner is on a late-fall theme and all food will be of course related to its perfect wine, chosen from amongst De Gustibus producers. Dinner will be held in one of the villa’s rooms and accompanied by a guitar duo playing tango and ethnic music.

MENU

:: ANTIPASTI ::

- Sliced cold cuts (salami, prosciutto etc) and cheese selection
• The wine:: IGT Toscana Rosato Estroverso 2008, Az. Agr. Poggio al Bosco

:: I PRIMI ::

- Polenta ai with three toppings:: Ragu’ di Salsiccia, Ragu’ di Verdure, Salsa ai 3 Formaggi (sausage, vegetable, cheese)

• The wine: Rosso di Montefalco DOC 2006 Az. Agr. Napolini

:: I SECONDI & I CONTORNI ::

- Il Pollo in Bianco al tegame insaporito con aromi e Chardonnay (chicken with herbs and chardonnay);

• The wine :: IGT Toscana Chardonnay 2007 Az. Agr. Vigliano

- Mixed salad
- Squash

- Apple cake
- water and coffee

The cost for the evening is: 35 euros all inclusive

RSVP to Donato Iozzelli :: donato@de-gustibus.it :: 335 1535965
By Friday Nov 13 at 3pm

How to get there: see it on google maps.

If you need a ride: De Gustibus is organizing rides – you can ask Stefan or Tommaso
Stefan :: 349 2895233 – Tommaso :: 340 5796297

Invisible Women: Forgotten Artists of Florence
November 6 Biblioteca degli Uffizi 5pm

You can RSVP via the invitation on facebook!

Other events:

November 7 Paperback Exchange (via delle Oche 4/r) 11.30am
The book launch continues on Saturday morning at Paperback Exchange, as Jane Fortune gives a talk about her extraordinary quest to find out about Florence’s forgotten women artists. Put your questions to the author and join us for a light brunch after the talk.

November 7 BM Books (borgo Ognissanti 4/r) 5pm
Up close and personal with the author for an afternoon tea and book signing.

Book description:
INVISIBLE WOMEN, Forgotten Artists of Florence
by Jane Fortune

Invisible works. Remarkable artists. Who were these extraordinary women painters and why are many of their works still hidden from the public eye? Jane Fortune, author, art collector and founder of two associations aimed at the recuperation and rediscovery of art by women in the Florence museums, takes the reader on the trail of women artists whose talent and courage represent a fundamental part of the city’s artistic identity. Which unique challenges spurred their creative journeys and what unique episodes propelled their lives and times? And, most importantly, what can be done today to reclaim this captivating yet unfamiliar part of Florence’s cultural heritage? ‘1,500 works by women artists are currently stored in Florence’s various deposits, most of which have not been on public view for centuries,’ Fortune writes. ‘Are all of these works of a high artistic standard? We’ll never know unless they are seen. Do they require restoration? We’ll never know unless they are examined. Is it possible to delve into the abyss of the past and rescue them from obscurity ? We’ll never know unless we try.’ Known as ‘Indiana Jane’, for her commitment to salvaging damaged works from the entrails of the city’s storehouses, Fortune’s new book, Invisible Women celebrates the city’s hidden treasures and provokes a passionate quest that will lead readers to the whos, wheres and whys of the city’s forgotten half.

“I’m tired of hearing people say that English food is rubbish so I’ve decided to do something about it and offer the best of English cuisine in a pub-lunch type atmosphere.”

THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK – A New Hunger 1 – Traditional Pub Lunch
MENU FOR NOVEMBER 8th:

Starter: blue cheese soufflé with red onion marmalade and melba toast
Main: Roast loin of pork stuffed with peaches, roast potatoes, carrot and celeriac purée and cauliflower cheese
OR Steak and Kidney pie with the above veg. OR Vegetarian option on request
Dessert: Fruit crumble with English custard
Water, wine and coffee included
Price: € 30.00
please indicate your choice of main at time of reservation

LOCATION:
Villa del Molino “DULCAMARA”
Via Dante da Castiglione, 2 – Loc. Cercina
50019 Sesto F.no Firenze
(5 mins from Careggi)
RSVP required – prenotazioni obbligatorie
335.6591939 – paula_carrier@yahoo.co.uk
info: www.odysseytaste.com 
hours – 13:00-15:00
cash only

For upcoming dates and menus please see: www.odysseytaste.com

Topics: I think i’ve found a food editor for Florence. Restaurant reviews are welcome for Rome. I need someone to write about Roman churches and arts events. If you’ve been to a special exhibit anywhere in Italy and would like to send a review, that would be most appreciated. There is also a category dedicated to italian art on exhibition abroad, so if you’ve seen a traveling show on the states you can send a review of that. If you’ve been on a sustainable vacation in Italy or would like to write about your experience on an agruturismo, horse-riding, sailing or anything similar, arttrav would love you to share this with our audience. And finally, WRITE WHATEVER YOU WANT, as long as it’s good and interesting and Italy-related!!

I am out of prizes and money right now but authors will be prominently credited with a link to your blog or favourite charity donation site.

With thanks in advance to anyone willing to donate some time and words, please email me (info at arttrav dot com).

(image credit: photo cheerfully cribbed from http://www.frenchspin.com/en/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/raised-hands.jpg)

The Exhibit: ”Disegni del ‘500 e ‘600 della Biblioteca Marucelliana” contains drawings mostly produced in Florence, including a lovely Jacopo da Empoli (the featured photo) and sketches Stefano della Bella. A few non-Florentine drawings include the collection’s most precious Raphael, and some contemporary Bolognese drawings (Orazio Samachini, Lorenzo Sabatini, Bartolomeo Cesi)

Oct 1 to november 12 2009
M-F: 9.00-18.30
sat: 9.00-13.30
closed sunday
Entrance is FREE!

Address: Via Cavour 43-47

November 9th 1989 – the fall of the Berlin wall

This event is remembered at its 20th anniversary by a series of events put on in FLORENCE, sponsored by the Regione Toscana and other institutions from September 17 to November 10th. Of particular interest are:

• October 7th: a round table
• The film festival of german films from Oct 6-29 at the Goethe Institut – in GERMAN
• More films at the Odeon theatre from Nov 3-5 as part of the Festival di Popoli film festival
• November 10th at the Odeon, a preview of the RAI mini-series ”La Storia siamo noi”

Full information and programme are available (in Italian) from the Mediateca Regionale Toscana website.