Weather and pollution are the number one enemies of our ancient landmarks. In Florence, so many of our outdoor sculptures have been replaced by excellent copies in order to conserve them against the ravages of acid rain and airborn shmutz. The stained glass windows of our churches aren’t exempt from the attack – in fact, [...]

In 1585, the first Japanese ambassadors to come to Italy were received in the Florence’s Pitti Palace by the Grand Duke Francesco I de’ Medici. Could this have been the meeting of two cultures devoted in large part to the ideals of beauty and elegance? Could be! Visitors to Florence today will be pleased to [...]

Florentines are known for being night owls – in a town where dinner isn’t until 8 or 9 o’clock, staying up late is nothing new. But on White Night in Florence, staying up late becomes and art form! Tonight’s White Night theme is “City Lights”: light shows, music and dance performances, theater, food and drink [...]

Contemporary art meets the old masters at the Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence! Everyone knows the Accademia as home to Michelangelo’s “David” and “Prisons”, but do they realize that this museum, one of the most famous and visited in the world, also houses works by the some of the greatest artists of the Renaissance such as [...]

The Uffizi Galleries in Florence are an international symbol of culture and civilization. What could be more civilized than enjoying the Uffizi’s exceptional yet seldom appreciated “Foreign” rooms than having cocktails with the likes of Velazquez, Rembrandt, Rubens and Goya! These and other masters of European art are the residents of the Uffizi’s newest rooms, [...]

Florence is full of unique, quirky museums that often don’t get on the radar of visitors who come with the idea of seeing the “Big 2″, the Uffizi and Accademia. Not that those aren’t totally breathtaking – they totally are. Did I say, totally? Totally! But did you know that Florence is chock full of [...]

The Italians have a saying, “Natale con i tuoi, e Pasqua con chi vuoi!”… Spend Christmas with your family and Easter with whoever you like! In Florence over the Easter weekend? You’re in luck! You can spend Easter and “Pasquetta”, the day after Easter, which whoever you like at some of the most beautiful and [...]

On this day, April 6, 1483, Raffaello Sanzio was born in the city of Urbino. That’s right, he was not florentine… but we love him anyway. Raffaello was the son of the artist Giovanni Santi – court painter to the Duke of Urbino. That little Raffaelino would grow up to become an artist was a [...]

Kicking off the Easter observances, the Museum of the Bargello in Florence will unveil the new home of one of the most infamous attributions of recent years, the so-called “Crucifix of Michelangelo” tomorrow, April 4. The polichrome lindenwood crucifix which measures a petit 41,3cm (16.24″) high was the cause of much buzz when it was [...]

Tanti auguri a te… Tanti auguri a te… Tanti auguuuri, Mystery Birthday Boooyyy……. Tanti auguri a te! One thousand eight hundred and twenty four years ago today, little Lucius Septimius Bassianus bounced into the lives of his proud parents, Giulia Domna and Septimius Severus. Little did the pitter-patter of his baby feet prepare them, or [...]