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The Blue Night of Florence takes place this upcoming weekend on May 12-13, 2012 and offers a varied program rich in surprises, activities, exhibitions and much more.
The Blue Night is a manifestation which lasts 27 hours of non-stop events, most of them dedicated to games and sports as Florence has been declared European City of Sports for  2012.
Also known as the Feast of Europe, it celebrates the “Schuman Declaration” which ratified the birth of the European Union on May 9, 1950.
For this reason, many of the initiatives are dedicated to the Old World and aim to reinforce the identity, integration and tolerance between people and different cultures in Italy!

In the squares you’ll find music, concerts and shows dedicated to dance and to the theater, exhibitions, meetings, debates, and sports everywhere: at the sport centers, on the streets, at the Cascine Park and in the squares many organized activities will be open to the public to try new sports – a special occasion to try less well-known disciplines.
The public but kids in particular will be entertained by a series of fun games including chess without frontiers, kites at Piazzale Michelangelo, a workshop for kids and parents about ancient sports and many others.
Participate in the Blue Night and celebrate today’s Europe too!

View complete program of the Blue Night

About Sara Turini

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Every year Florence selects a spring night as a “Notte Bianca“, literally meaning a “white night” when the city organizes cultural programs all through the night. A sleepless night for many in Florence who want to take advantage of all of the free events taking place, including visits to several museums and music concerts throughout the city. This year, the “white night” will be taking place this upcoming Monday, April 30th, with most events starting at 7pm and continuing on until 6am of May 1.

This year participants and events will be dressed in white! From the participating artists to Florence’s mayor, Matteo Renzi, all will dress in white, while the bridges over the Arno will have white paper lanterns which will float down the river at midnight and Piazza della Signoria adorned with hundreds of white balloons. Keep reading more about Florence's Notte Bianca »

About Lourdes Flores

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Would you like to enjoy a very special aperitivo in Florence this spring with your friends?

Called “Aperitivo ad Arte“, the Uffizi Gallery is offering special evening openings of the museum on Thursdays starting this April 26 (and continuing through the end of June) that allows you to enjoy an aperitivo on the Uffizi terrace over Loggia dei Lanzi enjoying an amazing view of Piazza della Signoria and Palazzo Vecchio together with a visit to the new Blue Rooms of the Uffizi dedicated to foreign artists inaugurated last December. Keep reading more about Aperitivo Ad Arte »

About Lourdes Flores

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The “Scoppio del Carro” celebration with a few changes this year

This Easter Sunday in Florence the centuries old tradition of the “Scoppio del Carro” will take place with a few changes from past years, changes just announced a few days ago.

The main change concerns the lighting of the “sacred fire” which will be moved from Sunday morning to Saturday evening to be present already at the wake that takes place in the cathedral as we await the arrival of Easter.

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About Lourdes Flores

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The last several days have seen the media and the population focusing their attention to the developments concerning the hunt for the lost mural La battaglia di Anghiari or Battle of Anghiari by Leonardo da Vinci in the Salone dei Cinquecento in Florence’s Palazzo Vecchio.
The work done by Maurizio Seracini, an Italian engineer, and his team, confirm the thesis of the alleged presence of the painting hidden behind the fresco by Giorgio Vasari “The Battle of Marciano”.
Reading the works of Vasari, it would seem that he may have preserved the da Vinci painting and that it may be on the eastern wall, since in the other one there were four big windows at the time of Da Vinci’s work.
Read more about the hunt for the lost Battle of Anghiari >>

About Sara Turini

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On March 8, Italy joins in the celebration of Woman’s Day and you’ll see bouquets of the yellow mimosa flowers everywhere: in Italy, it is tradition to give them to women as a show of appreciation.

For the occasion, the state museums in Florence and surroundings will be offering free entrance!

These include: (more…)

About Lourdes Flores

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On February 18, the city of Florence pays homage to the last member of the Medici dynasty, Maria Luisa de’ Medici, on the anniversary of her death. Thanks to her and her “patto di famiglia” signed in 1737, the family’s immense patrimony of art, sculpture and other precious collections were left to the city of Florence for the benefit and enjoyment of the public and future generations. We should definitely appreciate that she had the forethought to tie the collections to the city and thus cannot be sold which makes it possible to enjoy the marvelous treasures in Florence today.

One of the ways the city celebrates this day is by offering a free day at the city museums! Here they are and their opening hours:

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About Lourdes Flores

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Starting January 17, the Vasari Corridor will once again be open for special visits. This is a wonderful opportunity to get into and view the special art collection along the corridor, as well as experience the view of Florence as the Medici saw it! The special visits are offered directly by the Superintendance of the Florence State museums several times a week up until April 27 at a very low rate of € 10,50 per person.

The visits are for small groups of less than 5 and are perfect for couples. They are, unfortunately, only in Italian, but if you don’t mind this or know a bit of Italian, this is the best way to get into the Corridor as it isn’t open all of the time nor to everyone. The only way to generally see the inside of the Corridor is with tour groups that cost from € 80-100 per person, so this opportunity is really good for this reason.

To reserve your spot (better do so quickly as they often get booked quickly), you need to call +39-055-294-883. Days for the visits are: Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9am and 11:30am; Wednesdays and Fridays at 2pm and 4:30pm.

Learn a little more about the Vasari Corridor here.

About Cristina Romeo

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The Cavalcata dei Magi – Cavalcade of the Magi
from Palazzo Pitti to the Duomo
Parade starts at 14.30 from Piazza Pitti

This Friday, January 6, Florence celebrates the Epiphany with the great cavalcade of the Magi! The Three Kings bringing their gifts to a baby Jesus in the manger where he was born is set up in front of the Duomo and their symbolic arrival into Bethlehem is accompanied with a large parade in historical costume paying tribute, with over 500 participants from all over Tuscany and Italy. There are ladies and lords, knights, country folk, soldiers and much more! The Sbandieratori or flag-throwing company of the Uffizi enchants the public with their skills in throwing and waving their flags along the way and in Piazza della Signoria.

Continue reading and see more pictures »

About Lourdes Flores

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Hope you all had a wonderful New Year’s Eve and that 2012 is off to a great start!

Here are some of our pictures from some of the piazzas and musical concerts in downtown Florence. It was a bit chaotic – it was fun and great to see so many people out on the streets celebrating!

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About Lourdes Flores

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