Meet Giulia Scarpaleggia, also known as Juls’ Kitchen. A victim of the economic crisis, or a person who is taking advantage of it to pursue her dreams? She writes “From January 1, 2012, in fact, …
Life in Florence as an import. It’s not all pizza and mandolino but it’s not bad.
A renaissance art historian’s guide to Florence through its history, monuments, and people.
“Fuori Porta” literally means outside the city gates. Anywhere outside Florence!
An art historian’s approach to the monuments of the eternal city.
Art, sea, mountains, islands, shopping, hiking, culture… Tuscany has it all.
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 …
Summer holidays at the beach here in Italy tend to be quite routine and sedentary. This August I decided things would be different. I would go out and become a professional surfer. Clearly I was …
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 …
The British Institute of Florence has brought to my attention two interesting short courses in Renaissance art history, one a hands on workshop, the other a thematic course inspired by the forthcoming exhibit at Palazzo …
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 …