Ever noticed the similarities between the words “Etruscan” and “Tuscan”? The Etruscans are the civilization that inhabited this area before the Romans basically wiped them out. The Etruscans tended to settle in hill towns, in areas rich in natural resources (especially metals). These independant city states – there were twelve of them – gathered in...
Ground-breaking news for art historians, researchers, or anyone who needs access to digital photographs of Florence’s art for work or play: the museums of Florence has now put online their photo archive! This means if you need to order photos of that painting you saw at the Uffizi, that sculpture from the Bargello, or anything...
The historic Odeon Theatre in Florence presents a series of opera, ballet, and plays in their original language, straight from the stage to the movie theatre. The Odeon is also where English language movies are played (here is the schedule for films in English). Some of these special events are in English or without language,...
“All art has been contemporary”, the neon sign on the Uffizi proclaims. With an elipses… “once”, or “at one time”…. And it’s true. What was contemporary to Giorgio Vasari in the 16th century, when he said that things were “alla maniera di oggi” – in today’s style – was indeed in the style most popular...
The MiBAC (ministry of arts in Italy) just revealed the poster for their Valentine’s Day special – a man from a painting kissing a girl in tight jeans with the slogan “fall in love with art”. I have shamelessly reproduced this image here. Reactions on facebook to the campaign are mostly positive, although one of...
In Pisa there’s a big mural by Keith Haring that is right downtown, yet off the tourist track. Add this to your itinerary, it’s a secret of Pisa! The story behind the creation of this mural may be more exciting than the mural itself, which is why we (at the social media team) have asked...
Art Geeks beware!! Siena is preparing the most important show ever attempted of the arts in the Early Renaissance (an exploration of the transition from Gothic to the Renaissance)! This is a period in art that still offers room for new discoveries. The exhibit is curated by Max Seidel, one of the directors of the...
The little town of Lucca is becoming a popular tourist destination, though it is still considered somewhat off the beaten track. Lucca has a ton of churches (it’s called the city of 100 churches although apparently there are many, but not a hundred), some great little stores, good local food, wine and oil, and as...
This Spring there are two major exhibits that celebrate Michelangelo Merisi, better known as Caravaggio, on the 400th anniversary of his death, and they are only an hour and a half apart on the fast train. At Rome’s Scuderie del Quirinale, the originally titled show “Caravaggio” runs from Feb 20 to June 13th, 2010. Florence’s...
Live blogging from the conference held in Florence on January 22 2010 at Teatro della Pergola. The title of the conference is “Essere stati e’ ancora una condizione per essere?” a quote from F. Braudel – a rather philosophical question translated roughly as “Is being there sufficient as a condition of being?”. Below are my...
The show PARIS CAPITAL OF PHOTOGRAPHY 1920-1940 (Museo Alinari, Florence) explores that great moment in photography in inter-war Paris, when the city was a nexus for the cultural avant-garde. Photographers from abroad rubbed shoulders with the French greats Jacques-André Boiffard, Florence Henri, Maurice Tabard, Roger Schall, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Emmanuel Sougez, Pierre Boucher, and René Zuber....
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