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Florence News
Flying High
Balloons over Tuscany
The Chianti landscape is undoubtedly one of the most magical in the world. Driving through its grapevines, hilltop towns and woodlands is a unique experience, but imagine how much more enchanting the view would be from above.
From May 12 to 18, scores of hot-air balloonists from across Europe will be making the magnificent view over Chianti available as part of the annual Art and Science Flight.
In its 11th year, Ballooning Week is organized by the Associazione Aerostatica Toscana. …
Florence News
Be Safe
Recent sexual assaults dominate politics
Following two brutal attacks on foreign women in Rome and Milan, the highly charged issues of urban safety and violence against women entered Rome's mayoral race. …
Florence News
The mighty avengers
Florence reveals secret sentinels
The 600-plus volunteer guardians of the city, with the sole mission of upholding urban decorum, are virtually unknown to most local politicians. News of these secret …
Florence News
Into the wee hours
How the city hopes to fight urban decay
A series of initiatives launched by city hall aims to have Florentines out and about to enjoy the warm weather this upcoming summer season. Two pilot …
Up Close & Personal
An interview with Jason Arkles
by Christopher Saint-Amand
Jason Arkles is the first American to have a sculpture on permanent public display in Florence, an honor in arguably the greatest city in the world for art history. His sculpture of St. Mark now occupies one of the most prominent niches in Florence, on the front of St. Mark's Anglican Church on via …
The Arts
Oriana, Florence and the world text and photo
by Marco Badiani
Exhibit Review
She was a woman who lived and worked in a world of men. As a young journalist, she faced powerful rulers and world leaders with courage …
The Arts
Through the eyes of Oliviero Toscani
by Alyssa Cadue
Exhibit Review
When you hear the name ‘Oliviero Toscani’, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? The shock artist who constantly approaches societal issues head on? The …
Sport & Leisure News
For love of the game
by Bill Palka
Italians take the baseball field
In the shadow of the Fiorentina soccer stadium, the place where most Florentines flock to watch sports, there is a place that few know of and most would not think to exist: a baseball diamond.
Scattered across the field, Italian boys, ages 8 to 11, are wearing red caps embroidered with an ‘F' to symbolize their city. Some are taking batting practice, …
Florence News
Make friends
Palazzo Strozzi opens its doors to Florence
Its motto is ‘think global, act local'. This is why officials at the Palazzo Strozzi institute are betting on Florence. Culture buffs across the city can …
Florence News
The beef is back
EU lifts ban on prime T-bone
Meat lovers are licking their lips at the prospect of being able to bite into a succulent Fiorentina steak once again. The European Commission recently lifted …
Florence News
Tuscany's changing face?
Regional election results indicate decline of the left
A once-mighty Communist stronghold in Italy, the region of Tuscany seems to be entering the political mainstream. In the recent general national and local elections, Tuscany …
Florence News
Tax smoothing
Provincial president vows reductions
Others promise tax cuts, but we actually carry them out', affirmed provincial president Matteo Renzi just a few days after the general elections came to a …
National News
Back in the saddle
Berlusconi wins his third term as prime minister
The recent general elections moved Italy closer to a two-party political system. Weary of the factionalism and backbiting of the previous centre-left administration, Italian voters opted …
National News
Election Focus
The ins and outs
Italy's recent national elections resulted in several surprises and turnarounds. Once a Communist stronghold in the West, Italy's radical left dissipated unexpectedly, and has been excluded …
Italian Sketches
Franca Viola
by Deirdre Pirro
With no shame and no blame
Important social changes that began taking place in Italy after World War II gained momentum with the economic boom of the 1960s. Rigid family relationships were modified as young people sought a more visible role in society and women called for greater freedom. But progress towards this new cultural revolution in some regions, especially in southern …
Culture & Customs
Zia Meri
by Linda Falcone
Il fatto bello della settimana. Moments from everyday Italy
House-hunting in Italy would be a delightful cultural experience if you didn't actually need somewhere to live. Looking for a place to rent in one of …
The Arts
An age of wonders
by Sheila Barker
The Medici Archives
Discovered in a Roman avviso in the Medici Granducal Archive-just one of thousands of such handwritten journalistic reports to reach Florence in the seventeenth century-is a …
Style & Fashion
En Vogue
by Brenda Dionisi
Italy's most revered fashion houses celebrated
Miuccia's Newest Challenge
Miuccia Prada had just earned a PhD in political science when she decided to take the reins of her family's luxury leather goods business …
Food & Wine
Spearheading sping!
by Arlene Ridolfi Valentine
Few things evoke the advent of spring as clearly as bunches of fresh asparagus standing in formation in greengrocer's stalls, their brilliant green just the antidote …
Food & Wine
Understanding Brunellogate
by Alexandra Lawrence
Why prestigious Tuscan wine is coming under fire
The Italian wine world is in a tizzy over recent allegations of fraud in the production of Brunello, one of the country's most prestigious wines. Though …
The Arts
Maggio Musicale
by Helen Glave
When Maggio Musicale chose ‘women' as its theme for the 71st season, opening April 26, the idea in mind was not the self-sacrificing consumptive heroines of …
Travel & Leisure
Trekking Through Tuscany
by Gianfranco Bracci
Enjoy some springtime sunshine by travelling this ancient route from Vaglia to Fiesole and rediscover its silences, fragrances and exceptional panoramas. The second part runs largely …
Style & Fashion
Inside the Designer Zone
by Rachel Northrop
Florence is a city of the masters. Michelangelo, da Vinci, Dante, Vasari: the evidence of their capolavori is apparent in the buildings, the lines of tourists. …
Food & Wine
Veggin' Out
by Nicolette Gibson
Your guide to eating vegan in Florence
The large international vegan community does its fair share of traveling, but maintaining the diet and lifestyle can be challenging while on the road. A more …
Mosaics by Jane Fortune
Think Spring!
by Jane Fortune
Art in the garden
The Garden of Daniel Spoerri
In the early 1990s, Romanian-born Spoerri created a sculpture garden of 16 hectors in the town of Seggiano. Ninety installations are placed …
The Arts
Celebrating the Golden Age
China: At the Court of the Emperors
Taking a stroll through the courtyard of Palazzo Strozzi these days you may feel you’ve gone back to the Renaissance…in China, that is. Fondazione Strozzi’s newest …
The Arts
The shape of the book: from the scroll to the codex
by Christopher Saint-Amand
Exhibit Review
Florence is not just a painter’s city. The Renaissance had as profound an impact on the written word. Florence was the center of this great humanist …
News in Brief
Incursion at the institute
One of Florence's historic institutes was robbed in broad daylight on April 16. Two thieves made off with a metal box containing 3000 euro, two cheque …News in Brief
Temper tantrum
Renowned French actor Gerard Depardieu has been ordered to pay 800 euro in damages for threats and physical harm caused to a Florentine photographer. According to …News in Brief
Avenging the vandal
The man responsible for having hammered off one of David's toes in Florence's Galleria dell'Accademia in 1991, and who later attacked works of art elsewhere in …News in Brief
Zeffirelli makes waves
A recent controversial comment made by Franco Zeffirelli outraged local politicians and cast a dark cloud over a ceremony organized in his honour following his decision …News in Brief
Corrupted condiment uncovered
Forty people have been arrested and over 25,000 litres of olive oil have been seized in Italy's latest agricultural probe. The investigation, which spanned nine provinces, …News in Brief
47947
How much does a kilo of bread really cost? Call 47947. The Ministry of Agriculture's high-tech initiative allows wary consumers to check the prices of fruits …News in Brief
Alitalia saga continues
Air France is out of the race for Alitalia. Following a request by newly elected premier, Silvio Berlusconi, the outgoing government of premier Romano Prodi decided …Features
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BRAGGING RIGHTS »
April 10, 2008
The Florentine’s English is “just right”
What Italian students are saying about us
Friday, May 09, 2008