Florence blog

Until the 26th of February, the exhibition ‘Dante illustrato’ is being presented at Sala del Camino in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. The exhibition is curated by Giorgio Marini and it’s organized around 64 photographs that were used in the illustration of ‘The Divine Comedy’ of 1898. Its aim is to boost the photographic heritage of the cabinet, a process that began in 2002.

The 1898 edition of ‘The Divine Comedy illustrated’ has singular and modern characteristics for its time, since they used photographs that were made by Giuseppe Cremoncini on aspects of life to illustrate the text. The work was published initially in installments and then the complete edition in 1898. The negatives were donated and preserved, which has permitted the engrossment of the photographic heritage.

This effort to illustrate this version of ‘The Divine Comedy’ took Cremoncini on a tour of the whole of Tuscany, where he came across various difficulties, such as bad weather and impassable roads, among other small problems. However, the passion for Dante’s work made him overcome all of the problems to obtain the best images that illustrated the masterpiece of Italian renaissance.

Giuseppe Cremoncini was born in Florence in 1869. He was the second male son of a family that belonged to the local bourgeoisie, and he mainly worked in his father’s businesses, a well-known land owner in the region. From a young age he began to show interest in photography, when it was still a privilege in some social sectors due to the high costs of this activity of leisure. In 1897 an accident with a gas lamp killed Cremoncini, at the age of 28.

Dante Alighieri was born in Florence circa 1265. He was known as the father of Italian language and as an active participant of the political struggles of the time, that tried to unify Italy. He wrote important pieces of philosophy, literature and politics that placed him under the watchful eye of the authorities due to his vision on the necessary separation of the Church and the State. His masterpiece was ‘The Divine Comedy’, which is written in tercets and summarised medieval cosmogony.

Dante was a writer and a poet who renovated literary style by trying to make his own mark, far from all influence. He managed to do so with a vivid use of the language, whose expressive wealth managed to mix symbolic elements with historical characters, to which he added mythology to build a synthesis on the history of mankind until then, from ancient times to the Middle Ages.

Through hell, the purgatory and paradise, Alighieri writes a story on power and life, where he places the characters according to their singularities in one space or another assigned by religion as a punishment or a prize for their behaviour on Earth.

For more information: http://www.uffizi.firenze.it/en/mostre/mostra.php?t=4ec5bbbff1c3bcec13000000

Nancy Guzman

A great place to spend the early months of 2012 is in apartments in Florence There you will enjoy some of the best programmes that this beautiful city offers its visitors.

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Translated by: aleixgwilliam
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Florence is known for its history. Many people know the Renaissance and the monumental amount of classics that emerged from this magnificent city including: Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello and Dante. But Florence also embarks on modernity, and many attractions go beyond the traditional, while offering locals and tourists, many ways to enjoy the nightlife, contemporary art and current band concerts, among others.

Florence is also a city of students from all over the world, which makes its nightlife to be diverse and vibrant. Over the current sounds, clubs and bars are changing transmissions according to the interests of their young and giddy audience. Like other cities in Italy, fashion and style are part of everyday’s life, in this emerging youth scene, which is not afraid of taking risks with the most “hipster” of the moment, and fashionable sounds Pitchfork recommended. Bars, clubs and zones “underground” are at your disposal without exploring with some curiosity and enthusiasm.

You can spend whole nights traveling from cocktail to cocktail and from bar to bar, tasting tapas and food from the most exotic and diverse type. Unlike other European cities, spontaneity is a typical resource in Florence, it is not enough to make a safe plan on how to end the night, a target can lead to another and so unexpected you embark on an intense and colorful festival. Much information is at your disposal in bars and streets, from flyers, fanzines, posters, can be guided by the secret routes and modern Florence.

One of the classic places for concerts in Florence is the Palasport, where some of the most interesting bands of the moment are presented in spectacular concerts. People like Marilyn Manson, Eric Clapton, The Cranberries, The Cure, Bob Dylan, Iron Maiden, have offered concerts at this legendary concert place.

Among the most important clubs you can visit, there is the H202, where techno music is the daily bread. In the H202, you will find a very young community of local and international students who do not lose the opportunity to leave everything on the dance floor until four in the morning. Another inevitable choice of the night in Florence is the Meccano club, with two endless dance floors, ambient lighting and fanciful cocktails, this disco guarantees house music, techno and R & B. During the summer one of its tracks are outdoors, where you have access to a night of dancing fresh and inviting. The non-stop action continues on Tenax, another temple of techno and progressive house. In addition to huge dance floor, Tenax are some of the best alternative concerts in the city.

Alexa Ray

Get apartments in Florence and enjoy its young and modern scene. The clubs, bars and nightclubs are the best in Italy: party nights and endless action guaranteed.

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Translated by: Hans
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In January 2012 the Italian city of Florence welcomes children and dresses them up for a special occasion. It is in Florence where the fashion show for children will be held. An expected event for all the great designers in the world, who will be watching and taking note of the latest developments in the world for children fashion. Italy is the chosen country for this type of event for its excellent reputation in the textile and fashion industry.

It will be held in Florence, from January 19th until Saturday 21st  in the spaces of the “Fortezza da Basso.” This will be the 74th edition of the event that each year increases its global significance.

But it will not only be the smallest who will be under the magnifying glass, it also is for  adolescents, for the fair specializes in fashion from babies, kids and teens from 0 to 18 years old. There will be parades and exhibitors, along with many other cultural exchange activities with the designers from around the world that will attend.

The schedule of the fair is from 9.00 to 18.00,  every day, giving a wide margin for buyers to decide what to see and purchase. Pitti Immagine Bimbo is the kids most famous world show, where it not only presents the latest trends and collections, but also new accessories that will be used by the smallest and will show which are the colors of choice for next season, because kids should also dress fashionably.

For more information about this exhibition can visit the Pitti Immagine Bimbo website where you can find all the  relevant news: http://www.pittimmagine.com/corporate/fairs/bimbo.html

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When you rent one of the apartments in Florence you can access the best attractions of the city and you will also be a step away from the Fortezza da Basso to visit the fashion show for kids and teens. A great plan and a must for those designers interested in the smallest of the family.

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Translated by: Marc
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Florence is a city which has everything so that the visitor can enjoy it: history, culture, good weather and beauty. With all of this we could call it the Pearl of Tuscany, the region where it’s located and which is famous for its excellent cuisine. For this reason, we will give you the best recommendations to eat or dine with all Florence’s charm.

Trattoria Ponte Vecchio is an excellent representative of this culture and the taste to preserve traditions, a restaurant which has the name of the most famous bridge in Italy and is located a few steps away from it. Located in an early 14th century building which, since the 1950s, has become a cult place for all fine dining lovers in Florence, it has inherited that relaxed atmosphere that all trattorias have. Its menu includes starters, typical regional pastas, meat and fish. In the wine list we can find regional wines, sparkling wines and champagne, although the house wine is a Leonardo Chianti of excellent quality. The prices for dinner are quite affordable for all pockets.

Restaurante Il Latini is one of Florence’s favourite places because, to its traditional cuisine, they add the singular way of putting extensive tables where everyone sits, in the pure Italian countryside families, although if you order a more intimate table, it won’t be a problem. The house dish is pasta and nothing better than accompanied by an excellent Caprese salad. The menu has interesting lamb dishes and Florentine fillets with sautéed vegetables among others. It’s located on Via del Palchetti 6.

Osteria della Pagliazza is a place where you can sample classic Tuscan cuisine that the chef Simona Bertaccini compiled from old recipes from the area which she has developed in her kitchen, preserving the traditional procedures in the cooking. It’s located in the old town of Florence, at the feet of the Torre della Pagliazza and on Plaza Santa Elisabetta.

Restaurante La Giostra doesn’t have any exterior sign that indicates that it’s a restaurant, but it’s located on Borgo Pinti 12, not far from the Duomo. Its atmosphere is refined and at any moment you can come across an internationally acclaimed artist dining on the next table. The food is very contemporary, such as its antipasti of prosciutto and melon, or the carpaccio and pastas. The house wine is from the region and it’s in perfect harmony with the flavours on the menu. All of this has the flavour of modernity with a sweet mix of homemade food.

Restaurante Enoteca Pinchiorri offers an exquisite menu of Italian food with fusions of French cuisine which positions it among the 50 best restaurants in the world. Despite this cosmopolitan atmosphere, Tuscan pasta is one of the dishes which predominates its tables. It’s located on Via Ghibellina 87, and we recommend that you book a table in advance.

Nancy Guzman

If you want to relax during this start of the year, rent apartments in Florence and enjoy its history, its fine dining and the pleasure of a city on a human scale.

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Translated by: aleixgwilliam
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If you consider yourselves fans of cities, architecture, photography and – above all – if you like works of art whose subject is the great city, until January 7th, the Sangallo Art Station, there is an exhibition that is worth visiting. It is “Megacities”, by the German photographer Christian Hoehn (Bayheruth, 1968). In this series of works, the artist offers us different looks on thirty of the largest cities in the world, from Dubai to Buenos Aires, from Sao Paulo through to Munich, Shanghai, Chicago, Seoul, Paris .. So far, nothing seems too new. However, Hoehn proposal is very interesting especially for the large and medium format he has chosen.

In fact, each image is locked in a monumental “lightbox” of considerable size (2 x 1.5 m). Backlit by a printing of the image, obtained by the Diasec process , these photographs expose a very intense light, leaving the status as a photographer aside to get even closer to the subjects they represent: Tiny illuminated windows of the skyscrapers of New York come to life, and each image brings back the feeling of living in them.

On the other hand, the decision to show a series of photographs of cities in a city so strongly traditional and Florence is an interesting challenge. The artist, in fact, is fascinated by opposites, and wants to bring antithetical situations an observe its effect on the audience, feel their reactions. Florence, the Renaissance city where contemporary art – at least in its most experimental form – has not yet been fully accepted, starts this dialogue with urban centers of extreme dimensions, where not only the architecture but also the way of relating to individuals is changed.

Hoehn’s photo-graphical look is the evidence where elements of continuity and rupture in relation to the idea of ​​the city, and its evolution over time comes clear. It also provides a reflection on the demise of the historic distinction between rural landscape and urban landscape. The city, in fact, will not stop a growing as it is an urban organism that continues its evolution, attracting more people, creating more activities, relationships, nurturing them, basically growing with and within them. Hoehn does not want us to convey the feeling of an uncontrolled and negative reaction, so in contrast, he shows a certain harmony in the development of urban forms, where progress and acquired technology is seen in a positive connotation and through a view that leaves ¡new hope after the disasters that have traversed the world in recent months.

“Megacities” will be open until January 7th at the Sangallo Art Station (Via Fra Giovanni Angelico 5r). For more information,

please visit the official website of the artist: www.christianhoehn.de

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So if you are in Florence, Do not miss this show!, we recommend that you rent apartments in Florence and come to see the contrast between the city that surrounds you and the artistic representation of the metropolis.

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Translated by: Marc
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The technology which is upon us today cannot compare with the technology from 500 years ago. It might be an obvious point, but the concept of technology has existed in all ages, from the appearance of fire and the wheel to the development of the first weapons and transport vehicles, as well as space ships and Facebook. Each time goes hand in hand with the technology it requires and which generates itself with the passing of time. Men are prepared to die. Technology is left as a trace of the cultural advance of humanity, in spite of man himself, with the contradictions of some of our inventions. However, geniuses are necessary, because they bring important solutions to our lives. Leonardo Da Vinci was definitely a forerunner with vast knowledge.

In everyday life we’re overcome with the effects and uses of technology which with, above all, we communicate in this day and age. The almost omnipresence which the social networks facilitate in such broad aspects of communication, from video transmission, image and text, to the transfer of information to unimaginable distances in real time, make us even bigger participants of the course of technology and the way that it affects us. Whether we believe it or not, our bodies and minds are conditioned to the new artifacts that we produce and, in this way, life seems to be more practical, maybe more profitable and useful. And the risk is, of course, to allow technology to take us over. The future is already written in many films and novels.

Leonardo Da Vinci was undoubtedly one of the writers of contemporary future, writers in the way that in both their art and their dedication to the creation of new objects and artifacts make them a vanishing point to understand the vision of the future or the desire of the future which they had in the past. From ways to fly, submarines or war machines, as well as different studies on the human body and even his already vegetarian character, with a unique dignity and respect towards animals, define him as a central figure of modern culture. The impact of many of his inventions is in the artifacts that we use today. It’s difficult to image what Leonardo would have thought on the advances of our technology of today, he might have been horrified.

To get to know more about this fabulous work and its impact on our technology, visit the Galleria Michelangelo in Florence, which today has the biggest private collection of machines of the great Leonardo. The prices are relatively cheap, and you can make group visits. Also, Florence presents some of the best museums in Europe, an essential point to understand the Renaissance and contemporary culture. For more information visit the following webpage: http://www.macchinedileonardo.com/

Alexa Ray

Get apartments in Florence and discover a bit more about its fabulous history, as well as the life and work of the great Leonardo Da Vinci.

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Translated by: aleixgwilliam
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An hour from Florence, right in the heart of Tuscany, we find Cortona. This small city of a population of barely 20,000, rising on a hill with Trasimeno Lake and the Val di Chiana as the background, was ignored by travellers until 1996.

That year, the American writer Frances Mayes published her first novel, ‘Under the Tuscan sun’, which soon would reach the top places in the best selling US lists. It was a personal diary that she’d begun in 1990, after the crazy purchase of an old villa in Cortona. Frances had gone through a terrible divorce and she began a new era with Ed, a poet who shared her passion for Italy. The process of the restoration of the house, the new Italian friends and the adaptation to the local customs are the main focal points in this beautiful story.

In 2003 they adapted the book to the big screen, with a splendid interpretation by Diane Lane as the protagonist. Although the script is different to the book, both share the desire to leave the past behind and begin a new life, and they show an excellent portrait of the day to day in Tuscany. Cortona would then reach its biggest popularity for tourists, anxious to get to know this dreamy place where time has another rhythm.

There’s a lot to see in this cozy location. Founded by the Etruscans, there are still remains of a wall of the 5th century, nearly two miles long, from where you can see the wonderful views of the Val di Chiana.

Its predominant architecture is medieval, with narrow and steep streets, and it possesses magnificent churches of various styles, with the church od Santa Maria Nuova as the highlight, a Renaissance temple built by Giorgio Vasari, and also Santa Maria delle Grazie, from 1515. The 15th century cathedral is built on the ruins of an ancient church, and that detail can be observed on the façade.

Cortona has two museums: the Etrucan Academy Museum, dedicated to the Etruscan, Egyptian and Roman civilizations, located at the Palazzo Casali, and the Diocesan Museum. It’s one of the most famous ones in Tuscany, and an unmissable visit due to the wealth in its background. They exhibit master works of painting, jewelry and textile art from the Italian Renaissance.

The city gates, the fortress of the Medici and the Piazza della Repubblica are other places that you should include in your route. The latter was the stage of some of the scenes in the film and there the inhabitants of the town concentrate their social life, with various cafés where to stop. Saturday mornings the food and textile market takes place in the surrounding area of the cathedral, a chance to sample the products of the region, famous for its gastronomical wealth.

To get to Cortona you can catch direct trains from Florence, but doing the route by car on this magical route will allow you to enjoy the impressive Tuscan landscape a lot closer, and also make a small stop in the towns on the way.

You can check out the city’s website for more information at: http://www.cortonaweb.net/

Elena Alvarez

Find the treasures of this fascinating city which made the writer fall in love with it by renting apartments in Florence and you’ll be able to experiment the pleasures of authentic Tuscan lifestyle.

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Translated by: aleixgwilliam
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If there’s a preferred genre amongst all passionate readers, it’s crime fiction. ‘Death in Florence’ (‘Morte a Firenze’ in Italian) by Marco Vichi is one of those books that traps you into a simple plot from the first line to the last one.

Vichi is an Italian writer born in 1957 who has already had books published, and who is slowly becoming important as a cultural and social writer in the literary world. The book takes place in the beautiful city of Florence, in 1966. It’s about, like all ‘dark’ stories, a crime investigation.

The main character is inspector Bordelli (an already famous character in the author’s previous works), who won’t rest until he solves the great mystery which emerged in the city after the disappearance of a boy who was leaving school. The boy’s name was Giacomo Pellisari and our hero (or antihero, as you wish to see him) won’t stop until he finds the answers to his questions.

To make matters worse in his investigation, for the first time in history, the rain never ceased in the city, and wasn’t intending to do so. The water interrupted most of the work of the inspector, but he never gave up, not even the day that the river in Florence overflowed due to the accumulation of rain water.

The novel has a thrilling plot, but it also goes through the city of Florence perfectly, so it’s ideal to be read by tourists who are visiting the city for the first time.

To get to know more about the author, visit his official webpage: http://www.marcovichi.it/

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If you rent apartments in Florence you won’t just be close to the best tourist points in the city, but you’ll also be able to walk the same streets at the same time as inspector Bordelli in Marco Vichi’s novel, and there’s nothing more thrilling than that.

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Translated by: aleixgwilliam
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Japanese culture is everywhere. And it’s because part of the Western view of what is Japan occupies a wide space in our collective subconscious and daily culture. We absorb a large amount of Japanese art, for example, which translates especially into the large amount of ‘manga’ and animation films which arrive in our country. IN the same way, we’d have to mention an immense list of Japanese writers and poets which have had great influence in the Western world. Maybe our first approach to Japan when we were little were the cartoons such as Mazinger Z, the Robot Festival and up to Dragon Ball Z and Evangelion. In the same way, superheroes such as Ultraman, Saint-Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac and, of course, the Japanese monster par excellence: Godzilla.

From that popular culture which also includes Pucca and Hello Kitty, we reach deeper depths: fetishes, futurism and technology. Many of these visions, including cartoons, form Western paradigms to be transformed into truly Japanese, contemporary and post-modern visions. The fascination for martial arts, for example, or the mysticism that some characters represent in these series, allow us to understand Japan as a culture of dimensions which, not necessarily, we can access rather than be fascinated about. And in the whole Japanese animation films, for example, we find that chance of retro-future apocalypse: the risk of the imminent destruction of civilizations, the individual tragedy becomes universal with a trigger.

On a musical level, the Japanese have been making sound and psychedelic experiments which cannot be left aside. Since the 1950s, the approach of Japan towards rock’n'roll has brought to the light different super extreme music versions. Recently, to name a special case, the great band Acid Mothers Temple made an intense European tour surprising more than one spectator. Their combination of psychedelia, jam rock, noise and krautrock is one of the best examples of self re-interpretation of a genre coming from other places. And so, the virtue of Japanese artists lies in deconstructing the Western discourses to broaden them, making them more radical.

The 13th Japanese Festival in Florence tries to open the doors of cultural exchange between Italy and Japan, and so give the attending public a current vision of Japanese 21st century cultural production. This festival is the meeting of two cultures, although different ones, who share the same interest for art, fashion and beauty. At this festival you’ll be able to find different classic Japanese items, as well as new products of strictly modern design. There’ll also be fashion exhibitors, home items, utensils, toys, publications and many other crowd favourite products. For more information of this festival in beautiful Florence, visit the following webpage: http://www.festivalgiapponese.it/Lailac/Home.html

Alexa Ray

Get apartments in Florence and be part of the 13th Japanese Festival. The city of Florence awaits you full of art, museums and history that you should see; a necessary view to understand European culture.

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Translated by: aleixgwilliam
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Those in Florence from the 17^th of December 17, can’t miss the exhibition “Paths of the Destroyer”, by the young Zealander artist Pete Wheeler. This is his first Italian solo exhibition and will take place at Poggiali e Forconi Gallery, an art space that once again shows his international vocation. In fact, this new proposal comes after an extensive series of exhibitions, which has the participation of Youssef Nabil (Egypt) Patti Smith (USA) and the very young English artist Thomas Gillespie.

The opening of the exhibition by Pete Wheeler (www.petewheeler.co.nz), is curated by the Italian Commissioner Lorenzo Bruni. It will start at 18hrs and will end at 21hs30. The gallery is located in Via della Scala 35 / A and its opening hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 10 to 13hs and 15hs30 to 19 (Monday is the day of closing). Admission to the exhibition is free.

Pete Wheeler was discovered by Poggiali e Forconi in the important contemporary art fair in Basel (2011). The artist, who lives and works in Berlin, has accepted the offer to exhibit in this space, and he has dedicated himself to the realization of a series of works made precisely in order to display them in Italy, in his first individual exhibition in this country. The intention of all his works is to create a special atmosphere, a suggestion and an evocation. Its execution was carried out using different techniques, ranging from painting to drawing, through sculptural works. These 15 canvases in large format, depict figurative scenes, whose images are born from a strong conflict between parts of light and darkness painted on canvas. Thus, by the impact generated by the color, create surreal landscapes, dreamscapes.

Previously, Pete Wheeler used in his paintings, very conflicting and aggressive images, often related to the mass media and political propaganda (especially interested aesthetics of Nazi Germany and Islamic fundamentalism). Thus, Wheeler expressed his social awareness and political interest, focusing his painting in the conflicts of contemporary society. However, during his shows in Italy, his pictorial research is enriched with an ontological reflection: What are the “Paths of the Destroyer”? Pete Wheeler replied, “It’s a small part of something larger, a pluralism that you have to recognize yourself.”

He was born in Geraldine in 1978 and lived in Dunedin during the late ’90s and early 2000. He graduated in Fine Arts at Otago Polytechnic, and after his degree, held over 15 solo exhibitions in New Zealand, Australia, USA and Europe.

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So if you are in Italy at the time of the exhibition, we recommend you to rent apartments in Florence and come to appreciate the work of this important emerging artist. You will like it!

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Translated by: Hans
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