Florentine embroidery

There used to be a time when women would arm themselves with needle, thread and bags of patience to sew and embroider: for work, to prepare their trusseau or for domestic needs. That embroidery tradition is still alive in Florence today, in small workshops of worldwide repute. The history of Florentine female handicrafts starts with a decision taken by Grand Duke Pietro Leopoldo, who decided in the 18th century to turn women's convents into colleges where various arts and trades were taught. The first of these was the art of embroidery. Until then, apart from nuns working in the seclusion of the convents, this art had been the province of men. After the Grand Duke's decision, there was not a single girls' school that did not provide instruction in embroidery and weaving. Embroidery artists handed down their knowledge – and the history of embroidery can in any case be traced right back to the Middle Ages – from generation to generation, transforming a job into what became almost a family tradition. And even though times change and professions disappear, Florence is one of the cities that has best preserved a craft tradition that has created some supremely fine work: lingerie, household linens, richly decorated fabrics and delicate lace.

The Florentine embroidery tradition is centred on small businesses, tiny workshops that are still active in the city centre streets with decades of tradition and experience behind them, run by professional embroiderers who jealously guard the secrets of their trade. But that is not the end of it. Florentine household linens can be found in castles, royal palaces and the homes and villas of famous people around the world, to the extent that embroidery has become one of the most widely appreciated Florentine handicrafts. Courses are continually run in the city and surrounding province for enthusiasts of all ages, ample proof of the enduring interest in what is a quintessential expression of patience.

Pitti Immagine Uomo 77

Pitti Immagine Uomo 77- Events
Last update: 28/12/2009
Author: Sybille Bollmann

TENTATIVE CALENDAR OF THE EVENTS
Pitti Immagine Uomo 77 / Pitti W_Woman Precollection
12/15 January 2010 – Fortezza da Basso / Dogana – Firenze
The events bold print are sole or joint Pitti Immagine events
MONDAY 11 JANUARY 2010
Time Address
6.00 pm MY MAN MANAS
Opening, presentation and debate: The male Condition
Oliviero Toscani and Paolo Crepet will be attending
Spedale degli Innocenti
Cortile degli Uomini
Piazza SS. Annunziata
7.00 pm Istituto nazionale per il Commercio Estero
Meeting Moments between American buyers and Italian
men’s clothing and accessories companies.
Dinner (by invitation)
Palazzo Gianfigliazzi
Lungarno Corsini 4
8.00 pm MONDADORI invites to NEXT WORDS
Words and fashion of the future
Dinner party (by invitation)
Palazzo Corsini
Lungarno Corsini 10
CITY EVENTS
5.00 pm-
8.00 pm
5.00pm-
9.00pm
Camera Nazionale della Moda in partnership with
LuisaViaRoma
presents Next Generation OnLine
Press meeting (by invitation)
TRU TRUSSARDI special edition
Presentazione dell’ambientazione in store e online di LUISALAND
Via Roma 19/21 r
TUESDAY 12 JANUARY 2010
Time Address
10.00am-
5.00pm
Fratelli Rossetti
Presentation
Padiglione Centrale
Low Floorr Stand H 1-3
10.00am-
8.00pm
MUG MAGAZINE presents MONTEDOMINI:
Five excellent brands will present their collections to a selected
audience. At the same time of the event, still inside
Montedomini, will be on the photographic exhibition
“L’Industria Abitata” by University Iuav of Venice, with images
dedicated to
The textile district of Prato.
Guardaroba Storico
Montedomini -Giardino d’Inverno
Via dei Malcontenti 6
Info 0422 598564
10.30 am PITTI IMMAGINE UOMO 77 OPENING in the presence of the
Mayor of Florence, Matteo Renzi
(by invitation)
Spazio Urquiola
From 12.00 Everlast 1010-2010 A Hundred years of History
Fotographic journey
Piazzale delle Ghiaia
12..30-
2.00pm
RIFLE
Special guest: Marco Simoncelli
Fureria
Stand B5
12.30 MASSIMO REBECCHI
Press meeting
Cortile dell’Arsenale
1.00pm MFF
Presentation cocktail(by invitation)
Sala Riunioni
Area Monumentale
3.00pm-
6.00pm
LE COQ SPORTIF
presentation
At the booth
3.30 pm ALEXANDER Golf Cup: challenge to the last hole with Italian
champion Costantino Rocca
At the booth
4,00 pm ACCADEMIA DEL LUSSO
Design your Cat
Press Conference
Sala Riunioni
Area Monumentale
5.30 pm BLAUER
Aperitif (by invitation)
Eredi Chiarini
Via Roma 18
6.00 pm-
8.00 pm
Fondazione Pitti Discovery presents
Walter Albini and his times. All power to the imagination.
by Maria Luisa Frisa and Stefano Tonchi (by invitation)
Galleria del Costume
Palazzo Pitti
6.00 pm-
9.00 pm
World preview of Faliero Sarti Limited Edition for L’O
Food & Wine (by invitation)
L’O Hotel L’Orologio
Piazza Santa Maria Novella 24
6.00 pm-
9.00 pm
MR. NILS: the new collection designed by LARS NILSSON
(by invitation)
Marino Marini Museum
Piazza San Pancrazio
6.30pm Firenze Made in Tuscany Magazine and Alain Mikli
Cocktail party (by invitation)
Via dei Fossi 45r
7.00 pm-
9.30 pm
Cocktail to celebrate ten years of
GQ and CAMERA ITALIANA BUYER MODA_ The best shops
(by invitation)
Palazzo Gianfigliazzi
Lungarno Corsini 4
7.30 pm-
10.30 pm
SEVENTY Ca’ da Mosto
Forty for Seventy Anniversary Party (by invitation)
Loft E’
Piazza del Carmine 2r
8.00 pm
8.30 pm
10.30 pm
CAVALLERIA TOSCANA
A unique night, a unique emotion, for unique people
Cocktail, catwalk; Dinner to follow (by invitation)
Charity party (by invitation)
Centro Ippico Toscano
Via Dei Vespucci 5
8.30 pm BRUNELLO CUCINELLI
Dinner (by invitation)
Budini Gattai Palace
Piazza SS Annunziata
From 9.00 pm ROY ROGER’S celebration for 60th anniversary
Special guests: Piero Chiambretti and his Chiambretti Night
Evening (by invitation)
Le Pagliere
Viale Machiavelli 24
CITY EVENTS
From 12.00 SEVEN 7
A modern art concept by Felice Limosani
Presentation of the project limit jeans exclusively for LuisaViaRoma
(by invitation)
Luisa Via Roma
Via Roma 19/21r
From 7.30 pm FAY presents Double Life
Book published by Mondadori Electa by Marina Mondadori
Cocktail (by invitation)
Luisa Via Roma
Via Roma 19/21r
8.00 pm-
10.00 pm
CELLAR DOOR Fall/Winter 20101/2011
Beyond the Veil (by invitation)
A Piedi Nudi Nel Parco
Via del Proconsolo corner Via D.Alighieri
WEDNESDAY 13 JANUARY 2010
Time Address
9.30am-
12.00
Elvström presenta la nuova linea
In the presence of…..
Cortile Medici
Stand 1
10.00am-
4.30pm
SIMBOLS Presentation Fashion Cafè
Autumn-Winter Collection 2010-2011
Arsenale
Piano terra Stand 30
10.00 am-
6.00 pm
SERGE BLANCO marks the first half in Italy
Special guests: players of Rugby Parma
Padiglione Cavaniglia
Booth 30 A
10.00am-
8.00pm
MUG MAGAZINE presents MONTEDOMINI:
Five excellent brands will present their collections to a
selected audience. At the same time of the event, still inside
Montedomini, will be on the photographic exhibition
“L’Industria Abitata” by University Iuav of Venice, with images
dedicated to
The textile district of Prato.
Guardaroba Storico
Montedomini -Giardino d’Inverno
Via dei Malcontenti 6
Info 0422 598564
10.30 ALLEGRI
Press Presentation
Padiglione Cavaniglia
Stand 30 A
11.30 am-
4.00 pm
SIVIGLIA presents The material of Dreams– an author
-installation: fashion in an all-involving journey through art,
-reality and introspection
Padiglione Centrale
Piano terra K 1-7, L 1-4
12.00-14.00 MASON’S presents
Il Libertador – from Simon Bolivar’s guerrilla to the shop
windows of Saks Fifth Avenue (by invitation)
Cortile dell’Arsenale
2.30pm WGSN
Seminar (by invitation)
Meeting Room
Area Monumentale
2.30pm-
4.30pm
AVON CELLI
Cocktail for the press
Padiglione Centrale
Piano inferiore U7 V8
3.00pm-
6.00pm
LA MARTINA POLO PLAYER
Press meeting
At the booth
From 4.00pm KICKERS invites you to the booth for a tasty
Hot Chocolate Party… The Kickers Sweet Happy Hour!
Sala della Guardia
Stand 19
4.00 pm-
6.00 pm
NOTIFY, the Modern Vision of Sartorial Spirit
Interpreted by Ron Arad
Limonaia
Giardino di Villa Vittoria
4.30 pm-
6.30 pm
By-GENTUCCA BINI
From an idea by Gentucca Bini, a fashion project realized
with exteriors www.by-project.com (by invitation)
Ex Dogana
Via Valfonda 25
6.00pm-
9.00pm
SEBAGO Docksides
Giovanni Soldini signs 40 Sebago Docksides Limited
Edition Cocktail party
Gerad Loft
Via de’ Pecori 34/36r
6.30 pm-
8.30 pm
British Menswear Guild and Scottish Development
International invite to celebrate 50 Years of Great British Menswear
Cocktail (by invitation)
Winter Garden
Grand Hotel
Piazza Ognissanti 1
6.30 pm-
10 pm
ETIQUETA NEGRA
Cocktail (by invitation)
Eredi Chiarini
Via Roma 18
7.00 pm CORNELIANI special guest at Pitti Uomo 77
Catwalk (by invitation)
Stazione Leopolda
Viale F.lli Rosselli 5
9.00pm Everlast
A hundred years dinner (by invitation)
Ristorante NOVE
From 10.00 pm DOCKERS Are You A Real Man ?
Show followed by a cocktail party (by invitation)
Loft E’
Piazza del Carmine 2r
11.00 pm 47° L’ALTRO UOMO PARTY since 1987
special guest live djset
Elegance attire, by invitation only
TENAX
Via Pratese 46r
CITY EVENTS
12.00
2.00pm
Material Preview – Trends for Creative People Spring/Summer 2011
Collection Preview
Presentation
Only by pre-registration www.materialpreview.com
Saschall
Lungarno Aldo Moro 3
From 8.00 pm VIKTOR & ROLF
Ladies & Gentleman an electric performance by Felice Limosani
Cocktail (by invitation)
Luisa Via Roma
Via Roma 19/21r
8.00 pm- MARITHE’ FRANCOIS GIRBAUD presents A Piedi Nudi Nel Parco
10.00 pm Acqua versus Luce (by invitation) Via del Proconsolo corner Via D.Alighieri
THURSDAY 14 JANUARY 2010
Time Address
9.30 am-
11.00 am
Fondazione Pitti Discovery presents
BEHIND THE SHOES
Project by Max Kibardin
New Performer of Pitti Uomo 77
Sala della Ronda
2.30pm WGSN
Seminar (by invitation)
Meeting room
Area Monumentale
3.00 pm LE VOICE SHOES presents
Mitch & Squalo of Radio 105 from the new album by M&S
World
Sala della Guardia
6.00 pm Fondazione Pitti Discovery presents
UMIT BENAN New Performer di Pitti Uomo 77
menswear collection F/W 2010-2011
(su invito)
Le Sale del Ristorante
Stazione SM Novella
8.00 pm Pitti W_Woman Precollection presents
GILES DEACON
Dinner party(by invitation)
Richard Ginori 1735
Sesto Fiorentino
8.30pm
00.30
REEBOK intervention of Smart
Dinner (by invitation)
REEBOK Pump it up
Party
Odeon CineHall
Piazza Strozzi
Yab
Via Sassetti 5r
CITY EVENTS
6.00 pm-
9.00 pm
BORGO 28
Cocktail party
Borgo Ognissanti 28
From 6.30 pm THE SARTORIALIST
Scott Schuman meets the audience and signs
his new book in store
Luisa Via Roma
Via Roma 19/21r
FRIDAY 15 JANUARY 2010
Time Address
CITY EVENTS
6.00 pm GUESS
Party (by invitation)
Stazione Leopolda
7.00 pm A CASA
Associazione Culturale Camera21 presents an itinerant photographic
exhibition. Until January 17th
Palazzo Morelli
Borgo Santa Croce 17
FROM TUESDAY 12 UNTIL FRIDAY 15 JANUARY 2010
Time Address
11.30 am-
3.30 pm
CANTARELLI presents
The Style Magic
By two famous illusionists
At the Booth
12.00
14.30
15.30
16.30
17.30
FORNARINA SPORTGLAM
Ready, steady, go…Fornarina !
Fashion show
SALA OTTAGONALE
EVERYDAY
Time Address
9.00am-
6.00pm
NOTIFY, THE MODERN VISION OF SARTORIAL SPIRIT
Interpreted by Ron Arad
Limonaia
Giardino di Villa Vittoria
9.00am-
6.00pm
Fondazione Pitti Discovery presents
BEHIND THE SHOES
Project by MAX KIBARDIN
New Performer at Pitti Uomo 77
Fortezza da Basso
Sala della Ronda
9.00am-
6.00 pm
KULT presents 10 magazine covers by 10 contemporary artists
Exhibition
Fortezza da Basso
Armeria
9.00am-
6.00 pm
ROLLING STONE ITALIA takes charge of the special addition of
soundtracks in Patricia Urquiola’s new spaces, with two musical
projects: "Best Records of the Decade", a selection of the
international pop-rock greatest hits since 2000, and “Today's
Coolest Tracks”, the best of on-air music.
Fortezza da Basso
9.00am-
6.00 pm
POP UP STORES
Three new exposition spaces reserved to a selection of new slant
lifestyle accessories
POP UP SPECIALS
Five new special areas dedicated to mencultural consumption
and pleasures: 10 travel books, 10 mucic CD, 10 fitness items, 10
hobbies items and 10 seduction objects, selected by 5 italian
journalists.
Padiglione Centrale
Piano Inferiore
9.00am
6.00 pm
THECORNER.COM
Pitti Immagine and thecorner.com, the virtual space that
features a selection of international sophisticated brands, are
maintaining their collaboration with a special web-media
partnership in occasion of Pitti W n.5 and Pitti Uomo 77.
Thecorner.com will offer to visitors a special look at Pitti W n.5
guest designer designer, Giles Deacon, as well as special
contents about Umit Benan’s performance and Max Kibardin’s
installation for Pitti Uomo 77.
9.00-18.00 NEW BEAT(S)
Special area reserved to new entries, new talents previews
Set-up “Profondo Rosso” by Ilaria Marelli
Fortezza da Basso
Lyceum
9.00-18.00 URBAN PANORAMA
exhibit project “Pilework” by JoeVelluto
production by: Pitti Immagine
Fortezza da Basso
Urban Panorama
9.00-18.00 WELCOME TO MY HOUSE
The section dedicated to the streetwear universe
The new project is curated by UP! STudio
Fortezza da Basso
Lyceum
ON THE OCCASION OF
A calendar co-ordinated by Pitti discovery that sustains and promotes new initiatives and operarions
which reflect on relationships between fashion, art, architecture, design and other creative
languages and so maintains its catalysing activity of projects and ideas that link Pitti Uomo fashion
community to the system of the artistic contemporary culture.
TO BE SEEN…
From… to… Exhibition Place
january 8th -
june 20th 2010
Fashion routes
Through shops, atelier e art venues
48 guided and free visits through 24 ateliers and 12 art venues,
monday & Friday fron 3.30 pm to 6.30 pm; 12 guided and free
visits to 6 museums, establishments and restore laboratories (
saturday o thursday)
Firenze
From January 14th PARIS capital of Photograpy 1020-1940
Organized by Jeu de Paume in partnership with Fratelli Alinari
establishmento for photography history
MNAF
Ex Leopoldine
Piazza S M Novella 14 a r
Palazzo Pitti
Galleria Palatina e
Galleria d’Arte Moderna
Piazza Pitti 1
8.15 am-6.30pm (may) – 19.30 (june)
I/IV monday closed € 12,00
december 11th -
january 24th 2010
Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi presents
Candida Höfer in Florence
Palazzo Medici Riccardi
Via Cavour 3
9.00am-7.00pm closed wedn
Free access
january 15th-
February 13th
Fuutou: “Trame di viaggio”
Weaved envelops and tribal bags between Italy, Japan and
Middle East
Galleria di Alberto Boralevi
Via Santo Spirito 11
10-30am-12.30, 4.00pm-7.00pm
Until January 30th The drawn landscape.John Constable and English masters in the
Horne collection.
Museo Horne
Via dei Benci 6
Lun-sab 9.00am-1.00pm
€ 6.00
Until January 17 th Federigo and the angels workshop. Palazzo Davanzati between
dream and reality
Museo di Palazzo Davanzati
Via Porta Rossa 13
Tues- sunday 8.15 am-2.00 pm
€ 3,00
december 18 thfebruary
Oliver Mosset ‘ZZ’ BASE, projects for art
Via San Niccolò 18r
Tue-sat 6pm- 8pm
For appointments call 328 6927778
Until april 11th Animals : travel through fantasy by Mario Mariotti Istituto degli Innocenti
Piazza SS Annunziata 12
Until april 22nd Chiara Silva
Groove of old world
Palazzo Borghese
Via Ghibellina 10
until may 9 th Florence 1829. Art, science and society Palazzo Medici Riccardi
Via Cavour 3
9.00-19.00 chiuso mer
Ingresso libero
dicember 5th–
february 5th
Fashion and Science in Florence at the time of Pietro Leopoldo Biblioteca delle Oblate
Via dell’Oriuolo 26
Mon 2pm-24, tue-sat 9am-24
Free entrance
until february 28th Innocent and defamed. Federico Zuccari (1539/40-1609) and
the artist’s vendetta
Gabinetto Disegni e Stampe
Loggiato degli Uffizi
8.15-18.50 chiuso lun
until january 31st The never seen: Saints, poets, navigators Sala delle Reali Poste
Loggiato degli Uffizi
10.00am-5.00pm closed monday
Until january 31st Fausto Maria Franchi
Precious artefacts
Palazzo Pitti
Museo degli Argenti
Piazza Pitti 1
8.15am-4.30pm
I/IV monday closed, € 7,00
until february 15th The happy vitality of porcelains– Betty Woodman Palazzo Pitti
Museo delle Porcellane
Piazza Pitti 1
8.15am-4.30pm
I/IV monday closed, € 7,00
Until april 6th The arm for art. Regain Aspects of the sacred Palazzo Pitti
Galleria Palatina, Sala Bianca
Piazza Pitti 1
8.15am-4.30pm I/IV monday
closed, € 7,00
Museo Archeologico Nazionale
P.zza SS. Annunziata 9b
14-19 lun, 8.30-19 mar e gio,
8.30-14 mer/ven a dom € 4,00
Museo Nazionale del Bargello
Via del Proconsolo 4
8.15-17 mar-dom
I/IV lun mese chiuso € 7,00
Palazzo Strozzi
Piazza Strozzi
8-20, gio 8-23, chiuso lun € 5,00
Until june 30th Crystals. The world’s most beautiful minerals Museo di Storia Naturale
La Specola
Via Romana 17
9.30-14, sab 9.30-17.30
chiuso I e l’ultimo lun mese € 6,00
Galleria dell’ Accademia
via Ricasoli, 60
mart-dom ore 8.15 - 18.50.
chiuso il lunedi', € 10.00
Museo delle Cappelle Medicee
Cappella dei Principi
P.za Madonna degli Aldobrandini
8.15-17.00
chiuso I/III/V lun e II/IV dom € 9,00
info e prenotazioni 055 2654321
Palazzo Borghese
Via Ghibellina 110 n
Lun-sab 9-17
Ingresso gratuito
Until june 30th
Dal 6 settembre al 6
gennaio 2010
The book shape
To the scroll to the code (sec.III a.C.-XIX d.C.)
Bibilioteca Medicea Laurenziana
Piazza San Lorenzo 9
9.30am -1.30pm sun-fri
2/24 june closed € 6,00

Santa Felicita church

Santa Felicita

The church of Santa Felicità was built over an early Christian graveyard, rebuilt in the 11th and 14th centuries and completely remodeled in the 18th century. However, the porch and Vasari's "corridor", connecting the Palazzo degli Uffizi and the Palazzo Pitti, were retained.

Inside the church, above the entrance, is the gallery for the Grand Dukes who attended services here. To the right of the entrance in the Cappella Capponi can be found the church's most important works of art, two masterpieces by Pontormo (1526-1528), "Entombment of Christ" and "Annunciation". The chapel was built by Brunelleschi for the Barbadori family.

The chapterhouse in the church cloister is also a fine work of architecture.

Address
Santa Felicità
Piazza di Santa Felicita
I-50100 Florence
Italy


Transit
Bus: 3, 6, 11, 15, 31, 32, 36, 37.

Town Festival and Market

November
Town fairs and markets in Florence and its surroundings

Il cammino dell'olio
This appointment has become a pleasant tradition, the best way to give value to the extra virgin olive oil, which, right in those days of November, begins its path, starting with the olive picking and the concluding with the milling. It is the annual occasion to taste the “olio novo”, the new olive oil, with its irreplaceable flavour.
Place: Pontassieve – historical center tel. 0558368783
www.comune.pontassieve.fi.it

Festa per il vino novello - new wine fair
In Montespertoli the not to be missed meeting with the “vino novello” and the good food. The presentation and tasting of 2007 new wines, produced by the Montespertoli wineries, together with food delicacies offered by the restaurants of the town. It will also be possible to visit the Sacred Art museum, and the Wine museum at a lower price, showing the card of the tasting.
Place: Montespertoli - Capoluogo tel. 05716001
www.comune.montespertoli.fi.it

Autumnia - Food Festival
At the beginning of Autumn, a festival dedicated to agriculture, environment and food: two days where it’s possible to enjoy the good things of life in nature, to taste the genuine produce of the land (including honey, cheese and meat) as well as the excellent wine and olive oil from the hills, and visit this area laying south-east of Florence.
The second weekend in November
www.comune.figline-valdarno.fi.it

Sapori e Colori del Montalbano - Food Festival
A local fair where the new olive oil and the new wine are on show. You can taste the most simple and tasty bruschetta (roasted slices of bread with garlic poured with fresh pressed olive oil) and drink the Novello wine, as well as other typical local products which are on show in the birthplace of Leonardo Da Vinci.
Last Sunday in November
www.comune.vinci.fi.it

Museo delle Porcellane - Palazzo Pitti

Il Museo delle Porcellane raccoglie le più belle porcellane d’Europa, comprate da Pietro Leopoldo e da Ferdinando III; questa collezione fu arricchita dall’arrivo delle porcellane dalle dimore storiche di Parma, Piacenza e Sala Baganza che, dal 1860, furono in un certo senso “saccheggiate” per arredare gli appartamenti sabaudi a Firenze.
Il Museo è allestito nella settecentesca Palazzina detta del Cavaliere, suggestivamente posta sulla sommità del giardino di Boboli e concepita dalla famiglia Medici come casino di delizie dove si riunivano gli Accademici del Cimento e dove Gian Gastone prendeva lezioni di francese.

Apertura:
Da lunedì a domenica
Ore 8,15 – 16,30 nei mesi di novembre, dicembre, gennaio, febbraio
Ore 8,15 – 17,30 nel mese di marzo
Ore 8,15 – 18,30 nei mesi di aprile, maggio, settembre e ottobre
Ore 8,15 – 17,30 nel mese di Ottobre in coincidenza con il cambio da ora legale a ora solare
Ore 8,15 – 18,50 nei mesi di giugno, luglio, agosto
L'ultimo ingresso è sempre un'ora prima della chiusura.
Chiusura: primo e ultimo lunedì del mese, Capodanno, 1° maggio, Natale.


The Porcelain Museum houses the most beautiful porcelain of Europe, bought by Pietro Leopoldo and Ferdinand III: this collection was enriched by the arrival of other porcelain from the historical palaces of Parma, Piacenza and Sala Baganza which, from 1860, had been “sacked” to furnish the Royal Apartments of the Savoia Family in the Pitti Palace in Florence.
The Museum is located in the 18th century building called the Palazzina del Cavaliere at the top of the Boboli Gardens. In this pavilion of delights, the Accademici del Cimento gathered and Gian Gastone de Medici took French lessons.

Opening hours:
Daily:
8.15 – 16.30 (November February)
8.15 – 17.30 (March)
8.15 – 18.30 (April, May, September and October)
8.15 – 17.30 (in the month of October when Daylight Saving Time ends)
8.15 – 18.50 (June August)
Entry is permitted up to an hour before closing time.
Closed on the 1st and the last Monday of each month, New Year's Day, May 1st and Christmas Day.

THE "TEATRO COMUNALE" OF FLORENCE

THE "TEATRO COMUNALE" (city theatre) OF FLORENCE AND THE "MAGGIO MUSICALE FIORENTINO"

Musichas played a very important part in the artistic life of Florence; the veryfirst operawas in fact created here at the end of the 16th century, based on the theoriesandthe experiences of the Camerata dei Bardi. The temple of Florentine music today is the Teatro Comunale, home of the Maggio Musicale, which, like its twinned city Salzburg - and also Bayreuth - holds the oldest and most important Festival inEurope, further supported by concert and opera seasons of the highest quality.

The Teatro Comunale was originally the Politeama Fiorentino, designed by Telemaco Bonaiutiin 1862, an open air arena which was to give birth to the conformation of the theatre as we see it today. At present the Comunaleis formed of a huge auditorium, a single tier of boxes and two large amphitheatre - like semicircular galleries that can seat about 2000 people. The Piccolo Teatro of the Comunale, situated on one side of the main auditorium; is a really up-to-date "small theatre", capable of seating about 600 spectators.
Partially destroyed twice, by an air raid in 1944 andby the flood in 1966, the Teatro Comunale has always been immediately restoredand has come to symbolize the city's sense of responsibility and will to startagain, (as expressed in the wonderful concert in Piazza della Signoria after the bomb attackon the Uffizi in 1993).
Indispensible elements behind the organization of the performances are the scene dock and costume shop while the technical staff (electricians, stage hands, sound technicians etc.) has always won the praise of the various artists with whom it has worked.
The stage of the Comunale has born ewitness to the triumph of some of the most famous names in music of our times, among them conductors like Vittorio Gui, Bruno Walter, Wilhelm Furtwangler, Dimitri Mitropoulos, Zubin Mehta, Von Karajan and Muti; the wonderful voice of Maria Callas made its debut here, while Pietro Mascagni, Richard Strauss, Paul Hindemith, Bela Bartok, Igor Stravinsky, Luigi Dalla Piccola, Luigi Nono, Karlheinz Stockhausen and Luciano Berio and many others came to interpret their own compositions. Some of the exceptional directors and set designers include Max Reinhardt, Gustav Grundgens, Luchino Visconti, Franco Zeffirelli, Luca Ronconi, Bob Wilson, Giorgio De Chiricoand Oskar Kokoschka.

The Maggio Musicale Fiorentino was founded by Vittorio Gui in 1933 and immediately becameone of the most important music festivals in the world. The Festival itself hasalwaysbeen characteristic for the originality of some of its basic cultural choices:one ofthese is the close attention given to the problems connected with the"visual aspect" of opera, thus some of this century's finest theatre and film directors have been called in to collaborate in the Festival as well as many famous painters and sculptors for the design of the sets and costumes. This has meant an almost constant exploration of Twentieth century music, from historic avant-garde compositions to more recent experiences, accompanied by the rediscovery of compositions and authors of the past that have fallen into oblivion.
The Maggio Musicale is normally heldduring the month of May and June but the activity of the Teatro Comunalecontinues all the year round, except for a short interlude in August, with theSummerSeason, the Autumn Opera and Ballet Season (September - December) and theSymphonic Season (January - April); it offers an incredibly wide choice ofmusicin various forms, capable of suiting all the different tastes of a hugepublic.

The Orchestra of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino first came into being in 1928, again thanks toVittorio Gui,though it was then called the Stabile Orchestrale Fiorentina. Composed of about 120 musicians, this orchestra has been led by some of the greatest conductors ofour time apart from having always been admired for its extensive operatic andsymphonic repertory, which ranges from baroque to contemporary music.

The Chorus of the MaggioMusicale Fiorentino was formed in 1933 for the first Maggio Musicale under the guidance of AndreaMorosini. The Chorus is at present composed of about 100 members and itsrepertoire not only includes traditional and contemporary opera but also manyimportant symphonic compositions and chamber music.

Maggio Danza, the Corps de Ballet of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, was founded in 1967, its first point of reference being the figure of Aurelio Milloss. However the Florentine ballet company really began to assume a precise identity with the advent of Evgheni Polyakovin 1978 who was to give it a varied repertory that included modern contemporary danceas well as the great classical ballets. Composed of about 40 members, Maggio Danza has collaborated with some of the greatest étoiles in the world: Carla Fracci, Alessandra Ferri, Maya Pliseckaja, Rudolf Nureyev, Mikhail Baryshnikov and Eric Vu An.

Address: Corso Italia, 16
Phone (Call center telephone bookings): +39 0935 564767 | Monday - Friday from 9 to 21.30, Saturday from 9 to 16
Box Office Teatro Comunale: Corso Italia, 12 | Tuesday to Friday 10am-4.30pm; Saturday 10am-1p


Tickets: http://www.maggiofiorentino.com/?q=en/progbiglietti

Website - More info: http://www.maggiofiorentino.com/?q=en

Margherita Hack. Cosi' parlano le stelle

Margherita Hack. Cosi' parlano le stelle

Gabinetto Scientifico Letterario G.P. Vieusseux
c/o Palazzo Strozzi
Piazza degli Strozzi
Firenze
Contact:
0552613910
http://www.rinascimento-digitale.it


August 6/2009 9 pm

AIDA Giardino di Boboli - Boboli Gardens

AIDA
Opera Festival 2009
Dal 09 al 21 luglio
Giardino di Boboli

Aida (1871), commissionata a Verdi dal Kedivé d'Egitto per celebrare l'apertura del canale di Suez, è l'opera della disillusione politica. L'abbacinante forza d'impatto scenico e coreografico che si risolve
in scene e in momenti che appartengono al patrimonio del melodramma, tradisce la malinconia senza speranza delle illusioni perdute.
Scene e costumi curati dal pittore e scultore Igor Mitoraj;
il suo stile, pur essendo fortemente radicato nella tradizione
classica, presenta anche svolte post-moderne. Ora la grande
avventura teatrale con la realizzazione della scenografia
e i costumi dell'Aida di Giuseppe Verdi, prima mondiale
sul palcoscenico incomparabile del Giardino
di Boboli nella prossima estate.


AIDA
Opera Festival 2009
From 09 to 21 July
Boboli Garden

Aida is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi. Khedive of Egypt,
commissioned Verdi to write the opera for performance in January 1871,
to celebrate the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869.
Aida is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi. Khedive of Egypt,
commissioned Verdi to write the opera for
performance in January 1871, to celebrate the opening of the
Suez Canal in 1869.
Scenes and costumes by Igor Mitoraj,
painter and sculptor; his style is deeply
rooted in the classical tradition,
in which, however, Mitoraj also introduces post-modern twists.
This is his first theatrical experience.

Casa Buonarroti

Michelangelo Buonarroti
Nude from the Back
circa 1504-1505
pen and ink, traces of black pencil,
408x284 mm
inv. 73 F


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Casa Buonarroti
Via Ghibellina 70
50122 Firenze
Tel. 055-241752

OPENING HOURS:
9.30-14. During temporary exhibitions: 9.30-16.
Closed on Tuesday and on the following holidays:
January the 1st, Easter Sunday, May the 1st, August the 15th, December the 25th.

Itinerary: The pietra dura art in Florence

Itinerary

Percorso
L'arte delle pietre dure a Firenze


Museo dell'Opificio delle Pietre Dure - Cappelle Medicee
Dalla visita nel Museo dell'Opificio delle Pietre Dure si può conoscere questa raffinata tecnica di intarsio di marmi e pietre preziose e la sua evoluzione dal Cinquecento al Settecento.
Questa arte fiorentina, detta del "commesso" trova la sua massima espressione nella decorazione del grande mausoleo mediceo, attiguo alla chiesa di San Lorenzo, oggi Museo delle Cappelle Medicee.


Itinerary
The pietra dura art in Florence

Museo dell'Opificio delle Pietre Dure - Medici Chapels
A visit to the Museum of the Opificio delle Pietre Dure will introduce you to the art of "commesso", a sophisticated technique of creating inlays using marble and precious stones, and its development from the 16th to the 18th century.
This Florentine art reached its apex in the decoration of the great Medici mausoleum, adjoining the Church of San Lorenzo, now the Museum of the Medici Chapels.

Florence Tip: Bardini Museum re-opens!

The vibrant city of Florence, chock full of some of the most world-renowned Renaissance art and architecture, is always surprising us. This week, we were happy to learn that the Bardini Museum, which kept its doors shut for renovations for nearly a decade, has finally reopened.

A little bit of history

The musuem is named for Stefano Bardini (1836-1922), an art dealer known for his flair for Renaissance art and his love of blue painted walls (he originally trained as a painter). In 1922, Bardini donated his life’s labor—and the building he housed it all in—to the city of Florence. For years, the museum was open to the public and showcased most of his own personal collection.

Fun fact: Fans of Bardini’s collection during his lifetime included the famed Bostonian Isabella Stewart Gardner, a great collector in her own right. She even used his signature blue-painted exhibition walls in her own self-made museum.

In with the new

The improved Bardini Museum is said to be a one-stop for some of the most unique Renaissance art in Europe. This week, and in the future, the museum will be offering lectures and tours too.

Highlights of the collection include Roman sarcophagi, delicate wooden sculptures, and works attributed to Donatello and Pisano. Newer acquisitions now grace the halls as well as many others thought to be from between the 12th and 15th centuries. All are presented in the Bardini’s unique setting where columns, altars, and even stairs from original Romanesque and Renaissance-era buildings lend the museum’s spaces an authentic, ethereal feel.

If you go…

The Bardini is located at Via dei Renai, 37 (Ponte alle Grazie) and is open Saturdays, Sundays, and on Mondays from 11 AM to 5 PM. Admission is €5 (adults), €4 (students and seniors), or €2 (children).

For more information, you can visit the Bardini’s site (only in Italian).

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http://www.eurocheapo.com/blog/florence-tip-bardini-museum-re-opens.html

Bardini Museum re-opens

Florence Museums Easter Openings

Uffizi, Bargello, Galleria degli Uffizi, Galleria dell'Accademia,
Palazzo Pitti, Museo Nazionale del Bargello,
Cappelle Medicee, Giardino di Boboli

Architetture di Firenze per periodo - Wikipedia

Architetture di Firenze per periodo - Wikipedia

Villa Demidoff of Pratolino - Garden Wonderland of the Medici

Take one melancholy prince, Francesco I de' Medici, interested in natural sciences and art, and eager to create splendid surroundings for his beloved Bianca Cappello, for whom, it was rumoured, he once killed a man. Add the exhuberant and multi-faceted genius, Bernardo Buontalenti, architect, engineer, inventor of machines, fireworks, set design, fountains and many other talents never required of him by his wealthy and noble patron – and you get a imposing and truly magnificent palace set in perfect harmony in a garden that amazed famous travellers with impeccable taste, like Montaigne and Ludwig of Baviera.
The splendid villa, renowned for its intricate man-made caves and other works of art in the garden, was built between 1569 and 1581. Unfortunately the villa and this magnificent park, were left abandoned for centuries until 1824 when it was decided to demolish the building. The garden was then re-designed and became one of the most peaceful and romantic gardens ever seen in Tuscany. In 1872 the complex was sold to Prince Paolo Demidoff who restored the Paggeria or the pages' building of the residence. Later the park was bought by the province of Florence who maintained the park and opened it for public use from May until September, using it as a fine demonstration of nature. The characteristics of the garden with it’s vast lawns and wooded areas, doesn’t follow an easily identifiable theme. To the eyes of the modern visiter the park seems disorganised and fickle, without a logic to the design, but instead there must have been a logic in the original landscaping. And this also adds to the charm of the garden, with its small tree-lined paths that beckon you to follow them, and the classic statues and long-dry fountains within the wood. The gardens engender a curiosity and a desire to imagine how the gardens were in their prime, before many of the major works were removed to the Boboli Gardens in Florence, or the Bargello. Of course, the best way to explore the garden is to let yourself go and wander among the lawns and woods. In this way every angle becomes a sensational discovery, a wonderful leap into the marvellous, just as Francesco I and his architect must have wanted it to be. Caves, fountains, and the ruins of a swimming pool and aviary. Strolls along boulevards with rainbows arching over in the sprays from the springs, chapels from the 16th century, greek gods and a thousand other astounding aparitions. At the end, tired from the walk, satisfied from breathing in the magical atmosphere, you’ll arrive at the magnificent statue of Appennino (1579 and 1580) – the symbol of the gardens. It is a colossal sculpture by Giambologna, another artist from the court of the Medici. This sculpture is the real custodian of these classic gardens of Tuscany.

Address: Località Pratolino- Tel. 055/409427 (Vaglia)
How to get there: by car state highway 65 (Via Bolognese) - by coach ATAF bus 25/a

Spaghetti al sole d'agosto - August sun spaghetti

HELLANTHUS ANNUS

Common sunflower

(The Garden at Eichstätt)

Ingredienti per 6 persone:

spaghetti; 6 pomodori; aglio; un girasole; una rosa;

un garofano; un pizzico di ginestra; parmigiano; sale.

Tagliate a pezzi i pomodori maturi e fateli cuocere in un tegame di terracotta con due spicchi d'aglio pestato. Aggiungete qualche foglia di basilico tritata insieme ai petali spezzettati di un girasole, di una rosa, di un garofano e un pizzico di fiori di ginestra. Fate cuocere ilk tutto per circa un quarto d'ora a fuoco lento spruzzandolo con mezzo bicchiere di vino di tanto in tanto, per non fare asciugare troppo. Aggiustate di sale e poi con questo sughetto condite gli spaghetti, cotti " al dente". Portate subito in tavola e condite con parmigiano grattugiato.

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Ingredients for six:
Spaghetti pasta, six tomatoes, garlic, one sunflower, one rose, one pink (Dianthus), some broom flowers, ½ glass of red wine, Parmesan cheese, salt

Cut the tomatoes to pieces and cook them in a terra-cotta pan with two mashed garlic cloves. Mince some basil leaves with the flowers’ petals, and add them to the tomatoes. Cook the whole for 15’, adding salt and wine. Meanwhile cook the spaghetti in salty water: when the pasta is “al dente” drain it and add it to the sauce. Serve with the grated Parmesan.

NATIONAL LIBRARIES IN FLORENCE

Offiziolo di Gian Galeazzo Visconti.
Author: Giovannino de' Grassi - Biblioteca Nazionale di Firenze Banco Rari 397

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NATIONAL LIBRARIES IN FLORENCE

BIBLIOTECA GABINETTO G.P. VIEUSSEUX
Address: Piazza Strozzi
Phone: 055 28 342 / Fax: 055 288342
Website - More info: http://www.vieusseux.fi.it/

BIBLIOTECA MARUCELLIANA
Address: Via Cavour, 43
Phone: 055 210 602 - 055 216 243 - 055 294 393
Opening Times: From Monday to Friday: from 9 to 19 - Saturday from 9 to 13
Website - More info: http://www.maru.firenze.sbn.it/

BIBLIOTECA MEDICEA-LAURENZIANA
Address: Piazza S. Lorenzo, 9
Phone: 055 210 760
Website - More info: http://www.bml.firenze.sbn.it/index_ing.htm

BIBLIOTECA NAZIONALE
Address: Piazza Cavalleggeri, 1/a switch-board phone 055 249 191
Phone: 055 249 191
Direct Phone: 055 243 341 - 055 263 8293
Automated Phone Information: 055 2491 9300
Opening Times: From Monday to Friday: from 9 to 19 - Saturday from 9 to 13.
Website - More info: http://www.bncf.firenze.sbn.it/

BIBLIOTECA RICCARDIANA
Address: Via Ginori, 10
Phone: 055 212 586 / Fax: 055 211 379

IRIS
Consortium of Art History and Humanities Libraries in Florence
Address: Piazza Strozzi, Palazzo Strozzi
Website - More info: http://www.iris.firenze.it/eng/index_e.html

Il pomodoro nero che non fa invecchiare

Sembra una melanzana, ma è un pomodoro. È stato ribattezzato "Sun black": se ben esposto al sole, la buccia diventa rossa mentre mantiene sempre rossa la polpa e intatto il gusto. Merito dei suoi antociani, pigmenti che si trovano in alcuni vegetali, tra cui l'uva rossa e i frutti di montagna, i quali contengono antiossidanti, utili a rallentare l'invecchiamento delle cellule. Sostanze di cui il pomodoro tradizionale è sprovvisto. "Sun black" è stato concepito a Pisa dall'équipe coordinata dal professor Pierdomenico Perata della scuola superiore Sant'Anna. L'intento dei ricercatori è ambizioso: combinare in un unico alimento le componenti nutritive di più cibi.
18 luglio 2008
Il Tirreno

Così dipingevano i maestri impressionisti

Multimedia | Firenze la Repubblica.it

Pappa al Pomodoro, il Cibo di Pinocchio - Tomato Bread Soup, Pinocchio's Food

Fare un battuto di cipolla, sedano e carota e farli soffriggere. Unire quindi i pelati e cuocere per circa 15 minuti. Aggiungere il brodo vegetale caldo e lasciar cuocere per altri 10 minuti, quindi regolare di sale e pepe. Unire infine il pane raffermo, precedentemente ammollato nell'acqua, e il basilico, e lasciare sul fuoco per ulteriori dieci minuti. Distribuire nei piatti di portata, aggiungere un filo d'olio extravergine



Cut the onion, celery and carrot and fry together. Add the tomatoes and cook for 15 minutes. Add the warm vegetable soup and cook for another 10 minutes, then add salt and pepper. Finally, add the stale bread (previously softened in water) and the basil and leave to cook for another ten minutes. Distribute on the plates, add some extra virgin olive oil and serve.

Pasta nel banchetto rinascimentale

Tuscany - Travel Q&A - Expert Travel Advice - New York Times Blog

Tuscany - Travel Q&A - Expert Travel Advice - New York Times Blog

La bellezza tre metri sopra terra | Firenze la Repubblica.it

La bellezza tre metri sopra terra Firenze la Repubblica.it

Souvenir | Firenze la Repubblica.it

Souvenir Firenze la Repubblica.it

I quadri nascosti degli Uffizi | Firenze la Repubblica.it

I quadri nascosti degli Uffizi Firenze la Repubblica.it

Kataweb | Cucina » Colti in castagna

Kataweb Cucina » Colti in castagna

Kataweb | Cucina » Una carta dei diritti al ristorante

Kataweb Cucina » Una carta dei diritti al ristorante

1 – L’ospitalità. Ovvero il ristorante deve essere in funzione del cliente. L’ospitalità c’è quando si ha la sensazione che qualcosa accade per te e non accade a te.
2 – Uguali opportunità. Tutti i clienti devono avere lo stesso diritto al miglior tavolo e all’identico trattamento da parte del personale. No a trattamenti di favore per i vip
3 – Scelta dell’orario. Un ristorante non dovrebbe tenere irragionevolmente liberi dei tavoli imponendo ai clienti di presentarsi all’ora che ritiene migliore per la propria organizzazione.
4 – Saluto di cortesia. Il cliente ha il diritto di essere salutato cortesemente alla porta. Il personale deve sospendere ciò che sta facendo e presentarsi immediatamente a salutare il nuovo arrivato.
5 – Tempo di attesa. Se arrivi in orario, devi avere subito il tuo tavolo. In ogni caso non può esserci un’attesa superiore ai 10 minuti e il ristorante deve provvedere comunque a offrire intanto un aperitivo.
6 – Attesa al tavolo. Se arrivi in orario e il tavolo è libero, devi essere subito accompagnato e fatto sedere anche se il resto dei tuoi commensali non c’è.
7 – Pagare una volta sola. Se prendi un drink al bar, il conto deve essere trasferito su quello del tavolo e non devi essere invitato a pagare separatamente.
8 – Anonimità dei camerieri. Hai il diritto a non sentirti dire il nome del tuo cameriere: la gente non va al ristorante per fare amicizia col personale
9 – Conversazione a tavola. La musica deve essere bassa: non devi essere costretto a urlare per parlare con gli altri.
10 – Lista dei vini. A un pasto tra adulti – anche se donne - non deve mai mancare la lista dei vini. Ma il cameriere deve anche risparmiarti fantasiose descrizione dei vini.
11 – Menu. Hai il diritto a una descrizione semplice del menu e degli ingredienti. Il cameriere non deve dirti ciò che è meglio ma eventualmente i diversi sapori dei prodotti usati
12 – Sale in tavola. Ci sia evitato l’imbarazzo di chiederlo: venga sempre messo in tavola
13 – Acqua del rubinetto. Hai diritto di averla senza sentirti stigmatizzato dal cameriere. L’acqua del rubinetto deve essere filtrata.
14 – Pane. Deve sempre esserci e il cameriere deve riportarlo appena è finito.
15 – Il rifiuto del vino. Hai il diritto di rifiutarlo e di non pagarlo se non è in buone condizioni
16 – Il rifiuto del cibo. Hai il diritto di rimandare indietro una bistecca se non è stata cotta come avete chiesto.
17 – Mangiare insieme. Ogni piatto deve essere servito nello stesso momento a tutti i commensali
18 – Vino: la giusta quantità. Il bicchiere del vino deve essere via via riempito dal cameriere ma non oltremisura. La bottiglia comunque deve sempre essere sul tavolo e puoi servirtela se il cameriere non è attento
19 – I prezzi delle specialità. Il cameriere deve informare sulle specialità e il loro prezzo
20 – Posate. Hai il diritto di vederle cambiare a ogni portata e devono essere adeguate a ciò che stai mangiando
21 – Velocità del servizio. Non puoi attendere più di 10 (massimo 15) minuti tra un piatto e l’altro
22 – Privacy. La conversazione a tavola non deve essere interrotta dal cameriere
23 – Piacere a tavola. Non ti deve essere chiesto “E’ andato tutto bene”.
24 – Niente fretta. Hai il diritto di tenere il tuo piatto finché ciascuno al tuo tavolo non abbia finito e messo le posate sul piatto in posizione “finito”
25 – Come un vip. Se non sei un vip, devi essere trattato come se tu lo fossi.

Ricetta - Reginette e carciofi - Ricetta alfemminile

Ricetta - Reginette e carciofi - Ricetta alfemminile

La spesa che cambia: dal bio ai farmer market

La spesa che cambia: dal bio ai farmer market

La Ribollita, ricetta tipica Ristorante "Angiolino"

CasaTrattoria a Londra!

Spaghetti alla Carrettiera

Ricetta tipica Ristorante La Greppia

Technorati Profile

CasaTrattoria lancia il blog "Get the Tuscan Gusto!"- ricette, informazioni e risorse dedicate al gourmet toscano all'indirizzo: www.casatrattoria.com/tuscany-accomodation.
I ristoranti e le trattorie del gruppo CasaTrattoria mirano in questo spazio ad offrire le informazioni sugli alimenti toscani tradizionali, ricette tipiche del territorio fiorentino oltre a diffondere la cultura del gusto della tradizione culinaria toscana.
CasaTrattoria ha lanciato questo blog per approfondire il discorso iniziato dal sito web casatrattoria.com: il blog attualmente è scritto da esperti culinari dei ristoranti del gruppo CasaTrattoria.

La filosofia di CasaTrattoria è quella di promuovere, valorizzare e salvaguardare la cucina tradizionale toscana, ponendo l'attenzione sulla qualità delle materie prime, rigorosamente di stagione.
I ristoranti e le trattorie del gruppo CasaTrattoria propongono i loro "sapori del passato" in ambienti caldi ed accoglienti, evocativi della cultura rurale, nel rispetto della tipica ospitalità della terra di Toscana.
Informazioni sui ristoranti del gruppo CasaTrattoria sono disponibili su www.casatrattoria.com