Discover Tuscany’s Blog: exploring Tuscany and all its hidden corners…

the Carro Matto from last year

If you’re in Florence this weekend, plan on hanging around the area between Piazza della Signoria and Piazza del Duomo between 4 and 5 p.m. to get a glimpse of the “carro matto“, which literally means crazy cart. The cart is pulled by a pair of white Chianina oxen and carries over 1500 wine bottles, the traditional flask ones with straw bottoms, that are artfully assembled and presented to the ruling government in Palazzo Vecchio. The cart is preceded by a parade in historical costume, the beat of drums and the show of Florence’s flag throwers which perform in Piazza della Signoria at the very end.  You can read our post on the Carro Matto from last year as well as see our gallery of photographs of the parade and flag throwers in Piazza della Signoria. The setting is incredible and it is fun to see all the Renaissance costumes .

Parade starts around 3.30 pm near the Palagio di Parte Guelfa and heads first to the Duomo where the wine is blessed by religious authorities. The cart then proceeds down Via Calzaiuoli and stops at Chiesa di San Carlo dei Lombardi where an offering of wine is made, then arrives in Piazza della Signoria around 5 pm. The flag throwing exhibition is set to start around 5.30 pm. Hope you enjoy the show!

About Lourdes Flores

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This coming up Sunday a large part of Florence will be in Piazza della Signoria for a special event, the 7th edition of Corri La Vita. It is an event that brings together charity, physical activity, culture and social commitment in the form of a race and walk on Sunday September 27 with thousands of participants each year. One can participate in a 10km competitive race or join in the walk of 5km.

The important part in participating is contributing to the fight against breast cancer since all proceeds go to the Oncological Rehabilitation Center of Florence. There are many well-known TV and sport stars that participate every year, with an official t-shirt designed by Salvatore Ferragamo. This year the shirt is bright orange, a color selected by Corri La Vita fans on Facebook.

We participated last year and it is an event that truly makes you feel part of the city, especially since you walk and run through Florence’s beautiful streets in the historical center. We’ve decided once again to participate in the 10km race…. taking our time, of course, the important thing is to arrive at the finish line.

For further information on registration and course of the race, you can visit the official site of Corri la Vita.

P.S. You can register for the walk on Saturday in Piazza della Signoria from 10am to 5pm as well as for the race from 10am to 1pm. For the 10km race you need a medical certificate attesting you can participate in competitive races. Final registration for the walk will be from 8-9am on race day, the start is for 9.30am – see you there!

About Stefano Romeo

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For two weeks now, standing in the shadow of the imposing Palazzo Vecchio in Florence near Neptune’s Fountain and the monument to Cosimo I, visitors have been able to admire “Two Rivers“.
That is the title of the great bronze statue, over 4 meters tall, that New York artist Greg Wyatt created and positioned in front of the entrance of the Sala d’Arme in Palazzo della Signoria. The sculpture, donated by the artist to the city of Florence, represents the Arno and Hudson rivers, the two main waterways that divide the two cities of Florence and New York, the two cities residing within the artist’s heart.

“Two Rivers” will remain in this location until the end of October while the exhibit dedicated to works by Wyatt continues inside the Sale d’Arme in Palazzo Vecchio, after which it might be transferred permanently to Piazza Poggi. The use of the conditional is necessary because the placement of the sculpture in Piazza della Signoria a few weeks ago has raised several objections and a debate on the statue’s future collocation.

About Cristina Romeo

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The Curva Fiesole at the start of the match Fiorentina-Sporting Lisboa

Last Wednesday Fiorentina played off against the Sporting Lisboa for the qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League and we were there to show our support for Florence’s soccer team.

The “curva Fiesole”, the area of the stadium where the most passionate Fiorentina fans sit, even prepared a banner and beautiful color choreography to welcome the Portuguese fans since the two cities are “twin cities” which you can see in the photo above.

We can’t say that the game was a really good one: the home team had long moments in which they were stretched to their limit by the fast, darting runs of the opposting team and it looked as if they risked droping out of the competition. After the first half, Fiorentina was under one goal and some of the super critical fans of the Viola even started to boo the team. Not very supportive at all. The Viola, however, played much more confidently in the second half with supportive cheering from the Curva Fiesole encouraging them forward and equalized the game with a goal by the young and talented Jovetić. But it is also important to remember that Italian teams rarely play very well in August, while the Sporting demonstrated it was in great shape as a team.

The 1-1 result allows Fiorentina to proceed to the next round of the Champions League where the draw has assigned Fiorentina matches against the glorious Liverpool, the Olympique Lyonnais (with which we have a score to settle from last year!) and the Hungarian Debreceni.

It will be difficult to go beyond this round but it is important to both participant in the great matches of European soccer and in the great showcase offered by the Champions League. It will also be an excellent occasion for many Florentines to follow their home team abroad, combining rooting for the team with visits to other European cities .

Naturally, it will also be a chance for other fans to visit Florence as they follow their own favorite teams. And if you need any tips or suggestions, you can always check out our guide about Florence

About Stefano Romeo

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Photo by TomStardust

The teams of the Florence’s Calcio Storico (Blues, Whites, Greens and Reds) have faced off over the last two weeks in the semi-finals to decide which two teams compete in the traditional Tournament of St. John in Florence’s Piazza Santa Croce on June 24.

The soccer game played in costume is one of Florence’s main events historically planned for the month of June in the celebrations for San Giovanni, St. John, patron saint for the city. For this special occasion, the large, beautiful square in front of the Church of Santa Croce serves as the playing field. Bleachers are set up for spectators and the stone square is covered with sand.

For the final match, the Reds will face off the Blues on Wednesday June 24 at 5 p.m.

Continue reading about the Calcio Storico »

About Lourdes Flores

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This is the list of Florence State museums that will be open on April 13 (“Pasquetta” or Angel’s Monday) as advertised on the official site.
Many of these are generally open on Sundays so they’ll be open on Easter Sunday. Check the site above for hours and to double check which ones will be open on Sunday.

apertura ordinaria – would normally be open on this Monday anyways
Cappelle Medicee
Museo di Casa Davanzati
Giardino di Boboli, Museo delle Porcellane, Museo degli Argenti and Galleria del Costume (biglietto unico, a common ticket for these museums)

apertura straordinaria – normally closed on Mondays
Galleria degli Uffizi
Galleria dell’Accademia
Galleria Palatina e Galleria d’Arte Moderna (biglietto unico, a common ticket for these museums)
Museo di San Marco
Museo Nazionale del Bargello
Villa della Petraia
Villa di Poggio a Caiano

About Lourdes Flores

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Visiting Florence and Tuscany is an unforgettable experience. For many, it might be a trip made once in a lifetime, for others it will be start of a love affair that makes you return over and over again. I first came to Florence over 10 years ago and have made it my home for almost 7 years now. Falling in love with an Italian certainly helped pave the way for my permanent stay .

In all these years, I’ve never really felt unsafe in Florence. The historical center is small, especially compared to many other European cities. You can walk almost everywhere, and there are people on the streets at all hours, making us feel relatively safe. Like all cities in the world, though, there is an uglier, shadier side that exists around this center. I was reminded of Florence’s darker side this last week when I had my purse/camera bag snatched just as I was leaving the city center.

Continue reading »

About Lourdes Flores

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Florence without the Medici family in its past would not be the Florence we have today. There were certainly other wealthy families in Florence that were patrons of the arts but none to the extent of the Medici dynasty.
Under the Medici, Florence became the “cradle” of the Renaissance. Palaces and churches were built for the family and then everything from tapestries, furniture, household objects and paintings and statues were commissioned to adorn these palaces and churches. As rulers of the city, the Medici had to show off their power to impress not only the citizenry but other powerful rulers throughout Europe.

The Medici dynasty ended with the death of Anna Maria Luisa de’ Medici on February 17, 1743. Before her death, she created the “Patto di Famiglia” where she willed all personal property of the Medici family to the city of Florence with the explicit condition that none of the Medici artistic patrimony was ever to be removed from the city.

Continue reading about the day of celebration »

About Lourdes Flores

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It is still quite cold in Florence and wet. At least this past Saturday there was a little bit of weak sunshine in between the rainy days as I made my way south of Florence towards Galluzzo. This small town on the outskirts of southern Florence is well-known for its “Certosa” which also gives its name to the “Firenze-Certosa” exit off the A1 road that passes really close by. Just imagine, though, that when this monastery was built in the early 13th century on a hill between two rivers, this was countryside and quite isolated from the city of Florence.

Continue reading about the Certosa monastery »

About Lourdes Flores

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