Guided Tours in Tuscany, in English, French, Italian, Polish. Page about art, history and traditions
If you dislike crowds, pictures below... avoid Florence from May to October.
Instead plan your trip from November to March. 🍁
Low season means:
- saving money on hotels, airplane tickets, museums, tours and activities
- less stress and better experience visiting
- cooler but still agreable temperature
Trust me on this.
Florence is better without crowds.
Plan your trip wiser. ❤️
📍BEST EVENTS IN TUSCANY THIS WEEKEND, OCTOBER 13 - 15
FLORENCE
- 🖼️ Florence Biennale, International Exhibition of Contemporary Art at Fortezza da Basso
October 14 - 22
Florence Biennale
www.florencebiennale.org
- 🌷Flower show at Corsini Gardens, via della Scala, 115
October 14 - 15
www.firenzeflowershow.com
CERTALDO
- 🍷😋Boccaccesca
October 13 - 15
Food market, tastings, show cookings, music.
Boccaccesca Certaldo
www.boccaccesca.it
PISA
- 🎨 Le avanguardie exhibition at Palazzo Blu Pisa
Until April 7
Chagall, Picasso, Kandinsky, Mirò, Dalì and many others
PRATO
- 🍫 Chocolate fair in piazza del Duomo.
October 13 - 15
Chocomoments
www.chocomoments.it
DIFFERENT LOCATIONS
- 🍁 Giornate Fai Autunno
October 14 - 15
Many historic places exceptionnally open to public.
Check the locations at
www.fondoambiente.it
FAI - Fondo per l'Ambiente Italiano
CHIANTI 🍇
- Ecomaratona del Chianti Classico
October 13 - 15
Walk, run, enjoy the nature.
www.ecomaratonadelchianticlassico.it
AREZZO
- 🌰 Festa della Castagna e del Marrone, Caprese Michelangelo.
Food market, crafts, guided tours of the Castle and in the museum of Michelangelo.
October 14 - 15 and 21 - 22
❣️ Save the post and follow me to stay tuned.
📍 PRATO
Prato is a vibrant, welcoming city whose historic center has undergone a great revival in recent years with many trendy bars, entertainment venues and modernized museums.
The municipality invests a lot in tourism and promotes many initiatives.
🎸 In the evening, Prato has many events going on, and in a lot of places, you can watch live music concerts.
Talking about social life, Prato and its surroundings have a lot more events going on than Florence.
WHAT TO VISIT IN PRATO IN ONE DAY?
- THE CATHEDRAL
Coming from the train station or from the parking lot in piazza Mercatale, one of the first things to see is the Duomo, or St. Stephen's Cathedral.
From the outside, with its white and green colors and façade, it is very similar to the Romanesque churches in Florence. It preserves important artistic works, such as the splendid frescoes by Filippo Lippi and Paolo Uc***lo.
Outside, you can see the original Renaissance pulpit, designed by Michelozzo and sculpted by Donatello.
According to a legend, the Duomo houses the sacred girdle of the Virgin.
- PALAZZO PRETORIO
It was built in the 13th century from the merger of three pre-existing buildings.
Today it houses the Civic Museum, which reopened to the public in 2013 after renovation.
In the square, you can see the graceful Bacchus fountain and the statue of Francesco Datini, an important 14th-century Prato merchant.
I recommend visiting the museum. It hosts some important artwork from the Middle Ages to the 20th century.
- EMPEROR'S CASTLE
A medieval castle, ordered by Emperor Frederick II, with a square plan and eight towers.
During the summer, it hosts an open-air cinema.
Admission is free, and it's very interesting to climb the walls and have a tour.
- CHURCH OF SANTA MARIA DELLE CARCERI
The church is located next to the castle. It has a very original Greek-cross plan, designed by a Renaissance architect Giuliano da Sangallo. Inside, you'll also find majolica decorations by Andrea della Robbia and stained-glass windows designed by Domenico Ghirlandaio.
- TEXTILE MUSEUM
If you want to discover Prato's past, you should visit the textile museum. Just a few steps from the castle, the museum is one of Europe's largest institutions dedicated to the appreciation of ancient and contemporary textiles.
Since 2003, the museum has found its definitive location on the premises of the former factory.
The museum's holdings document the art of textiles from the early Christian era to the present day, with a total of about 6,000 artifacts from a wide variety of collections.
It's very well organized. I had visited it two years ago and was impressed with the textiles and the stories behind them.
- WALLS
Take a look at the walls, built from 1300 onward. They surround the center of the town almost completely.
- CHURCH OF SAINT FRANCIS
Currently, it is under restoration.
Before entering, observe the facade, which has a beautiful relief at the top of St. Francis.
Inside, the aspect is very modest, as desired by the Franciscan friars. There is the funeral monument of Geminiano Inghirami (c. 1460) in a style close to Antonio Rossellino. Adjoining the church is the beautiful Migliorati Chapel.
- PECCI CENTER
If you have a car, I recommend you pay a visit to the Pecci Center. It is one of the most important spaces dedicated to modern art in Tuscany. Its appearance from the outside is striking for its originality. I have attended many interesting and often free events there.
Today, in addition to fixed and temporary exhibitions, the Pecci Center also organizes activities dedicated to cinema, music, performing arts, architecture, design, fashion and literature.
On the last Sunday of the month, admission to the museum is free.
☀️ PRATO TODAY
Prato, with 195k inhabitants, has 20 percent of the Chinese population. It is today the third European city with the largest number of Chinese citizens, after Paris and London.
The Chinese have set up textile workshops within garment factories, as opposed to the traditional Prato companies that are dedicated to making textiles and fabrics.
The entire plain now has a very large Chinese population that actively frequents the local schools, gyms, restaurants and places of entertainment.
🍲CUISINE
The famous cantuccini biscuits come from Prato. You can find them by example in the Antonio Mattei shop. Taste them with Vin Santo!
In Prato, you can taste sedani alla pratese, which is celery stuffed with veal, mortadella, eggs, and garlic and cooked in the oven or fried. They are the specialty of the historic restaurant, Trattoria Soldano.
📍HOW TO GET THERE
Prato is very well-connected to Pistoia, Lucca and Florence by train. Just get off at Porta al Serraglio to be within walking distance of the Duomo.
By car: paid parking in Piazza Mercatale or free parking near the walls, not far from the Museo del Tessuto in Via Pomeria.
Some ideas what to do this weekend in Tuscany, October 7 - 8.
🌸 FLORENCE & surroundings
📍Opening of the Anish Kapoor Untrue Unreal exhibition at Palazzo Strozzi October 7
📍International Ceramics Fair at piazza Santa Croce in Florence. October 7 - 8
Fiera Internazionale della Ceramica
📍Scandicci fair, one of the biggest fairs in Tuscany, free entrance. Market, events, street food. October 7 - 15
Fiera di Scandicci
📍Calenzano castle, historical rievocation of the siege from 1325.
October 8 from 11am to 7pm
www.comune.calenzano.fi.it
🌸 PISA
📍Internet festival, October 5 - 8 Talks, workshops, marketing, events.
Internet Festival
🌸SIENA & surroundings
📍Walking Francigena Ultramarathon and Pitta Rosso Pink Parade - Monteroni d'Arbia, October 7 - 8
Francigena Ultra Marathon
📍Ribollita festival - Asciano, October 6 - 8
Taste the traditional bread&veggies Tuscan soup and many other dishes.
www.prolocoasciano.it
I have been asked lately if Florence is a romantic city?
I don't know... Romance depends on many factors...
Certainly it is also a beautiful place to be in the evening. ✨
📍 The Church of Santa Maria Novella in Florence might not be at the top of your list of places to visit, but I highly recommend you put it there.
Architecturally, it is one of the most important Gothic churches in Tuscany. The exterior is mainly the work of Leon Battista Alberti. The interior holds extraordinary works of art, including Masaccio's Trinità, Ghirlandaio's fresco cycle in the Tornabuoni Chapel, and Giotto's Crucifix, among others.
THE MAIN ARTWORKS
- The Trinity by Masaccio is on the far wall right in front of you as you enter the church through the side door. The Trinità (1424–25) is one of the earliest paintings to demonstrate mastery of perspective.
The fresco is now under restoration, and with an additional ticket on site, you can see it from a short distance.
- The Crucifix by Giotto hangs in the center of the central nave as all his crucifixes were intended: with empty air all around it, you were to be reminded of Christ's actual crucifixion on the wooden cross.
While it is an early work (1288–89) for Giotto, you can see his mastery in the shading on Christ's body, the waves in his hair, the blood spilling out, and the details in the background tapestry.
- The Strozzi Chapel, to the right of the main altar, is dedicated to St. John the Evangelist, and scenes of his life are portrayed in the beautiful frescoes by Filippino Lippi. He began working on the chapel in 1487, but then the Strozzi were exiled from Florence by the Medici.
The chapel was finished only in 1502, after Strozzi returned to the city. As Lippi died in 1504, this is one of his last works.
- The Tornabuoni Chapel is the main chapel you see at the front of the church, right behind the main altar, which today sort of hides it.
The chapel is dedicated to both the Virgin Mary, to whom the church is dedicated (scenes on the left), and to St. John the Baptist (scenes on the right).
The frescoes are by Domenico Ghirlandaio and his workshop, where a very young Michelangelo was apprenticed.
After restoration, the vibrant colors are still stunning, and Ghirlandaio's penchant for including important people of the day in contemporary clothing makes his work appear to be actual "photographs" of his days.
- The Gondi chapel to the left of the main altar contains a wooden crucifix by Brunelleschi from 1410–15, which he completed in competition with his friend Donatello.
Brunelleschi saw the crucifix Donatello had created for the Bardi Chapel in Santa Croce and was said to have exclaimed that Donatello's Christ looked like "a farmer on a cross" and said "I'll show you how Christ is supposed to be".
- Cloisters and Spanish Chapel
The first cloister, the Green One, has frescoes by Paolo Uc***lo with scenes from the Old Testament on 3 of the 4 sides, and, being outside, some are in bad shape but can still be admired.
Continue on to the magnificently decorated Chapter House, called the Cappellone degli Spagnoli or Spanish Chapel ever since it was used by the courtiers of Eleanor of Toledo, wife of Cosimo I.
The chapel features frescoes by Andrea di Bonaiuto depicting Jesus Christ's passion, death and resurrection on the front wall as you enter. To the right, in the Triumph of the Doctrine. To the left, you'll find another fresco, the Triumph of the Catholic Doctrine, while the entrance wall frescoes depict stories of the life of St. Peter Martyr.
- The Grand Cloister
Built between 1340 and 1360, it hosted dormitories on three of its four sides, for the friars living here. Two centuries later, two noble Florentine families and the Grand Duke Cosimo I Medici financed the decorations of all the walls with frescoes of the life of St. Dominic and other Dominican saints, scenes from the life of Christ (at the corners), and portraits of important members of the Santa Maria Novella community (on the pillars).
The fresco cycle was largely painted between 1570 and 1590 by over 15 different artists such as Alessandro Allori, Santi di Tito and Poccetti.
Copyright text: https://www.visitflorence.com/florence-churches/santa-maria-novella.html
Pictures are mine.
Today, I show you 2 less known places in San Gimignano worth visiting.
San Gimignano is a very touristic place but few people visit these two spots.
1. The first one is the church of San Jacopo that claims to have been built by the Knights Templar. ➕
It’s just inside one of the city gates and the tradition has it was built just after the First Crusade. However, it has been dated to a few decades later.
A seventeenth century convent grew up alongside it but the main chapel looks medieval.
📍 San Gimignano was at its height during the 12th and 13th centuries – the Templar period – so it could very well have been built by the Order.
2. The second one is just few steps downhill - the medieval fountains.
In the past, there was no water in houses and in the city centre. One had to travel outside the walls on a daily basis to stock up.
In the dangerous times: wars, siege, black death..., people in the city were drinking rainwater from the cisterns.
😉 During the peaceful times, you have to imagine the fountains as a place full of life: chitchatting women, cleaning the clothes; their children playing in the surroundings; horses and mules taken to water; young people exchanging glances and love letters; pilgrims and traders seeking coolness and rest.
👣 It was a real meeting point for many people from different parts of the world. San Gimignano was on the busy spot, a pilgrimage and trade route, the Via Francigena.
The fountains have a total of ten arches, six of which round-arched, dating back to the 13th century, and four different pointed arches, built later in the 14th century.
Medieval fountains were usually divided into three parts. The first basin served as drinking water, the second for watering animals and the third for washing clothes.
The waste water was then used by the dyers.
So what do you think? Are you convinced to visit them? San Gimignano reveals its beauty in autumn and spring. So now it's the perfect time to take a walk through its medieval streets, vicoli and viuzzi.
📍 Villa Petraia, a few kilometers from Florence, is one of the most beautiful Medici villas.
You can visit it free of charge all year round.
Information below.
The name Petraia comes from the stony ground.
The Villa has existed since the 14th century but owes its exterior and garden to Ferdinando I de Medici, whose commissions of the reconstruction began in the 16th century.
👑 The interior, on the other hand, presents the appearance of the 19th century when the beautiful Rosina, the lover of the King of Italy, Victor Emmanuel II, lived in the villa. The king himself spent a lot of time here.
Inside is a spectacular courtyard decorated with frescoes in the 16th and 17th century with Medici figures such as the popes, Catherine de Medici or Cosimo I and the important events.
The interior rooms have mixed furnishings from the other villas. Indeed, sometimes details do not match.
🎱 The game room with billiard tables and some original games and pastimes is very interesting.
In some rooms, you can admire the 16th century original bronze sculptures by Tribolo, Ammannati and Giambologna such as Hercules choking Antaeus or the beautiful Venus.
🎟 To visit the villa, you must come at certain times.
April to September, Tuesday - Sunday: 9.30, 10.30, 11.30, 14, 15, 16, 17.
Garden: 8.30 am - 6.30 pm.
Closed on Monday.
From November to March, the opening hours are reduced.
Visits are free of charge.
Information:
http://www.polomusealetoscana.beniculturali.it/index.php?it/185/firenze-villa-medicea-della-petraia
📍 How to get there?
By car:
Via della Petraia, 40, Castello
Free parking at the entrance.
By bus/train:
From Santa Maria Novella station, you can take the bus to Via Sestese or Castello, or take the train to Castello.
In both cases, you have to walk a little.
I suggest you the moovit app.
Buongiorno 🌸
In the morning, Florentine Porcellino enjoys some calm.
A short break from work in a beautiful town of Perugia.
Perugia is not so far from Cortona and the southern Tuscany. You should consider visiting it when in the surroundings.
When travelling to Siena from Florence or generally from the Northern Tuscany, you should stop at Monteriggioni.
This small hilltown preserved one of the most iconic medieval walls in Italy.
Monteriggioni was built by the Sienese between 1213 and 1219 for defensive purposes against the greatest rival, Florence.
It's nice to stop here for a short break or for a dinner and a panoramic walk.
One of the most fascinating rooms of the Palatine Gallery in the Pitti Palace is the Sala della Stufa, i.e. the bathroom.
In 1637, Grand Duke Ferdinando II de' Medici commissioned the painter Pietro da Cortona to decorate the four walls of this room.
Pietro da Cortona was inspired by Ovid's "Metamorphoses" and depicted the four ages of man: the artist began the cycle of frescoes with the Golden Age, a true earthly paradise.
This was followed by the Silver Age, representing a less good period than the previous one, but still favourable.
The scenes depicting the Bronze Age and Iron Age were executed around 1641, during Pietro da Cortona's second stay in Florence.
You can see this room visiting the Palatine Gallery in the Palazzo Pitti in Florence.
www.uffizi.it
Ostension of the Holy Girdle in Prato, August, 15
The Sacra Cintola (or Girdle) in Prato Cathedral is a green belt of fine wool, brocaded with a few threads of gold. An established tradition already at the end of the 13th century identifies the Prato relic with the one that was given by the Virgin, while she was being assumed into Heaven, to St Thomas.
It is said that the relic arrived in Prato around 1141 thanks to fellow citizen Michele Dagomari, a pilgrim to the Holy Land who had received it as a dowry by marrying a young girl named Maria in Jerusalem. Michael donated it on his deathbed (1172) to the provost of the Pieve di Santo Stefano, now the Duomo, where the Holy Girdle is still kept.
The relic has constituted the fulcrum of Prato's religiosity and is considered the patrimony of the entire citizenry: its public display since ancient times has been regulated by the statutes of the Municipality, which guards part of the keys necessary to extract it from its altar and reliquary.
The relic had been kept, at least since the end of the 13th century, near the high altar; from here, in a sort of popular coup (supported by the Municipality), the relic was brought in 1346 near the entrance to the church and removed from the custody of the canons.
The present chapel was built in 1386-90 to a design by Lorenzo di Filippo to give the Holy Girdle its final resting place.
The interior space is entirely frescoed with Stories of the Virgin and the Girdle, a cycle of astonishing figurative unity painted in 1392-95 by Agnolo Gaddi (1350-1396) and his workshop.
In 1434-38 by Donatello and Michelozzo, the pulpit outside the Cathedral was built for the Ostension of the Cintola to the faithful gathered in the square.
Currently, the Ostension is held at Christmas, Easter, 1 May, 15 August and most solemnly on 8 September in conjunction with the celebrations of the Historical Parade.
For 3 next days now everything in Siena revolves around the 6 horse trials.
At 9am and 7.30pm, many people head to piazza del Campo to see it.
The 6 trials allow the jockey to get to know the horse and establish a relationship of trust and collaboration.
After the evening trial, the members of each contrada partecipating in the race accompany the horses back in a sort of procession.
And after, the traditional dinners in contrada take place.
Do you agree?
"Italy's drinking culture is just as structured as its eating culture, and the two are entirely intertwined. Italians look at drinking by how it can enhance the food that it comes with. You won't usually find Italians pre-drinking their wine before a pasta dish is brought to the table as the wine is meant to complement the dish. "
Find out more:
https://www.travelandleisure.com/food-drink/eating-and-drinking-rules-italians-live-by?utm_campaign=travelandleisure_travelandleisure&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_term=64c6c84b6abc70000178284f&fbclid=IwAR1Rm8Ka5I2yqwpzxxWlCQY9egIZRS-k3138GVcl9RG11LlFxZ9SydK2FpA
Whether it's making pasta, fermenting wine, or just enjoying life, the Italians seem to have it pretty much figured out.
Soon, there will be the possibility to purchase the ticket for the cathedral's museum in Florence together with the entrance to the cathedral in Pistoia.
It's a very interesting initiative since Pistoia, a city 30 km north from Florence is little known by tourists.
And yet, this city offers many medieval monuments and artpieces.
The complex ticket will give the access to the Pistoia's cathedral hosting a magnificent silver altar.
The similar altar was produced in Florence and it's on display in the cathedral's museum.
All info soon at
https://duomo.firenze.it/it/home
Towers, gates and fortresses in Florence. It's possible to visit some of them until the 30th of September.
They have endless stories to tell, for hundreds of years they have been protecting Florence.
Gate If San Frediano, Tower della Zecca, some walls modified by Michelangelo... You can visit these places following the days and hours specified at:
https://musefirenze.it/torri-porte-e-fortezze-il-programma-delle-visite-2/
www.musefirenze.it
[email protected]
How many fountains ⛲ are there in Siena?
A lot!
First of all, the medieval ones, beautifully preserved and sometimes not easy to reach.
But also the contrada's fountains (and they're 17) with the contrada's symbols and emblems.
The fountains play a very important role. It is where the baptism takes place honoring the new members, usually newborns and children.
It's not a religious baptism but the symbolic one. The baptism in every contrada takes place during the Patron Saint days.
The child is sprinkled with water from the fountain and receive the fazzoletto, a scarf with the contrada colors and emblem.
This tradition is recent. It began in the 1940s when people began moving out of the old city center to the newer neighborhoods.
Try to find as many fountains as possible in Siena!
I love the ones from Tower - Torre, Wave - Onda and Dragon - Drago.
If you're passionate about classical music, check this.
On some evenings (8.30pm) there will be concerts in the ex church of St Stephen in Florence.
It's just few steps from Ponte Vecchio and you can purchase the tickets on spot.
Advance Booking at +39 347 812 9119
Anish Kapoor's exhibition at Palazzo Strozzi from the 7th of October.
Dal 7 ottobre 2023 Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi presenta “Anish Kapoor. Untrue Unreal”: una nuova grande mostra ideata e realizzata con Anish Kapoor, celebre maestro che ha rivoluzionato l’idea di scultura nell’arte contemporanea. A cura di Arturo Galansino, Direttore Generale della Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi, la mostra propone un percorso tra monumentali installazioni, ambienti intimi e forme conturbanti, creando un originale e coinvolgente dialogo con l’architettura e il pubblico di Palazzo Strozzi.
Attraverso opere storiche e recenti produzioni, la mostra invita a entrare in dialogo diretto con l’arte di Kapoor nella sua versatilità, discordanza, entropia ed effimerità. Palazzo Strozzi diviene un luogo concavo e convesso, integro e frantumato allo stesso tempo in cui il visitatore è chiamato a mettere in discussione i propri sensi.
Puoi già acquistare il tuo biglietto e scoprire la mostra al link: https://ow.ly/1OtN50PrZo7
_
Crediti: Anish Kapoor, "Svayambhu", 2007 Photo: Dave Morgan. © Anish Kapoor. All rights reserved SIAE, 2023
Picture from 1953, when the Florentines were taking a bath in the Arno.
Today, it's not recommended since the river's water is too polluted.
The 38th edition of the Venetian Effect (Effetto Venezia) in Livorno will take place from August 2 to 6, 2023 and will be dedicated to cinema, told with different languages, in squares and streets, with national and international guests: street theatre, music, theatre, exhibitions, good food, and then workshops and masterclasses on the crafts of cinema.
Effetto Venezia 2023 will be divided into six macro-areas defined by the titles of equally famous films:
"Lightning Over Water" by Wim Wenders for the video projections on the buildings of Venice
"La Strada" by Federico Fellini for the tribute to street artists
"Day for Night" by François Truffaut for live performances
"Zero for Conduct" by Jean Vigo for training with workshops and masterclasses
"Ovosodo" by Paolo Virzì for schools
"Il Sorpasso" by Dino Risi for collaboration with the territory.
Info at:
https://www.livorno-effettovenezia.it/
Saturday 5, Sunday 6, Wednesday 9, and Thursday 10 of August 2023, from 8 p.m. to midnight, you can lay on the grass, sip Carmignano red wine, and look for stars. ✨
Around the night of San Lorenzo, in the park of the ancient Carmignano Fortress, the most eagerly awaited toast of the summer takes place: Calici di Stelle (Goblets of Stars), a nationwide event promoted by the Città del Vino (City of Wine) and organized by all the wine-producing municipalities in Italy that are part of it, with thousands of entries.
Since 2000, the Pro Loco di Carmignano has organized the event, dedicating the four evenings to great wines and typical local products, enriched by cultural initiatives. Doc and Docg wines from Carmignano will be tasted in strictly glass goblets, under the guidance of sommeliers from the Ais of Prato and the producers of the numerous labels present.
The program includes the presence of musical groups, exhibitions, astrophiles with telescopes, free workshops and animations for children, and, of course, excellent food prepared by local restaurateurs, based on pizzas and cheeses, first courses, and second courses.
📍 - Fortress address: Via di Castello 1 - 59015 Carmignano
- 8 p.m. gate opening
- Admission 5 € + 2 clusters equivalent to 2 €
- Free for children under 12 and Pro Loco Carmignano 2023 members
- Wines and drinks on payment with the grappoli purchased inside
- For the tastings, it is necessary to have a goblet and a goblet pocket, but those who do not wish to purchase one can also bring one from home (any from a past edition or even from another festival).
- Free shuttles - To reach the Rocca you can use the two shuttles departing from Piazza V.Emanuele II (fountain) every 15 min. from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m.
More information:
https://www.comune.carmignano.po.it/archivio10_notizie-e-comunicati_0_525_12_8.html
If by hasard or following the schedule you'll get lost in the surroundings of Cortona 😉, visit this amazing exhibition dedicated to Luca Signorelli.
Luca Signorelli is best known for his impressive frescoes in the Duomo of Orvieto.
He produced many paintings, religious and mythological ones. He was very innovative in his colors and compositions.
Here you have a short video in Italian about the exhibition in Cortona on display until the 8th of September.
Harry’s Bar, the historical restaurant in Florence in the Lungarno is closed from the 20th of July.
The place was founded in December 1953 and has seen among its customers Liz Taylor and Paul Newman.
The place is in the center of a litigation which has been going on for some time now and which involves on the one hand current owners of the management company of Harry’s Bar, and on the other, the company that owns the property who had asked for eviction.
Let's hope for the solution of the litigation for the workers and for the preservation of the historical center of Florence.
Until October 31 every Tuesday the Accademia Gallery in Florence can be visited until 10pm and every Thursday until 9pm.
If you have the possibility, visit the museum in the evening to avoid crowds.
You can book tickets directly at
📍 www.galleriaaccademiafirenze.it
The magic place to visit in Lucca, the Palazzo Pfanner.
The construction of the building goes back to 1660 commissioned by the Moriconi family.
Ruined by bankruptcy, they sold the house to the silk merchants, Controni. The family extended the building and commissioned the amazing staircase to Domenico Martinelli, an architect active in Vienna and Prague.
At the beginning of the 18th century, Filippo Juvarra upgraded the garden and the local painters enriched the vaults of the staircase with the trompe l'œil decorations.
In the middle of the 19th century, Felix Pfanner, a brewer from Austria, progressively acquired the entire structure and opened here one of the first breweries in Italy.
The Palazzo belongs still to the Pfanner family. It is the location for weddings, events and some spaces are open for touristic visit during the season.
Fun fact
In 1996, the Palazzo was chosen as the set for Jane Campion movie, Portrait of the Lady.
📍 Via degli Asili 3
www.palazzopfanner.it
Open from April to October.
Palazzo Pfanner desc
Via Masaccio
Scandicci
50018
| Lunedì | 09:00 - 19:00 |
| Martedì | 09:00 - 19:00 |
| Mercoledì | 09:00 - 19:00 |
| Giovedì | 09:00 - 19:00 |
| Venerdì | 09:00 - 19:00 |
| Sabato | 09:00 - 19:00 |
| Domenica | 09:00 - 16:00 |
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Giardino dell'Iris sarà aperto fino al 20 maggio. 📍 Piazzale Michelangelo Entrata gratuita. Info http://societaitalianairis.com/
Giardino dell'Iris à Firenze sarà aperto fino al 20 maggio. 📍 Piazzale Michelangelo. Entrata gratuita ad offerta libera.
Chi viene a visitare San Gimignano? #sangimignano#sangimignanoitaly
Discover the Basilica of San Miniato al Monte. This is one of the oldest churches in Florence and it's positioned on the hill overlooking the city. I really love to go there. #sanminiatoalmonte #florencjazprzewodnikiem
Farmacia Santa Maria Novella. Have you ever visited this place in Florence?
FLORENCE FOR FREE! Are you interested in visiting some less known places in Florence and without tickets? If yes, let me know in the comments below ⬇️ and I will post other posts about free or low cost places to visit in Florence. Today I show you Casa 🏡 Martelli, a well preserved property, belonged to the one of the most important families in Florence, Martelli which means hammers 🛠. 📍 Donatello worked for them in the 15th century and they were in good terms with the Medici family. 📍 The last descendent, one of three sisters, died in 1986 leaving the property to the Church. Now, it's the property of the Italian State and since 2009, it's possible to visit the house. 📍 During the tour, you will have the possibility to jump into the past, admiring the frescoes, the paintings, the furniture, the pictures. 📍 There are still some amazing artworks inside by Mino da Fiesole, Piero Cosimo, Domenico Beccafumi, Luca Giordano, Salvator Rosa, Brueghel, Elisabetta Siriani and many others. HOW TO VISIT ❗ For the moment, it's open only on Saturday morning and the guided tour starts every hour from 9AM. I recommend you to be there 20 minutes earlier. ⌚ The visit lasts about 45 minutes and it's in Italian or English. If you need the visit in Polish or French, I can translate for you. No ticket required. Find any info here ⬇️ http://www.bargellomusei.beniculturali.it/musei/5/martelli #florenceforfree #casamartelli
Il capolavoro di Benozzo Gozzoli, la Cappella dei Magi, eseguita negli anni 1459-1464 per il palazzo Medici a Firenze. Fino al 10 marzo è possibile visitare anche una piccola mostra con qualche informazione sul pittore e alcune delle sue opere. Bisogna andare fuori dagli orari di punta perché la cappella è molto piccola e fanno entrare max 5/6 persone per volta.
Discover less known places in Florence. Today I show you the church of Santa Maria del Carmine in the Oltrarno district. It's famous for housing the outstanding Renaissance frescoes in the Brancacci Chapel painted by Masaccio and Masolino da Panicale. But you can enter the church freely to admire amazing ceiling decorations. The Corsini Chapel is a reel barrocco pearl! The church displays some interesting paintings (Vasari, Poccetti, Butteri) and its facade was never completed. Follow me for other useful tips about Florence and Tuscany.
Ecco una mostra curiosa che ho visto ieri e senza pianificare. Bello girare anche a caso e farsi guidare dall'ispirazione del momento. 😍 La mostra si chiama "Natura collecta, Natura exhibita" ed è stata riaperta a luglio nella cripta della chiesa di San Lorenzo a Firenze. Sono esposti, come vedete nel piccolo collage, degli oggetti veramente curiosi: artefatti collezionati dalla famiglia Medici, gli erbari, le pitture di Bimbi con la frutta e verdura, i modelli anatomici di cera, minerali, animali esotici etcetera etcetera. Tutto accompagnato dalle date degli eventi scientifici importanti in Toscana e nel mondo e di un video con la storia del collezionismo naturalistico a Firenze. 🌿 Credo che questa mostra possa piacere molto ai bambini. 🧒 Approfittatene e visitate insieme la bella chiesa di San Lorenzo. #naturacollectanaturaexhibita
Florencja to otwarta księga, pełna sekretów, jak napisał Hans Christian Andersen, ale tylko dla tych, którzy umieją obserwować i wiedzą gdzie ich szukać. Zadaniem przewodnika jest właśnie skierowanie spojrzenia w odpowiednią stronę tak by opowiadane historie zafascynowały, pobudziły ciekowość i wyobraźnię. Największą satysfakcją dla mnie jest poczucie, iż w jakiś sposób rozbudziłam zainteresowanie i będzie ono pozytywnie kiełkować w duszy i w intelekcie moich gości po powrocie z podróży. Zapraszam...
Raccolta Geopaleontologica - Gruppo Avis Mine
Piazza Vittorio Veneto 1 Badia A Settimo
Museo Paleontologico Scienze della Terra del
Piazza Vittorio Veneto
Podere Casaccia Azienda Agricola Biodinamica
Via di Triozzi
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