With February, Carnival season 2012 comes alive and Tuscany prepares to celebrate with big masked parades and events dedicated to Carnival.

Have you already prepared your fancy costume and bought some confetti and streamers?

If you answered “Yes”, then you have only to choose the destination to celebrate! Otherwise, do not worry, you still have a few days to find a pretty carnival costume .

In the coming weeks in Tuscany you will find many fun Carnival events, both in small towns and larger cities.

If you are still deciding where to celebrate this Carnival 2012, here are some ideas:

The Carnevale di Viareggio, is without a doubt, one of the most famous masked parades in Italy.

These are the official dates of the parades:
Sunday 5, 12, 19, 26 of February (starting at 3 pm)
Thursday 21st of February (starting at 230 pm)
Saturday 3rd of March (from 7 pm)
Entry tickets: adults €15, free entry for children under 10 years old.

Every year along the seaside avenues of Viareggio, visitors are involved in the big event with music, a beautiful parade and lots of fun.
The protagonists of this Carnival are certainly the allegorical papier-mache floats, mainly inspired to topical and political facts, competing for the final prize decided by the jury.

Here’s a little sample of the Carnival of Viareggio, with a video from a past edition: look at the Carnival video.

In Foiano della Chiana (in the province of Arezzo), the oldest Carnival of Italy takes place every year.

Fancy costumes, music and a whole series of events will involve visitors in a big party on the 5th, 12th, 19th and 26th of February.
Price: regular ticket €8, children under 12 year old have free entry.

The masked parades will start at 3 pm. More details (in Italian only), on the official website.

In the historical center of Arezzo on February 12th, 19th and 21st the “Carnevale Aretino dell’Orciolaia” will take place with float parades and attractions from all around Italy.
More information in Italian are available on the official website of the Arezzo Carnival.

The villages in the Mugello, a beautiful area located on north of Florence, offer many nice events during the Carnival period.
In the center of Borgo San Lorenzo (Piazza Dante) the appointment is on the 5th, 12th, 19th and 21st of February, from the 2:30 pm. Free entry.

Saturday, February 11th will be the turn of the “Carnevalino” around the streets of Vicchio , while on Saturday February 18th, the village of San Piero a Sieve will host the carnival event “San Piero in Maschera” with music and performances from 2 pm onwards.

In Florence you can find some of initiatives related to Carnival on the weekends of the 11th-12th and 18th-19th of February during the Chocolate Fair, organized in Piazza della Repubblica, in the historical city center.

At the moment there are no clear news about the date of the traditional colorful multiethnic Carnival parade usually organized in the Florence city center but we’ll keep you posted on any news.

We wish you an amazing Carnival 2012 in Tuscany!

Photo by brasilnaitalia

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.

So once again this weekend we have another holiday coming up: New Year’s Day! Practically everything will be closed on Sunday, even those museums usually open on that day.

Like last weekend, on New Year’s Eve most everything will be open but closing about an hour earlier than usual. This includes the Uffizi and Accademia.

So after your late-night celebration on New Year’s Eve (see our post from yesterday offering suggestions of what to do), you might want to sleep in a bit on Sunday. No problem at all! But eventually you’ll get hungry and then after a meal you might want to do something in the afternoon, like see a little more of Florence .

Don’t despair – not everything is closed!

In particular, you’ll find the Capella Brancacci open in the afternoon, from 13-16.30 and Palazzo Vecchio from 14-19. If you’ve never seen the Palazzo Medici Riccardi, we highly recommend to go just so you can see the beautiful frescoes by Benozzo Gozzoli (open from 11-19). What else is open? Here is a quick list: Casa Dante, the churches of San Miniato, Santa Maria Novella, Santa Trinità and Santo Spirito. If you’re in for a little trek to Fiesole, we highly recommend visiting the archeological area there which will be open .

On Monday, January 2, most museums that are usually closed on Mondays will remain closed, including the Medici Chapels and the Pitti Palace museums. However, very important since it is a last minute news: the Uffizi and Accademia Gallery will be open!!

January 6 – Epiphany

Yep, right on the heels of Christmas and New Year’s, we have another national holiday on January 6 when we celebrate the Epiphany. In Florence, there is a beautiful Cavalcade of the Three Magi with parade in 16th century costume in the afternoon that crosses the historical center, from Piazza Pitti to the Duomo. The magi deliver their gifts to the baby Jesus, part of the living crèche (nativity scene) set up in the Duomo. The procession starts around 2.30pm – don’t miss this spectacular procession if you’re in Florence!

As for what is open, on January 6 the Duomo will be closed since there will services throughout the day. The same goes for many other churches, such as San Lorenzo and Santa Felicita. The cupola will be closed, but the bell tower and baptistery will be open in morning. The Uffizi and Accademia and other main state museums will be open following their regular hours, including the Bargello, the Pitti museums and the Medici Chapels. Here is a complete list of museum hours: notice that the Uffizi and Accademia are marked as being closed on January 2, but a very recent notice by the museums say they will be having a special opening. Remember to buy your tickets to the Uffizi online to avoid any lines!

We wish you have a spectacular start to 2012!!

Grapes and wine are the stars of many events planned these last few days of September in Tuscany.
The grape harvest is almost complete throughout the region, so it now the moment to celebrate the end of the harvest and taste the new, good wine from this harvest, but not only.

The Bacco Artigiano and the Carro Matto

In the village of Rufina, just 20km from Florence, the traditional Bacco Artigiano, an event dedicated to wine and local crafts, will be taking place from today Sept. 22 through Sunday the 25th. There will be music, wine tastings and local food products.

On Saturday 24 the “Carro Matto” (literally Crazy Cart) leaves from Rufina to reach Florence. At 3pm, accompanied by a historical procession, the cart will start from Piazza Duomo and arrive in Piazza della Signoria. Here, with a symbolic cerimony, the new wine will be presented to the government of Palazzo Vecchio.
The cart, pulled by 2 powerful oxen, carries an original pyramid built with over 1500 stacked flasks of wine.

Look at some nice pictures of the carro matto !

Grape Harvest Festival

In Impruneta on Sunday, September 25th you’ll find the Festival of the Grape, with its colorful allegorical floats prepared by the four city neighborhoods being paraded through the town. The event will start at 3pm, with a traditional exhibition by the Philharmonic Giuseppe Verdi.

In Chiusi (in the province of Siena) from today, September 22 through the 25th, the traditional festival dedicated to Grapes and Wine will be taking place. The schedule includes wine tasting, live music and many special events.

Wine Town 2011

If you’re in Florence, on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 you’ll find “Wine Town” all over the city, an event dedicated to quality wine. Guided wine tastings, but also music and live performances will take place in some of the most beautiful historical buildings in Florence, including Palazzo Pitti, Palazzo Corsini and Palazzo Davanzati.
For more information, visit the official website

We wish you a delicious weekend!

Did you participate in the recent White Night in Florence? It was a really special night for the city, full of events and performances that accompanied both Florentines and tourists until late into the early hours of the morning.

This weekend Florence is going to dress in a new color: it’s time for BLUE! On May 7 and 8, in fact, Florence is preparing to live a “Blue Night”, 27 hours of events and exhibitions starting from the afternoon of Saturday 7th.

Piazza della Repubblica, in the historical city center, will host some of the most interesting events. Saturday starting at 4pm, the square will be the setting for a set of different short concerts that should have something for all tastes. From the tango music of the Alma Migrante group at 4pm to the rock music of Dinamo at 9pm to the pop-swing of the female trio of The Sixters at late night.

Saturday starting at 5pm up to 6:30pm at the Old Bridge and in the surrounding area you’ll find a curious performance of street theater on bicycle.

Saturday starting at 5:30pm, you can enter with free entrance at the Alinari National Museum of Photography, which will remain open until 11pm.

On Sunday the 8th at 3pm in the central Piazza della Repubblica will be an original show of the historical group of ”Flag-flyers and Musicians of Signoria in Florence ” with the “White Eagle Company” .
Starting at 4pm until late night the square will host some concerts, including one dedicated to Bob Dylan at 8pm.

The Blue Night is one of the main events of the Festival of Europe, organized by the European Institute in Florence from May 6 to 10. During the event Piazza della Signoria will be “Piazza Europa” with some stalls dedicated to Europe.

The weather forecast announces very good weather in Florence (and luckily in Tuscany in general) for all the weekend, so happy sunny days and a fun Blue Night to everyone!

The night between April 30 and May 1, 2011 in Florence will be a fun “notte bianca”, a “white” all-night arts festival all around the city.
This year, the city of Michelangelo’s David will live a long sleepless night with special opening of several museums until midnight and entertaining events lasting until the early hours of the morning.

Palazzo Vecchio will be open all night until 6am with guided visits to the walkway of the Tower of Arnolfo available.

The Uffizi Gallery, Palazzo Strozzi (where the exhibition dedicated to Picasso, Mirò and Dalì is currently taking place), the Basilica of Santa Maria Novella, the Marino Marini Museum, the Castle of Acciaioli in Scandicci (with an ongoing exhibition to the Ghirlandaio artistic family) and many other art sites will be open until midnight with free admission.

See a map of all the Florence museums and sites with special opening: Open museums – Map

During the night of April 30 there are also many open air events scheduled in the major squares of the city. Here are the main happenings going on in the city of Florence:

- In Piazza Duomo, starting at 8pm, the Misericordia of Florence will perform a concert with choir and organ, while in the Cathedral there will be a concert of sacred music and organ starting at 9pm.

- In the Piazzale degli Uffizi, in front of the Gallery, starting at 10pm, jazz music will be the protagonist of the Jazz Marathon – Florence meets New York, in collaboration with NYU.

- Piazza Santa Croce will instead host street artists exhibitions.

- Piazza SS. Annunziata will be dedicated to classical music and poetry, with events starting at 8.30pm.

View a map showing all the events scheduled: All the events – Map

Getting around Florence in the Notte Bianca?

The historical center, usually a traffic limited area (ZTL), will be mostly closed to traffic and even local buses may change their routes.
Several buses, taxis and the tramway willl work all night long.
Starting from 8pm, you can park in the parking areas managed by Firenze Parcheggi at the cost of €1 for the entire night.

With all these events going on, the night of April 30 in Florence will be really vibrant and special – fave fun!

Just a few days to Easter and Easter celebrations throughout Tuscany start tomorrow, Holy Friday.

Friday 22 and Saturday, April 23

According to Christian tradition, the Friday before Easter, called Holy Friday, commemorates the Passion and Crucifixion of Jesus Christ. For the occasion, many Tuscan cities organize processions and small religious celebrations.
In Castiglion Fiorentino (Arezzo), tomorrow night (Friday), more than one hundred people will recreate the main scenes of the last days of Christ until his crucifixion. On the following day, a statue of Jesus will be rushed in a procession to the Collegiata Church for the midnight mass.
In San Gimignano, Chianciano Terme, Seravezza, Grassina and Montespertoli – just to mention some of main events – the streets will be the backdrop to the religious processions and celebrations organized by the inhabitants.

In Florence, in the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, on Friday at 5.30pm the Passion of Christ and Adoration of the Cross will be commemorated. On Saturday at 10.30pm there will be a vigil of the holy night for Easter.

Easter Sunday

One of the most interesting events takes place in Florence every year on Easter Sunday: The Explosion of the Cart.
Starting at 9 in Piazza Signoria, the parade in historical Florentine costume will accompany the “cart of fire”, a huge (three-stories tall), old wagon dragged by white oxen to Piazza Duomo. At 11am a dove-shaped rocket (symbolizing the Holy Spirit) starts from within the main altar of the Cathedral and flies out to light up the wagon, starting the the fireworks display.
For this occasion, Piazza Duomo is usually packed with spectators, so if you want to assist the show, make sure to arrive well in advance.

Open museums on Easter and Easter Monday and Events in Florence

On Easter Sunday and Easter Monday both the Uffizi and the Accademia Gallery in Florence will be open, as well as the museum of Palazzo Vecchio, Palazzo Pitti (including the Boboli Gardens) and the Medici Chapels.
The Brancacci Chapel instead is only open on Monday, April 25 from 1pm to 5pm.

On Monday 25 starts the traditional Flower Exhibition held at the Giardino dell’ Orticoltura in Florence, with flowers and plants from major garden centers in and around Florence. Open until May 1.
Also on Monday (and going on until May 20), the Iris Garden right below Piazzale Michelangelo opens up, a garden dedicated to the flower symbol of Florence; free admission – make sure to go, the garden is only open at this time of year to showcase the beautiful irises in bloom.

All museums in Fiesole will also be open: you can visit the Museo Bandini as well the Archaeological Area and Museum.

We wish all our blog readers a Happy Easter and leave you all with this awesome video of the Explosion of the Cart in Florence:

Trees are in bloom, the sun is shining bright and temperatures are very pleasant: Spring has finally arrived in Tuscany!

Take a look at all the events organized in Tuscany for this first weekend of Spring, the calendar is full of many various types of proposals.

It starts with VerdeMura, an exhibition of plants, flowers, garden furniture and products organized within the town-walls of Lucca. The exhibition starts today and continues until Sunday 27.

Then several events dedicated to sweets or flea markets and antiques. While sports fans, particularly motorbike-lovers, will have the chance to participate in the Mugello Motor Fest at the Mugello International Circuit in Scarperia. On Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 visitors can also have the chance to test bikes by the most famous worldwild motorcycle manufacturers. You’ll find all the information on the official website of event.

A weekend of art and culture

This weekend of 26-27 March, the FAI (Italian Environment Fund) opens many cultural sites throughout Italy on the occasion of the Spring FAI Days. Several properties in Tuscany, usually closed to visitors, will be open on this occasion.

In Florence, you can visit the Collection Arnaldo Corsi at the Museo Bardini. In Montepulciano, Palazzo Tarugi opens on Sunday, while in Pisa the Teatro Rossi, the first city public theatre, will be open. Find the complete list of the FAI cultural places open this weekend.

In Pisa from March 25 to 29 will see the turn of PisArt Expo 2011, an exhibition of contemporary art organized at the Stazione Leopolda. Over a hundred Italian artists, cultural activities and events dedicated to all art lovers.

“Sweet” events

There are several events dedicated to chocolate on this weekend around all of Tuscany.
From the 25 to 27 in Porto Santo Stefano the “Argentario Chocolate” will take place, a fair with workshops, exhibitions and chocolate tastings for adults and children.

Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 in Gambassi Terme (near Florence), master chocolatiers will fill Piazza Roma, while on Sunday 27 around the streets of the historic center of Montevarchi (Arezzo) the local pastry chefs will present their creations at the event “Sweet Chocolate“.

In Certaldo and Volterra, the protagonist this weekend will be the “marzuolo” truffle. On Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 the streets of Volterra welcome the stalls of fair “Volterragusto”, offering truffles and other local food products.

Markets: from antique fairs to comics

On Sunday 27 the center of Sansepolcro (Arezzo) will host the stands of the “Domenica del Tarlo“, a traditional market of antiques, crafts and gift items.
On Sunday in San Gimignano will be the turn of the “Collector’s Corner”, while from the 25 to 27 March in the coastal city of Follonica the event “Squares of Europe” will be landing – an international market of specialty products from Europe.
Finally, Scandicci will hold the second edition of the Comics Market Fair, scheduled for March 26 to 27 at the Sports Hall in Scandicci (free admission).

Wishing you all a good weekend from the Discover Tuscany team!

Every March 25, Florence celebrates the Florentine New Year. On this day, the Catholic Church celebrates the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary and, in honor of the Virgin, from the Middle Ages up until 1750 this date decreed the beginning of the civil year in Florence.

To celebrate Florence’s New Year, several events takes place in the city historical center.
As in the past, the celebrations center around the majestic Basilica of the Santissima Annunziata, facing the square of the same name. Inside the church, a famous fresco of the mid-1200s representing the Annunciation is venerated. According to tradition, every year on the occasion of the Florentine New Year the inhabitants of Florence and surroundings come to visit and venerate it.

Tomorrow starting from 3:45pm the parade in historical costume of the Florentine Republic will go through the streets of the historic center of Florence, from the Piazzetta di Parte Guelfa to reach the Basilica of SS. Annunziata, accompanying municipal authorities. At 4:30pm, the authorities will pay tribute to the ancient fresco of the Annunciation, preserved in the Chapel of the Holy Effigy. Throughout the day, a small fair with candy stalls and stands selling small craft items will take place in Piazza SS. Annunziata.

The Association Centro Guide Turismo organizes guided tours in the morning and early afternoon, reservation required, to the Church of Santa Maria Novella, the Officina Profumo Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella and of the Duomo. The visits will be held in Italian. For information and reservations, call 055.2616056.

Happy New Year Florence!

This year we celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Unification of Italy and for this occasion the 17th of March has been proclaimed a national holiday. Schools and public offices will be closed all over Italy but whether shops and restaurants close is up to the owners to decide.

There are events planned at all levels, in Florence and Tuscany and throughout Italy. In Florence, the city is organizing several initiatives to commemorate this important anniversary and at the same time involve all citizens in the celebration.

The night between March 16th and 17th will be a “Tricolor night” in honor of the white, red and green Italian flag. Many events will start at around 7 pm on Wednesday the 16th all over Florence, from special colored lighting of iconic buildings to open-air concerts.
For the occasion, all the city and state museums in Florence (including the Uffizi Gallery and the Accademia) will be open until 1 am.
Three central important Florentine squares have been designated to celebrate three Italian “talents”: the beautiful Italian language, art and craftsmanship.

- In Piazza Santa Croce the Italian language will be celebrated with public readings of Dante’s Divine Comedy. At 9pm within the beautiful Basilica of Santa Croce you can attend the concert by the Cherubini Conservatory.

- In Piazza Duomo, the celebration of Italian crafts starts at 7pm with stands that showcase the excellence of Florentine craftsmanship.

- Piazza della Signoria will be dedicated to Italian art. The Philharmonic Rossini will perform in front of Palazzo Vecchio starting at 8:30pm while at 10:30pm the square will host a performance by the dancers of Maggio Danza.

An occasion for a special vacation to Florence

The arrival of spring and these interesting events organized for the Unification of Italy offer a special occasion to spend a few days in Florence.

If you’re planning a short holiday, you can book a room in a hotel or bed and breakfast in Florence to enjoy all the events in town.

Besides the many activities organized for the “Unity” in Florence, Italy, there will be other interesting events all weekend long.

From March 16 to 19, the traditional Florentine festival dedicated to Ireland will be held at the Saschall Theatre of Florence. Every night you can enjoy live music, dancing, traditional Irish dishes and stands with typical products and dishes. On March 17, St. Patrick’s day, all visitors named either Patrick or Patricia will have free entrance to the event.

On March 12 in Palazzo Strozzi in the Florence center, the new exhibition “Picasso, Miró, Dalí. Angry young men: the birth of Modernity” opens. On display are more than 60 early works of the three Spanish artists arriving from across the world, from Spain, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and several private collections. The exhibition is open daily from 9am to 8pm, and on Thursdays until 11pm.

From Thursday to Sunday until May 1st you can also visit the exhibition organized in the Acciaiolo Castle in Scandicci dedicated to the famous artistic Ghirlandaio family and workshop. Free guided tours to the exhibit are also organized every Saturday and Sunday at 11am and 4:30pm.

On Sunday the 20th head to Piazza Santo Spirito in Florence where you’ll find the small fair in honor of Saint Joseph. Fiesole’s main square, Piazza Mino, will host “Artisans in Piazza“, an exhibition of arts and crafts with live demonstrations from 9am to 8:30pm.

Celebrate the Unification of Italy in Florence and enjoy the last weekend before Spring!