The first Sunday is the #SUNDAYattheMUSEUM with free admission to all the monuments, museums, galleries, parks and monumental gardens of the Italian State. Also many of the state places of culture managed by the regional Polo Museale della Toscana spread throughout the region will be open free of charge with the chance to visit the current temporary exhibitions, thematic guided tours and other initiatives.

Florence

In Florence, you can visit the National Archaeological Museum where the current exhibition “Treasures from the lands of Etruria. The collection of the Counts Passerini, Patricians of Florence and Cortona” continues.

The four Medici Villas of the regional Polo Museale are all open, starting with the  Medici Villa of Poggio a Caiano with its Museum of Still Life, which exhibits over two hundred works from the collections that belonged to the Medici. The works are arranged in an chronological itinerary that follows the development of the Medici collection of this genre, dedicated to the representation of themes and subjects of nature. Flowers predominate, in all their varieties and arranged in the most imaginative ways (in vases, singly or in garlands, in small bunches), fruits, animals (also seen with purely scientific illustrative attention), but also precious or in common use combined with the other elements of nature to form intense and refined compositions, in some cases full of symbolic meaning.

In the Medici Villa of Cerreto Guidi you can still visit the exhibition “Cerreto medicea” by Massimo Tosi with a series of watercolor tables documenting the history of the Cerreto Guidi area and its main monuments, including with splendid bird’s eye views, all era of Cosimo I de Medici, in the age of its greatest splendor.

Also in Florence, the Medici Villa of Petraia and the Garden of the Medici Villa of Castello with its splendid Animal Grotto, the Last Supper by Andrea del Sarto in San Salvi and the Park of Villa Il Ventaglio are also open, which are always free of charge in any case.

Archaeological Areas

All the archaeological areas in the region are also open: the Tumuli di Montefortini and Boschetti in Comeana (Prato), the tumulus of Sodo in Cortona (Arezzo), the National Archaeological Museum of Castiglioncello and, in the province of Grosseto, you can admire the archaeological areas of Vetulonia, Roselle and the ancient city of Cosa.

Arezzo

In Arezzo you will have the opportunity to visit the Basilica of San Francesco for free with the extraordinary pictorial cycle of the Legend of the True Cross by Piero della Francesca, the “Gaio Cilnio Mecenate” National Archaeological Museum and the Roman amphitheater and the collection of Apulian ceramics donated by the family Festa and also the Casa Vasari Museum and the National Museum of Medieval and Modern Art.

At the Museum of Popular Arts and Traditions of the Upper Tiber Valley – Palazzo Taglieschi in Anghiari, you will have the opportunity to see part of the exhibition “Stories of Women. From Albrecht Dürer to the contemporary world of Ilario Fioravanti” with dozens of works that celebrate the female image from the Renaissance to today, between myth, biblical and evangelical representations and much more.

Lucca

The two national museums of Villa Guinigi and Palazzo Mansi will be open in Lucca. At Villa Guinigi, the fifteenth-century “residence of delights” of the Lord of Lucca, Paolo Guinigi, husband of Ilaria del Carretto, the history of the city unfolds, from the eighth century BC. to neoclassicism and Jacopo della Quercia, Fra Bartolomeo, Giorgio Vasari, Guido Reni and Pompeo Batoni are just some of the artists represented in the museum.

In addition, from November in one of the rooms, the restored lead sarcophagus of Antraccoli recounts the life and burial of a man in Tuscany in the 4th century AD.

At Palazzo Mansi you can relive the splendor of a wealthy merchant family from Lucca amidst frescoed halls, splendid beautifully preserved tapestries, and a superb picture gallery with paintings from the most prestigious Italian and foreign schools – including works by Domenico Beccafumi, Pontormo, Domenichino Tintoretto and Luca Giordano.

Elba

The island of Elba preserves the memory of Napoleon Bonaparte’s (1814-1815) stay on the island. The memory of this stay, which lasted only ten months, is mainly linked to the two Napoleonic residences, the Palazzina dei Mulini, located at the top of Portoferraio and the Villa di San Martino, a few kilometers away, respectively evidence of the public and private life of the ’emperor. The latest restoration interventions have returned the original appearance to the houses, bringing to light the wall decorations and reassembling part of the original furniture. The two villas will be open for free this Sunday.

Pisa

In Pisa, the national museums of Palazzo Reale and San Matteo are open, where a free guided tour is scheduled at 11am of Simone Martini’s polyptych to illustrate this grandiose altarpiece, considered one of the major works of the Italian and European fourteenth century, highlighting its main historical-artistic, technical and material history aspects, and the results of the last restoration completed in 2015.

Outside Pisa, at the Certosa di Calci, the public can visit the extensive grounds with guided visits to the evocative settings rich in art and history that hosted the Carthusian order from the 14th to the 20th century: the large cloister, the monks’ cells, the church, the numerous chapels, the refectory and the chapter and with a selection of works by Igor Mitoraj donated to the State in 2018 and temporarily placed in the spaces of the Certosa pending the creation of the museum dedicated to the artist in Pietrasanta.

Pistoia

In Monsummano Terme (PT) you can visit the house museum of the poet Giuseppe Giusti with the rooms of the digital exhibition itinerary.

Siena

In the province of Siena, along one of the Via Francigena routes, the Hermitage of San Leonardo al Lago will be opened, and the National Etruscan Museum in Chiusi.

Below is a list of the places mentioned above, organized by province, open this first Sunday of the month for free:

FLORENCE

MAF Museo archeologico nazionale di Firenze
piazza S.S. Annunziata, 9b – 50122 Firenze (FI)

Cenacolo di Andrea del Sarto  
via di San Salvi, 16 – 50135 Firenze (FI)

Parco di Villa il Ventaglio 
via Giovanni Aldini, 10/12 – 50131 Firenze (FI)

Giardino della Villa medicea di Castello
Via di Castello, 47  50141 Firenze 

Villa medicea della Petraia
Via della Petraia, 40  50141 Firenze

Villa medicea di Cerreto Guidi e Museo storico della Caccia e del Territorio
via Ponti Medicei, 7 – 50050 Cerreto Guidi (FI) 

AREZZO

Basilica di San Francesco
piazza San Francesco, 1 – 52100 Arezzo (AR)

Museo Archeologico Nazionale “Gaio Cilnio Mecenate” e Anfiteatro romano
via Margaritone, 10 – 52100 Arezzo (AR)

Museo di Casa Vasari
via XX settembre, 55 – 52100 Arezzo (AR)

Museo Nazionale d’Arte Medievale e Moderna
Via San Lorentino, 8  52100 Arezzo   

Museo delle Arti e Tradizioni Popolari dell’Alta Valle del Tevere – Palazzo Taglieschi
piazza Mameli, s.n.c. – 52031 Anghiari (AR)

Cortona (AR) Area Archeologica del Sodo e Tomba di Camucia 
 Loc. Sodo di Cortona   52044 Cortona (AR)

GROSSETO

Area Archeologica di Roselle
Via dei Ruderi, 46  58040 Roselle (GR)

Area archeologica di Vetulonia
vie Case di Siena, s.n.c. – 58043 Castiglione della Pescaia (GR)

Museo Archeologico Nazionale ed Area Archeologica di Cosa 
via delle Ginestre, s.n.c. – 58015 Orbetello (GR)

LIVORNO

Museo nazionale delle residenze Napoleoniche Palazzina dei Mulini
piazzale Napoleone, 1-3 – 57037 Portoferraio (LI)

Museo nazionale delle residenze Napoleoniche Villa S. Martino
via di San Martino – 57037 Portoferraio (LI)

Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Castiglioncello
Via del Museo, 8   57016 Castiglioncello, Rosignano Marittimo (LI)

LUCCA

Museo nazionale di Villa Guinigi
via della Quarquonia s.n.c. – 55100 Lucca (LU)

Museo nazionale di Palazzo Mansi    
via Galli Tassi, 43 – 55100 Lucca (LU)​

PISA

Museo nazionale di San Matteo
piazza S. Matteo In Soarta – 56126 Pisa (PI)

Museo Nazionale  di Palazzo Reale   
Lungarno Pacinotti, 46 – Pisa

Museo nazionale della Certosa Monumentale di Calci
via Roma, 79 – 56011 Calci (PI)

PISTOIA

Museo nazionale di Casa Giusti
viale Vincenzo Martini, 18 – 51015 Monsummano Terme (PT)

PRATO

Villa Medicea di Poggio a Caiano e Museo della Natura Morta
Piazza de’ Medici,14  59016 Poggio a Caiano (PO)

Area archeologica di Comeana (PO). Tumuli di Montefortini e Boschetti
via Montefortini, 1  59015 Carmignano (PO)

SIENA

Eremo di San Leonardo al Lago 
strada dell’Osteriaccia, 4 – 53035 Monteriggioni (SI)

Museo Nazionale Etrusco di Chiusi. Necropoli di Poggio Renzo e Tomba del Colle
via Porsenna, 93 – 53043 Chiusi (SI)

The post @SundayatheMuseum in Tuscany appeared first on Discover Tuscany Blog.

Tuscany is best experienced relaxing, with a view in front of you and a glass of wine in your hand. Across the entire region you can find “local Tuscan wines” from that part of Tuscany. While the Brunello di Montalcino is pretty well-known worldwide, there is also the Rosso di Montepulciano and Val d’Orcia wines in that same area. The coastal area in southern Tuscany known as Maremma produces Montecucco DOCG wines and a sweet wine known as Aleatico, really yummy! The mid-coastal area around Bolgheri is known for its “Super Tuscans”, with Sassicaia being a big name. Then there is Chianti which is a wide area that lies between Florence and Siena. Chianti actually extends to the east and west of Florence and Siena, with sub-regions such as Chianti Classico (the central part), Chianti Rufina, Chianti Colli Fiorentini. I am sure you are getting the idea.

Since most everyone who visits is interested in tasting and exploring the region through its wine, I hope I can offer some suggestions as to where to head to this summer for special wine tasting experiences. Today I’ll focus on Chianti, recommending some top family-owned wineries that are creating some pretty special wines and offering interesting and unique wine adventures! Two also offer accommodation, so if you wish to fully immerse yourself in Tuscan vineyards, I’d suggest including at least a night stay or even your entire stay to fully immerse yourself in the world of wine in Tuscany. A big plus to staying at a vineyard is that you will never have to consider not partaking because you’re the designated driver!

Naturally, food is also a big part of the wine tasting culture here in Tuscany so tastings are often accompanied with local food pairings, often in the form of a light lunch. Let’s get started on places to explore wine this summer!

La Lastra: View into an Organic Winery

In the hills of the gorgeous Chianti countryside just 2km from the medieval center of Siena, you will find La Lastra. It is an organic farming estate, the dream of creating a sustainable winery by a group of college friends studying agronomy and wine-making. That was over 25 years ago and the project has been a success. La Lastra creates organic wines that convey the scent of Tuscany in a bottle, the grapes grown on the estate create an elegant wine that brings enjoyment to all those who savor it.

I recommend a visit to La Lastra for a special adventure into the world of the life of an organic winery. Their unique wine tasting experience called “Vine, Wine and Life” lasts 3 hours and takes you into the history of their project, into the technology that makes it possible, into the beliefs of how respect for the land allows you to get the best from it. You’ll get to visit the vineyards, the the winery where the grapes get smashed, fermented and transformed into an incredible wine before tasting several of their award winning wines accompanied by a light lunch of local favorites. Enjoy the best wine/food pairings and make your heart and spirit sing!

Learn more about La Lastra: https://www.chianti.com/wine-tasting/la-lastra-siena-wine-tasting.html
Take a look at their wine experience, you have to book in advance: https://www.lalastra.it/winetasting/

Dianella: Replanting Leonardo’s Vineyard

The second of our wineries, the Dianella Wine Resort, sits in the Chianti Montalbano area around the small town of Vinci where the genius Leonardo da Vinci was born. The grand 15th century villa to the west of Florence was used as a hunting lodge for the Medici family. Sitting atop a hill of tuff rock, in the mid-20th century the Billeri family carved the wine cellars right under the villa and grounds of the estate. Since the early 2000s, Veronica Billeri now Conti Passerin d’Entrèves family have undertaken a massive project of renewal for the estate which has meant something something new almost every year.

In 2019 all of Italy celebrated the 500th anniversary of Leonardo’s death and Dianella celebreated its local hero by bringing back to Vinci the Malvasia di Candia grape varietal that was unearthed in what remained of the gardens behind Leonardo’s house in Milan centuries ago. One single plant came back to Tuscany with Veronica where it was replanted to create Leonardo’s vineyard right behind the villa right next to the villa’s own vegetable garden, the produce which is then used in their bistro.

In addition to visiting the estate’s winery, Dianella offers an itinerary to “follow” in Leonardo’s steps, from visiting the vineyard to participating in a cooking course with dishes inspired by recipes found in Leonardo’s famous journals. The visit is dotted with anecdotes about both his inventions and court life in Milan in the court of Ludovico Sforza, known as il Moro or the Moor. You will get a savor the sweet taste of Aquarosa, a liquor whose recipe was found in Leonardo’s codices and which Dianella’s chef Alessio Bagnoli has brought to life!

In addition to traveling back to the times of Leonardo, the winery offers unique wines aged in the ancient “cement” cellar, originally used in the 1970s and restored over the last decade. Not many wineries today use this method to age their wines, thus Dianella produces unique tasting and award winning wines. A visit to the winery takes you on a journey through time and the various stages of wine making. You end up tasting a selection of the estate’s wines along with a sampling of local Tuscan cold cuts and cheeses. If you wish, after your visit you can decide to remain for a full lunch at the bistro, relaxing and enjoying the view of the gardens. If you want to fully enjoy a wine adventure, Dianella has 4 suites inside the villa where you can stay (with a few more apartment suites opening up in 2023 if you’re not here yet this summer).

Read more about wine tasting at Dianella: https://www.discovertuscany.com/what-to-do-in-tuscany/wine-tasting/dianella.html
Book your Leonardo Vineyard visit or wine tasting: https://www.villadianella.it/la-vigna-di-leonardo/

Viticcio: Be a Winemaker for a Day

Have you ever dreamed of making your own wine? You can at the Viticcio family-run winery in Greve in Chianti in the heart of Chianti Classico! Their exclusive “Master Wine Blending” tour lets you, side by side with the expert winemaker, craft your own blend using up to four grape varieties grown on the estate. You will learn how great wines are made, learn to expertly taste and identify the characteristics of various grape varieties taken directly from the oak barrels in the Viticcio cellar. Using your own personal taste tests, you will try several blends in order to create your perfect wine!

The tour includes a light Tuscan lunch, and at the end, you will take home 3 bottles of your personal blend tagged with your own personal label! This truly is a unique experience that I have not seen anywhere else in Tuscany. You have to book ahead of time, considering it requires preparation prior to your arrival.

If all you want is to taste some of their great estate Chianti Classico wines, they also offer wine tasting, with or without a tour of the winery and with or without a light lunch. You decide what works best for you! Have I forgotten to mention that Viticcio is also a fully organic winery or that their wines win awards and awesome reviews year after year? Lastly, Viticcio would also make a great base while in Tuscany. Less than a mile walk outside of Greve in Chianti, you can stay there without a car, just walk into town for dinner and to grab a bus into Florence and from there to other towns via train. You might not want to go very far in any case, being surrounded by the vineyards and with a gorgeous pool where to hang out by

Read more about Viticcio’s winery visit and tastings: https://www.chianti.com/wine-tasting/viticcio-wine-tastings.html
Take a look at Viticcio’s tours and then book direct (all tours & tastings require booking): https://www.viticcio.com/tours-tastings/

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For now, the changes planned to rules that have guided our daily lives the last two years are making life a bit easier. One of the major deadlines is coming up, with further changes starting May 1, 2022.

Keep in mind things started changing after the “reopening” law decree was published in the Official Gazette on March 24, and restrictions started easing on April 1st. The government outlined then the strategy to make our way out of the health emergency, setting the end of the main restrictions after April 30th.

The four key dates in 2022 for the changes in rules on the green pass , on indoor masks and on mandatory vaccination are:

• April 1 when rules regarding the green pass were passed;
• May 1 the framework will change again, with the abolition of most of the restrictions;
• June 15 changes to vaccinations required for those over 50;
• December 31 will see easing of restrictions for health care workers.

The journey towards a post-Covid normality actually is not obvious. As the pandemic has taught us, drastic changes are not excluded if the wave of infections were to start to rise again. Despite the end of the state of emergency on March 31st, in case of need, the government has reserved the power to reintroduce limitations with decrees and, until December 31, 2022, the use of ordinances.

It is expected, given the current state of Covid cases, that starting May 1st we will see the end of the Green Pass at workplaces (but not for those that work in close contact with the public) and in other places and sectors that have required it up to now. For example, it will no longer be required for access ti indoor gyms, long-distance transport, hotels, dining indoors at restaurants, cinemas, theaters, stadiums and so on.

It is very likely, however, that the requirement of the “super green pass” will remain for those that work in the healthcare sector (doctors, nurses, health personnel) and those working in retirement/elderly communities. The pass is already not requested and won’t be for any hospital patients and for those who go to health facilities for health reasons. For the healthcare sector, vaccination rules remain in place until December 31, 2022.

Taking off masks when indoors

The part we care about most is knowing what happens with wearing masks indoors. While the end of the green pass indoors is already being taken for granted, there is still debate on whether the government will lift the rule regarding wearing masks indoors. There is discord within the government, some pushing to keep the rule, others to change it to a recommendation for use.

Among the ideas circulating is that there will be a possibility that the requirement for masks indoors will be removed in most places after May 1st, but left in place in places where there is high risk, such as on public transport including buses, subways and trains. What about school? While you might not be interested in that, we are Our oldest continues to wear a mask at school for 8 hours. The Minister of Education Patrizio Bianchi is oriented in having kids keep wearing surgical masks at school until the end of classes in June, while there is already an agreement in place between the Ministry of Labor and unions to foresee the requirement remains in place in sectors with greater contact with the public (supermarkets, shops, restaurants, bars).

We don’t know whether what will happen in cinemas, theaters and stadiums, where FFP2 masks are mandatory up until April 30th. For now, we’ve read that the requirement will be removed from stadiums seeing as the public is outdoors, but keeping the requirement in place in cinemas and theaters.

We still don’t know how it ends yet… but the new rules should be confirmed by the Council of Ministers after their meeting tomorrow. Stay tuned!

The post Changes regarding Green Pass, masks and rules starting May 1st appeared first on Discover Tuscany Blog.

In Florence, the city had already restarted the free entrance to its civic museum network at the beginning of January 2022 – but only to local residents. With this return of free entry to State museums on the first Sunday of the month, which is open to everyone regardless of residence or nationality, the national government hopes to encourage tourism to restart across all of the regions.

In Florence, this means that the Uffizi and Accademia Galleries will be added to the list of possible sites to visit on the first Sunday of the month for free, including the Palazzo Vecchio and complex of Santa Maria Novella. Other ones you should consider adding: the Bargello Museum, the Medici Villa of Petraia, the Last Supper by Andrea del Sarto in San Salvi. For a complete list of State sites across Florence and Tuscany, take a look at our article on State Museums.

State monuments – including historical sites, museums, galleries and gardens – also no longer request Green Pass starting April 1, 2022.

The post Free Entry to State Museums on First Sunday Returns appeared first on Discover Tuscany Blog.

The main one is that all lodgings – hotels, bed&breakfasts, campsites) will no longer require their guests to have a Green Pass (which you got if you were vaccinated or could show you were negative with a covid test). No Base or Super Green Pass will be needed starting April 1, 2022.

For now, the requirement to wear a mask indoors remains in place until April 30th.

You do, however, need to show the Super Green Pass if you want to use your hotel’s indoor pool or wellness area. It won’t be required for those outdoors, obviously.

The other main update to keep track of is that the green pass is no longer required for outdoor dining, while it will be needed for indoor dining at least until the end of April.

If there are no updates by the end of April that extend the current measures, all restrictions are to end by May 1st.

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The Tuscan dance music band celebrate their 25 years on stage with the masked evening with dinner and drinks in full Hard Rock style, starting at 8pm. Whimsical and carefree, with over 1200 concerts under their belt, SUZY-Q is much more than just a cover band; they are, in fact, real entertainment performers. Rock lovers, but with a full dance repertoire, Suzy-Q will take over the Carnival celebrations at the Hard Rock Cafe Florence with their wide repertoire that ranges from dance music from DJs such as Guetta, Sinclair, Harris and Avicii, up to iconic dance songs from the 80s and 90s.

Reservations are required, and you can choose between the Special VIP package with Dinner & Show €30 (with soft drink) or €35 (with alcoholic drink). Hours for dinner bookings are at 8pm, 8.30pm and 9pm.

Book your evening online: https://shop.link2ticket.nl/S/Event/A1hXcUMFel1BUQ/A1hXcUMFd11EVQ

Costumes are welcome!

Wine, Music and Burger

If the combination of American cuisine and prestigious wines seems interesting to you, then check out the “God Save the Wine” evening at the Hard Rock Cafe, on the evening of February 24th starting at 7.30 pm.

God Save The Wine, an event promoted by Firenze Spettacolo and Leonardo Tozzi, brings the spirit of rock to the world of wine. Among the participating wineries, an exclusive presentation on the Italian market of “Hampton Water”, the rosè wine by Jon Bon Jovi, famous leader of the American rock group formed in 1983 in New Jersey.

Then from 8.30 pm, the Last Minute Dirty Band will perform on stage with an elegant and engaging show inspired by rock ‘n’ roll, rhythm & blues and pop music of the 50s and 60s.

Book online at https://shop.link2ticket.nl/S/Event/A1hXcUMFel1CVw/A1hXcUMFd11AVQ

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The new Covid decree (Law Decree, shortened as “DL” below, dated February 4, 2022, no. 5) introduced an important change to the duration of the “Enhanced” Certification. In fact, the DL provides that, from February 7, 2022, for those who have received the third dose and for those who have recovered from Covid after having received a second or third dose, the duration of the Super Green Pass is UNLIMITED. In addition, there will be no restrictions in the Red Zone for those in possession of the super green pass certification.

As a a review of recent changes over the last month or so: on the evening of December 14, the Council of Ministers approved a DL that extended the end of the state of emergency to March 31, 2022, also extending the Super Green Pass in the White Zone to the same date, which otherwise would have ceased its validity on January 15th.

Another holiday decree approved by the Government on December 23 extended the activities for which this “super” certification is required. Among these, the Super Green Pass is needed even if you just go into a coffee shop to drink it at the counter. A further “squeeze” came about on December 29, with a new Decree-law approved by the Council of Ministers containing “Urgent measures to contain the spread of the COVID-19 epidemic and provisions on health surveillance”, which further extends the application of the Super Green Pass starting from January 10 to make it required for public transport. As you can imagine, it has been hard for us to keep up with these changes with new measures being added or modified almost every week.

For now, until March 31 even in the White Zone, the lowest level of “alert” in the colored label system in use in Italy, access to many social activities requires vaccination or to have recovered from Covid; a simple swab is not enough (with that you just get the “base” certificate). The Super Green Pass and the vaccination campaign in Italy (at almost 80% of the adult population) hopefully will reduce the risk of new variants making headway this coming year.

A circular note from the Ministry of the Interior also provides indications on controls of said certification, strengthened with more agents throughout the entire country.

When do you need the Super Green Pass

The text of DL 172/2021 states that the Super Green Pass will be used for “carrying out activities and using services for which there are limitations in the yellow zone”. The holiday decree extended the obligation introduced by the previous decree.

In short, you need to show the Super Green Pass starting from January 10, 2022 for:

• museums and exhibitions;
• all means of transport, public and long-distance, including airplanes and ships;
• hotels and accommodation facilities;
• shows;
• sporting events;
• indoor dining, including at the counter, with the exclusion of restaurants inside hotels (limited to customers staying there) and work cafeterias and catering services;
• parties including those after civil or religious ceremonies;
• discos, dance halls and similar venues;
• public ceremonies;
• theme and amusement parks;
• festivals and fairs;
• convention centers;
• outdoor catering services;
• ski lifts with tourist-commercial purposes even if located in ski areas;
• swimming pools, swimming centers, team sports and both outdoor and indoor wellness centers;
• Cultural centers, outdoor and indoor social and recreational centers, excluding educational centers for children;
• Gaming rooms, betting rooms, bingo halls and casinos;
• Thermal centers, except for essential levels of assistance and rehabilitation or therapeutic activities.

Starting from February 14th, the Super Green Pass is also required for anyone over 50 to access their workplace.

The Super Green Pass is active for everyone in White, Yellow and Red zones from December 6, 2021 through March 31, 2022. There is no longer any limitation as to activities between the orange and red zones, but some activities are limited to those that can show the Super Green Pass.

Differences between the Super Green Pass and basic Green Pass

Starting January 10, 2022 there are really just a few activities left for which you only need to show the basic Green Pass, which is valid for 48 hours after a negative swab test. These are some of those as determined by the DL:

• Transfers to / from the smaller islands for health reasons or for school attendance;
• Taxi and NCC private drivers;
• Access to workplaces and cafeterias (with the exception of workers for whom vaccination is mandatory);
• access by students to their university;
• public competition examinations;

In addition, the DL dated January 7, 2022, n. 1, also extended the requirement of the Base and Super Green Pass starting from January 20 for access to:

• personal services such as hair dressers, beauty centers, barber shops
• in person visits to prisoners.

Starting from February 1, the Base and Super Green Pass is also required for:

• public offices, post offices, banking and financial services, and non-essential commercial activities (more about these below).

Shops and places where you DON’T need a Green Pass

The DL dated January 21, 2021 allows for exemptions for which the Green Pass is needed, essentially for those that cannot be postponed because of necessity:

• food and basic necessities;
• health needs, for which access is always allowed for pharmaceutical drugs and medical devices and, in any case, to health and social and health facilities, as well as veterinary ones, for all purposes of prevention, diagnosis and treatment;
• security needs, for which access to offices open to the public of police forces is allowed, in order to ensure the performance of institutional activities that cannot be postponed, as well as those of prevention and repression of offenses;
• legal requirements, for which access to judicial offices and to the offices of the social and health services is allowed exclusively for the urgent and urgent presentation of complaints by victims of crimes or requests for judicial interventions to protect minors or disabled, as well as to allow the carrying out of investigative or judicial activities for which the presence of the person summoned is necessary.

Places which don’t require a green pass to access

Customers who visit the following commercial activities do not need request the Green Pass to be allowed entry:

• Retail stores in specialized and non-specialized food and beverage (supermarkets, food discount stores, mini markets and other various food outlets), excluding in any case on-site consumption.
• Retail sale of frozen products.
• Retails stores selling food items for and domestic animals.
• Retail sale of automotive fuel at gas stations.
• Stores selling hygienic-sanitary articles.
• Retail sale of medicines in specialized stores (pharmacies, para-pharmacies and other specialized stores of medicines not subject to medical prescription).
• Specialized stores selling medical and orthopedic articles.
• Stores selling eyeglasses and other optometry items.
• Stores selling fuel for domestic use and for heating.

Starting February 11, masks outdoors are no longer obligatory. We sincerely hope that by the end of this health emergency, set to expire on March 31, 2022, the situation will have improved so much that we will be able to go back to “normal” routine.

The post Green Pass: What is it and When do you need it? appeared first on Discover Tuscany Blog.

Among the works that belonged to the distinguished humanist and theologian, Masaccio‘s Madonna and Child, known as ‘del solletico’ since it seems that the Virgin is tickling baby Jesus, is a tangible sign of Casini’s intense bond with the Virgin Mary. The painting is on loan by the Uffizi Galleries to the Sienese complex.

The Monumental Complex offers two guided tours of the exhibition in the next few weeks before the exhibition closes: on Thursday October 21 and Thursday October 28 at 6.00 pm, exhibit set up in the Crypt of the Cathedral, which houses the precious tempera on wood painting currenyl on loan from Florence.

Following the guided visit, visitors will enjoy an aperitivo at the Baptistery Bistrot in Piazza San Giovanni.

To participate, you need to book ahead and show your Covid-19 green certification (Green Pass). Info and booking: 0577 286300 or booking@operalaboratori.com

Casini left a significant artistic legacy inside the Siena Cathedral Complex, which includes the relief by Jacopo della Quercia in the Gallery of Statues of the Museo dell’Opera, the copy of his will in the Archivio dell’Opera della Metropolitana and the elegant pastoral with the Baptism in the Sala del Tesoro. If you do not have the opportunity to visit the exhibition with one of the guided tours, you still have time up until November 2nd.

What else is there to see in Siena?

This weekend, the “full uncovering” of the floor of the Siena Cathedral will end its annual viewing period on Sunday, October 17th. The floor is the result of a complex iconographic program carried out over the centuries, from the fourteenth to the nineteenth centuries, inlay after inlay, over fifty in all. The preparatory cartoons were drawn by almost all Sienese artists, including Sassetta, Domenico di Bartolo, Matteo di Giovanni, Domenico Beccafumi, as well as by the Umbrian painter Pinturicchio. Pinturicchio was the author of the famous panel with the Monte della Sapienza, a symbolic representation of the way to Virtue as the achievement of inner serenity, “a safe path even among the waves” (Sap. 14,3).

A “safe path” has also been set up for visitors who will be able to admire the floor in compliance with safety protocols, thanks to the free app “The right distance” and the installation of the CULTURE membrane, a protective film with antiviral and antibacterial properties with certified efficacy of 3 years.

The complete OpaSiPass itinerary allows, in addition to the visit of the pavement in the Cathedral, a visit to the Opera Museum where you can admire the mosaics with the symbols of the allied cities of Siena and the original inlays by Antonio Federighi with the Seven Ages of Man in the Hall of Statues. In the Sala dei Cartoni, whose entrance flanks the magnificent Majesty of Duccio, you can see the famous plan of the floor of the Duomo outlined by Giovanni Paciarelli in 1884, which gives you an overall picture of the inlays and the path that, from the entrance, leads up to the high altar.
The combination ticket also provides access to the “Crypt” under the floor of the Cathedral where the temporary exhibition of Masaccio is located, and to the Baptistery.

So are you heading to Siena this weekend?

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Normally this event, designed to promote the artistic heritage of the Old Continent, takes place in May, but this edition was moved to summer due to the pandemic. The 2021 Museum Night program is also more limited than in previous years but something better than nothing, right?

With the European Night at the Museum, we can return to enjoying art at a budget rate because entry will only be a symbolic price of 1 euro at the sites that will be open this Saturday, generally from 7.00 pm to 10.00 pm.

Florence

Four state museums and one private one will be open in Florence: the Uffizi Gallery, the Accademia Gallery, the Bargello Museum, the Opificio delle Pietre Dure museum and the Marino Marini Museum.

The entry fee for the museums before the evening hours will be the usual, while in the evening those who are entitled to free admission will pay nothing; the rest will pay only 1 euro.

At the Uffizi, which has not participated in the event for the last two years, reservations are not required.

The Galleria dell’Accademia, which reopened the first floor dedicated to the Late Florentine Gothic period just yesterday, it is mandatory to book your entrance online or by calling Firenze Musei on 055 294883. The cost will then be the 1 euro added to that of the reservation. Last admission is at 9.30pm.

No reservations, however, are needed for the Bargello Museum, which also hosts the exhibition “Honorable citizen of Florence”, dedicated to Dante Alighieri’s relationship with his city. The last admission is scheduled at 9.20pm.

Reservation is required to visit the Opificio delle Pietre Dure Museum (via degli Alfani): an online service has been activated to set an entry time, between 7pm and 10pm. Reservations already started on June 28th so let’s hope there is still space – there are 5 entry times, each for a maximum of 6 visitors and with exit scheduled 60 minutes later: 7.00 pm, 7.30 pm, 8.00 pm, 8.30 pm and 9.00 pm. In case it is sold out, you can put yourself on the waiting list. If you’ve never visited, I recommend you book because this museum is definitely a pleasure to discover.

Lastly, the private Marino Marini Museum will be open from 9pm to midnight (last admission at 11.30pm) without the need for a reservation. Tickets can be purchased the same evening directly on site.

As for the rest of Tuscany, the Museums of the Polo Museale Toscana that adhere to the initiative are the following.

Pisa – National Museum of San Matteo

The National Museum of San Matteo will remain exceptionally open in the evening from 8pm to 11pm with two entrances at 8pm and 9.30pm, with the visit lasting an hour. Admission, at the symbolic cost of 1 euro, (with the free admission required by law) will be allowed for a maximum of 15 visitors at a time. Reservations are recommended by calling 050 541865.

During the visit it will again be possible to admire the imposing Madonna with Child between saints and musician angels by Taddeo di Bartolo, painted in tempera and gold on wood, executed between 1396 and 1397, for the Pisan church of San Michele in Borgo, and for this reason known as the Triptych of Borgo, which was just recently restored.

Lucca – National Museum of Palazzo Mansi and National Museum of Villa Guinigi

On Saturday the National Museums of Lucca will remain exeptionally open in the evening from 7.30pm to 10.30pm. The initiative provides for the extraordinary evening opening of museums and places of culture at the symbolic cost of 1 euro.

National Museum of Palazzo Mansi

Evening opening with admission only with accompanied visits at: 19.30; 20.30; 21.30

Reservation is not necessary. A maximum of 12 people can access the museum at the same time. Guided tours are allowed for groups of up to 6 people including the guide, with headphones, always respecting safety distances. It is necessary to book with the museum in advance by calling 0583 55570 or by writing to drm-tos.museilucchesi@beniculturali.it

National Museum of Villa Guinigi

Opening in the evening from 19.30 to 22.30 (last admission at 22).

A maximum of 12 people can access the museum at the same time with required booking by phone (from Monday to Friday from 8.30 to 11.30) at the number 0583.496033.

Cerreto Guidi – The Medicean Villa at Cerreto Guidi

A full day is planned at the villa. On Saturday at 11.00 the public can participate in the thematic guided tour “The vocation of a villa” by Silvia Matteuzzi.

The Medici Villa of Cerreto Guidi was the hunting residence of Cosimo I dei Medici, and his daughter Isabella’s favorite home, the holiday and leisure place for the grand ducal family, where they could delight in their greatest passion: hunting. Hunting was considered an important event, which represented and exalted the splendor of the court and the greatness of the prince, so much so that it had its own ceremonial to which everyone adhered. A journey through hunting traditions and weapons that are real works of human ingenuity at the interesting museum inside.

In the afternoon from 6.00 pm extraordinary evening opening for the European Night of Museums 2021 and guided tours dedicated to the “Star of the Medici house. In memory of Isabella Medici Orsini “, as part of the visits scheduled for “I Giardini della Bizzarria 2021, III edition”. Free entry. Reservations required Pro Loco Cerreto Guidi Office Tel. +39 0571 55671

Arezzo – National Archaeological Museum “Gaio Cilnio Mecenate” and the Roman Amphitheater

On the occasion of the European Night of Museums 2021, the Regional Directorate of Museums of Tuscany inaugurates the photographic exhibition “Through our eyes” at the National Archaeological Museum of Arezzo on Saturday July 3, created and promoted by the non-profit organization Still I Rise and in program until September 11, 2021. The Museum will be extraordinarily open to the public until 11 pm with admission by reservation at the symbolic ticket rate of 1 euro.

“Through Our Eyes” contains about 250 color shots taken by 48 refugee minors from the Hotspot of Samos (Greece) with disposable Kodak cameras, after following the photography workshops of Nicoletta Novara, creator of the exhibition. As part of the exhibition inside the National Archaeological Museum of Arezzo, under the liberal artistic direction of the architect Roberta Galantino, a selection of 22 significant shots are on display, together with a photographic itinerary that accompanies the visitor from the first moments of the opening of the school alongside the students, until the start of photography classes. Samuele Bertocci and the Imago Photographic Association also collaborated in setting up the exhibition.
Thanks to the collaboration with the concomitant White Night initiative, organized by Confcommercio of Arezzo, three guided tours lasting one hour are scheduled at 20.00, 21.00 and 22.00. Admission allowed to a maximum of 10 people per shift, always with required reservations by sending an email to confguide@confcommercio.ar.it

The exhibition, open until September 11, 2021, will be open with free admission during the opening hours of the Museum.

• Tuesday morning 9.00-13.00.
• Thursday afternoon 2.30pm-7.00pm.
• Friday morning 9.00-13.00.
• Saturday afternoon 2.30pm-7.00pm.
• Sunday 1st and last of the month and 15th August 2.30pm-7.00pm.

Monsummano Terme (PT) – National Museum Casa Giusti

For the European Museum Night 2021, the National Museum of Casa Giusti will have the special opening in the evening from 6 to 9 pm.

In addition, for the occasion, at 6 pm a guided tour is scheduled with the curator Roberto Cadonici and the authors Edoardo Salvi and Filippo Giaconi at the Divine Lettere exhibition, created for the celebrations of the 700th anniversary of the death of Dante Alighieri.

The evening, aimed at all lovers of art and literature, continues at 7.30 pm with the lecture by Filiberto Segatto: “Your vision is falling more and more in love: two Dante’s texts by Giusti”.

Giuseppe Giusti was a passionate reader of the Comedy and celebrated Dante in various writings, including the sonnet “A Dante” and the song, written on the occasion in which Giotto’s true portrait of Dante was discovered in Florence, texts that will be read and commented on during the evening. In particular, the song is almost a sort of Dante’s centone, and this will allow us to go back to the source of Giusti’s verses, offering reading and commentary of some passages from the Comedy.

Chiusi (SI) – Etruscan National Museum and Necropolis

For the weekend of July 3 and 4 the museum will be extraordinarily open on the evening of Saturday 3 from 20 to 23 for the “European Night of Museums”.

The important international event coincides with the celebrations of Santa Mustiola, patron saint of Chiusi. For this reason, the museum offers the possibility of themed guided tours, included in the admission ticket, as early as the afternoon of the 3rd at 4.30 pm and at 6 pm and in the evening at 9 pm. life and worship of Santa Mustiola in the light of archeology “. A presentation of the archaeological material of the late ancient and Lombard period preserved in the museum also with the temporary exhibition of finds normally kept in the warehouses.

The museum will also be open on the evening of Sunday 4 from 8 pm to 11 pm. During the evening at 9 pm Fabrizio Vallelonga, director of the museum, presents a meeting dedicated to “Funerary archeology. Uses and practices in the medieval period ”, which is directly linked to the issues addressed in the guided tours of the previous day. In fact, the conference will illustrate the change in Roman funerary practices determined by the affirmation of the Christian religion and the importance of Christian places of worship as new meeting places for burials.

So on Saturday, the extraordinary opening hours are from 8-11pm, with thematic guided tours at 16.30, 18 and 21 included in the admission ticket. Reservations required at 0578-20177

Siena – Church of Santa Maria delle Nevi

On the evening of July 3, from 7.30 pm to 10.30 pm, the church of the Madonna delle Nevi, located in the center of the city of Siena, will have a special opening.

The church of Santa Maria delle Nevi was built between 1471 and 1477 by the will of Giovanni Cinughi, a Sienese citizen who was then bishop of Pienza. It is one of the first and most interesting Sienese Renaissance buildings which, despite subsequent transformations, its charm and reveals the originality of a high-level architect, probably identifiable with Lorenzo di Pietro known as il Vecchietta. The church is temporarily closed to the public so this opening is truly extraordinary.

The post The European Night at the Museum returns this Saturday appeared first on Discover Tuscany Blog.

Italy’s Prime Minister Mario Draghi is confident that tourism will come back stronger than ever, with such clear and simple rules. Visitors can be assured of safe vacations as all businesses opening up across the country meet strict safety protocols that ensure we can move about without worries. Up until this Friday, most visitors had to follow 5 days of quarantine.

So where do you get the “Green Pass”? For now, it is simply the certificate you received that attests your Covid vaccination is complete, a certificate from your hospital after your recovery or the negative test results of your last Covid test.

Of course, visitors from some countries will still not be allowed into Italy, including visitors from Brazil, India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka which are currently on the “black list” as far as Covid cases go.

Italy opens up to countries from Europe, the UK and Israel…. but how about visitors from the US? It isn’t yet clear as a date has not been set for when visitors will be allowed from the States with no quarantine but it is possible for visitors from the US to come to Italy also starting May 17th for tourism. The big caveat is that you still need to quarantine for 10 days. Once the European-wide Green Pass comes into effect in mid-June, but hopefully before, visitors will be allowed in without a quarantine period if they meet the rules above. Source: NYT interview with Ursula von der Leyen

We’re looking forward to a return to traveling ourselves and look forward to seeing our cities come back alive over the coming up weeks! Hope to see you soon.

The post Italy opens borders to Europe appeared first on Discover Tuscany Blog.