Posted in Contemporary Art, Exhibits

Steve McCurry and Piero Gilardi, “Time after Time” exhibit in Lucca

Do you recognize this photograph?

McCurry’s Afghan Girl of 1984 preceeds the current craze for middle-eastern subjects in contemporary art and is one of the most famous photographs of the past few decades. It is one of 16 photos by the American photojournalist Steve McCurry now on display in Lucca, along with 20 works by Italian photographer Piero Gilardi displayed on a separate level of the museum.

Posted in Renaissance

Top 5 sculptures to see in the Bargello museum in Florence

The Bargello museum from the exterior (1250)

The Bargello is the National sculpture museum, located in Florence. The building, begun in 1250, was the city’s first seat of government (before Palazzo Vecchio) and soon after was used to house the podestà (essentially the city’s mayor); in a later phase it became a jail, and in the 19th century finally restored to resemble its earliest phase and turned into the museum you can now visit. The Bargello should be on any art-lover’s list of museums to see in Florence.

Posted in General Arts

Florence A Roof with a View Photo Contest

“Firenze, Terrazza con vista – A Roof with a View Photo Contest” is a photographic competition promoted by the “Florence, a Roof with a View” (Firenze, Terrazza con vista) initiative (which is supported by the Florence Tourism Promotion Agency). The aim of the competition is to highlight the views of Florence from the rooftop terraces of hotels, restaurants and other public places that you can now visit, from July 1 through September 30, 2010, for an aperitivo. (No consumption is necessary in most case, however, to go up and see the view, and take some photos!)

How to participate

Take a photograph from one of the terraces participating in the “Roof with a View” initiative (listed below).

In order to participate you must sign up with the A roof with a view photo contest Flickr Group and send in the photograph you intend to submit to the competition (each contestant may submit up to three photos).

Posted in General Arts

San Galgano Abbey

San Galgano is almost a parody of Tuscany itself: it’s a medieval abbey in ruins that sits in the countryside near Siena, surrounded by cypresses, rolling green hills, and fields of sunflowers.

San Galgano with Sunflowers by Flickr user Andras Jancsik

I really love this place and take a day trip to San Galgano at least once a year, a task made easier now that they are holding summer concerts at San Galgano. Just this past Saturday I went there with my boyfriend and some friends to see the Mozart opera “The Magic Flute“, organized by the Opera Festival association.

To tell the truth, I like San Galgano so much because it is shrouded in mystery: the huge abbey is roofless and there is a sword into a stone in the upper church, the Montesiepi Chapel, also called “Rotonda” because of the circular shape of the lower floor.

Posted in General Arts

Museums open on Monday in Florence

In Italy, the traditional museum closure day is Monday. Some smaller museums may also only be open in the mornings. Some stores are also closed Monday mornings, although markets and chain stores downtown are open. So what do you do if you’ve booked a long weekend in Florence and you want to make the most of your Monday?

While the Uffizi and Academia Museums are closed, there are plenty of other museums and churches that are open on Monday. Some of the state museums open alternate mondays, for which you need a calendar and a degree in rocket science to figure it out. So here’s a handy list to help you plan your trip!

Posted in General Arts

Vallombrosa abbey and park

In the heat of the summer, the classic Tuscan day trip is to go to the Vallombrosa for some cool air. A community of  monks settled here in the 11th century, in this mountainous woods about 30km outside of Florence on the Appenine mountain range. Florentines pack a serious picnic and enjoy a summer day up here where you’ll need a sweater even in August. At Vallombrosa you can visit the medieval church, its chapels, and sections of the large abbey, including the cloister, sacristy, and refectory.

Vallombrosa in a print from 1750 (photo: wikimedia)

Posted in General Arts, Renaissance

Stefano Bardini Museum in Florence

I recently found a pamphlet offering guided tours in English in some of Florence’s lesser-known museums, the small collections developed by the great 19th-century antiquarians Stibbert, Horne, and Bardini. The iniative is called “Con gli occhi di…” – through the eyes of… and the visits to the Bardini Museum continue through August. The dates are listed below.

The Stefano Bardini Museum has been closed for restoration for many years, and opened again about a year ago. I asked Ann Reavis of TuscanTraveler.com if she wouldn’t mind sharing some information about the Bardini Museum, since she recently wrote about it on her blog, and also contributed a guest post about Bardini’s blue walls to arttrav (my personal blog). This is what she sent along…

Posted in General Arts

Caravaggio in the news: bones found, a new painting discovered, and more?

It’s the 400th anniversary of Caravaggio’s death, which is why this year saw major exhibits dedicated to Caravaggio in Rome and Florence, and why the exhibit Caravaggio in Florence is topping the list of most-seen shows in Tuscany this summer.

But this does not explain why Caravaggio seems to be frequently in the news lately, for discoveries unrelated (or are they?) to this anniversary, such as finding new paintings or identifying his bones. In the midst of Caravaggio-mania, is the extra media attention helping studies and the diffusion of their results, or… is it all a conspiracy!?

Posted in Exhibits

Vinum Nostrum exhibit in Florence: art science and myth of wine

Reproduction of an ancient wine press

Do you:

1. own a wine fridge?
2. use the word “bouquet” to mean more than just a bunch of flowers?
3. know the names of at least three varieties of red grapes?
4. save and savour special wines?

If you answered YES to any of the above questions, you have more than a passing interest in wine, so the exhibit Vinum Nostrum is for you.

Don’t be put off by the Latin title, although this is a rather specialized exhibit that refers to antiquity through the many archaeological objects on display. The full title can be translated as Our Wine: Art, science, and myths of wine in ancient mediterranean civilization. Through objects, video displays, maps, and text, this small exhibit at Florence’s Palazzo Pitti (Museo degli Argenti) shows how closely wine is linked to technology, culture, and every aspect of ancient civilization.

And if you can’t make it to the show, don’t worry – there’s a really good interactive website about wine made on this occasion. From it you can learn a lot, and see many of the objects on display!

Posted in Exhibits, General Arts

Barga exhibit highlights country life

Adolfo Balduini, Woman with laundry basket

The men and women farmers, their homes, fields, and hard work are the true protagonists of this exhibit that tells their story in a display of farm tools alongside paintings and photographs in an exhibit in Barga from July 3 to September 5 2010.

The focus of the show is on the Valle del Serchio, an area to the north of Lucca that extends into the Garfagnana; an area that is rich with ancient woods, castles, hamlets, picturesque bridges, in which the memory of the recent rural past is still very much alive.

It’s a small show but one with an interesting variety of images as you can see in the photo gallery below.