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Stibbert Park, a romantic English garden on the outskirts of Florence
Outdoors

Stibbert Park, a romantic English garden on the outskirts of Florence

13 abril, 2018 / By:
PHOTOS & SPANISH VERSION BELOW

There is life beyond the historical centre and, above all, many areas for the bucolic self-recreation. In this not so travelled — excluding joggers and some gite scolastiche — public garden of Montughi, in the vicinity of Florence, there are an exotic Egyptian temple by Frederick Stibbert in the middle of an artificial lake, a circular Hellenic temple with a dome of enamelled tiles, as well as sculptures, caves, benches and picnic areas here and there. One just needs to take a pleasant half-hour walk from the historic centre to reach the Stibbert Museum. Born in Florence in 1838, Frederick Stibbert, a regular traveller and passionate collector of antiques, brought together the three family traditions, the British, the Anglo-Indian and the Italian, which influenced his education and cultural taste. The great project of his life was to transform the family house of Montughi into a museum, which today belongs to the cultural heritage´s of Florence. There´s nothing like to start the day feeling intoxicated by the life and the freshness of these gardens.
Museo-Parco Stibbert
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Mrs. Macis in Borgo Pinti: «A small corner of Paris in Florence»
Fashion & Shops & Markets

Mrs. Macis in Borgo Pinti: «A small corner of Paris in Florence»

2 abril, 2018 / By:
PHOTOS & SPANISH VERSION BELOW

According to the friend who first recommended it, the atelier shop and lab of Carla Macis stands since 2005 as «a small Parisian corner in Florence.» Carla Macis, who once worked for Emilio Pucci, is the designer of the brand. She is the one in charge of the colourful feminine clothes of vintage appearance, overflowing with good humour and extroverted prints. «I do not create custom clothes, I make my own line in sizes S, M, L”, she tells me. “The process begins with the fabrics, as I was trained as a textile designer and not as a fashion designer, so I pay more attention to research of the materials. However, they result very feminine and tend to enhance the figure of the woman without being explicit or sexy.» Carla Macis gets her inspiration from the 50´s fashion and films. Her clothes have been defined as the «good humour dresses.» These are pieces for women of all ages, between 20 and 70 years old, with a great personality. «For those who, when they put on my clothes, wish to be recognized at the first glimpse.» Undoubtedly, Carla Macis is not afraid to mix. She feels a predilection for wool in all its forms; and creates accessories, too. No wonder she is even recommended by Lonely Planet.
Mrs. Macis – Borgo Pinti 38, 50121 Florence
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Medici villas #3: Medicean villa di Castello – Accademia della Crusca
Medici Traces

Medici villas #3: Medicean villa di Castello – Accademia della Crusca

1 abril, 2018 / By:
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Like the villa of La Petraia, the villa medicea di Castello is in the hills of Castello, a few kilometres from Florence. Built in the 14th century and completely rebuilt in the 16th century, it is mostly famous for its gardens, which compete in splendour with those of Boboli. Also known as Villa Reale, L’Olmo or Il Vivaio, di Castello serves currently as the headquarters of the Accademia della Crusca, Italy’s most prestigious linguistic institution, so the visits are restricted and always subject to prior request. The gardens under management of the Polo Museale di Firenze, the institution in charge of the public museums of the province of Florence, are however more accessible. In addition to the gardens, another must-see is its library, the largest in the country regarding linguistics and history of the Italian language.
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Salvatore Ferragamo and twentieth-century visual culture
Art & Culture

Salvatore Ferragamo and twentieth-century visual culture

15 marzo, 2018 / By:
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Salvatore Ferragamo returned to Italy in 1927 after twelve years in the United States. In 2017, to mark the ninetieth anniversary of his homecoming, the Museo Salvatore Ferragamo presented this exhibition offering an overview of the 1920s, a decade now recognized as an authentic forge of open-minded ideas and experimentation free of ideological constraints and prejudices. Ferragamo chose to settle in Florence in virtue of its acknowledged centrality in the geography of Italian taste and style at a time in which the word “return” was especially meaningful: the return to order in the arts, the return to professional skill and to the great national tradition. Developed in chapters like a coming-of-age story, the exhibition focuses precisely on this trend in the culture of the period. Curated by Carlo Sisi, it takes Ferragamo’s voyage on an ocean liner back to Italy as its guiding thread: a metaphor of his mental journey through the Italian visual culture of the 1920s, the source of the themes and works that were to influence his poetic vision directly or indirectly.
1927, il ritorno in Italia – Till May 2 at Museo Ferragamo, Palazzo Spini Feroni, Florence…

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What San Lorenzo street market hides
Fashion & Shops & Markets

What San Lorenzo street market hides

9 febrero, 2018 / By:
PHOTOS & SPANISH VERSION BELOW

Starting from Via dell’Ariento, in front of the Cappelle Medicee and its surrounding streets, this walk is flooded with characteristic white canopies around the Central Market of San Lorenzo and its peculiar «wall» of street stalls. As a resident, I am used to this area of town and its typical noise of shopkeepers dragging their mobile stores in the early morning and at night. I sure love it. Walking on the sidewalks not only helps to avoid the crowds of the main street, but also helps to discover some alternative treasures (bars, cafés, restaurants, trattorie, shops … not excessively crowded such as Bondi or Casa del Vino) that are hidden among the usual stalls, where they generally sell the same items, every two or three steps.
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The magnificent medieval beauty of Arezzo
Within Tuscany

The magnificent medieval beauty of Arezzo

14 enero, 2018 / By:
PHOTOS & SPANISH VERSION BELOW

Set in the rural heart of Eastern Tuscany, and despite not having the historical heritage of its sisters Lucca and Florence, Arezzo preserves a beautiful medieval town and a pleasant lifestyle, hiding also charming corners that still remind of its splendid past. This town, which was home to geniuses like Petrarca, Masaccio, Piero della Francesca and Vasari, becomes today key to discover the more rugged face of the so-called region with the soft hills. It also became a lucumonia, that is to say, one of the twelve capitals that shaped the Etruscan League. Due to the quality of its clays, Arezzo was famous for its ceramics. Additionally, many scenes from the film Life is Beautiful by Roberto Benigni were filmed there, too.…

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Il Cinquecento in Florence at Palazzo Strozzi
Art & Culture

Il Cinquecento in Florence at Palazzo Strozzi

13 enero, 2018 / By:
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Till January 21, 2018, Palazzo Strozzi is celebrating the art of the 16th century in Florence, an era of outstanding cultural and intellectual talent that was to spawn a heated debate between the «modern manner» and the Counter-Reformation, between the art patronage of the Medici and the Church. Curated by Carlo Falciano and Antonio Natali, the exhibition showcases over seventy works of painting and sculpture, seventeen of which have been restored for the occasion, and hosts pieces by Andrea del Sarto, Michelangelo, Pontormo, Rosso Fiorentino, Bronzino, Vasari, Jacopo Zucchi and Giambologna, to name but a few of those involved in the commissions for the Studio of Francesco I de’ Medici in Palazzo Vecchio and the Tribune of the Uffizi.
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Forte di Belvedere: refuge of the Medici and viewpoint of Florence
Medici Traces

Forte di Belvedere: refuge of the Medici and viewpoint of Florence

10 enero, 2018 / By:
PHOTOS & SPANISH VERSION BELOW

Built at the end of the 16th century by order of Fernando I de’ Medici, Forte Belvedere is the common name of the fortress of Santa Maria in San Giorgio del Belvedere, one of the two fortresses of Florence. This building is also a popular panoramic viewpoint and a valuable architectural site of the city. The final move of the grand ducal court from the Palazzo Vecchio to the Palazzo Pitti undoubtedly influenced the decision to build the new fortress, near the wall surrounding the Boboli gardens adjacent to the Pitti Palace. In case of any danger, the prince and the court could quickly reach a fortified refuge from which they could still rule the city.
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Alternatives to the “Stendhal syndrome:” Museum House Vasari or the artist who gave name to the Renaissance
Within Tuscany

Alternatives to the “Stendhal syndrome:” Museum House Vasari or the artist who gave name to the Renaissance

2 enero, 2018 / By:
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Vasari bought this garden house in Arezzo in 1541. In the last century some Tuscan artists turned the place into a small museum dedicated to Mannerism. This site is today an illustrious example of an artist’s house in which Giorgio Vasari, the first art historian of our era, celebrated his thoughts and his art. Its rooms are profusely decorated with frescoes and embellished with Mannerist paintings, revealing the supreme expression of 16th century Italian art. After completing his architectural works, Vasari dedicated himself to the pictorial decoration between 1542 and 1568, thus these rooms praise the artist’s role through biblical, mythological themes and numerous allegories to the astonishment of any visitor. The main rooms are substantially unchanged. The original furniture does not remain.
Casa Vasari – Via XX Settembre 55 – 52100 Arezzo
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Mercato di Sant’Ambrogio, the other popular market of Florence
Fashion & Shops & Markets

Mercato di Sant’Ambrogio, the other popular market of Florence

20 diciembre, 2017 / By:
PHOTOS & SPANISH VERSION BELOW

In comparison to the bigger central market of San Lorenzo, its twin in the city, the smaller Sant’ Ambrogio, is even better. It caters in a local, neighbourhood style, resulting as more authentic. It has an area partly open, where clothes, fruits, vegetables and groceries are sold outside; inside, there´re grocery, meat, fish, fruits, vegetables and mini restaurants. Opposite the market was the old monastery of Santa Verdiana, once used as a female prison, and now stands the Faculty of Architecture. Located in piazza Ghiberti and projected in 1873 by Giuseppe Mengoni, the original urban plans included — after the destruction of the old market — the creation of three modern outlets in the historical centre: the central market of San Lorenzo, the market of Sant ‘Ambrogio and a market which was never built, the San Frediano market. Open from Monday to Saturday from 7 a. m. to 2 p. m.
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