The Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore (the organization which directs the Opera del Duomo or Cathedral Museum) announced the restoration of a piece of art, an immense sculpture by Michelangelo. The project is being financed by Friends of Florence. Work will go on until summer of 2020 and it will be conducted behind glass walls so that visitors to the museum will be able to see all the stages of the restoration [...]
November brings a free week for visitors to the Accademia Gallery: the museum is accessible at no charge to all from Tuesday, November 5 to Sunday, November 10. Hours are 8:15 am to 6:50 pm. The Accademia is home to Michelangelo’s iconic nearly 17-ft.-tall David, as well as his Slaves, which line the hall to his masterpiece. Many people who visit Florence to see an exceptionally famous piece of Carrara marble think Michelangelo [...]
The Florence Civic Museum System introduces “Card del Fiorentino” for those living in the greater metropolitan area: only €10 a year for residents to access three guided tours and unlimited entrance to city museums. October 1 marked the kickoff for the “Card del Fiorentino” that provides easy access to the city’s new civic museum pass for only €10 a year for Florence residents. This pass includes unlimited entrance to the civic museums, access [...]
July 4, 15, & 23: WORDS AND MUSIC: SUMMER EVENINGS IN CASA BUONARROTI. Casa Buonarroti, Via Ghibellina, 70. 9 pm. Free admission. Music is capable of speaking without words, much like art. It only makes sense that a series of concerts named Words and Music will be held in the courtyard of a famed artist’s family home. The series will take place in Casa Buonarroti, purchased by Michelangelo. For the 28th [...]
Until June 28: “HEROES:” DAVID BOWIE EXHIBITION with photographs by Masayoshi Sukita. Palazzo Medici Riccardi, Via Cavour 1. Open 9 am – 7 pm, (closed Wednesdays). Admission; €10 full, €6 reduced, free for those under 17. Over 60 photographs tell the story of David Bowie’s career, and the unique relationship between the English singer songwriter and Japanese photographer Masayoshi Sukita. The images follow over 40 years of artistic collaboration, from their first meeting [...]
Pass the hours with Dawn and Dusk. It’s that time of year again when people can enjoy the city’s galleries under the moonlight. The Uffizi, the Accademia, and the Medici Chapels Museum have extended their hours for the fourth summer running. On every Tuesday and Thursday until September 26, the Academia will be open between 7 and 10 pm. The Uffizi will be open on Tuesdays at from 7 pm to 10 pm [...]
The Statue of Liberty, located on Ellis Island in New York City, has undeniable similarities to the statue found in the Basilica of Santa Croce, which was created by Pio Fedi. It is believed that after visiting Florence, the artist of the famous statue in New York, Auguste Bartholdi, was inspired by “Freedom of Poetry” in Florence. The Opera de Santa Croce and Kent State University of Ohio have collaborated on the exhibition [...]
“Hidden in plain sight” is a phrase that is thrown around freely nowadays. Paintings like “Saint Catherine of Alexandria” by Artemisia Gentileschi and Leonardo da Vinci’s Sketch 8P, located in two separate sections of the Uffizi Gallery, however, prove that the saying is not to be taken lightly. Secrets concerning the artists as well as their techniques have just been uncovered in both works and the discoveries made public. Gentileschi Artemisia Gentileschi had [...]
Visitors and residents alike looking to experience the wonders of Florence’s museums can still do so on the May 1 public holiday. The following is a compiled list of participating museums which will be open. The Accademia. Via Ricasoli, 58-60. 8:15 am – 6:50 pm. The Uffizi Gallery. Piazzale degli Uffizi, 6. 8:15 am – 6:50 pm. Boboli Gardens. Piazza Pitti, 1. 8:15 am – 6:30 pm. Brancacci Chapel. Piazza del Carmine, 14. [...]
In the aftermath of the fire at Paris’s the Notre-Dame Cathedral on April 15, a renowned self-portrait by Russian-French artist Marc Chagall has been put on display in the entrance of the Palatine Gallery at Florence’s Pitti Palace in solidarity on behalf of the Uffizi Galleries. Formerly housed in the Vasari Corridor, the painting had been moved to storage as renovation of the corridor begins. Chagall himself donated this spectacular piece in 1976. The [...]