ISSUE No. 121
ISSUE / No. 121
April 22, 2010
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News - Florence
We choose Florence
1.5 million copies printed in five years
An expatriate is a person who leaves his or her native land and decides to live in another country. Florence today is home to a large Anglo-community, English-speakers who choose to live here, despite the many challenges that come with international …
News - Florence
Reclaiming Florence's lost streets'
How Palazzo Vecchio plans to revive the city centre
The double homicide of two Sri Lankan residents on Easter shook Florence-and the rest of Italy. The murder, which occurred in one of Florence's ‘lost streets' in the city centre, in via del Moro, just off piazza Santa Maria Novella, made …
News - Florence
iUffizi
Famed museum is Italy's first to get Apple app
Botticelli's Birth of Venus, Leonardo's Annunciation, Raphael's Madonna del Cardellino, Michelangelo's Tondo Doni and Caravaggio's Medusa are just some of the Uffizi masterworks now available on the iPod, iPhone and iPad.
Florence's Uffizi Gallery is Italy's first museum to display works on …
News - Florence
Berlusconi under the Tuscan sun?
Italian premier goes house hunting in Siena
The softly rolling Tuscan hills surrounding the medieval Tuscan town of Siena are a beautiful sight, attracting homeowners and tourists from across the world-even Silvio Berlusconi. According to local news reports, the Italian premier travelled to Monteroni d'Arbia, Siena, in early …
News - Florence
Save the trees!
Locals protest plans to uproot Viale Torricelli pines
The towering 150-year-old pine trees along one of Florence's most beautiful and historic boulevards may be destroyed in the very near future: Palazzo Vecchio's 2010 budget allocates 145,000 euro to the removal of the 60 historic pine trees on viale Torricelli. …
News - Florence
Comet spotter moves up the ranks
Native Florentine now 15th in the world
A Florence-born astronomer recently made the headlines for having named his 13th comet, his fourth discovery in 18 months and second in two weeks. Andrea Boattini, who broke the 150-year-old Italian record for comet spotting with seven in 2008, is now …
News - Florence
RAI archives in Florence
City chosen as venue for important cultural centre
Italy's first audiovisual and digital archive of the culture ministry will be opened in the RAI headquarters in Florence. The important archive will be the main repository of audio-visual and cross-media content related to Italy's vast cultural and artistic heritage.
‘It's an …
News - Florence
The best underwater shot
Adventure-seeking photographers called to Elba
Few may know that just off the coast of Elba, Tuscany's largest island, is an underwater art museum. Fourteen meters below the surface, in the canal that separates Elba Island and Corsica, just off the coast of Punta Polveraia (Marciana), the …
News - Florence
Pecci takes on Milan
Contemporary Tuscan art centre goes north
For the duration of a two-year long restoration project in Prato, Tuscany's official contemporary art centre, the Pecci Centre of Contemporary Art, recently opened a satellite museum in Milan. The new Museo Pecci Milano was inaugurated on April 14, on occasion …
News - Florence
Digging for answers
Researchers on the hunt for Caravaggio's bones
A mass grave near a small chapel along the Tuscan coast, in the area of Porto Ercole, Grosseto, contains the remains of Caravaggio, according to a group of scholars. One of Italy's most controversial artists, Michelangelo Merisi, known as Caravaggio, is …
News - Florence
End discrimination now
Local association to support gay rights
Just days before Italy's Constitutional Court rejected suits on April 14 by several Italian gay couples in Trento and Venice who had challenged the Italian law that bans gay marriages, a well-known civil rights lawyer in Florence, Saveria Ricci, launched Italy's …
News - Florence
Fines of consciousness
Local environmentalists slap SUVs with symbolic' tickets
Although Florence has a municipal law banning SUVs from the historic centre, these large, high-polluting cars can be found there anyway. Volunteers from a local environmentalist association, Terra!recently hit the streets, putting ‘fines' on windshields of SUVs. The pink sheets, similar …
News - Florence
Cloud of ash hits Tuscany
The volcano that erupted in Iceland in mid April, spewing a massive ash cloud and paralyzing air traffic across northern Europe, is even affecting Tuscany. Both the Pisa and Florence airports were shut down on April 14 and 15, resulting in …News - Florence
ORT auditions
The Orchestra della Toscana (ORT) is looking for musicians, and the ORT Foundation is currently holding auditions: see section ‘auditions and contest' at www.orchestradellatoscana.it. After the audition, the shortlist will be maintained for three years. All European Union citizens 18 years …News - Florence
Kids learn crafts
As part of the 74th International Handcraft Fair (ART) at the Fortezza da Basso, two free workshops will introduce children to the artisan trades. Called Artisans in the Family, the workshops are organized by the Horne Museum of Florence. Each workshop …News - Florence
Pisa tower stops leaning
Over the last 10 years, the Leaning Tower of Pisa has been straightened by 28 millimetres. Since its construction, the structure has always moved slightly, its incline increasing over the centuries. In the 1990s, a system of counterbalances was installed to …News - Florence
Synagogue under new light
Europe's largest Jewish temple, the Florence Synagogue, recently inaugurated a new lighting system that will illuminate it at night. The system is part of an intensive 15-year restoration project. The work, which cost 2,658,000 euro, was possible through the support of …News - Community
Contemporary passions
Cultural Association Il Palmerino spotlights women in the arts
An ancient villa whose revolutionary spirit lives on is a fitting setting for events spotlighting women's creativity. Il Palmerino, the villa once owned by British writer Vernon Lee (Violet Paget), is hosting a series called Women in the Arts: Portraits and …
News - National
Little man with moustache' moves out
Iconic coffeepot closes Piedmont plant
The Bialetti firm, maker of the world-famous Moka Express for the past 77, years recently announced that it plans to transfer its production plant and operations from northern Italy to China and Eastern Europe.
Although the firm has not set a precise …
News - National
Emergency workers freed
Staff detained in Afghanistan for alleged murder plot
In the days following the April 10 raid by Afghan polic, intelligence agents and NATO-ISAF military forces on the surgical centre in southern Afghan city of Lashkar-gah run by the Italian nonprofit organization Emergency (www.emergency.it), the Italian government and Emergency sought …
News - National
Ciao, Raimondo
Italy mourns the gentleman of TV'
One of Italy's greatest television personalities, Raimondo Vianello, passed away in Milan's San Raffaele hospital on April 15 at 88.
Widely considered a pioneer of Italian television, the elegant and classy Vianello was a TV and cinema actor, a comedian and TV …
News - National
Cleaning the capital
American diplomats in Rome get their hands dirty
Tired of the graffiti and garbage littering the streets of Rome, three United States ambassadors decided to take concrete steps against urban blight. They organized an American-style community clean-up in Trastevere.
Through an American volunteer association in Rome, David Thorne, José Miguel …
News - National
Cannes 2010
Giovanna Mezzogiorno and Alberto Barbera will represent Italy at the 63th Festival di Cannes, from May 12 to 23, 2010. Luchetti will present La nostra vita, starring Elio Germano, Isabella Aragonese and Raoul Bova in the competition for the Golden Palm; …News - National
Della Valle helps restore Colosseum
Founder and owner of the luxury fashion brand Tod's and owner of the ACF Fiorentina soccer club is the first of a group of entrepreneurs that Rome mayor Gianni Alemanno has tapped to support the city's efforts to stabilize and restore …News - National
Giotto in Assisi
The Umbrian town of Assisi recently opened an exhibition featuring 28 frescoes by Giotto depicting the life of St. Francis. The work of Renaissance master is located in the Upper Church of the Assisi Basilica. Entitled La Basilica di Assisi tra …News - National
The Pirellone turns 50!
When Milan's Pirelli tower was completed in April 1960, it was Italy's first skyscraper and the tallest building in the country, standing 417 feet tall. Now 50, at the time of its construction the tower was a symbol of the economic …
News - Sport & Leisure
Viola corner
by Melinda Gallo
No Fiorentina without Prandelli or Corvino
After much unrest within the club over the past few weeks, Andrea Della Valle came to Florence on April 9 to attend two important matches against Inter. During his visit, he repeatedly said that the …
News - Sport & Leisure
Springtime in Fucecchio
Explore Tuscany's renowned marshlands
The Marshlands of Fucecchio lure travelers from all over Tuscany. Rich with a variety of flora and fauna, and home to over 150 species of birds, this area, located in Montalbano, is an ideal destination for nature lovers and bird-watchers alike.
To …
News - Sport & Leisure
Lucca Bike 2011
Festival to celebrate two wheels in Tuscan town
Local officials in the Tuscan town of Lucca are working to create a high-profile, three-day cycling festival in and around the medieval city. Former cycling champion and native of Lucca Mario Cipollini is working with Lucca Fiere e Congressi to organize …
News - Sport & Leisure
Water basket without barriers
Free courses start in Florence
A mix of basketball and water polo, water basketball is open to all this spring at the San Marcellino pool in Florence. Water basketball is a sport that transcends both physical and cultural barriers, and is fun to play for the …
Movie Reviews
Fantastic Mr Fox
by James Douglas
Friday April 23
3.00 - 4.45 - 6.30 - 8.40 - 10.30 p.m.
Saturday April 24
8.40 - 10.30 p.m.
Sunday April 25 & Wednesday April 28
3.00 - 4.45 - 6.30 - 8.40 - 10.30 p.m.
Fantastic Mr Fox is Wes Anderson's first venture into stop-motion animation and an excellent adaptation of Roald Dahl's much-loved children's story, with George Clooney, Meryl Streep and Bill Murray voicing the main roles in this battle between good (the Fox family …
Movie Reviews
Crazy Heart
by James Douglas
Monday April 26
4.00 - 6.10 - 8.20 - 10.30 p.m.
Crazy Heart is the movie that finally won for Jeff Bridges the Oscar. Scott Cooper's movie is the story of a washed-up country singer whose self-destructive lifestyle has determined what he is now and what he may aspire to be in …
Movie Reviews
The Ghost Writer
by James Douglas
Tuesday April 27
3.30 - 4.45 - 6.30 - 8.40 - 10.30 p.m.
Despite his ongoing difficulties with American justice, Roman Polanski continues to make movies and The Ghost Writer (aka The Ghost) has enjoyed a favourable critical response so far. The retired UK prime minister (any resemblance to Tony Blair is purely intentional) …
Movie Reviews
Double Indemnity
Wednesday April 28 · 8.30 p.m.
It's Love and Murder at First Sight! The selected Billy Wilder retrospective begins with a classic film noir. ‘With its hard-boiled James M. Cain/Raymond Chandler provenance, low-key John F. Seitz cinematography, stylish Edith Head costumes and anxiety-filled soundtrack by Miklos Rosza, …
Movie Reviews
The Lost Weekend
by James Douglas
Wednesday May 5 · 8.30 p.m
How daring can the screen dare to be? No adult man or woman can risk missing the startling frankness of The Lost Weekend! Wilder's penchant for taking on taboo themes (in this case, alcoholism) would have made The Lost Weekend pack …
Top Picks
La Pietra Policy Dialogues:
International Conference on Ethics, Culture & Law
April 24 Villa la Pietra
The conference will focus on recent developments in international law regarding the protection of a tangible and intangible cultural heritage, with a special focus on the ownership of antiquities and the emergence of new categories that include landscape and folklore. James …
Top Picks
Festa della Liberazione and Concert for the 65th Anniversary of the Liberation of Florence
April 25 Piazza dell'Unitt Italiana and piazza della Signoria
It's time to party! La Festa della Liberazione is Italy's Independence Day, and this year the country will celebrate 65 years of democracy and freedom from fascism. The festivities include music by the Filarmonica Rossini, which will hold a parade in …
Top Picks
Jane Fortune and Cristina Acidini present Invisible Women: Contemporary Passions
April 29 Villa il Palmerino, via del Palmerino 8, Florence,
Don't miss the opportunity to hear Jane Fortune and Cristina Acidini discuss the women who created some of Florence's finest art! For more information about this conference (which will be in English), see Community News on page 5 or email info@palmerino.it. …
Top Picks
Festa del Lavoro May 1
May 1 is known worldwide as International Labor Day, a day to honor the historical strife and perseverance of workers. Banks and offices will be closed, but there may just be a demonstration or two! …Top Picks
International Handicrafts Trade Fair
April 24 to May 2 Fortezza da Basso
Now in its 74th year, the fair is one of the most prestigious showcases of quality handicrafts representing both national and international products. For more information, call 055/570627 or see www.mostrartigianato.it. …
Top Picks
Opening of the Iris Garden
April 24 to May 20 Giardino di Piazzale Michelangelo
Celebrate the spring and Florence's historic symbol, the giglio, with a stroll through the Iris Garden in Piazzale Michelangelo. The garden will hold its annual opening to the public on April 24, and invites visitors to enjoy this stunning display of …
Top Picks
White Night
April 30
Florence will not be sleeping on April 30! The theme for this year's White Night is ‘Creative Insomnia,' and the entire city will be bustling with events, including free museum openings, live piazza concerts (including one by the Vienna Vegetables Orchestra, …
Top Picks
Firenze Tango Festival
April 23 to 25 Saschall
Tango enthusiasts won't want to miss this, the most anticipated yearly tango event in Florence! The three-day festival, now in its eighth year, will feature live dance and musical performances by the Hyperion tango orchestra, DJs Los Pelos Locos and Super …
Top Picks
Lamole's fragrances in Florence' wine festival
April 23 and 24
Piazza della Repubblica
Experience the flavors and scents of Lamole's wines during this two-day festival.
For information, call 055/8545271 or see www.comune.greve-in-chianti.fi.it. …
Top Picks
Mario Biondi Spazio Tempo Tour
April 27 Teatro Verdi
Internationally acclaimed Italian jazz, rhythm and blues and funk singer Mario Biondi will hit the Florentine stage during the seventh concert of his Italian tour, entertaining fans with his unmistakable voice and traveling band.
For more information, call 055/212320 or see www.teatroverdifirenze.it. …
Top Picks
Ludovico Einaudi: Sounds from Africa and Armenia
April 25 Teatro Verdi
If you love new and innovative sounds, you'll want to catch Ludovico Einaudi's blend of ethnic, pop, rock and folk music. Promoted by the Region of Tuscany and the ORT foundation, the concert features guest performances by Ballake Sissoko and Djivan …
Top Picks
Filippo Lippi returns to the Uffizi
April 28 to May 30 Uffizi Gallery
La Pala del Noviziato, famed masterpiece by Florentine Renaissance master Filippo Lippi, returns to the Uffizi newly restored! Visitors will be able to admire this landmark work, originally commissioned by Cosimo de' Medici in 1445, along with two others by Lippi. …
Top Picks
Celebrate Earth day with Creative Corner!
Thursday April 22nd between 5:15 pm and 7 pm
Creative Corner has scheduled a special Earth Day celebration for the 40th anniversary of Earth Day with fun- free events - Booking is a must!
With the permission of the Comune and the Quartiere, Creative Corner will be planting flowers in an …
Top Picks
What are you reading?
TF's most popular articles
Although many of our readers pick up the paper in Florence or have it mailed to them in another city or country, an even larger number of TF aficionados read us online from abroad, mostly from the world's English-speaking countries: in …
In Other Words
Say STREESHA'
by Linda Falcone
At first glance, Striscia la notizia is fluff TV at its finest. Two ballerine who have yet to master the basics of ballo carry out their dance routines on top of the newscasters' table while the Gabibbo, a red-suited relative of …
Florentinisms
Formicola, Gaga, Impappinarsi, Trattore
by Francesco Stefanelli
Formicola: Ant.
Example: ‘O Madonna!! La cucina l'è piena di formicole!!' (‘Mother of God! The kitchen is full of ants!')
Gagà: A friendly way to describe a well-dressed person.
Example: ‘Lui l'è un gagà!' (‘He's a sharp dresser!')
Impappinarsi: (usually pronounced ‘impappinassi'): To become …
Italian Sketches
Roberto Cavalli
by Deirdre Pirro
Fashion's thoroughbred
With luck, you might see his bright purple helicopter flying over the Tuscan skies. Or one of his Ferraris whizzing down via Tornabuoni, home of his elegant store and funky café. Or glimpse a limousine with dark tinted windows taking one …
Expats in Florence
Jennifer Hall
by Melinda Gallo
Promoting sailing around the world
Florence is home to many expats: those who have longed to live here, those who have found love and moved here, and those who have come to Florence and felt immediately at home here. Many people arrive here at a point …
Life
What a load of tripe!
by Suzi Jenkins
Do you have the stomach for this nice industry?
Florence's tradition of tripe dates as far back as the 1400s, and in 2010, it's still a growing industry. Everyone has seen the mobile kiosks in Florence's streets and piazzas advertising trippa and lampredotto in large, bold lettering. The number of these …
The Arts
Serendipity solves mystery
by Joanna Weinstein
Professor proves link between Botticelli and Savonarola
For years, students have taken his ‘Masterpieces of Art' course or his ‘Michelangelo' course at the Syracuse University Florence (SUF) campus located in Piazza Savonarola. Now, he has made Savonarola an entirely new figure of study for the art world.
Ten years …
The Arts
Finding oneself
by Jane Fortune
Self portraits by women in the Vasari Corridor
Nearly 400 pairs of eyes follow the visitor down the elevated passageway that stretches from Florence's Palazzo Vecchio to Palazzo Pitti. In 1565, Cosimo I de' Medici commissioned Giorgio Vasari to design and build (in just five months!) the one-kilometer structure …
Travel
The Umbrella
by Dawn Lumley
Saving a Souvenir
Three visits to Florence ago, we noticed the Duomo umbrella sellers. 'Oh! We said, how touristy. We aren't like them. We wouldn't be seen dead with one of them! We are just such sophisticated travellers...'
Then, after we returned home to Melbourne, …
Features
Articles
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Friday, September 10, 2010