olives

Summer has finished. We now have time to enjoy the autumn food...Let's pick the olives to make fresh oil for bruschettas! In the countryside you can see people climbing olive trees or using ladders to reach the highest olives on the tree, letting them fall down on the nets. Here in Tuscany we pick the olives with the hands and soon they get pressed in the olive mill. The oil is ready!

 The Tuscan olive oil is not only very good (one of the best) but also very healthy. This is the right season to tour around in the countryside and visit oil mills and farms to taste the fresh pressed extra vergine olive oil.
Contact us for suggestions or tours.

Florentine mosaics

Only skilled and experienced craftmen are able to transform the rough stone in a "painting". The inlay work is a very difficult technique that need precision, creativity, deep knowledge of the different stones and their nuance, structure, and, above all,  passion.

This is the result of three years' work by Jacopo Lastrucci, from the Lastrucci workshop in Florence: the Sibilla Libica, from the fresco by Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel. This wonderful panel can be seen in the workshop. It is a nice experience to visit the workshop and see the Lastruccis working and creating new mosaics.
The inlay work, or "commesso in pietre dure", as we call it in Italian, was started in 1588, when Ferdinando I De' Medici founded the Opificio delle Pietre Dure for the decoration of the interior of the Princes' Chapel in San Lorenzo.
The stones were marbles, granites, porphyre, jaspis, lapis lazuli, calcedonium, malachite, quartz.....
The museum of the Opificio delle Pietre Dure displays the stones used, the working tools used to cut them, to glue the pieces, and the evolution of this technique from the end of the 16th century to the modern times.
Also, in occasion of the 150th anniversary of Italy, an interesting exhibition is now going on in the Gallery of Modern Art until next September: when Tuscany became part of the Italian Kingdom the granducal manifacture  (Opificio delle Pietre Dure) started to have a larger public...

Craftsmen festival in Florence

Artigianato a palazzo is a three day exhibition of almost 100 craftsmen who recreate their workshops in the beautiful garden of palazzo Corsini. This festival, held this year from May 13 to 15, is a chance to appreciate florentine artisans while they work, understanding the ability and the hard work they put into their creations. The fair showcases craftsmen that work with glass and silver, to those who restore wood and marble furniture,to confetti makers and much more.

Not to lose is also the historic garden whose lemons are centuries old just like the palace, and the possibility of relaxing , have a drink offered  and some tuscan food prepared for the visitors...

A cow for the Duomo

When Brunelleschi's Cupola was built, timber frameworks surrounded the cathedral. The north side of the Duomo faces via de' Servi, and in one of these apartmente a young and nice taylor lived and worked, who sometimes came to the window to get more light, or simply to look at the men working at the cupola, when her husband wasat w ork. A love story started, and one of these stone carvers sculpted a head of a cow, with a big pair of horns, facing the balcony of the young girl maybe to warn her husband.

Well, this is what people said....But the reason of the head of a cow sculpted on top of the frames at the base of the cupola is probably another one: maybe it is just to say thanks to these animals that made possible such a great work!

Volonteering in Boboli Garden

When I am not busy with guiding, my favourite target is Boboli Garden at the back of Pitti Palace. It's the prototype of the Italian garden.Vast and tidy, geometrically arranged, it's the realm of immagination. Everything looks natural though it was shaped by the skillful hands of marvellous architects in the 16th century. A maze of lanes sided with baybush suddenly open up to show large ponds populated by gods of marble. Pritty woods lead to the orangerie that boasts one of the largest collection of citrus plants. There I help the stuff with the hard work that a vast garden like this requires: pruning the roses and tying the grape branches in the vineyard, weeding the flowerbeds and cleaning the orangerie. I learn how to take care of plants and its great fun! Better than going to the analyst: you go back home relaxed and full of flowers.

St. George

Soon it will be St. George's Day!
He's not one of the typical, traditional saints of Florence, but the legend of Saint George slaying a dragon dates from the twelfth century and at the beginning of the fifteenth century he was the patron saint of the "Arte degli Armaioli" . Donatello represented him as a young man, standing so proud in one of the niches around the Orsanmichele Church (see the originat at the Bargello museum).

Saint George was also represented above the city gate  of San Giorgio, the beautiful relief representing him  has been replaced by a copy, and the original is now in the Palazzo Vecchio Museum.

Saint George became the patron saint of England in the thirteenth century. He died ca. 300 as a martyr, decapitated, as he had refused to worship pagan gods as the emperor ordered.

He is celebrated on 23 April, and he is regarded as one of the most prominent military saints. No special event on this day in Florence but just his  memory and images in Florence and around...Many foreigners passing through Tuscany since the Middle Ages had probably made St. George so familiar to us.




B

San Miniato al Monte

While visiting the beautiful romanesque church of San Miniato al Monte you will be fascinated by its location, and while looking at the marvellous ancient pavement, displaying the most remarkable zodiac in Italy, if not in the world, you will read:


"hic valvis ante. celesti numine dante;.mccvii.re
metricus et iudex. hoc fecit condere joseph;.tinent de
ergo rogo cristum.quod semper vivat in ipsum;.tepore mte"

This is written on the marble pavement of San Miniato Church, dating back to 1207. Now observe only the two last words of each line:
"1207. Retinent de tempore et morte" - " these things preserve from time and death".
Which kind of things?

San Miniato is not only a wonderful religious building but it is rich of symbolism. The zodiac is in relationship with the church and its exterior marble façade, like a philosophical machine.

Even the church has been designed and orientated to express the deep relationship between the universe, Christ and the human beeing.
You might say that the zodiac and all astrological ideas are thoroughly pagan, therefore you will be surprised to find a zodiac in a Christian church. Well, this is not the only one in Florence: even in the Baptistry you can see one.
This is probably the expression of the effort to christianize the pagan astrology, but not only....

Firenze Card on March 25th!

Today is the first day of a new Florentine year! The Capodanno Fiorentino has been celebrated for centuries on March 25th...It corresponds to the equinoxe, the beginning of spring, and to the Annunciation.
Even though the year begins officially on January 1st since 1750 now, Florentines cannot imagine this special day without any special event!
Today there were guided tours and pageants in the city up to the church of SS. Annunziata. But we are also glad to inform everybody that the Firenze Card is now available in the city and in the tourist information office of Via Cavour n. 1r (close to the Medici Palace). It is promoted by the Municipality of Florence, the Ministry for the Arts and Cultural Activities, the Regional Direction of Cultural Heritage, the Special Superintendence for Historical, Artistic and Ethnic-anthropological Heritage and for the Museum Circuit of the city of Florence, the Province of Florence and the Chamber of Commerce of Florence, in collaboration with ATAF.

With the Firenze card you won't have to queue anymore and for 72 hours you will be admitted to over 30 museums and city buses. The Firenze card costs 50€ per person. See details: www.firenzecard.it ....and have a nice stay!

Primavera has arrived!

Today was a wonderful day in Florence. Museums were open for free for all women and people enjoyed the spring air and the sun rays in piazza della Repubblica.

well, it's not Primavera yet but the air is warming up and the flowers in the gardens are ready to bloom. Here  is a shot from my garden: crocus sativus, used since centuries for the precious saffron, the princes and knights food...because its stigmas made food look like gold.

You can easily find them in the forest or historical gardens ...but hurry up, or you will have to wait for the next primavera...

Camelias near Florence

DID YOU KNOW...?

There is a place, close to Florence, where Camellia's plants grow as shrubs and trees in February and March as you were in East Asian. Come and visit two rural villages in the beautiful Tuscan countryside, Sant'Andrea and Pieve di Compito (in the municipality of Capannori), where among typical stone houses, pinewoods, olive groves  and a gurgling stream you can follow the Camellia's Path during the wonderful Ancient Camellia's of Lucchesia Show that takes place in March 2011. Introduced during the XIX century, several different species of this evergreen plant have been successfully cultivated thanks to the warm-humid climate of these hills . So a great variety of Camellias  (single petal, semi-double, double flower, anemone form and peony form flower) with their showy white, red, pink, jellow, or variegated blossoms such as the  Camellia  japonica (common camellia) or the C. crysanta, C. sasanqua, the C. oleifera  and the newly cultivated  C. sinensis for tea show themselves  to botanists, art historians and flower enthusiasts.

Ask us for further information.

Vinum Nostrum

Wine is a typical product of the Mediterranean countries, since its production was started many centuries ago in Georgia and then spread out all over in Minor Asia, North Africa and, through the Greeks,  Etruria, or Enotria (Enos= wine).

This very interesting exhibition takes place now at the Silverware Museum in Pitti Palace until May 15th and deals with the development of wine, grape species and selection, landscapes, clay tools related to wine, commerce networks, and of course the myth of Dionisus.
I visited the exhibition last week and I think that this is a "must" for all those who love wine culture. This could also be the starting point for wine tasting, tours of farms and beautiful ancient cellars around Florence.

FLORENTINE NEW YEAR

New Year's in March? That's right. Until 1582, Europe rang in the New Year on March 25, the Feast Day of the Annunciation. In 2000, the Capodanno Fiorentino was reinserted into the calendar of traditional Florentine events. The city now celebrates the Florentine New Year on the Sunday following March 25, which this year is March 28, with a historic procession from the Palagio di Parte Guelfa to the Basilica of Santissima Annunziata. The day continues with a mass, live music, exhibits and a lively market in the piazza. Call 055/2768037 or click http://www.comune.fi.it/.

FREE MUSEUM ENTRY

Free entry for Women!!
On friday, March 8 - Women's day - Italy is offering Women free entry into all state museums.

Free entry for Everyone, March 17 - National Unification Day. Museums will be open and all over Italy they will be free!!!

A good lunch in Florence

Some days ago I had lunch at "Osteria dei Buongustai", a very central place in Florence, on the Via dei Cerchi, close to the Signoria Square. It is a business run by women, you can see them cooking while you're waiting,the atmosphere is friendly and, if you manage to find a place to sit-it is pretty crowded and small inside-, you'll enjoy a great meal with traditional and simple dishes for less than ten euros!

Florence Museum Card

....Coming soon....

the Florence museum card will be available in a couple of weeks.... it will be valid for both state and comunal museums in Florence,  for 72 hours,  and it will cost 50€.

Stay tuned...www.firenzecard.it !

Details?

Have you ever seen the "wrinkles" around Venus' eyes? or the beautiful fabric of Eleonora's dress?

Some of the Uffizi paintings have been selected and digitized for Google to enable viewers to observe each single detail, even canvas threads. The Uffizi Gallery is at the moment the only Italian museum participating in the Google Art Project (www.googleartproject.com).


The real ones are better, but it is worth having a look.....

February 13 2011 Women's dignity demonstration in Florence

Piazza dei giudici

Piazza della Signoria

Along the Vasarian Corridor

Piazza della Repubblica

Via Por Santa Maria

We were there among  thousand of people to demonstrate against the  Berlusconi's vision of women.

Valentine's day in a museum

Are you an art lover ? and are you in love?  Maybe you'll be happy to know that MiBAC, Italy's association for state museums, to celebrate Valentine's day, is offering two-for-one entrance for couples over the weekend of February 12 and 13.

It's born !!

On a cold and sunny winter day, while sipping a cup of tea and talking about the lovely city where we live, we girls...thought we might share our passion for Florence with you: here is our blog!