ISSUE No. 122
ISSUE / No. 122
May 6, 2010
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News - Florence
Hot Maggio
Opening night a hit, yet artists strike hits nation
The Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, which runs until June 22, opened its 73rd season with a bang. On April 29, it staged a stellar performance of Richard Strauss' Die Frau ohne Schatten (The Woman without a Shadow) and celebrated the 74th birthday …
News - Florence
Tuscany is pretty in pink
New regional council the pinkest' in Italy
Women can bring their own specific qualities to politics and the administration, and contribute to the problem-solving in concrete terms,' said president of the Tuscan region, Enrico Rossi, when presenting Tuscany's new regional executive council members. Along with the southern Italian region …
News - Florence
Students get bad rap
Local press takes hard line with binge drinking' undergrads
A recent expose by the Corriere Fiorentino spotlights inappropriate behaviour of foreign students in Florence, particularly Americans, raising an issue that pits the city's numerous foreign universities and academic institutions against the city and its residents.
The image of the nearly 8,000 …
News - Florence
Stores opened their doors
Locals protest new law allowing work on Labour Day
‘You can't close a city for ideological reasons, not a city like Florence,' said mayor Matteo Renzi in response to the fierce protest launched by city merchants and labour unions following the local administration's decision to allow shops in the city …
News - Florence
150,000 insomniacs
Florence's all-night party, Notte Bianca (‘White Night'), was a huge success. Approximately 150,000 people flocked to the city to view and participate in more than 80 performances and events. Museums and libraries, including the Uffizi Gallery and the Oblate Library, were …News - Florence
Help fight smog
Local environmentalists band together for cleaner air
Increased smog alerts and growing concern over the quality of the air we breathe every day has become a hot topic, fuelling debate on both the local and national level. Led by the local division of the national environmental association Terra!, …
News - Florence
Dante for a day
Reciting verse in the city centre
On Saturday, May 15, Florence's historic city centre will once again be the site of the increasingly popular Improvisational Dante, 100 Verses in Florence, a free, interactive, spoken-word performance.
This event dedicated to Dante's poetry breathes new life into The Divine Comedy. …
News - Florence
Living the Tuscan life-in China
Accord signed to build a hamlet in Chinese hillside
Promoting Tuscany, its food and wine, culture and history is the goal of an accord signed by Tuscan and Chinese officials on April 30. As part of the joint venture, an authentic Tuscan hamlet will be built in the hills surrounding …
News - Florence
Happy birthday, TF!
Food, performances and great fun
The TF staff would like to thank everyone who joined us at Opera et Gusto on April 22 to celebrate five years of The Florentine. The important milestone was marked with top-quality performances from two of the city's English-language theatre companies, …
News - Florence
All in the family
by Alessandra Moss
Florence and Chicago become sister cities
On April 26, the cities of Florence and Chicago signed an accord that makes them ‘sister cities,' a partnership to further economic development, education, art, culture and more in both municipalities. The agreement came about through a program called Chicago Sister …
News - Florence
Feel Florence
Users can map emotions on experiencing the city
‘Emotional mapping' is a revolutionary way of visualizing reactions to the external world. Over the last five years, over 2,000 people have participated in community mapping projects in over 25 cities throughout the world.
The ‘emotional map,' a unique device invented by …
News - Florence
Like brand new
With the city of Florence repaving its main thoroughfares and repairing the potholes, those riding public transit and driving cars, trucks, scooters and bikes have endured long waits, traffic jams and detours. The repairs will improve safety for all, including cyclists. …News - Florence
Dylan for Viareggio
Famed American musician and one of the greatest rockers of all time, Bob Dylan, will be performing in Viareggio on June 16 at a memorial concert for the 32 victims of the freight train derailment and explosion on June 29, 2009. …News - Florence
'Exiled' priest returns
‘I'm not sorry for what I did,' said Don Alessandro Santoro, just days after he was re-instituted at the Le Piagge parish church in late April. The Catholic priest and social activist was relieved of his priestly duties by Florence Archbishop …News - Florence
Amico museo: spring visits
Until May 15, over 230 museums throughout Tuscany will waive admission charge and offer free guided visits to show the public the results of their work to preserve the region's vast artistic and cultural heritage. Thirty museums chronicle the importance of …News - Florence
Visit art
In extra-large format and in English and Italian, the city's latest magazine on all things Florentine is called Visit Art Firenze. Published twice a year, the new 96-page magazine sells for 8 euro at local newsstands, libraries and museums. The magazine's …News - Community
The art is in the streets
On Saturday, May 8, art, dance and fashion will take to the streets in the San Lorenzo area as part of the annual festival and art competition organized by the students and faculty of Lorenzo de Medici (LDM). The event features …News - Community
Florence Academy of Art's fifth annual alumni exhibition
From May 13 through 16, the superb artwork of recent graduates of the Florence Academy of Art will be on display at the majestic sixteenth-century stables of the Corsini family estate (via Il Prato, 58). Visitors will have a special opportunity …News - Community
The legacy of the maestro
Celebrating the centenary of the birth of one of Italy's most extraordinary painters, Pietro Annigoni, the Angel Academy of Art will hold Annigoni's Legacy, an exhibition at Villa Bardini Museum in Florence, from May 13 to May 30. Florence was Annigoni's artistic …
News - National
Italy wows the world
The star of Shanghai Expo
With its theme of ‘City of Man', the first two days of the international EXPO 2010 in Shanghai, the Italian pavilion had already attracted some 700,000 people, about 30,000 a day. The pavilion, which simulates a small Italian city, allows visitors …
News - National
Oil spills and the Mediterranean
Is Italy at risk?
When the giant oil slick started to approach the coast of Louisiana in the Gulf of Mexico in late April, many in Italy questioned whether the same thing could happen in the Mediterranean, a sea that is traveled by gas and …
News - National
Italy helps Greece
5.5 billion euro in aid for Mediterranean country
Despite some opposition from other euro-zone countries, Italy has been in favour of an aid package to help Greece out of its debt crisis. Italian officials say they will pass a governmental decree to formalize its contribution, estimated at 5.5 billion …
News - National
Silent slaughter
Palm trees dying across the peninsula and Mediterranean
In Sicily, Calabria, Campania, Lazio, Tuscany, Sardinia, the Adriatic Riviera, and Liguria, palm trees are being killed by the red palm weevil, a parasite-like beetle originally from Asia that was first spotted in the Mediterranean in the 1980s. Corriere della sera …
News - National
Italy's richest cities
Siena among the most prosperous provinces
Tuscany has set another record. According to a survey conducted by the national financial daily Il Sole 24 Ore, the southern Tuscan province of Siena, which boasts some of the most beautiful natural areas in the country, is also one of …
News - National
Water not for sale'
Over the weekends of April 24-25 and May 1-2, members of the Italian Forum for the Movement of Water collected signatures in hundreds of piazzas across Italy. According to estimates, the group collected some 100,000 signatures in the first 48 hours. …News - National
Volcano watch
Although Mount Vesuvius is considered Italy's biggest safety problem, Italy's civil protection agency fears possible eruptions of another active volcanoe near Naples, on the island of Ischia, as well as others under water. According to authorities, Ischia's volcano, which has not …News - National
Nuclear news
While negotiating with France for help in building at least four nuclear reactors in the Italian peninsula, Italy also recently reached an accord with Russia to set up a new nuclear plant in Kaliningrad, a Russian exclave situated between Poland and …News - National
Giro d'Italia pedals through Italy
Approximately 200 athletes from around the world will participate in Italy's internationally-acclaimed Giro d'Italia, running from May 8 to 30. In its 93rd year, the 21-stage race whizzes through Tuscany for three days, from May 14 to 16, for stages 6 …News - Sport & Leisure
Viola corner
by Melinda Gallo
Fiorentina to play in Canada
One week after the close of the season, the Fiorentina will be participating in two friendly matches in Canada. The teams meets Montreal's Impact on its home turf on May 23, then meets Italian archrival Juventus on …
News - Sport & Leisure
Cast and reel!
Free courses at new fishing school
Ever thought about reeling one in from the banks of the Arno? Now's your chance as Florence's silver river will soon be the site of Italy's first amateur sport fishing school. Organized by the Fipsas Association of Fishermen and Arci Pesca, …
News - Sport & Leisure
Funky Day 2010
Celebrating the mountain bike
Bikers, grab your gear and get ready for Funky Day 2010, a four-day mountain biking festival in the costal Tuscan town of Punta Ala. From May 29 to June 1, participants will eat, sleep and breathe mountain-biking, participating in races and …
News - Sport & Leisure
Home of champions
Local wins fourth professional golf title
The city of Florence recently rejoiced in watching its own Lorenzo Gagli win the PGA Italy championship in a tie-breaking final round. Gagli, with a combined score of 278, played 70, 70, 66, 72 over four days and won by parring …
Movie Reviews
Iron Man 2
by James Douglas
Thursday May 6 3:00 - 8:15 - 10:30pm
*with Italian subtitles
In Iron Man 2, the team from Iron Man are reunited, with a few (unnecessary?) additions, for the continuation of the story of Marvel Comics' most entertaining superhero, superbly realized by Robert Downey Jr. The world is now aware that inventor …
Movie Reviews
The Ghost Writer
by James Douglas
Monday May 10 3:30 - 5:50 - 8:10 - 10:30pm
Tuesday May 11 3:30 - 5:50pm
*all shows with Italian subtitles
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, Adam Lang (any resemblance to Tony Blair is …
Movie Reviews
The Messenger
by James Douglas
Thursday May 13 4:30 - 6:30 - 8:30 - 10:30pm
First time director Oren Moverman's The Messenger is a powerful post-Iraq War drama of grief and consolation, as the messenger of death, US Army Staff Sergeant Will Montgomery (Ben Foster) finds himself unable to maintain his professional detachment in the Army's …
Movie Reviews
Robin Hood
by James Douglas
Friday May 14 3:00 - 5:30 - 8:00 - 10:30pm
Saturday May 15 8:00 - 10:30pm
Sunday May 16 3:00 - 5:30 - 8:00 - 10:30pm
Monday May 17 5:00 - 8:00 - 10:30pm
Tuesday May 18 5:00pm
Wednesday May 19 5:00 - 8:00 - 10:30pm
*all shows with Italian subtitles
It's billed as the untold story of how the man became the legend, and Russell Crowe is certainly not the first actor to take on the humble visionary archer who steals from the rich and gives to the poor, but he …
Movie Reviews
A Foreign Affair
by James Douglas
Wednesday May 12 8:30pm
It would make a cigar store Indian laugh ... Shot amid the ruins of Berlin, Billy Wilder's satire on the corruption among GIs fraternising with the locals, A Foreign Affair, did not go down too well with the Defence Department. Sparks …
Movie Reviews
Sunset Blvd
by James Douglas
Wednesday May 19 8:30pm
A Hollywood story: sensational, daring, unforgettable...Sunset Blvd. ‘This brittle satiric tribute to Hollywood's leopard-skin past-it's narrated by a corpse-is almost too clever, yet it's at its best in this cleverness...' (Pauline Kael). Billy Wilder's Sunset Blvd is one of the first …
Top Picks
Blue Night Europe in 27 hours
May 8 - Florence
Twenty-seven hours of entertainment, culture and sports in the name of the European Union! For Blue Night 2010, the city will be abuzz with live events, including open-air concerts (don't miss the jazz in Piazza Santo Spirito!) and theatrical performances in …
Top Picks
Artigianato e Palazzo Artisinal Handicrafts Show
May 13 - Palazzo Corsini
The 16th edition of this spectacular display of handmade products by master traditional artisans will be held in the stunning sixteenth-century gardens of Palazzo Corsini. More than 80 artisans will show their work and the secrets behind them, including iron forgery, …
Top Picks
Fabbrica Europa 2010
May 6 to 25 - Stazione Leopolda and various locations in Florence
Art installations, multimedia events, dance, music and theatre performances and more are featured in the 17th edition of Fabbrica Europa. See www.ffeac.org for a complete calendar of events. …
Top Picks
Harlem Globetrotters Italian Tour 2010
May 7 - Mandela Forum
The world-renowned wizards of basketball will hit the court here in Florence before taking on every major city in Italy! This exhibition basketball team combines athleticism, comedy and theatre to put on what promises to be an exciting show for sports …
Top Picks
Early May concerts
The first few weeks of May will leave your ears ringing! Music lovers, prepare: the spring brings with it a spectacular array of Italian popular music here in Florence: Wildly popular Italian singer Elisa takes centre stage at Mandela Forum on May …Top Picks
Maggio Musicale Fiorentino
Until June 6 - various locations in Florence
May also brings with it the tradition of Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, the annual opera festival in which classical and contemporary musical masterpieces use the city and many of its venues as their stage. Visit www.maggiofiorentino.com for detailed program and scheduling information!
Guitarist …
Top Picks
Alice in Wonderland, the Musical
May 7 - Saschall Theatre
A journey through wonderland with your favourite Lewis Carroll characters-the White Rabbit, Mad Hatter, Alice, the Cheshire Cat-with a new soundtrack. Directed by Enrico Botta and featuring the music of Daniele Biagini, the musical will give a new meaning to ‘3D,' …
Top Picks
As soon as possible: Contemporary artists and high speed society
May 13 to July 18 - Strozzina Centre of Contemporary Culture, Palazzo Strozzi
The show reveals today's obsession with speed in communication, new technologies, information and life in general through the works of 10 international artists representing Israel, Germany, Holland, Italy and the United States.
For more information, visit www.strozzina.org. …
Top Picks
Michelangelo Consani - Dinamo
Until June 10 - EX3 Contemporary Art Center
Winner of this year's EX3 Contemporary Art Award, Michelangelo Consani presents a reflection on injustice and social inequality in this unique installation inspired by the remarkable story of Marshall Walter Taylor, an African American who started as a publicity sideshow performing …
Top Picks
Greta Garbo: The Mystery of Style
May to September - Ferragamo Museum
The result of collaboration between Ferragamo and Greta Garbo's great-nephew, Craig Reisfeld, this intriguing exhibit will take visitors into the wardrobe of one of Hollywood's most fascinating and mysterious icons. The show, which debuted at the Triennale in Milan, features film …
Italian Sketches
Sandro Pertini
by Deirdre Pirro
The people's president
In 1978, Giovanni Leone, a Christian Democrat senator and president of the republic resigned after a smear campaign claimed he and his family had been involved in corruption related to the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation bribery scandal. Although these allegations were never …
Expats in Florence
Eun Young Park (Rei)
by Melinda Gallo
A fashion designer with an atelier in Florence
Originally from South Korea, Eun Young Park (Rei), lived in Japan and England for many years before ending up in Florence. When she was 10 years old, her father moved the family to Tokyo for five years. She was enrolled in …
Book Reviews
Speaking Italian culture
by Alexandra Lawrence
When I was approached about writing a review for a book titled Speak the Culture: Italy, I groaned-loudly. Writing about culture is hard. Writing about national culture in a land where no one feels particularly national about anything is even harder. …
The Arts
Smog art
by Michelle Tarnopolsky
Local artist uses pollution as paint
The next time you see someone who seems to be cleaning the marble exterior of a Florentine monument, look closer. It is likely vigilante ‘smog artist' Alessandro Ricci collecting material for his next artwork.
Born in Florence in 1968, Ricci has been creating …
In Other Words
Legs
by Linda Falcone
English-speakers, with their obedient, pocket-dwelling language, are fascinated by it-the way Italians surround their speech with gesture, shaping the air between two people as if it were sand on which to build castles. Hands and arms often wave in the forefront, …
Florentinisms
Babbaleo, Becchettarsi, Boccalone, Furia
by Alexandra Lawrence, Francesco Stefanelli
Your in-progress dictionary of the florentine dialect
Babbalèo: Dense person.
Example: ‘Che babbalèo tù sei! Tù credi a ogni cosa!'
(‘What a dense one you are! You believe anything!')
Becchettarsi / Becchettassi : To fight or discuss heatedly.
Example: ‘O che la smettete di becchettavvi!!' (‘You guys quit fighting!')
Boccalone: A gossip; busybody.
Example: …
Culture & Customs
A landmark en passant
by Joelle Edwards
Florence's English Cemetery: Part I
For a great number of Florentines the familiar small, walled oval hill on piazzale Donatello is little more than a roundabout. Granted, it is a rather mysterious roundabout, higher than most, revealing peaks of elegant cypresses and glimpses of marble tombstones, …
Culture & Customs
Academia aperitivo
by Robyn Baitcher
The story behind Florence's pre-dinner custom
It was the late 1860s, and the city of Milan was asserting itself as a power player in the unification of Italy, laying the foundations of railroads and of Italian independence. But while the state of Italy unfolded, a quieter force …
Culture & Customs
The nightlife wall
by Olivia Cassano
Time to break down a cultural divide
The first thing you should know is that I'm a 16-year-old Italian student at the International School of Florence (ISF). The second thing you should know is that I love this city and I wouldn't want to live anywhere else.
However, being …
Food & Wine
Spring peas, more please!
by Marcella Ansaldo
Fresh peas are the true sweet stars of this season! They begin to appear up now, with the first warm days after the rain. Bright green and tender, they are newborn peas with an irregular shape, some even pressed as they …
Food & Wine
The kitchen garden
by Rachel Priestley
If I can't eat it, I don't plant it
With spring well under way and with the puntarelle season now finished, it is time to start planting my garden for spring and summer fare: cetrioli, melanzane, pomodori, pomodorini, basilico, zucchine, cipolle rosse, and more.
When the plant seller I recently visited …
Features
Articles
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Sunday, September 05, 2010