FLOURISHING Florence - The Florentine

The English-speaking news magazine in Florence www.theflorentine.netYear XV - September 2019 259

FLOURISHING

Florence

Florence is facing a greener future thanks

to the endeavours of plant neurobiologist

Stefano Mancuso and his Air Factory at

Manifattura Tabacchi’s B9.

259September 2019 3

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Chiuso in stampa lunedì 02/09/2019

L’editore è a disposizione degli aventi diritto con i quali non è stato possibile comunicare, nonché per eventuali omissioni o inesattezze nella citazione delle fonti.

Cover image: Leo Cardini

Editor's Letter

Community News

I S S U E

259

Before the summer break, I interviewed leading plant neurobiologist Stefano Mancuso, who planted a seed in my mind about how plants

work together in order to survive. In this turbulent time of protests and pro-rogation, politicians might like to take a leaf out of a greener book. Read Man-cuso’s insightful words on pages 18-19: he has a masterplan to bring cleaner air to Florence (and the world), beginning from his base of operations at Ma-nifattura Tabacchi’s B9.

This September edition of The Florentine has an environmental focus. We eat green at the city’s sustainable restaurants (page 20), grow green at Tuscany’s organic food delivery businesses (page 24) and wear green thanks to second-hand and recycling ventures (page 22).

The U.S. Consulate General Florence reminds us about George Perkins Marsh’s efforts to turn the tide of climate change (page 8). As I sheltered in a Santa Croce doorway during a sudden summer storm, the Tuscany-based diplomat’s words, delivered in an 1847 speech, repeated in my head: Man cannot at his pleasure command the rain and the sunshine, the wind and frost and snow, yet it is certain that climate itself has in many instances been gradually changed and ameliorated or deteriorated by human action.

We’ll be out and about this month. On September 18, from 10am to noon, bring your ideas and inspiration to our beloved Breakfast Drop-In with The Florentine at Godi Fiorenza (via Cavour 26-28R, Florence). From Sep-tember 9 to 13, during the God is Green week, The Florentine’s editors and our colleagues at Flod, TF’s sister communications company, will be mov-ing temporarily to B9, the happening new space at Manifattura Tabacchi. Check out the programme and hang out with us over cocktails and copy! Email [email protected] for further details about both events.

Welcome back and see you soon!

Next issue: October 3.

Greener and growing

@helencfarrellHelen Farrell, editor-in-chief

TF IN NUMBERSTop five articles online this month

on TF’s website:Polyhedrons pop up in Florence

ahead of Leonardo exhibition / New card introduced for Florence’s civic

museums / New card introduced for Florence’s civic museums / The

Tuscan dream: responsibilities and obligations / Skydiving over Florence

Having tools to support mental health can be the difference between a vi-

talizing experience abroad and an over-whelming one. Out of our comfort zones, what tools do we use to navigate? This special series of Roundtable Sessions asks the big questions, offers tools and opens space for discussion.

The program is designed and led by Marisa Garreffa, who came to Florence to study and survived a violent sexual as-sault and legal battle for justice. Together with Lynn Cole of Roundtable Sessions Florence and St Mark’s Cultural Associa-tion, special guests are being invited for each panel to offer multiple perspectives on what it takes to thrive.

Dates and sessions include: September 11 - Values and Goal Setting. What are my personal values, and how do I use them to set goals for my time abroad? Septem-ber 25 - Openness and Boundaries. How do I balance being open to new experi-ences with healthy boundaries? October 9: Risks and Reducing Risk Factors. How does risk increase in a foreign country, and how can I manage this? October 23: Not to Blame and Crisis Management. Why is victim-blaming wrong? What do I do in a crisis? November 6: Sexual Con-sent. What does healthy sexual consent look like? How is it complicated by cul-tural differences? November 20: Caring for Self, Caring for Others. What does self-care mean? How do I support others while maintaining healthy boundaries? The sessions will be held at St Mark’s En-glish Church (via Maggio 16) at 7pm. A 5 euro donation fee is requested. For more information, see www.facebook.com/roundtablesessionsflorence.

Roundtable Sessions

259 September 20194

The Pratolino Medici Park is offering free themed tours throughout September, invit-ing visitors to discover the history, art and nature of the UNESCO World Heritage site. The former Medici residence, built between 1569 and 1581 for Francesco de’ Medici’s Venetian mistress, Bianca Cappello, is a popular spot for family outings, vaunting hiking trails and nature that’s sure to whet the appetite of any flora and fauna enthu-siast. The tours are divided into four categories (Historic-Artistic, Theatrical, Folk Tales for Children and Hiking for Adults) and will take place every Sunday morning and af-ternoon. The visits are free, but reservations are mandatory. The tours are in Italian, with the exception of the morning tour on the 29th, which will be held in English: “Once Upon a Time, there was an Enchanted ‘Gar-

Watch Florence TV (in English): http://www.florence.tv/in-english/Listen to the playlist (in English): www.theflr.net/florencetvplaylist

THEMED TOURS OF THE PRATOLINO MEDICI PARK

HEADLINING

Get ready to play “Find the Polyhe-dron” as geometric shapes are being installed throughout Florence ahead of The Botany of Leonardo. A Vision of Science Bridging Art and Nature exhi-bition, opening September 13 at the Santa Maria Novella Museum. Piazza della Signoria, piazza della Stazione, piaz-za Santa Maria Novella, piazza Bambini di Beslan by the Fortezza da Basso and the large cloister of Santa Maria Novella are the spaces hosting the six-metre-high geometric shapes designed by Leonardo

Welcome this month’s news round-up.

For news in Florence as it happens, follow www.theflorentine.net and related social media channels (fb.com/tfnews, @theflorentine on Twitter and Instagram, as well as The Florentine on LinkedIn).

da Vinci for Luca Pacioli’s manuscript De Divina Proportione and which, according to Plato, embodied the four elements of the cosmos: earth (the cube), air (octahe-dron), water (icosahedron) and fire (tet-rahedron). Focusing on a lesser-known field of the Renaissance genius’s accom-plishments, the show looks at Leonardo’s studies into the shapes and structures of the plant world through his systemic thinking into connections between art, science and nature. The exhibition is cu-rated by leading Florentine plant neuro-

biologist Stefano Mancuso; Fritjof Capra, the physicist, systems theorist and deep ecologist; and Valentino Mercati, founder and chairman of Aboca pharmaceutical company based in Sansepolcro, Tuscany.

Beginning October 1, residents of Flor-ence can purchase a pass for the city’s civic museums for 10 euro, guaran-teeing unlimited entrance and three guided tours for one year. The aim is to encourage locals to learn about the artis-tic heritage in their surroundings and to spread the word regarding the extraordi-nary collections housed in the civic mu-seums: Palazzo Vecchio Museum; Santa Maria Novella Museum; Museo Novecen-to; Stefano Bardini Museum; Brancacci Chapel; Fondazione Salvatore Romano; Forte di Belvedere; the city’s gates and towers; Auschwitz Memorial; Bigallo Museum; and Gino Bartali Cycling Muse-um. City councillor for culture Tommaso Sacchi remarked that the card’s afforda-ble price is deliberate as it increases the probability of repeat visits and attracting people who would not otherwise come to the museums. Though entrance is free, some sites require advance reservations, as do the guided tours. For more infor-mation about opening times and reser-vations, visit www.museicivicifiorentini.comune.fi.it.

Palazzo Pitti will soon be the setting of a new video game, produced by the publishing house Sillabe in partner-ship with Opera Laboratori Fiorenti-ni – Civita and the Uffizi Galleries. The Medici Game: Murder at Pitti Palace stars the young art historian Caterina, whose visit to the former Medici residence is thrown into chaos when she becomes involved in a murder mystery. Soon, she finds herself hunting clues and discover-ing centuries-old secrets hidden in the palace. Caterina’s adventures will take her to famous rooms like the Sala Bianca and Sala di Saturno, where many of Raph-ael’s paintings are housed, as well as the Boboli Gardens. Designed by TuoMuseo, award-winning specialists in gamifica-tion, the video game will be released for iOS and Android smartphones and tablets in the fall, and will be available in Italian, English, Spanish, Russian, Portu-guese, Chinese and Japanese.

The Madonna della Loggia by Sandro Botticelli will go on display at three venues in Russia starting September 4. The artwork, one of Botticelli’s earliest paintings, dating to around 1467, will be

on loan from the Uffizi Galleries to hang at the University of Vladivostok for the V Eastern Economic Forum, followed by the Primorye State Art Gallery from Septem-ber 8 to November 6, and the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg from Novem-ber 17 to February 19, 2020. Uniquely, this is the first time an artwork from an Italian museum has been loaned to the Russian Far East, in an initiative organized by the three institutions and sponsored by the Italian Embassy in Moscow.

Cecilie Hollberg, director of the Gal-leria dell’Accademia since 2015, was removed from her position following the reforms recently enacted by Ital-ian culture minister, Alberto Bonisoli. The shift in policy effectively reverses the changes made by his predecessor Dario Franceschini, which was seen as the her-alding of a new era in Italian heritage, with the appointment of seven foreign directors. Despite increasing visitor num-bers by 22 per cent and nearly 15 per cent in revenue during her mandate, the mu-seum has lost its autonomy introduced four years ago and been brought under the jurisdiction of the Uffizi Galleries, cur-rently headed by Eike Schmidt. While Hol-lberg’s contract was not up until Novem-ber 30, the director was asked to leave on August 22. In an interview with Corriere della Sera, the German director expressed her discontent at the handling of the sit-uation but said that she has received sup-port from colleagues all over the world. In Italy, 12 fellow museum directors have signed an open letter to Bonisoli, voicing their support for Hollberg.

Alexander Pereira has been confirmed as the director of the Teatro del Mag-gio Musicale Fiorentino following his tenure at La Scala in Milan. The 71-year-old Austrian was put forth as a candidate after Cristiano Chiarot unexpectedly stepped down in late July in protest at Salvatore Nastasi’s appointment as pres-ident of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Foundation. Pereira vaunts a long, pres-tigious career in the world of music and opera, serving as a board member for the Frankfurt Bach Concerts, Secretary General of the Konzerthaus in Vienna, director of the Zurich Opera House and artistic director of the Salzburg Festival. His mandate in Florence is expected to last five years.

www.cittametropolitana.fi.it

T.me/florencetv.

den of Wonders’ created by Francesco I de’ Medici,” starting at 10.30am. Participants are requested to meet at the reception prior to the tour. As the visits are outdoors, appropriate clothing is recommended. The initiative is offered by the Pratolino Medici Park and Metropolitan City of Flor-ence and organized by the Pro Loco Vaglia – Mugello. For information about the tour schedule and reservations, write to [email protected] or call 338 624 5503.

Parco Mediceo di Pratolinovia Fiorentina 276, 50036 PratolinoBy car/taxi: 25 minutes along the SR65By bus: catch the 307A from piazza della Libertà

259 September 20196

Citizenship, residencyand tax liability

This is a question I recently received from a client on the common topic of taxes in Italy, which lead to this

article about citizenship, residency and tax liability.

The situation occurs frequently in two specific scenarios: 1) when a for-eign person is planning to obtain a permit to stay that allows him/her to re-main in Italy for an indefinite amount of time (work visa, family visa, elective res-idency); and 2) when the foreign person is planning to recover Italian citizenship and he/she is concerned that because of his/her new Italian status, he/she will be liable for Italian taxation even if he/she lives abroad (which, as you will see, is not necessarily true).

“I am a U.S. citizen and I plan to move my residency to Italy. I will continue working remotely for my U.S.-based company and will continue paying my taxes in the U.S. What should I do to comply with Italian regulations too? You mentioned the importance of declaring foreign bank accounts in Italy. I was wondering if you could give me more information on that?”

LEGAL LINES / Michele Capecchi

Residenza fiscale and worldwide taxationIf you are living in Italy for more than 183 days a year (regardless of wheth-er you have registered as a resident or not), you must pay taxes on your world-wide income here. If you are living in It-aly for fewer than 183 consecutive days over a 12-month period, you will only pay taxes on the income you earned in Italy. Your obligation to file your taxes in Italy is related to your presence in Italy.

If you fall in the first bracket, you have to declare (please note that I say de-clare, not necessarily pay) to the Italian government any income you generat-ed worldwide, even if that income was

already taxed in your home country. Therefore, even if your income is com-pletely and solely generated abroad, according to this worldwide taxation principle you are responsible for de-claring taxes in the country where you spend most of the year and, at the least, for informing the Italian authorities of the amount of taxes you already paid in your home country, therefore determining whether you have to pay something to the Italian government or not (depending on the tax brackets applied to that income). Fortunately, thanks to no double taxation principle, your income and assets that has already been taxed in one country will not be taxed again in the other country, and you can only be liable for the difference between the tax bracket applied in Italy and in the home country.

What assets do I report in my denuncia dei redditi?In the Italian tax report, known as the denuncia dei redditi, in addition to worldwide income and any real estate you have in Italy), you need to mention all the assets you have anywhere in the world. Therefore, if you have mutual or retirement funds, real estate and bank accounts in your home country you have to declare them in your Ital-ian tax report. Declaring overseas bank accounts is painless most of the time (sometimes you won’t have to pay any-thing or a very small percentage). Usu-ally, there is hardly anything to pay for the money you keep in bank accounts in the U.S.

On the other hand, failure to com-ply with this declaration requirement can result in negative consequences if and when you are caught by the Italian IRS, known as the Agenzia delle Entrate. The most common situation that deter-mines a check by the Italian authorities occurs the first time you move money from your U.S. bank account to your Italian one (maybe to buy a house or a car). In this case, your Italian bank will send an automatic notification about the arrival of foreign capital to the lo-cal revenue agency. If they decide that the operation came from someone who failed to declare this to the Italian

authorities, an alert will be issued and it is likely that they will ask you about where the money originated. When you naively explain that it came from the “college savings that you and your parents meticulously collected for you since you were a teenager in the U.S.”, the Italian IRS will ask you why you didn’t report it to them in your annual tax report. At that point, Pandora’s box will have been opened and you will need to have a good explanation or a good legal adviser.

Citizenship and tax liability“Is it true that if I become Italian I have to pay taxes in Italy?” The answer is, only if you actually live in Italy. Being an Ital-ian citizen does not make you liable for the payment of taxes in Italy.

As I explained earlier, if you don’t spend more than 183 days in Italy or you don’t have any other strong con-nection with Italy, then you won’t have to declare anything to the Italian au-thorities, even if you have Italian citi-zenship. Therefore, if you plan to recov-er Italian citizenship while maintaining residency in your home country, you will not become liable (just because of the new citizenship) for filing taxes in Italy. Only your presence and assets in Italy make you liable for the appropri-ate tax report.

This is very different to the U.S. sys-tem. As far as I am aware, the U.S. gov-ernment wants you to report your in-come generated worldwide even if you don’t live in the US. Whereas, as Italian citizens, you will report your taxes to Italian authorities only if you live in Italy and if you remain registered as a resident in the civil records of an Italian city. If you formally communicate to the Italian government that you don’t live in Italy, you will not be liable for your income taxes. It is likely that you might only have to pay the property taxes on the assets you have in Italy. This is the reason why Italians who plan on moving abroad permanently are in-vited to remove their names from the civil records office and register in the so-called “AIRE”, the register of Italians living abroad.

Michele Capecchi, a registered lawyer and member of the Florence Bar Association, holds a master of laws in American law and international legal practice from the Loyola Law School in Los Angeles. He writes on general legal issues for The Florentine and will consider relevant inquiries sent to [email protected] and [email protected] for upcoming articles. Author of the book Legal Advice for Expats in Italy published by The Florentine Press. www.capecchilegal.com

All materials have been prepared for general information purposes only. The information presented is not legal advice, is not to be acted on as such, may not be current and is subject to change without notice. It is not intended to con-vey or constitute legal advice, and is not a substitute for obtaining legal advice from a qualified attorney.

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259 September 20198

Conservationand environmental responsibility

Keep an eye on the monthly calendar in The Florentine and follow @USCGFlorence to stay abreast of the latest program.September 20: American Women’s Poetry Festival: poetry reading featur-ing Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Jorie Graham, hosted in Quartiere 2 with Semicerchio poetry magazine. 5.30 or 6pm (TBC), at Villa Arrivabene, piazza Alberti 1/a, Florence.September 23-24: The Uffizi is hosting a conference on American artists from the 19th and 20th century. Stay tuned for more details

#TOGETHER200U.S. Consulate General Florence

This is not the first example of official U.S. interest in Tuscany’s environ-mental well-being, however. At the

beginning of the Firenze Capitale period (1865–71), the U.S. Embassy moved from Turin to Florence and set up shop in Pala-zzo Rosselli del Turco on via dei Serragli. Representing U.S. interests at the court of King Vittorio Emanuele II was George Per-kins Marsh, a Vermonter who retains the title as the longest serving ambassador in the history of the U.S. diplomatic corps (1861–82).

Though serving his country well during this two decade period, Marsh took advantage of his time in Italy to continue practicing his other full-time profession. George Perkins Marsh was a career diplomat but also an “ecologist” before the term was formally invented. As early as 1847, in a speech in the Unit-ed States, Marsh warned about the dan-gers of deforestation and admonished: “Man cannot at his pleasure command the rain and the sunshine, the wind and frost and snow, yet it is certain that cli-mate itself has in many instances been gradually changed and ameliorated or deteriorated by human action.” His best-known book Man and Nature, published

This month, our #Together200 theme is conservation and environ-mental responsibility. As guests in Italy, the U.S. Consulate tries to have as small a footprint as possible. We are very proud to say that in 2018, the beautiful Palazzo Canevaro, our consulate building, was granted LEED certification by the U.S. Green Building Council. This means that we are taking seriously our responsibility to reduce consumption of water and energy, in addition to promoting the use of public transportation by consulate staff and providing a healthy workplace for the consulate team that comes in every day.

he never lost his love for nature and for teaching and writing on the subject of sustainability and ecology. Though he lived in Rome the last 11 years of his life and is buried in the Cimitero Acattolico in that city, he died while walking in his be-loved Tuscan woods near the Monastery of Vallombrosa, the site of the then Royal Institute of Forestry (now the University of Florence’s School of Agronomy).

in 1864, resulted from his observa-tions over many years of forests in the northeastern United States and in Italy. It warned about the dangers of deplet-ing what conventional wisdom at the time believed to be limitless natural re-sources. He proposed that each genera-tion had the responsibility to leave the Earth no worse than it had “found it.”

Marsh was a skilled diplomat, convinc-ing the Italian government to support the Union during the American Civil War and reporting exhaustively on the birth of the new Kingdom of Italy, in particular the “Rome Problem” and its resolution in 1871. He had many friends at court and was close to Garibaldi, Baron Ricasoli and others who played a leading role in the creation of the new Italian state. But

SEPTEMBER EVENTS

“Man cannot at his pleasure com-mand the rain and the sunshine, the wind and frost and snow, yet it is certain that climate itself has in many instances been grad-ually changed and ameliorated or deteriorated by human action.”

As we move into a busy final three months of our #Together200 year, we have organized an event with the po-etry journal Semicerchio that ties us back to Marsh’s time in Florence. The renowned poet Jorie Graham will give a reading on September 20 in the Villa Arrivabene, Marsh’s residence while serving as ambassador in Florence.

259September 2019 9

M A R C H 1 9 7 9 - 2 0 1 9

F L O R E N C E I T A L Y

40 YEARS OFPAPERBACKE XC H A N G E

Sad, but glad…Surely, Paperback Exchange, which we founded in Florence back in 1979, has filled our lives with wonderful friends, fans, and feelings of accomplishment. And serving the community – being civically engaged - has been the wind in our sails.

On April 30th, PapEx passed into the hands of two bright, young, highly motivated, Italian-Canadian men, Icaro and Gianluca, and we are sure that they will succeed, and contribute their many talents.

We are grateful to all of you who have given us your support through the years. Thanks for coming to our 40th Anniversary Party, thanks for your gifts, and to those who wrote such meaningful words. We cannot begin to express our feelings… so sad to leave, but happy to move on to our next adventure!

Emily & Maurizio

Rificolona and Marian devotion

The Feast of the Nativity of Mary mirrors local traditions wherever it is. Held at the end of the summer,

the celebrations often include a focus on the harvest in the context of Mary as a bringer of life. In France, thanks are given for the grape harvest. In Goa, In-dia, a festival includes dishes of many flavors to highlight Mary’s availability to the faithful in all circumstances. In the Philippines, sweets are offered to repre-sentations of Mary as a baby (a rarity in the Christian iconography of the saints). Florence has the Rificolona, or the fes-tival of the paper lanterns. The tradi-tion dates with certainty to at least the sixteenth century when lanterns, with a protective covering over the flame, were used by farmers to light their long walk into the city the night before the feast day. Not only were these con-tadini coming into Florence to pray, but also to sell products after the sum-mer harvest.

Today, piazza della Santissima Annunziata is filled with children wield-ing store-bought or handmade lanterns. To our modern sensibilities the lanterns are no longer utilitarian but visually impactful. While much of the celebra-tion is in the square where the crowd gathers after a procession across the city from piazza Santa Croce, the ba-silica highlights a venerated image of Mary and stages an organ concert. With a deeper look into secular and sacred spaces, the Rificolona draws attention to complex themes in Florence’s histor-ical relationship with the veneration of Mary and within its rural population.

Like so many holidays with religious foundations, the Rificolona has in-creasingly become a secular holiday. Following the tradition of peasants selling goods in the city to earn extra money for the winter months ahead, a large farmers market has joined the festivities. Today, it is the city council,

As summer begins its slow wane, it offers a particularly poignant stage for the pulse of the city to reset and reflect. Every September 7, Florentines flood into piazza della Santissima Annunziata to celebrate the birth of the Virgin Mary. The feast day, which became popular in the Latin Church in the seventh century, is not specific to Florence, but it is celebrated uniquely here.

not the Church, that organizes Rificolo-na as a civic event. But this celebration certainly has its roots in the Marian doctrine that dominated medieval Christianity. While Saint John the Bap-tist is the patron saint of Florence, Mary is equally beloved. Saintly influencers because of their immediate proximity to Jesus, both of these religious figures have feast days in honor of their birth (while almost all saints are commem-orated on the date of their death). It seems a fitting humanistic celebra-tion of the commencement of life on this earth, more so than the promise of eternal life after death.

Mary’s presence in Florence runs much deeper than this annual orga-nized display of devotion. Since the Middle Ages, Mary had become an in-creasingly central element of Christian theology. This was due in part to the Crusades instigating the collection of relics and icons from the East. Florence is a mirror of Mary’s popularity, which pushed the Church to develop doctrine that elevated her as a queen on earth and in heaven. The popular Franciscan preacher San Bernardino of Siena held Mary up as a model for all women. Mary, he argued, had done more for humanity and the world than anyone else. When considering the adoration of Mary, it is unsurprising that not only is Florence’s cathedral dedicated to Saint Mary of the Flower, but that there are other churches devoted to the female figure too. Santa Maria Maggiore, first documented in the early tenth century, is one of the oldest churches in the city and clearly connected to this beloved saint. Mary exists in Florence in the longue durée; there are countless im-ages of Mary all over the city designed to encourage popular devotion. It’s im-possible to escape her gaze across the centuries.

Mary’s presence in Florence runs much deeper than this

annual organized display of devotion.

CULTURE / Christina Contrada

And what of Florence’s relationship with those who lived in the surround-ing countryside? Before the relative security and ease of modern travel, pil-grimages were a big deal. They certain-ly weren’t unheard of, but it was rare to leave the security of one’s village. In the late Middle Ages, following the agricultural revolution, the rapid growth of urban centers like Florence was only possible because there was a surplus of food to feed those whose hands were not fingering the soil. The survival of merchants, bankers and arti-sans depended on the farmers who fed them. This deep distinction between urban and rural citizens was highlight-ed by the Rificolona: Florentines would mock the peasants as they made their way to the Basilica della Santissima Annunziata. Children’s lanterns are still targets of destruction and verbal jeer-ing is commonplace. That might all be now in good fun, but Tuscan dialect has held onto the derogatory notion that an overly made-up woman is a rificolo-na. Mary’s extreme humility does not make her an easy role model in any age.

Perhaps more poignant than asking where else we can find Mary in Florence is to ask where we do not. Beyond the chaotically undulating crowds of the Rificolona, she is omnipresent across the city in namesake, image and influ-ence. Devotion to Mary is complex and, like any cultural construct, changes to reflect the contemporary worldview. Our shifting way of seeing Mary is as ephemeral as the lanterns that fill the streets of Florence on a warm Septem-ber night.

Ph. Nicola Ferruzzi

259 September 201910

FOOD/Cookstock September 6-8 - Pontassieve town centre

Gourmet lovers rejoice. The picturesque town of Pontassieve is gearing up to host its much-anticipated food and wine festival. A short train or car ride from Florence will deliver you to this foodie heaven that boasts activities for all the family. Take a free winery tour of the world-famous Ruffino headquarters, which only opens to the public during Cookstock (September 7 and 8, 3-8pm). Head to the impressive Medici bridge for cookery demonstrations and stock up on snacks from the region’s top food trucks. The Florentine’s Helen Farrell will be heading up a cooking class in the town library at 11am on September 8. For the full programme, see www.cookstock.it.

Besteventsin September 2019

by Jane Farrell

This popular musical extravaganza Firenze Jazz Festival returns to venues throughout the Oltrarno from September 11 to 15. See next page for details.

SCIENCE/BRIGHT September 26-28Various venues

Intellectuals take to the streets on September 26 for speaker’s corners in piazza San Giovanni and piazza Strozzi: catch a talk about the city on an evening stroll and wake up your mind to the ground-breaking research undertaken by Florentine scholars. Look to the stars with a tour of the Arcetri Observatory and visit intriguing museums for free on Friday 27. Finish off the festivities on September 28 with La Ricerca all’Opera, a researchers’ night at Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino (piazzale Vittorio Gui), which will comprise talks by professors and researchers, exhibitions, experiments, apps, games and drones. Don’t miss the thrilling performance of a modern multimedia moral operetta, titled Gone with Time, Travelling on Threads of Memory. All events are free. The full programme is detailed at www.unifi.it/bright.

GREEN/The Botany of LeonardoSeptember 13-December 15Santa Maria Novella Museum

The attention-grabbing dodecahedron and mulberry tree in piazza della Signoria is a taste of what’s to come at this audacious exhibition of Leonardo da Vinci’s botanical studies. Focusing on the relationship between science, art and nature, interactive installations and natural elements are seamlessly woven with the Renaissance genius’s original writings and illustrations. The exhibition is curated by leading Florentine plant neurobiologist Stefano Mancuso (see the interview on pages 18-19), physicist Fritjof Capra and Valentino Mercati, founder and chairman of Aboca pharmaceutical company in Sansepolcro, Tuscany. The show invites discourse on scientific evolution and ecological sustainability, and completes the year of Leonardo-themed events. Further details at www.leonardodavincibotany.com.

PHILANTHROPY/Il Cuore di Firenze Charity DinnerSeptember 10 Piazza della Santissima Annunziata

Held in the new setting of piazza Santissima Annunziata, this charity dinner ties in with the 600th anniversary celebrations of the Istituto degli Innocenti, which has defended children and young people since 1419. The evening’s proceeds will be donated to Casa Bambini, a shelter ran by the institute that houses children and mothers in need. Guaranteed to attract local celebrities and be a night full of surprises, this year’s dinner will pay tribute to Franco Zeffirelli, the award-winning Florentine director who died in June. The event is organized by the Arciconfraternita della Misericordia of Florence and Montedomini Foundation, with institutional support from the Santa Maria Nuova Foundation, Istituto degli Innocenti and La Compagnia del Bigallo. Feeling philanthropic? Book your place for the fun-filled evening. See www.ilcuoredifirenze.org.

ENVIRONMENT/God is GreenSeptember 7-14 B9 - Manifattura Tabacchi, via delle Cascine

A thought-provoking mix of art, performances, DJ sets, markets, talks and films come together for eight days to engage with the theme of the environment. Take a guided bike tour to explore Florence’s little-known West Side. The impressive line-up of events includes creative workshops for adults and children to learn how to reduce environmental damage, vintage markets and an array of artistic displays that are sure to deepen our affinity with the world we live in. Plus, The Florentine’s editors and sister communications company Flod (www.flod.it) will be moving to Manifattura Tabacchi for a breath of fresh air during the God is Green week: drop by for a chat with our team. More information at www.manifatturatabacchi.com.

EXHIBITION/Natalia GoncharovaSeptember 28-January 12, 2020 - Palazzo Strozzi, piazza degli Strozzi

A leading female artist of the 20th century, Natalia Goncharova was a woman of the avant-garde, in the same league as Gauguin, Matisse and Picasso, whose art is shown alongside hers in this major retrospective. The artist’s unconventional life and career are detailed as visitors take a journey from the Russian countryside to Moscow and Paris, two of the most important cities to Goncharova. The unique fusion of east and west is evident in the exhibition that features 130 artworks. Intrigued art lovers have until January to see the latest Strozzi offering; see www.palazzostrozzi.org.

ART/Florence International Biennial Antiques Fair + Art WeekSeptember 21-29 - Palazzo Corsini, via del Parione 11, and other locations

The celebrated antiques fair launched in 1959 celebrates its 60th birthday by introducing the first Florence Art Week. Expect the movement to involve the whole city with events taking place in various museums and galleries, as well as the historic shopping streets of via de’ Tornabuoni and Ponte Vecchio becoming stages for events. More details at www.biaf.it.

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FLORENCE V BARCELONA

259September 2019 11

Breakfast Drop-In

with The Florentine

Stop by to chat with our team, pitch article ideas and get involved with Florence’s English news magazine: we look forward to seeing you!

September 18. 10am-12 noon

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Firenze Jazz Festivalreturns for a 3rd edition

The Firenze Jazz Festival is back for another edition, sweeping through the Oltrarno with its fast beats and smooth sounds. Drop-ping the “fringe” of the first two editions, the music festival, part of

Estate Fiorentina, promises nearly 70 hours of music, 150 artists and more than 50 performances on Florence’s “Left Bank” from September 11 to 15.

The event shines a light on the prolific jazz scene in Italy, promoting the work of veteran greats in the genre alongside the newest talents. But a city as international as Florence is bound to host a few out-of-town guests, and this year’s edition doesn’t disappoint: musicians like California native Mark Lettieri, guitarist for the jam band Snarky Puppy, and the Brit Mo-ses Boyd, performing with his group Exodus, will take the stage in piazza del Carmine, the festival’s ultra-lively hub. On September 14, American leg-end Marc Ribot will preview some of his music from his album Songs of Resistance, in collaboration with Musicus Concentus; Ribot’s newest project speaks volumes with its contemporary relevance, tinged with elements of social activism, antifascism and sustainability.

This year’s edition will also be bigger than ever, with even more locations and a unique dedication to the father of the Italian Renaissance, famously begun right here in Florence all those centuries ago, Leonardo da Vinci. For the 500th anniversary of the master’s death, the Jazz Festival will feature the pop-up restaurant Le Tre Rane, run by Ruffino, the event’s main sponsor. In a tribute to the original Renaissance man, whose many credits include pre-empting the world of nouvelle cuisine, chef Simone Cipriani will offer original dishes inspired by Leonardo at his restaurant Essenziale, paired with Ruffino wines, while street food enthusiasts will find a whole host of food trucks, music setting the scene as you chow down.

One major addition is the Manifattura Tabacchi, the city’s newest cultural hotspot and an icon of industrial archeology. Head over to the former tobacco factory on September 15 for the 2019 Firenze Jazz Festi-val’s closing party, with a performance by C’mon Tigre, renowned for their blend of jazz, post rock and electronic sounds. End the night on the dance floor, with an electronic music jam session by ex-Subsonica bassist Pier-Funk, producer and DJ Pisti, Fabio Giachino on piano and synth and Mattia Barbieri on the drums.

Five days of music in the Oltrarno


AGENDAThursday Sept. 5CHILDREN'S ACTIVITIES Rificolona: Paper Lanterns festivalCreate a multi-coloured lantern according to the 17th Century tradition. Marzia Romolini and Beatrice Carlucci will help you choose among the various possible forms which you then customize with many different colours3.30-7pm. Circolo Vie Nuove, viale Donato Giannotti, 13 Florence. T: 055 683388 or 3939190534 (text or WhatsApp only), [email protected]. Please inform if taking part so numbers can be coordinated. See www.facebook/circolo.vienuove

DANCE & THEATREThe Miraculous HourFlorence as seen from Forte Belvedere, a theatrical journey performed by La Compagnia delle Seggiole and ONCE extraordinary events in collaboration with Fondazione Teatro della ToscanaTwo groups per evening starting at 8pm and 9pm, 50 people per group. Entrance to Forte Belvedere from the Boboli steps. Tickets 20 euro. Access can be difficult, comfortable shoes recommended. Info and reservations at 055 217704

FILMCamilleri - Conversazione su TiresiaAlmost two months after his death, the Odeon pays tribute to Andrea Camilleri by presenting the show written, directed and performed made by the great Sicilian writer - Odeon cinema Firenze, piazza Strozzi 2, Florence. Screenings until September 5,7 and 8, Italian version. see website for times at www.odeonfirenze.com

Friday 6CHILDREN'S ACTIVITIES Rificolona: Paper Lanterns festivalCreate a multi-coloured lantern according to the 17th Century tradition. Marzia Romolini and Beatrice Carlucci will help you choose among the various possible forms that you can then customize with many different coloursSee September 5

DANCE & THEATREThe Miraculous HourFlorence as seen from Forte Belvedere, a theatrical journey performed by La Compagnia delle Seggiole and ONCE extraordinary events in collaboration with Fondazione Teatro della ToscanaSee September 5

FILMFirenze Film FestThe second edition of the independent Film festival will be judged by an esteemed panel and feature an impressive selection of international films7-10pm at the Odeon cinema, piazza degli Strozzi, 2. Free entry. See www.firenzefilmfest.com

MUSIC & CONCERTSTerra InCantata 2019Fifth edition of the celebrated music events. Ginevra Di Marco and Peppe Voltarelli perform music by Domenico Modugno and Schumann. Strings by Marco Bucci; Francesco Magnelli: keyboards; Andrea Salvadori: guitars; String Quartet I Nostri Tempi - 9.30pm, piazza Barberini, 50021 Barberino Val d'Elsa. Tickets 10 euro. See www.nuovieventimusicali.it

SPECIAL EVENTBreakfast and Happy hour with Leonardo Leonardo da Vinci's inventions for the kitchen will be put to good use with a breakfast followed by a visit to the exhibits. An aperitif will be served with the theme of Leonardo’s Paradise, with his form appearing in the stars at the Planetarium 9.30am and 6pm, Museo della Fondazione Scienza e Tecnica, via Giusti 29, Firenze. Visits will take place in Italian and English and reservations are required. Admission 8 euro. For information and reservations: [email protected], T: 055 2343723

Saturday 7CHILDREN'S ACTIVITIESRificolona: Paper Lanterns festivalTo celebrate the Nativity of the Madonna, children parade with paper lanterns and sing traditional folk songs - The 11km long parade leaves from Basilica di Impruneta at 4pm and ends in piazza Santissima Annunziata at 9.30pm

GUIDED VISIT Visit to Casa VasariExplore the fresco-filled home of Giorgio Vasari in Borgo Santa Croce and take a visit to the Museo Horne - 10.30am, meeting at the museum on

via dei Benci, 6. Tickets cost 10euro and include admission to Museo Horne. Reservations are required.T: 055 244661 or email [email protected]

MUSIC & CONCERTSLattexplus FestivalA two day festival dedicated to electronic music and digital arts. The long line-up features Peggy Gou and Laurent GarnierArena Q1, Parco delle Cascine. Tickets from 23 to 65 euro, www.lattexplus.com

Michael Nyman's Earthquakes: Live Sound MixA preview of Nyman's video installation featuring a live sound mix of the 8 songs composed for the film about earthquakes - 9.30pm Manifattura Tabacchi, via delle Cascine, 33, 50144. Entrance 10euro, purchasable on www.ticketone.it

SPECIAL EVENTStorytellers Florence Community oral storytelling event in English - you don't need to speak, just bring an open mind! For info, join FB group "Storytellers Florence"7pm, TodoModo, via dei Fossi 15r, 10 euro includes drink, profits go to charity

Sunday 8MUSIC & CONCERTSLattexplus FestivalA two day festival dedicated to electronic music and digital arts. The long line-up features Peggy Gou and Laurent GarnierSee September 7

SPORTA park in every sense: sensory visitTrekking for adults focusing on the senses10.30am, Meeting point outside the hotel beside parco Mediceo di Pratolino, via Fiorentina, 276. Free but reservation required via email: [email protected] or T: 348 492 4467

Monday 9FILMApollo 11On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the landing of the man on the moon, Apollo 11 presents some of the most famous images that were filmed during the historic undertaking in an innovative documentary styleOdeon cinema Firenze, piazza Strozzi 2, Florence. Film in English with Italian subtitles. Screenings until September 15, see website for times at www.odeonfirenze.com

MUSIC & CONCERTSBob Dylan 1962-1966: Readings and songs on the tracks of a revolutionA meeting with Massimiliano Larocca, Stefano Solventi and Ivo Grande to explore Bob Dylan's genius through song and words. The event will be live streamed on www.controradio.it. Hosted by Giustina Terenzi9.30pm. Flower, piazzale Michelangelo. Free entry. Info at www.estatefiorentina.it

Tuesday 10MUSIC & CONCERTSAn evening of Poetry and Music - I Think About Your HandsThe evening will feature the ongoing collaboration of a Russian-born and Belgium-based poet Marina Kazakova and a Belgian DIY-folk musician Slow Bear. Marina will perform a selection of poems inspired by da Vinci's works, Italy and Russia, each poem accompanied by a unique guitar composition6pm, St Marks English Church, via Maggio 16. First floor. www.facebook.com/florencewritersitaly

SPECIAL EVENTIl Cuore di Firenze per gli InnocentiCharity dinner in aid of Casa Bambini which work in aid of mothers and children in difficulty8pm, tickets cost 60 euro, piazza della Santissima Annunziata, www.ilcuoredifirenze.org

Wednesday 11MUSIC & CONCERTSFlorence Suona Contemporanea Cellist Francesco Dillon will present a programme of cello and electronic music in an exploratory investigation between Asia and the West that characterizes the entire Florence Suona Contemporanea edition this year9pm, Free entrance. Museo Novecento, piazza di Santa Maria Novella, 10. See www.firenzesuonacontemporanea.it

SPECIAL EVENTFederal Benefits Unit visits U.S. ConsulateThe Federal Benefits Unit (FBU) in Rome will visit

the U.S. Consulate General Florence to attend to the needs of American citizens, particularly regarding Social Security questions or to apply for Social Security Number cards. If you would like to speak with the FBU representative, please come to the Consulate with your US passport. It is also helpful to bring your Social Security card or know the number 9am-1pm. U.S. Consulate General Florence, Lungarno Amerigo Vespucci, 38, Florence

Roundtable Sessions: Mental HealthHaving tools to support mental health can be the difference between a vitalising experience abroad and an overwhelming one. Out of our comfort zones, what tools do we use to navigate? This series asks the big questions, offers tools, and opens space for discussion. This session focuses on values and goal setting, led by Marisa Garreffa7pm, St Mark’s English Church, via Maggio 16. Entry: 5 euro donation. www.facebook.com/roundtablesessionsflorence/Marisa Garreffa

Thursday 12FILMLate NightFrom the Sundance Film Festival comes this film about a grim TV presenter (Emma Thompson), forced to confront a young new writerOdeon cinema Firenze, piazza Strozzi 2, Florence. Film in English with Italian subtitles. Screenings until September 15, see website for times at www.odeonfirenze.com

SPECIAL EVENTUn Paese da NobelThe last of five evenings held throughout the summer to tell about extraordinary discoveries and lives. Nobel winners Grazia Deledda, Guglielmo Marconi, Dario Fo, Rita Levi-Montalcini, Luigi Pirandello discussed by Silvia Guidi9.15pm, Antella Municipal Theater, via Montisoni 10, Bagno a Ripoli. 7 euro full price, 5 reduced. Booking required at 055 621894 or email [email protected]

Friday 13DANCE & THEATREI salotti di Firenze Capitale(In)credible conversation with Edmondo De Amicis. La Compagnia delle Seggiole present this theatrical journey in the "Salotti" of Petraia with pieces and period music performed live by Marcello Lazzerini7.30, 8.30 and 9.30pm at villa Medicea della Petraia, via della Petraia, 40, Florence. Tickets 18 euro, reduced price 15. Info and booking, call 333 22 84 784 after 2pm daily

MUSIC & CONCERTSTerra InCantata 2019Internationally acclaimed guitarist Jacopo Martini performs in Reinhardtian style - 9.30pm, piazza Barberini, 50021 Barberino Val d'Elsa. Free entry. See www.nuovieventimusicali.it

SPECIAL EVENTBreakfast and Happy hour with Leonardo Leonardo da Vinci's inventions for the kitchen will be put to good use with a breakfast followed by a visit to the exhibits. An aperitif will be served with the theme of Leonardo’s Paradise, with his form appearing in the stars at the Planetarium9.30am and 6pm. Museo della Fondazione Scienza e Tecnica, via Giusti 29, Firenze. Museo della Fondazione Scienza e Tecnica, via Giusti 29, Firenze. Visits will take place in Italian and English and reservations are required. For information and reservations: [email protected] or 055 2343723, admission 8 euro

Saturday 14DANCE & THEATREI salotti di Firenze Capitale(In)credible conversation with Edmondo De Amicis. La Compagnia delle Seggiole present this theatrical journey in the "Salotti" of Petraia with pieces and period music performed live by Marcello LazzeriniSee September 14

SPECIAL EVENTFestival of Buon SollazzoFirst festival of Traditional Wooden Toys10am-8pm, Tuscany Hall, Teatro di Firenze, via Fabrizio de andrè. www.tuscanyhall.it

Sunday 15CHILDREN'S ACTIVITIES Storytelling in Giardino di PratolinoOnce upon a time there were two Princesses, a Giant and a Babajaga...2.30pm and 4.30pm. For ages 4 and up. Free and no booking required. Parco Mediceo di Pratolino, via Fiorentina, 276

MARKETS & FESTIVALSPimp my Vintage MarketA sunday of street food, vintage clothes, vinyl and even a photo booth for a temporary vintage

extravaganza12-9pm. The Student Hotel, viale Spartaco Lavagnini 70–72. Free admittance. www.facebook.com/PimpMyVintage

SPECIAL EVENTFestival of Buon SollazzoFirst festival of Traditional Wooden ToysSee September 14

Monday 16FILMVan Gogh and JapanDocumentary that investigates the influences of Japanese art on the painting of the great Dutch master - Odeon cinema Firenze, piazza Strozzi 2, Florence. Screenings until September 17, see website for times at www.odeonfirenze.com

Tuesday 17FILMNon ci resta che piangere35 years after its initial release, this classic of Italian comedy still leaves audiences laughing. Preceeded by a special screening about the making of the film written and directed by Massimo Troisi and Roberto Benigni. Film will be screened on the church facade 9pm, piazza del Carmine. Free admission

Love CecilDocumentary about the great photographer and costume designer Cecil Beaton. Directed by Oscar-winning Asif Kapadia Odeon cinema, piazza Strozzi 2, Florence. See website for times at www.odeonfirenze.com

MUSIC & CONCERTSPiano NovecentoSara Bartolucci and Rodolfo Alessandrini will play four works by Ottorino Respighi, Alfredo Casella and Nino Rota - 9pm, Free entrance. Museo Novecento, piazza di Santa Maria Novella, 10. See www.museonovecento.it

Wednesday 18LECTURES & CONFERENCESNietzsche's poetryGiuliano Campioni and Susanna Mati reflect on the newist edition of Friedrich Nietzsche's poetry (Feltrinelli, 2019) 5-7pm. Sala Ferri, Gabinetto Vieusseux, palazzo Strozzi

FILMOnce Upon a Time in Hollywood The much anticipated film by Quentin Tarentino reflects on 1960's Hollywood with a stellar lineup featuring Leonardo Di Caprio, Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie -Odeon cinema Firenze, piazza Strozzi 2, Florence. Film in English with Italian subtitles. Screenings until September 15, see website for times at www.odeonfirenze.com

SPECIAL EVENTWomen's International Network Fall KickoffFall season kicksoff with first social event after the summer break - 8pm. Robert F Kennedy International House, via Ghibellina 12 A. See www.facebook.com/womensinternationalnetwork for more details on how to join

Thursday 19MUSIC & CONCERTSRecital: Ci presentiamo... with Richard Decker and Marlowe FitzpatrickAn evening of music introducing St Mark's new choir director Richard Decker and organist Marlowe Fitzpatrick - 6pm, St Marks English Church, via Maggio 16. First floor. www.stmarksitaly.com

Nextech FestivalGenre defying Max Cooper and experimental Giulio Aldinucci perform as part of Nextech festival9.15pm, La Compagnia, via Camillo Cavour, 50/R. Info at www.musicusconcentus.com

SPORTDazn Boxing NightFiordigiglio and Eggington compete for the International Super Welterweight title6pm, Tuscany Hall Teatro di Firenze, via fabrizio de andre'. Purchase online at TicketOne.it

Friday 20EXHIBITIONJapanese artists and artisansTwo day exhibit celebrates 11 Japanese artists and artisans who live and create in Florence, organised by IROHA and Fondazione Istituto di' Bardi. Features workshops on traditional Japanese art and sake - 10am-7pm at palazzo Capponi, via Michelozzi 2, Florence. Free entry. www.iroha.it

MUSIC & CONCERTSFlorence Suona Contemporanea Flautist Roberto Fabbriciani plays through the


ODEON ORIGINAL SOUNDThe best films in original sound with Italian subtitles. Check the program and timetable at:WWW.ODEONFIRENZE.COM

PIAZZA STROZZI - FIRENZE - TEL. +39 055 295051

APOLLO 11From September 9 to September 11On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the landing of the man on the moon, Apollo 11 presents some of the most famous images that were filmed during the historic undertaking in an innovative documentary style.

ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOODFrom September 18 to October 6The much anticipated film by Quentin Tarentino reflects on 1960's Hollywood with a stellar lineup featuring Leonardo Di Caprio, Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie .

26 | 27 | 28 September 2019


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JOURNEY INTO IMMORTALITYMUMMIES17 Luglio 2019 - 2 Febbraio 2020

LATE NIGHTFrom September 12 to September 15From the Sundance Film Festival comes this film about a grim TV presenter (Emma Thompson), forced to confront a young new writer.


Museo della Moda e del Costume di Palazzo PittiPiazza Pitti, Firenze

Martedì/Domenica – 8.15/18.50 – www.uffi zi.it – www.pittimmagine.com – #menswearnovel

Un progetto di Fondazione Pitti Immagine Discovery in collaborazione con Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali e Gallerie degli Uffi zi, promosso da Centro di Firenze per la Moda Italiana e Pitti Immagine con il supporto speciale di Ministero dello Sviluppo Economico e Agenzia ICE, con il contributo di Fondazione CR Firenze e con il patrocinio di Comune di Firenze.

ROMANZO BREVE DI MODA MASCHILE

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works of some of the greatest composers of the last century, including Giacinto Scelsi, Kazuo Fukushima, Luciano Berio, Toru Takemitsu, Salvatore Sciarrino and Aldo Clementi, an unmissable tribute to "modernism" in music9.30pm, Free entrance. Museo Novecento, piazza di Santa Maria Novella, 10. See www.firenzesuonacontemporanea.it

Saturday 21EXHIBITIONJapanese artists and artisansTwo day exhibit celebrates Japanese art and artisans, organised by IROHA and Fondazione Istituto di' Bardi. Features workshops on traditional Japanese art and sakeSee September 20

SPECIAL EVENTEuropean Heritage DaysA national event that promotes Italian culture and heritage. Events include special opening hours, guided tours, conferences, meetings, and much moreVarious venues, organised by www.beniculturali.it

WORKSHOPHow to do research for an historical novel, with author Lew Weinstein In historical novels, the history must be honored but not allowed to dominate and research must be organized in a way that facilitates retrieval. In this workshop, author Lew Weinstein will show how he gathers, organizes and uses history in his novels10am-1pm Max. 10 people. Ticketed event, for info and reservation [email protected]. St Marks English Church, via Maggio 16. First floor. www.facebook.com/florencewritersitaly

Sunday 22MARKETS & FESTIVALSFlea MarketAntique market of well-chosen treasures9am-7.30pm in Largo Pietro Annigoni, piazza dei Ciompi

SPECIAL EVENTEuropean Heritage DaysA national event that promotes Italian culture and heritage. Events include special opening hours, guided tours, conferences, meetings, and muchSee September 21

Monday 23FILMDiego MaradonaPresented at the Cannes Film Festival, the film traces the life and genius of one of the greatest soccer players in historyOdeon cinema Firenze, piazza Strozzi 2, Florence. Screenings until September 25, see website for times at www.odeonfirenze.com

Tuesday 24MUSIC & CONCERTSMotus Acousmonium IAs part of Tempo Reale Sezione Y, Lionel Marchetti performs 'Atlas 97 phenomenes parte I', Michele Bokanowski 'Rhapsodia', and Ezbieta Sikora 'Rouge D’Ete' - 7pm. A second event will be held on September 25. Limonaia di villa Strozzi, via Pisana, 77, 50143. For info T: 055717270 or see www.temporeale.it

Wednesday 25SPECIAL EVENTRoundtable Sessions: Mental HealthHaving tools to support mental health can be the difference between a vitalising experience abroad and an overwhelming one. Out of our comfort zones, what tools do we use to navigate? This series asks the big questions, offers tools, and opens space for discussion. This session focuses on openness and boundaries, led by Marisa Garreffa7pm, St Mark’s English Church, via Maggio 16. Entry: 5 euro donation. www.facebook.com/roundtablesessionsflorence/ Marisa Garreffa

Thursday 26CHILDREN'S ACTIVITIESIt's Storytime! Harold Acton LibraryThe Tiger Who Came to Tea' by Judith Kerr, reading and activities in English for children aged 0-4 but all ages welcome. The Storytime is open to members of the Library. Membership options include a Day card card (€20) and a Family membership (1 year €110, up to 3 family members). Afternoon Tea served from 4.30-6pm5pm at the Harold Acton Library of The British Institute, lungarno Guicciardini

OPERAListening Group: The Operas of Benjamin BrittenAn evening listening to and discussing the operas

of Benjamin Britten6pm, St Marks English Church, via Maggio 16. First floor. www.stmarksitaly.com

Friday 27LECTURES & CONFERENCESResearchers' NightShort lectures from professors and researchers, apps, videos, drones, exhibitions, games, experiments and the future of sustainability3pm, Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, piazzale Vittorio Gui, 1. Free admittance. See www.unifi.it for full programme

MUSIC & CONCERTSGone with Time, Travelling on Threads of MemoryWith the Symphonic Orchestra of the Luigi Cherubini Conservatory in Florence and the participation of the University of Florence orchestra. Script by Luigi Dei, President of the University of Florence. Conductor: Paolo Ponziano Ciardi8.45pm, Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, piazzale Vittorio Gui, 1. Free entrance by reservation, www.unifi.it/bright

Flash FlaxusAs part of Firenze Suona Contemporanea, the Flame ensemble, together with the pianist Vincenzo Pasquariello and actors, performers, musicians and other guests, make a tribute to Fluxus, presenting various installations, performances, music and poems in the Flash Fluxus evening. The public is invited to actively participate6-10pm, Museo Novecento, piazza di Santa Maria Novella, 10. Free event. See www.firenzesuonacontemporanea.it

SPECIAL EVENTStargazingFree guided tours offered by INAF - Arcetri Observatory as part of BRIGHT 20199-11pm, Free admision, by reservation only, Largo Enrico Fermi, 5, Call 055 2752280 or email [email protected]

Saturday 28MARKETS & FESTIVALSAkimatsuri: Japanese Autumn Festival Two day celebration of Japanese culture organised by IROHAProgramme to be found at www.iroha.it

Comics and Vintage MarketExhibition-market dedicated to comics, records, games, toys, clothing and vintage items9am-8pm, piazza dei Ciompi, free entry, organised by Confesercenti Firenze

Swing Vintage MarketTwo days of swing and vintage Renaissance, via Baracca 1, Firenze. Until September 29.

Sunday 29LECTURES & CONFERENCESGarden of wonders Once upon a time, there was an enchanted “garden of wonders” created by Francesco I de’ Medici. History of art talk in english10.30am. Meeting at main lodge, parco Mediceo di Pratolino, via Fiorentina, 276. Free, booking required: [email protected] or T: 338 624 5503

MARKETS & FESTIVALSComics and Vintage MarketExhibition-market dedicated to comics, records, games, toys, clothing and vintage itemsSee September 28

Akimatsuri: Japanese Autumn Festival Two day celebration of Japanese culture organised by IROHASee September 28

SPECIAL EVENTCorri La Vita 17th EditionChoose between a distance of 11km or 6km to walk/run, raising funds for breast cancer and cancer patients. Registration requiredStarting point: Cascine Park, Florence, www.corrilavita.it

Monday 30SPECIAL EVENTStudent Welcome DayThe City of Florence, the US Consulate, and AACUPI will co-sponsor the Fall 2019 Welcome Day for 240 North American students who have enrolled in Florence-based study abroad programmes5.30pm and concludes at around 7pm. Salone dei Cinquecento, piazza della Signoria, 2

Tuesday October 1FILMThe Mayor of Rione Sanita' Contemporary reinterpretation of the theatrical classic by Eduardo De FilippoOdeon cinema, piazza Strozzi 2, Florence. See website for times at www.odeonfirenze.com 20191002

SPECIAL EVENTAttraversamentiFirst Festival of Ibero-American cultures: two days of music, film, science and literature of Latin AmericaLe Murate Caffè Letterario, piazza delle Murate, 1. Free admission

ONGOINGEXHIBITSMummies, Journey into ImmortalityAt the National Archaeoligcal Museum in Florence this exhibition explores the concept of the afterlife in Ancient Egypt, examining the funerary practises and beliefs of the ancient EgyptiansJuly 17-February 2 2020, Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Firenze, piazza della Santissima Annunziata 9b, Florence

OBEY. Make art not warDedicated to the four themes of woman, environment, peace and culture, the exhibition features small- and large-scale works by Shepard Fairey, codename OBEY, each of which encompasses the artist’s pacifist and environmentalist messageUntil October 20, Palazzo Medici Riccardi, via Cavour, www.palazzomediciriccardi.it

The Botany of LeonardoThe relationship between science, art and nature is examined through Leonardo da Vinci's botanical studiesSeptember 13-December 15, Santa Maria Novella Museum, www.leonardodavincibotany.com

La Firenze di Giovanni e Telemaco SignoriniCorrespondence between the celebrated Telemaco Signorini, his father Giovanni and his younger brother Paolo available to the public for the first timeSeptember 19-November 10, Palazzo Antinori, piazza degli Antinori 3, open 10am to 6pm Tuesday to Sunday, full price tickets are 13 euro, reduced tickets 10 euro. T: 05529375

Natalia GoncharovaNew exhibition celebrates one of the leading female artists of the 20th century, exploring her unconventional life and career. Features works by Gauguin, Matisse and Picasso September 28-January 12, Palazzo Strozzi, www.palazzostrozzi.org

A Short Novel on Men's FashionAn exhibit showcasing 30 years of menswear from 1989 to the presentUntil September 29, Museum of Costume and Fashion, Pitti Palace, www.uffizi.it

Leonardo and his books. The library of the universale genius.For his time, Leonardo owned lots of books. The exhibition reconstructs this library through the many references to be found in Da Vinci’s writingsUntil September 22, Galileo Museum, piazza dei Giudici 1, Florence

A Passi di Danza. Isadora Duncan e le arti figurative in Italia tra Ottocento e avanguardiaPaintings, documents, photographs and sculpture highlighting Italy's unexpected connections to Isadora Duncan, the acclaimed French-American dancer and iconic free spiritUntil September 22, Villa Bardini, costa San Giorgio 2, and Museo Bardini, via dei Renai 37, Florence, www.villabardini.it

Nancy Burson An Experiential Installation of Perpetual Mary which invites viewers to sit for 20 minute intervals and observe a glow in the dark statue 'move'. Also exhibits two video installations: Love Above All Else and The Energy of a Drawing in UV LightSeptember 7-14, Manifattura Tabacchi, via delle Cascine 33. www.manifatturatabacchi.com

Nel Paesaggio, photographs by Luca LupiMinimalist photographs spectacularly capture liminal spaces of sea and skyFrom September 18, SACI's Maidoff Gallery, via Sant'Egidio 14, Firenze

A Perfect Day by Massimo Listri and My Land by Davide Rivalta at Forte BelvedereMassimo Listri's unexpected photographs of Florence are united with Davide Rivalta's impressive sculptures at the Forte Belvedere for their summer exhibitionUntil October 20, via di S. Leonardo, 1 Florence

Bärbel Reinhard and Marco Signorini: REMIS - Photography and Multimedia ExhibitionThe two-person exhibition REMIS is a intermingling of photographic and multimedia works by Bärbel Reinhard and Marco Signorini that puzzles our perception. Multi-sensory and multimedia journey in which the two artists' works overlap, merge, and complement each otherSeptember 12-October 19. SACI Gallery, via Sant'Antonino 11, Florence. Info at www.saci-florence.edu

Gerold MillerInternationally renowned artist Gerold Miller presents multidimensional works of concept art in extreme contrasts. 3D shapes and steel structures fill the Eduardo Secci contemporary art gallery Until September 14, Mon-Sat, 10am to 1.30pm, and 2.30-7pm. Eduardo Secci, piazza Carlo Goldoni, 2, 50123 Firenze. See www.eduardosecci.com for more

The Colours of Judaism in ItalyPrecious textiles and fabrics from ancient Jerusalem to contemporary ready-to-wear in the Aula Magliabechiana in the Uffizi Gallery.Until October 27, Aula Magliabechiana, Galleria delle Statue e delle Pitture, www.uffizi.it

RAM Tra Novecento e Metafisica: The Recreation of NatureThe first major monographic exhibition in Florence, dedicated to Ruggero Aldredo Michahelles (1893-1976) aka RAM. Curated by Susanna ReasonersSeptember 19-December 7, Frascione Art Gallery, palazzo Ricasoli Firidolfi, via Maggio 5, Florence. T: 055 23 99 205, [email protected] - www.frascionearte.com

In search of dreams by Lolita Valderrama SavageNew exhibition by the Filipino-American artist Lolita Valderrama Savage opens October 1 and focuses on the beauty of the Tuscan landscapeFrom October 1-17 at Palazzo Bastogi, via Cavour 18, Florence. Opening hours Mon- Fri 10-12am and 3-7pm

GUIDED VISITSAmir ProjectThe migration stories of people and plants; a cycle of free guided visits to the Boboli Gardens, Florence's Botanical Garden and the Archeological Area of Fiesole (+ many more), given by foreign and international Amir project guides. The project aims to include people from diverse backgrounds in the cultural and heritage life of the city. Info at amirproject.comUntil October 31, various locations around the city. Info at amirproject.com

Torre di San NiccolòGet a birds eye view of Florence during the guided tours available until the end of this month.Until September 30, there will be guided tours of the tower every 30 minutes from 4-7pm. Book online at www.musefirenze.it

LECTURES & CONFERENCESWired Next Fest A festival celebrating science, technology, business, research and innovation through workshops, talks and performances. The theme this year is 'People'September 27-29, Palazzo Vecchio, piazza della signoria, www.nextfest.wired.it

Voci Lontane, Voci SorelleInternational Poetry Festival, now in its 17th edition. A range of literary discussions and talksSeptember 9-23 Gabinetto Viesseux, piazza degli Strozzi, Florence and other locations. Free entry. Info: [email protected], T: 334 319 8636 - www.vocilontanevocisorelle.it

MARKETS & FESTIVALSFlowers and plants market Weekly flower fair organised by the Confartigianato and the Horticultural Society hosts a vibrant selection of flowers, plants and garden suppliesFridays, Until December 27, Piazza dei Ciompi, 39 055 20066237, www.societatoscanaorticultura.it

God is Green at Manifattura Tabacchi8 days of art, exhibits, performances, dj's, markets, talks and cinema to explore the theme of the environmentSeptember 7-14 at B9 - Manifattura Tabacchi, via delle Cascine 33. www.manifatturatabacchi.com

MerktoberfestOktoberfest at Mercato Centrale means limited edition beer, Bavarian delicacies and games September 21-October 6, from 8am-midnight, Mercato centrale, piazza del Mercato Centrale, via dell'Ariento. Info at www.mercatocentrale.com/florence

Florence International Biennial Antiques FairArguably Italy's most important antiques fair first launched in 1959 introduces the first Florence Art Week. Inaugural fireworks show and private events from September 19; opens to public September 21September 21-29, Palazzo Corsini, via del Parione 11, Florence, www.biaf.it

Museo della Moda e del Costume di Palazzo PittiPiazza Pitti, Firenze

Martedì/Domenica – 8.15/18.50 – www.uffi zi.it – www.pittimmagine.com – #menswearnovel

Un progetto di Fondazione Pitti Immagine Discovery in collaborazione con Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali e Gallerie degli Uffi zi, promosso da Centro di Firenze per la Moda Italiana e Pitti Immagine con il supporto speciale di Ministero dello Sviluppo Economico e Agenzia ICE, con il contributo di Fondazione CR Firenze e con il patrocinio di Comune di Firenze.

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Fragranze, 17th editionInternational fair featuring the best in artistic perfumery with high-quality craft fragrances, body-care and wellness productsSeptember 13th-15th, 10am-6pm, Stazione Leopolda, viale Fratelli Rosselli, 5. T: 055 36931

Tempo Reale FestivalFounded in 1987, a centre for research, production and education about new musical technologiesSeptember 20-October 2, via Pisana 77, villa Strozzi, www.temporeale.it

MUSIC & CONCERTSBorderscape Sezione YThe Tempo Reale festival explores the border between genres and technologies in electronic musicSeptember 24-October 2, Limonaia di villa Strozzi, via Pisana, 77, 50143 and other venues. Info at www.temporeale.it

Settembre in Piazza della PasseraThe 18th edition of the festival especially focuses on the jazz drummer Art Blakey, a range of unmissable jazz eventsSeptember 10-13, piazza della Passera and piazzetta dello Sprone, 50125, Florence. free entry for all events, www.teatrionline.com

Firenze Suona ContemporaneaContemporary music and visual arts festival which premieres Michael Nyman's video installation titled EarthquakesSeptember 7-24, Manifattura Tabacchi, via delle Cascine, 33, 50144. See www.firenzesuonacontemporanea.it

Live Music at the MarketIndulge in an aperitivo in the heart of downtown Florence as you listen to free live music on the first floor of the Mercato Centrale7-9pm every Tuesday, Mercato Centrale (first floor), piazza del Mercato Centrale/via dell'Ariento, Florence, www.mercatocentrale.it

Firenze Jazz FestivalSpectacular and memorable performances all over the city rank this among the best jazz festivals in ItalySeptember 11-15, various locations. www.firenzejazzfestival.it

SPECIAL EVENTFirenze RiVista A festival dedicated to small- and medium-sized publishing. The theme this year is 'Connection'September 20-22 at Le Murate Caffè Letterario, piazza delle Murate, 1. Free events. See www.firenzerivista.it

Cirk Fantastik11 days of theatre, performance, literature, dance, acrobatics and clowns in a marvellous mix of eventsSeptember 12-22, parco delle Cascine, piazzale del re. Tickets from 6-15 euro, free for under-3's. From 4pm to late every day except Sunday which is from 10am until late. See www.cirkfantastik.com

Open Mic NightsCommunity event for writers and readers in Florence–from poets & playwrights to novelists, journal keepers & more. Come exchange ideas over wine & snacks; inquire on Facebook page if interested in serving as emcee/host on a rotating basis!First Wednesday of every month, Tasso Hostel, via Villani 15, Florence, www.tassohostelflorence.com, www.facebook.com/openmicflorence

Trivia Nights + Mega MondaysTrivia every Monday. Free entry. Come make new friends & enemies! Plus, enjoy Mega Monday specials (double the size of your burger for free)Mondays at the Red Garter, 9pm, via de' Benci 35r, Florence, T: 0552480909

Wings Night40 cent wings. 10 wings + fries, 5 euroWednesdays & Thursdays at the Red Garter, via de' Benci 35r, Florence, T 0552480909

Karaoke & DJ SetsFree entry, runs all nightFridays & Saturdays at the Red Garter, via de' Benci 35r, Florence, T: 0552480909

Speakeasy English AperitivoMultilingual happy hours with wine and snacks, conversation, chance to find language exchange partners. Visitors to town are welcome! The group also organizes special events like Women's Speakeasy and multi-course bilingual dinnersWednesdays from 7.30pm to 11.45pm, L'Appartamento, via Giraldi 11 (check Facebook page for potential venue changes), [email protected], www.facebook.com/speakeasyenglishfi

SPORTYoga DipintiAshtanga yoga in a unique setting. Limited mats available; BYO if possible

Fridays 6-7pm, weather permitting; Orti Dipinti, borgo Pinti 76, Florence

ParkrunWeekly meetup designed to bring together all ages, nationalities and fitness levels for casual fun runs in the Cascine. No obligation to finish, dogs and kids welcome! 9am every Saturday, Cascine Park (viale del Pegaso), Florence, www.parkrun.it/register

St. Mark's: The WayMarkers Walking GroupEnglish church group offers guided walks on the first Wednesday of each month, in and around Florence, Lucca, Pisa and Siena. Program varies from a few hours to a full dayYear-round, various locations in Florence and Tuscany, T 0572409143, [email protected], www.facebook.com/thewaymarkers

CHILDRENCHILDREN'S ACTIVITIESCasina d'OroA tiny fairy-tale-like area in the beautiful summer pavilion-style building at the end of the Cascine for playing and thinking, to sit, draw, look at books and restPalazzina Indiano Arte, piazzale dell'Indiano, Parco delle Cascine. T: 0552280525, www.palazzinaindianoarte.it

Bimbi al Museo The Opificio delle Pietre Dure's educational workshops are the perfect Saturday morning break for the young and artistically curious. Suitable for children from 4-10 yearsuntil September 28 2019, Opificio delle Pietre Dure, Info: 055 210102, www.opificiodellepietredure.it

Kids' Violin LessonsFree violin lessons (with 10 euro annual fee for membership in Amici del Nidiaci cultural association). Violins providedThursdays at 6pm, Nidiaci Garden, via d'Ardiglione 30, Florence, www.nidiaci.com

English LessonsFree course with mother-tongue teacher/translator: learn English by singing, dancing and playingMondays at 5pm, Nidiaci Garden, via d'Ardiglione 30, Florence, T: 3491575238, www.nidiaci.com

Teatrino del GalloPuppet theatre, Pupi Di Stac, cinema workshops, concerts, exhibitions, conferences and talk showsProgramming year-round, garden at Libri Liberi, via San Gallo 25r, Florence, T: 3386024335, www.teatrinodelgallo.it

Le Petit PoissonAn interactive spectacle for children organised by Cirk FantastikSeptember 12-18 every afternoon in parco delle Cascine, piazzale delle Cascine, 50144

Italiano 10+Weekly group reading classes for primary school children whose first language is not Italian Mondays at 5pm, BiblioteCaNova (Isolotto), via Chiusi 4/3a, Florence, T: 055710834

The British Institute of FlorenceEnglish books for children. All books can be borrowed for a month with a library membership card. Stay up to date on library events by sending an email to [email protected], 10am-6.30pm, British Institute of Florence, lungarno Guicciardini 9, Florence, [email protected], T: 05526778270, www.britishinstitute.it

The Children's Lending Library of FlorenceAn English-language volunteer-run library open to everyone. Children's books, DVDs & activities. See website for opening hours. Library regularly needs new volunteersSt. James church building, via Rucellai 9,T 3283282757, www.childrenslibrary.altervista.org

Firenze Moms 4 Moms NetworkFor English-speaking mothers in Florence. Playgroups, mom's night out, couples' night out and [email protected], www.firenzemoms4moms.net

RELIGIOUS SERVICES"Agape" Protestant United Church2nd and 4th Sunday of the month, 4pm. Worship in English on demand (Anglophone Africane community); Protestant weddings (religious only)Teatro L'Affratellamento - Circolo ARCI, via G.P. Orsini 73, [email protected], www.chiesaprotestanteunitafirenze.org

Chiesa del Santi Michele e GaetanoSunday Mass at 8.30am; traditional Latin Mass, Sundays at 11am & weekdays at 7.30amPiazza Antinori, www.sangaetano.de

Florence Gospel Fellowship InternationalSunday service at 6:30pm (evangelical) Via de' Benci 9, T: 3351505784, www.fgfint.blogspot.com

International Christian Fellowship of FlorenceSunday service at 10:15am. Prayer and Praise on Thursdays at 7pm. Services in EnglishVia dei Biffi 1, T: 055285148 or T: 055825282, [email protected], www.icfflorence.com

Methodist Church Christian WorshipTues, 7-9pm (Eng), Sun 10.30am (Ita w/ translation)Methodist Church, via de'Benci 9, Pastor Alison Walker, T: 055288143, www.firenzechurch.com

Mosaico ChurchEvangelical. Sunday 11am services in English and ItalianSpazio Alfieri, via dell'Ulivo 8, www.mosaicochurch.org

Santa Maria del FioreMass in English on Saturdays at 5.00pmPiazza del Duomo, T: 055294514

Santi Apostoli (Roman Catholic)Mass in English on Sundays at 10:30am; UpperRoom (Mass, Adoration and Fellowship) on Tuesdays at 6:00pmPiazza del Limbo 1, Florence, [email protected]; T: 3488719565, www.facebook.com/catholicsinflorence

St. James Church (Episcopalian) Eucharist every Sunday at 9am and 11am. The church also accepts food bank donations on Sunday morningsVia B. Rucellai 9, T: 055294417, www.stjames.it

St. Mark’s English Church (Anglican)Tuesday, 5.30pm Evening Prayer. Wednesday, 5.30pm Said Mass. Thursday. 5.30pm Contemporary Worship. Friday, 5.30pm Chaplain Consultation Time & 6pm Book of Common Prayer Mass. Sunday, 10.30am, Sung MassVia Maggio 16, T: 055294764; www.stmarksitaly.com, www.facebook.com/stmarksitaly

Santa Maria Maddalena dei PazziCatholic Mass in French every second Sunday at 11am - Borgo Pinti 58, T: 0552478420

Jehovah's WitnessesSunday 1.30pm, Tuesday 7pmVia Vivaldi 1, Scandicci

Quakers in FlorenceAiming to meet the 1st and 3rd Sunday of every monthContact [email protected] or T: 3334371847 for meeting point information

JEWISHShir HadashJewish Reform/Progressive congregationT: 3486913059 - 3489362564, www.shirhadashfirenze.com

Jewish SynagogueShabos: 8:45amVia Farini 4, T: 055245252, www.moked.it/jewishflorence

NEAR FLORENCEEXHIBITSNight Fever. Designing Club Culture 1960 – TodayThe exhibition follows a chronological itinerary that begins in the 1960s, exploring the emergence of nightclubs as spaces where for the first time the act of dancing is transformed in a collective ritual officiated in a fantastic world of lights, sounds and colors - June 8-October 6 2019, Centro Pecci, viale Repubblica 277, Prato, www.centropecci.it

Tenuta di Bossi for ANTA guided tour of the historic villa and cellar with wine tasting will be held in support of Assistenza Nazionale Tumori (ANT) foundation at the 315 hectare Bossi estate in Pontassieve - September 29, Tenuta di Bossi, via dello Stracchino 31, Pontassieve. There will be guided tours at 3, 4 and 5 pm with places for 20 people on each. Minimum donation of 25 euro for ANT foundation. Call 055-5000210 or write to livia.seravalli@ant to reserve a place

Marcello Guasti, Giovanni Michelucci and the Monument to Three CarabinieriTo mark the 75th anniversary of the liberation from German occupation, Fiesole will celebrate its imposing bronze sculpture created by Guasti in 1964 for the panoramic terrace designed by Giovanni Michelucci in the Parco della Rimembranza

Until September 30, Sala Costantini, Fiesole, T 0555961276

Visual Residency Night Presentation of the 2019 artist in residence, Jon Campbell, along with live performance of Campbell's pop rock songs and drinksSeptember 12, 7pm. Monash University Prato Centre, palazzo Vaj, via Pugliesi, 26. Event will be held in English. Free entry. More at www.monash.it

Leonardo Da Vinci. The Origins of Genius500th anniversary exhibition in the master's hometown focusing on his formative yearsUntil October 15, Leonardo Museum, piazza dei Conti Guidi, Vinci, www.museoleonardiana.it

MARKETS & FESTIVALSCookstockThe sixth edition of the food and wine extravaganza. A must-go event for all foodiesSeptember 6-8, various venues in Pontassieve, www.cookstock.it

MUSIC & CONCERTSRadio Bruno EstateRadio Bruno Estate rounds off its summer of events with a hilarious show and stellar cast, entirely free. September 6, Piazza Duomo, Prato, 8pm

Sound Stations Jazz ConcertA night of jazz music under September stars. Claudia Tellini on vocals, Nicola Vernuccio on double bass. During the evening it will be possible to buy and taste the wines by Malenchini of villa Medicea di Lilliano Wine EstateSeptember 15, 9pm, villa Medicea di Lilliano Wine Estate, via Lilliano e Meoli 82, 50012. Free event. See villa Medicea dil Lilliano wine estate facebook page for info

IN TUSCANYEXHIBITPanzano Arte 2019Journey through the Chianti and discover the sculptures by acclaimed French artist Nathalie Decoster in this first edition of the festival. The 30 bronze and steel works are expertly inserted into the Tuscan landscape, including vineyards where you can couple your appreciation for art with a fine wineUntil September 18, www.panzanoarte.com

Canova il viaggio a CarraraThe journey to Carrara, an exhibition with sculpture, documents and multimedia installationsUntil June 10, 2020, CARMI - Museo Carrara e Michelangelo, villa Fabbricotti Carrara. Free entry. www.musei.carrara.ms.gov.it

MARKETS & FESTIVALSChianti Classico Wine Festival - 49th editionFind different wine producers selling their wine, as well as meetings, shows and tours, celebrating this important wine regionSeptember 5-8, piazza Giacomo Matteotti, 1, Greve in Chianti

Il PagliaioLocal and seasonal fruits and veggies, bread, cheeses, honey, crafts, clothing, cosmetics, ceramics; live music, entertainment and moreFourth Sunday of each month, piazza Matteotti, Greve in Chianti, www.facebook.com/IlPagliaioGreve

Festa del Cinema di MareFourth edition of the cinema festival which explores the relationship between man and seaSeptember 11-15 at various venues in Castiglione della Pescaia, Grosseto. Info at www.spazioalfieri.it

SPECIAL EVENTIl Senso del RidicoloThree days of meetings, readings and events on the subject of humourSeptember 27-29. Various locations in Livorno, see www.ilsensodelridicolo.it for details

SPORTItalian Motorbike Championship - CIV Round 5ELF CIV - National Trophy - Yamaha R1 Cup Motorbike CupSeptember 22, Mugello motor racing circuit, via Senni, 15, Scarperia, www.mugellocircuit.it

WINEVino al Vino21 Panzanesi vineyards participate in this festival celebrating the best wine of the regionSeptember 12-15, www.panzanoarte.it

www.labotanicadileonardo.itTutte le informazioni su

FIRENZE - MUSEO DI SANTA MARIA NOVELLA13 SETTEMBRE | 15 DICEMBRE 2019

PER UNA NUOVA SCIENZA TRA ARTE E NATURA

LA BOTANICA DI

A VISION OF SCIENCE

BRIDGING ART AND NATURE

SEPTEMBER | DECEMBER

Il pensiero sistemicodi Leonardo da Vincie il suo sguardosul mondo naturale,per un nuovo Rinascimento culturale e scientifico.

A new cultural and scientific Renaissance throughLeonardo da Vinci’ssystemic thinkingand perspectiveon the natural world.


The power of plants

Helen Farrell: What does a plant neurobiologist do?Stefano Mancuso: We study the cognitive ability of plants, which means how plants are able to solve problems. The extraordinarily interesting thing is that plants are capable of solving problems in an incredibly different way to animals. Animals almost always base all the solutions to their problems on movement, on their abil-ity to move. We animals think we’ve solved a problem, but actually we’ve avoided it. We move away from problems, whereas plants are unable to do that. Plants are obliged to solve problems. If they are short on nutrients, if they don’t have anything to eat or drink, if they need to defend themselves, if they need to reproduce or com-municate, if they need to have a social life, all of which are fundamental for plants, they have to find a way to do these things without moving. It’s a totally different world. Studying this world gives us an incredible number of solutions that we can also use for our purposes and problems. Everything that humans have produced has been based on our own makeup as animals and we represent only 0.3 per cent of life. Plants, on the other hand, represent 80 per cent of life on Earth.

HF: “If the plant world were a nation, the rules of governance would be totally different from our own.” These words from your book La nazione delle piante (“The Nation of Plants”) intrigued me. Could you explain further?SM: The rules would be totally different in general. For plants, the idea of hierar-chy doesn’t exist. Hierarchy is an idea that strictly applies to animals that stems from how we’re built. Humans are built with a brain that governs our organs, so everything that we’ve constructed, from our societies to our organizations, even our tools, reflects the way in which we’re constructed. There’s always a central head, a brain, a control centre that rules the organs. Plants are different; they don’t have organs or control centres. All the functions are spread across the entire “body” of the plant. A plant sees, feels, breathes and reasons with its entire body. We see with our eyes, hear with our ears and reason with our brains.

HF: It’s similar to muscle memory, perhaps?SM: Once this was discovered in plants, we started to try to use it in embodiment technologies in which intelligence is no longer just situated in the brain. Instead,

Stefano Mancuso knows more about plants than most people. He’s the director of LINV – International Laboratory of Plant Neurobiology, whose headquarters are in Florence, but whose tendrils unfurl all over the world, from Japan to Germany. This summer, Mancuso’s team has put down its roots at the ever-growing Manifattura Tabacchi and the plant neurobiologist is co-curating The Botany of Leonardo exhibition at the Santa Maria Novella Museum.

PLANTS / Helen Farrell + photos by Leo Cardini

efforts are made to produce embodied robots. Intelligence is spread throughout the body. All this comes from discoveries originally made in the plant world. I go one step further; I think that plants can act as a model. In the plant community, there’s never a leader. All the decisions are always made in an extremely democratic way, to use a human word. It’s the groups that decide. Communities are fundamental. Much more than for we humans. Given that they don’t move, plants need to have a community around them so that they can work together. Plants have developed a set of strategies, which means that they are very attached to the functioning of the entire community and to collaboration as opposed to competition.

HF: Let’s talk about The Florence Experiment held at Palazzo Strozzi last year. If I’m not mistaken, the outcome of museum visitors sliding down a chute with or without a plant was that humans have a negative effect on plant life. Is that correct?SM: Yes, that’s correct. Plants are good for us. We humans either have no effect on plants or we are a stress factor. In The Florence Experiment, holding a plant as we went down a slide was a deeply stressful factor for the plant. Firstly, plants aren’t ac-customed to moving. We wanted to see if human presence alleviated or worsened this stress; it definitely worsened the situation. The person’s stress was added to the plant’s own stress.

HF: Plants must be incredibly sensitive. How do they feel stress? Through breathing or body temperature? SM: Through breath and chemical molecules. Plants are profoundly skillful at per-ceiving every tiny chemical change in the environment.

HF: You recently teamed up with an artist at the Fondation Cartier in Paris. What opportunities does this blend of art and science offer?SM: We inaugurated this fantastic exhibition, called Nous les Arbres [“Trees”] at the Fondation Cartier. With Dutch artist Thijs Biersteker we produced this installation in which we collect data from two trees in the foundation’s gardens and we trans-form the information into moving images. It’s fascinating because it conveys how much plants are capable of perceiving in their surroundings. This idea of blending science and art is fundamental for me. I’m the director of an important scientific research centre [LINV – International Laboratory of Plant Neurobiology, ed.], where we’ve done hard science for years, but I realized that all the discoveries we made remained within a small circle. Instead, I’d like this new vision of plants to become as widespread as possible because knowing how plants work is fundamental for the future of our planet. Art has an extraordinary power that is lacking in science: it’s about emotions, whereas science is about logic. What we humans remember is what moves us and not what convinces us.


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Read more about Stefano Mancuso’s work at www.linv.org, visit Manifattura Tabacchi to breathe in the clean air produced by The Air Factory and take a tour of The Botany of Leonardo exhibition, opening at the Santa Maria Novella Museum on September 13: www.leonardodavincibotany.com

HF: Here we are at Manifattura Tabacchi with The Air Factory, your air filtering solution for this former industrial space. It’s not only functional but attractive too. I can’t take my eyes off it.SM: It’s a scientific instrument because it purifies the air, but it’s also an art instal-lation. It has to be attractive, that’s important. It has to spark this idea of wonder. It’s doing a job while charming us at the same time.

HF: Were the plants specifically chosen for their purification traits? SM: Almost all of them have large leaves and are tropical because they have to live in a greenhouse. The air enters through the floor and passes through the glass cab-inets. It’s purified and leaves through the large tubes above. There are lamps that emit special lighting that encourages the photosynthesis of the plants.

HF: How did the idea of The Air Factory come about at Manifattura Tabacchi?SM: For a long time, we’d been working on plants’ abilities to purify air. Michelan-gelo Giombini, the head of Manifattura Tabacchi, wanted to do something with us, so we designed The Air Factory in just a few months. It’s merely a prototype. It demonstrates what can be achieved using plants as this system cleans 5,000 cubic metres in an hour. If we were to convert an old building, a hangar, into enormous air factories, we’d be able to purify the air in entire neighbourhoods in our cities. This idea came to me when I was in China, where the problem of air pollution is rife. In some Chinese cities, they started to build these enormous towers like chimneys. At first, I didn’t understand what they were for, then I discovered that they were air filters. They absorb air in a physical and chemical way, cleaning and releasing it again; they use a massive amount of energy. We can do the same thing in a more efficient way using plants.

HF: What can you tell me about the forthcoming The Botany of Leonardo exhibition at the Santa Maria Novella Museum?SM: The exhibition, which I’m co-curating, focuses on Leonardo’s botanical discov-eries, but it’s done in my usual style. It won’t be boring! It will show what Leonardo’s ideas have produced in the history of science through engaging installations and settings. With a Leonardo exhibition, there’s that risk of showing his notebooks and codices written backwards, and people being bored out of their minds. Leonardo cared about staging and set design: he knew their importance more than anyone else, which is why the Sforza family summoned him to Milan to organize their par-ties. Plus, he was a prototype designer, one of the greatest ever to have lived.


TheFLRItalian literature

in translation A bilingual literary

review in Florence by The Florentine

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Find us at

Firenze RiVistaSeptember 20-22Le Murate Caffè Letterario,piazza delle Murate.

“Connections” is the focus of this year’sFirenze RiVista, a festival celebratingFlorence’s independent contemporarypublishing scene. The title reflects on howknowledge is sparked whenever two conceptscollide. Held in the cultural stronghold Le Murate,this year’s lineup sees over 60 events take place overthe three days of the festival. The Florentine andThe FLR – The Florentine Literary Review will be inattendance, alongside many publishing houses, journalsand magazines. The full programme will be launchedonline in early September; see www.firenzerivista.it.

Sustainable sustenance

But all is not lost. A few are fight-ing back against these damaging habits in the hope of fixing the

footprints already left. Ferragamo, for example, is leading the way in sustain-able fashion and many businesses in Florence’s hospitality industry are do-ing their best to operate in the most ecologically friendly manner, therefore inspiring other companies to follow suit.

Florentine fast food eatery FastSud and luxury summer spot Villa Vittoria are just two examples of firms who have made important eco-conscious chang-es within their operations and are taking

Scientists across the globe are stressing the importance of making changes to our deleterious daily habits for the betterment of our Earth and the future of those who will inherit it. Climate change is rising to an irreparable level, the oceans are flooded with hazardous plastics and chemical pollutants are used to produce more agricultural products for the growing population.

EATERIES / Karl Whittaker

steps to work in an environmental-first manner. Despite the obvious differenc-es in food and service styles, they are making similar crucial adaptions.

The prospect of working in an eco-sustainable way may seem daunt-ing to business owners who have op-erated under very different means for many years. Representatives at Villa Vittoria, a plastics-free hangout near the Fortezza da Basso, state that the first step is to “be informed and under-stand what the consequences of our actions are”.

Mariella Tummino, co-founder of FastSud, which only serves organic, artisanal and Slow Food-protected ingredients from Puglia and Sicily, agrees. “Understanding the impact that plastic waste and polluting detergents have had on the health of humans, animals and the planet is certainly the starting point. After becoming aware of this, change occurs simply by changing habits: replacing the disposable pack-aging with recyclable or biodegradable products.”

The second step is to take action and implement simple but significant changes within the company. Villa Vit-toria, for example, elected to try and reduce their amount of plastic waste. “Plastic straws have an average use of 20 minutes but take 500 years to dis-appear. This inspired us to serve all our cocktails without straws and, where needed, to use biodegradable straws. Also, we extended those actions on the street food: our packaging and forks are compostable.”

Thinking sustainably offers opportu-nities to change more on the premises than just the replacement of plastic goods with recyclable alternatives, and can be implemented in almost every as-pect of the business.

“The FastSud premises have had min-imal impact since they were built,” com-mented Tummino. “When we renovated the space, we opted to use eco-sus-tainable materials, such as solvent-free paints that aren’t harmful to the envi-ronment and fillers based on raw plant materials. Even our furniture consists of upcycled industrial and vintage pieces.”

The possibilities are endless. Chang-ing plastic bottled drinks for glass, up-cycling old furniture, using eco-friend-ly cleaning products: the list goes on. There are always more ways to do more for the betterment of the planet. When asked if there was more they could do within their business, Villa Vittoria did not hesitate in replying. “Absolutely yes, there is still a lot to do. We are planning to save more water, reduce noise pollu-tion for the protection of the local fauna and implement eco-sustainable dish-washers in order to use only re-usable glassware.”

FastSud also stressed the importance for every other business to take action. “In order to safeguard the environment, we all need to make these small simple gestures that can lead to a great change for humanity.”

Villa Vittoria concurred: “Thanks to our visibility, we feel like we have a per-sonal duty to educate our consumers to change their habits by avoiding unnec-essary waste. But the hospitality indus-try as a whole has a duty to spread the

word and make their customers aware of a lifestyle that is attentive to environ-mental sustainability.”

Are there any setbacks to working sustainably? Were there any problems that these businesses faced when they made their changes? Villa Vittoria: “In all honesty, we didn’t find any bad aspects about this campaign, only benefits. In the beginning, we were concerned about how the customers would re-act, but their involvement was over-whelming”. FastSud agreed that are no negative impacts involved in thinking sustainably and working with ecologi-cally friendly practices, adding, “Being or becoming sustainable does not and did not cause any problems whatsoev-er. Loving nature is a simple and natural gesture.”

The time to act is now. With easy changes to the way restaurants, bars, hotels and related sectors operate, the hospitality industry could work togeth-er to help reduce its footprint. The effect and damage humans have caused—and continue to cause—will not go away overnight. But if we start now and follow the lead set by enlightened and eco-conscious businesses such as FastSud and Villa Vittoria, we might be able to undo some of the damage and leave a greener world for the genera-tions to come.

Other food businesses in Florence embracing a green ethos include Gesto (Borgo San Frediano 27R) and Gelateria Badiani (viale dei Mille 20R). Now with restau-rants in Milan, Bologna, Perugia and Padua, Gesto’s entire philos-ophy centres on an ecological approach: not over-ordering, re-ducing waste to a minimum, sav-ing on water and electricity, and upcycled artisan design. Historic gelato shop Badiani, on the other hand, adopted a plastic-free ap-proach this year, removing plas-tic spoon and petroleum-derived containers in favour of low envi-ronmental impact materials.

Karl Whittaker followed his heart from the United Kingdom to Florence with high hopes of transitioning from his former profes-sion as a chef into a writer. If he isn’t working on his literary fiction novels, he’s likely writing about food, wine, music and almost everything else in between. Find more of Karl's work on his blog The Devils of Florence (thedevilsofflorence.wordpress.com).

259September 2019 21259September 2019 21

Goinggreener

Organic to your door

Orti Dipinti (borgo Pinti 76, www.ortidipinti.it) is a community garden that belongs to no-body as the work is conducted by everybody.

An ex-athletics ground that has a hub of urban eco-logical gardening, the project communicates how gardening practises can be applied and remain rel-evant to everyday life. The website features an on-line library that contains their own publications on indoor plants, wall gardens, and uses and reuses of tyres, to name a few, as well as an online store that sells the space’s sustainably made produce. Get in-volved by visiting during opening hours, volunteer-ing, attending classes and workshops, and becoming a member. Guided visits are available for schools.

It’s a proven fact that city dwellers who frequent parks, gardens and green spaces are happier and enjoy greater life satisfaction. Citizens exposed to nature perform better in terms of memory and concentration tasks. Green spaces have a positive effect not only on the individual but on the community: parklands in urban areas act as lungs for the city, generating breezes that repel and disperse pollutants as well as lowering the average temperature and being the least polluted places. At times, Florence can feel like a furnace, but there are parks and urban gardens that offer respite from the heat, while also being centres for sustainable community projects.

The organic revolution has spread its roots in Florence. Here are the home-grown delivery services bringing “bio” to your house.

GROWTH / Phoebe Owston

COOK / Charlotte Hughes-Morgan

The third oldest botanical gardens in the world, the Giardino dei Semplici (via P.A. Micheli, 3 - theflr.net/ortobotanico) dates to 1545, when Cosimo I de’ Medici rented the land from the adjacent San Domenico in Cafaggio monastery. Extending across 23,000 square metres and divided into 21 plots and 29 flowerbeds, the pleasant gardens provide specimens for the uni-versity. There’s also an educational side to the space as local primary and infant schools learn to prepare the ground, growing the likes of cumin, parsley and pota-toes. A composting project is managed in partnership with the Quadrifoglio waste disposal company and the Amici della Terra environmentalist group.

The city administration’s “every family should have access to a garden” policy has resulted in the relative-ly new urban allotment phenomenon, known as orti sociali. Following Mayor Dario Nardella’s re-election, it was announced that new areas would be added to the 800-plus established plots, which include the garden of Palazzo Vegni (via di San Niccolò), locations along via del Guarlone and in via del Mezzetta, in the Rusciano park, by the former Lupi di Toscana barracks, in the Mantignano park and Isole Nuove Argingrosso, and at Le Piagge. No rent will be applied to these 50 square metre spaces; all you have to do is tend to the land. The plots are assigned to people who don’t own a garden or any land, and who live in the neighbour-hood. These social gardens are managed directly by the respective local administrations, which will have their own rules about the tools and fertilisers that can be used.

LOCAL/ Embrace sustainable living and support local farmers at the same time. Il Ceppo is a Tuscan enterprise started by two former lab technicians who bring the best seasonal produce from independent growers around Tuscany, Calabria and Sicily. With an ethos based firmly on the principles of healthy eating, respect for the environment and fair trade, the two friends deliver boxes of fresh fruit and vegetables, with or without other tantalising natural products of your choice, directly to your home. Delivery is by bike service Ecopony in central Florence; prices begin at 20 euro. www.ilceppo-firenze.it

BALANCED/ Respect for the land’s natural balance is at the heart of L’Orto del Borro’s “Bio box” initiative. Organic since 2014 and employing growing tech-niques designed to protect and maintain the soil, including crop rotation and natural irrigation from the local stream, L’Orto del Borro’s weekly deliver-ies contain only the finest seasonal produce. Choose between three or five kilos of organic fruit and vege-tables, with a side order of organic eggs, delivered to your door. For something extra, treat yourself to the estate’s own honey, olive oil or fine wine. Prices begin at 15 euro. www.ortodelborro.it

COLLABORATIVE/ Offering an ever-changing online market of fruit and vegetables alongside a wide range of other organic products, Tuscan bottega Toscana Biologica also operates a sustainable home deliv-ery service for anyone living in Florence or Pisa. With products sourced from zero-km companies, the sup-ply of fresh ingredients varies with the seasons and price is calculated according to the weight of each individual shop. What’s more, Toscana Biologica has partnered with bike service Cyclologica to ensure pol-lution-free delivery to your home. Delivery costs five euro. www.toscanabiologica.it


Redressing the balance

Do-over

But before we go into why and where, let’s look at what. Textiles are one of the biggest causes of damage to the environment. Synthetic fibre pro-

duction involves non-renewable resources and natural yarn production necessitates the use of massive quan-tities of water and pesticides. It may feel like adding to that waste is inevitable, but one way to reduce the harm is to buy clothes that are in perfectly good con-dition and that can be passed from one pair of hands to another.

Given that the past few months have been saldi (sales) season, many of us have indulged in some dis-counted purchases with more regard to the percent-age saved as opposed to considering the environment. It’s time to redress the balance. Assosistema, an associ-ation that represents, among other things, companies that provide sterilization services for the textile indus-try, states that recycling second-hand clothes could cut textile environmental impact on global warming by 53 per cent. It could also reduce pollution caused by the textile industry by 45 per cent and decrease water eutrophication caused by nitrate and phosphate excess in water flows by 95 per cent. Shocked? I was too. So, The Florentine went to Progetto Arcobaleno to see how donating clothes can lead to something positive for others, as well as the world we live in.

The non-profit Associazione Progetto Arcobaleno has been supporting those in need and assisting peo-ple in their journey towards independence since 1985. The via del Leone building was donated by nuns in the

CHARITY/ Bottega del Dono The mission of this bottega del dono in via Guelfa 28R (a sophisticated way of saying charity shop), is to help children in developing countries through support at a distance and international projects while keeping a close bond among locals. The Bottega del Dono Sol-idale Reach Italia Onlus helps children in Italy and abroad by being involved in school meals and atten-dance projects. You can buy from the shop and, most importantly, donate clothes, household goods, small pieces of furniture and jewellery. You can also give your time; enquire in-store if they need some help.

VINTAGE / L’Aurora Onlus L’Aurora Onlus (via de’ Macci 11) is an association that helps disadvantaged people through meetings and activities that range from a hot cup of tea to legal ad-vice and craft workshops. Their Facebook page (FB: Au-roraOnlusFirenze) is worth a follow if you’re looking to donate some good quality clothing or objects as they often hold vintage markets to raise monies for their ac-tivities. A minimarket takes place every fourth Sunday of the month in their via de’ Macci location.

RESALE / Ri-vesti projectYou may have seen the big yellow Caritas bins around the city, which have been installed over the years to collect clothing for recycling. Fifty per cent of these garments are sorted and cleaned to enter the European and international resale market. The remainder is sent to be recycled as material. There are a few rules, how-ever; only donate clothes in knotted plastic bags and always check that San Martino Cooperativa is written on the side of the yellow bin (there are rumours of false ones). Check out the locations along via Curtatone, via dei Renai and via Alessandro Manzoni. If you live in Flor-ence, you can even organise a collection from home by calling 334 3695950. The cooperativasanmartino.com website features a map of all of the yellow collection points in the metropolitan area.

When you fall out of love with a jumper, what do you do? Hide it in the back of your wardrobe, doomed to never see the light of day again, a feast for the moths; or simply just throw it away? Why not do something meaningful instead? Donating clothes to charity shops is worth the few minutes it takes to bag up old clothes and take them to places like Progetto Arcobaleno’s two used-clothes shops on via del Leone and via Palazzuolo.

For Florence dwellers, there are plenty of clothing collection points run by the city’s social cooperative San Martino as well as a few charity shops. It’s time for a clear-out…

DONATE / Jane Farrell

REUSE / Phoebe Owston

adjoining former convent and created as a centre to embrace people of different cultures, resources, op-portunities and needs. The rainbow cited in the asso-ciation’s name highlights the diversity of our individual paths in life. The elderly, the homeless and the unem-ployed, those who are disabled or who lack family sup-port, people suffering from alcoholism or mental illness can use the centre’s services as long as they have been shortlisted by the Polo delle Marginalità, a social ser-vices team managed by the City of Florence. A dedicat-ed team of just four people run the San Frediano-based day centre, with five volunteers manning the night shift to ensure that the centre is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

One of the programme’s aims is to teach Italian to those who have recently arrived in the country in order to encourage integration—the school is operated by about 40 volunteer teachers and has over 300 students. Legal advice is given by a group of pro bono lawyers, medications are donated by a couple of local pharma-cies and there’s even a small residential centre on via del Leone, offering food and shelter. The second-hand clothes shops, run entirely by volunteers, fund these various activities, lending a helping hand to those in need. Waste is never part of the equation as everything in the shop is reused, including packaging. Clothes that go unsold are sent to a charitable centre in northern Italy, continuing the cycle of goodwill.

The unassuming entrance leads to a veritable Alad-din’s cave. Glistening glassware, plump stuffed bears,

crates of toy cars, rows of blazers and designer shoes have your eyes roving with interest. Look upwards too as objects are suspended from the ceiling with inflat-able toys waving down at you. A few curious tourists wandered in and out while we were in the shop, as well as youngsters thrilled to find a pair of vintage shoes for a few euro.

Most poignantly, a loyal Florentine customer stopped by, eager to share her passion for what Proget-to Arcobaleno does. “I’ve been coming here since they opened. It’s always clean, organised and full of useful bits. I got things for my children here, and even a pram for my grandchild.”

The local volunteer was justifiably proud of what is accomplished by the association, speaking about the many regular customers and how appreciative she was to be part of such a worthwhile endeavour.

Moved by the emotions of both customer and vol-unteer, we left Progetto Arcobaleno with our hands filled with purchases and our hearts brimming with gratitude and admiration for those who dedicate their time to others.

Next time you glance guiltily at your wardrobe heaving with clothes, you know what to do: www.progettoarcobaleno.it


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Tuscan businesses: giving back to the world

A number of these astute and pioneering in-dividuals can be found right here in Tusca-ny, leading successful businesses that have

paved the way for sustainable practices. While some incorporate these into their wider opera-tions, there are others that are dedicated entirely to eco-friendly principles, especially in the food and agricultural sectors, like Sfera Agricola in the Maremma and Salcheto winery in Montepulciano. Indeed, two of the biggest drivers of change were identified in IPBES’s report as shifts in land and sea use, and direct exploitation of organisms, making it of vital importance that these industries devote greater attention to their practices.

Michele Manelli has understood this for years. He has managed the Salcheto winery since 1997, and under his influence the estate has become a beacon of sustainability. Almost nothing is done without ensuring a balanced environmental, social and economic impact, like designing a wine cellar with self-sustaining energy, offering a benefits pro-gram for his employees and using packaging with ultra-light glass and materials from sustainable forests. This was a conscious choice, Manelli says. “The company can’t hide from its responsibilities in terms of environmental and social impact … We can consider it a new form of social culture, remind-ing us all how a greater consumer expectation for transparency, in addition to increasingly stricter laws, will require businesses to think more about this in order to remain on the market.”

Sfera, a Maremma-based start-up launched in 2016 by Luigi Galimberi, knows how to stay in the market. The company began operations on the

cusp of this global shift in mentality, focused on a simple objective: to design the first fully sustain-able system for producing vegetables. The gamble paid off, having found a way to recreate the ideal climatic conditions for cultivating tomatoes and lettuce, able to sustain long periods with tempera-tures below freezing. Sfera has also made collect-ing rainwater a key part of its mission, enabling op-erations to continue during drier months. The firm exclusively uses biological pest control instead of products that can alter the produce’s aromas and flavours. Such a model has proven successful, given that the company has turned over up to five million euro, far outpacing other start-ups in the region.

But it’s not just food and wine that’s got Tuscany going green. Monteverdi Marittimo is about to wel-come a revolutionary scheme, trialed in Chiusdino in 2017-18: a greenhouse that uses geothermal heat and renewable CO2 generated at the near-by geothermal power plant to produce spirulina, a “superfood” rich in protein and antibiotic and antiviral properties. The experimental greenhouse in Chiusdino, made possible thanks to a collab-oration between Enel Green Power and Co.Svi.G (Consortium for the Development of Geothermal Areas), produced “25 per cent more spirulina with 30 per cent less cost,” according to Enel’s website.

Harvesting the power of this clean and renew-able energy will not only be an opportunity to pro-duce this important alga, but is a marked reflection of Tuscans’ values regarding the protection of their small corner of the planet. Giving back to the world by making use of their land and carrying on local traditions in a sustainable fashion is by no means

A landmark report announced by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Service in

May 2019 confirmed an alarming fact: the planet as we know it is in grave danger of deteriorating. As the human population

continues to rise and an increasingly high number of species face imminent extinction, our quality of life is set to be altered

irreversibly over the next few decades. Many have anticipated these detrimental changes and attempted to reverse the course

of our decline, their efforts proven justified in the wake of the IPBES report.

a by-product of these endeavors. Manelli’s love for the land and desire to safeguard it led Salcheto to become the first company in the world to certify the carbon footprint of a wine bottle, while Galim-berti has hired over 250 people since opening three years ago, offering jobs in an area with rising unemployment.

Each company sees a promising future in pursu-ing sustainability as a central part of their business plan. Galimberti and the entire team at Sfera Agricola knows that they are contributing toward ensuring to-day’s and future generations’ right to food, conscious that, at the current rate of population growth, stan-dard farming techniques cannot produce enough food for everyone. Through Salcheto, Manelli aims to tackle some of the biggest challenges for the future, like packaging and clean fuel for his ma-chinery, while also spreading awareness about the culture of sustainability. And for Enel Green Power, where being eco-friendly informs every step of its production chain, cultivating nutrient-plump spiruli-na has the potential to target malnutrition and world hunger, proving that going green is much more than a passing trend.

“Manelli’s love for the land and desire to safeguard it led Salcheto to become the first company in the world to certify the carbon footprint of a wine bottle, while Galimberti has hired over 250 people since opening three years ago, offering jobs in an area with rising unemployment.”

SUSTAINABLE / Samantha Vaughn

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Musk to markets

Confession time, for context: my senses aren’t exactly the sharpest. Coming from a moderately myopic family, some visual impairment is probably inevitable, but my stubbornness to embrace neither specs nor contacts sets me apart. Nine times out of ten, my (frequently misplaced) glasses are relegated to bottom-of-bag territory, gathering dust alongside ageing receipts and forgotten coins: I convince myself that distant landscapes look more romantic in a soft blur. Similarly, my aural abilities are questionable at best—tactful whispering has never been my strong suit, while conversations at clubs or concerts are personally outlawed. My almost-nonagenarian nonna beats me at both senses, having spent her formative years mercifully free of headphones and laptop screens. My sole saving grace is my nose. I’ve subconsciously chronicled a life’s worth of memories through scent. Wild garlic whooshes me back to childhood walks in the Irish countryside, while certain disinfectants recall nervous first-day treks through school corridors. My subsequent move to Florence was categorised no differently with a panoply of new smells—most perfumed, some pungent—suddenly at my disposal. While each season brings a fresh lot of findings, some scents are perennial: the following aromas, listed in no order of preference, are pervading Florence right now.

PERFUME / Amelia Éclectique

1/ Leather in San LorenzoMy first Florentine apartment was perched several paces from piazza San Lorenzo, so my initial saunters around the city, akin to most tourists/adoptive residents, centred around its neigh-bouring streets. The outdoor market was suffused with the scent of genu-ine leather—imitation leather boasts no such smell—on a scale that I’d not previously experienced. Although I’m slightly less enchanted by leather whiffs these days (I prefer my pelle eco), it remains an evocative fragrance and, even when I smell it elsewhere, strong-ly Florentine.

2/ Fish at the Mercato CentraleThere’s a serious downside to having a keen snout: I can sniff fishmongers a mile away and usually struggle to power through their pungency. For the Mercato Centrale, however, I make an exception since the multifarious scents are part of its charm. Pescheria Dolfi Fulvio has been selling fresh fish since the early 1900s so heritage-steeped is its business. Somehow the knowledge that this market fixture has overseen a century’s worth of Florence, stand-ing tall amidst its peaks and troughs, makes the malodour more bearable, even enjoyable.

3/ Wild boar sauces + stewsSeptember in Florence is typically mild, the city finally unshackled from sweat-slicked humidity. Autumn is still in its infancy, but it finally feels justified to re-embrace the city’s heartiest dishes: their mouth-watering contents are a masterclass in slow cooking. My abid-

ing favourites are peppery peposo stew, its scented steam as luscious as the silken gravy, and rich wild boar sauce. I first sampled both at Trattoria Buzz-ino, a stone’s throw from piazza della Signoria, and later savoured them at Oltrarno classic Osteria del Cinghiale Bi-anco, before falling further in love with Ristorante Paoli’s rendition. Doubtless, everyone has their favourite spot.

4/ Sewage miasmaAny half-baked guidebook to Florence states that the Medici family built the Vasari Corridor with two main purposes in mind: to pass between Palazzo Vec-chio and Palazzo Pitti unscathed, and to travel unfettered by the stench of open sewers below. Skip ahead several cen-turies and these sulphuric odours still tinge the historic centre, most potent-ly, from personal experience, outside Palazzo Medici Riccardi. It’s difficult to drink in these storied buildings when you’re focused on keeping your nostrils clenched.

5/ Heavenly muskIn the case of Renaissance chapels and churches, stepping inside proves an in-stant reliever from the stench outside. Regardless of one’s religion, or lack thereof, the scents that percolate these structures are visceral; their musty dust-laced air enlivened by the burn-ing of incense. At the risk of sounding

clichéd, these magnificent buildings are scented by history, experience and emotion. There’s a tangible heaviness to the fragrance. The same reasoning applies to Florence’s palaces and gal-leries, given their long-standing roots; I’ve felt a semblance of this in the stair-wells of Palazzo Pitti. Nevertheless, there’s an added headiness to a chap-el’s perfume—cynics, of course, might chalk this up to the lack of air con.

6/ Whiffs of white truffleMuch to my regret, I’ve never been truffle hunting, but a number of fresh-ly unearthed tubers have tickled my nostrils in the back rooms of trattorie and the kitchens of more fortunate friends. I went into my first sniff test with pre-conceived notions, having heard their fragrance compared to all manner of unpleasant whiffs (read: un-washed feet). The full-bodied, earthy pong of these misshapen treasures almost floored me, but not quite for the reasons I expected: it was serious-ly pungent, yes, yet equally alluring. The fragrance ascends to fresh heights when scattered, in delicate slivers, across buttery tagliatelle, the feathery wafers melting headfirst into molten Parmesan. Those eager to track down truffles, pre- or post-hunt, could try the Savini Tartufi stall in the Mercato Cen-trale Firenze.

As Pitti Fragranze’s annual fix-ture wafts through Florentine

streets, the industry’s sharpest and future-filtering noses follow suit. Much like Pitti Uomo’s preserve as global trailblazer of menswear trends, Fragranze has cemented Florence as an international city of scent, its forward-thinking schedule stretching from niche innovators to fragrance front-runners. With such clear-cut emphasis placed on the new, however, one could easily lose sense of the city’s perfumed past, a heritage that usurps Paris as the smartly dressed mother of modern fragrance.

Like most other cosmetic marvels, the artistry of aroma making began in ancient Egypt, where artisans would meld local spices and flowers to fragrant effect. Though witnessed and tweaked by Roman rulers, it wasn’t until the 1200s that these concoctions spearheaded by Flo-rentine monks descended on west-ern Europe. Stationed in the church of Santa Maria delle Vigne (later reti-tled Santa Maria Novella), the broth-ers brewed monastic medicines that proved indispensable some 100 years later, disinfecting civilians rav-aged by the Black Death. It wasn’t until Renato Bianco was born, circa 1500, that some opulence was shot into this pious apothecary. Aban-doned at birth and raised by the alchemist monks, he soon won the favour of Catherine de’ Medici, cre-ating a bespoke bergamot-infused scent, known as Acqua della Regina, for the teenage queen-to-be. When her marriage to Henry II was sealed, she whisked Bianco off to a French court, where his Florentine scents proved an instant success. In an age awash with questionable whiffs (personal hygiene took a perennial backseat), some sweet-smelling substances were a literal breath of fresh air. Nominally restyled as René Le Florentin, Bianco opened his Parisian atelier to roaring acclaim, protected from competitors thanks to his regal connections. Paving an aromatic path that scent legends would later tread, Bianco imbued luxury and novelty into a once-prac-tical profession. For those willing to trade their Chanel No. 5 for some-thing even more historic, you can purchase his Acqua della Regina (now called Acqua di S. M. Novella conjured up from the original reci-pe) at Officina Profumo Farmaceuti-ca di Santa Maria Novella.

Originally hailing from Dublin, Amelia Éclectique pens fashion and culture articles from her newly adopted home of Florence. Continuing on a writing ethos that champions the most eclectic of emerging design talents and creative innovators, you’ll find her fawning over the city’s abundance of gold-embellished ceilings and uncovering vintage treasure troves. @ameliaeclectique / www.lafemmeeclectique.com

The godfather of fragrance


Helen Farrell: Do people come to you with a clear idea about the fragrances they like or do you educate about scents?Sileno Cheloni: Our noses work on a yes-or-no basis. Is that the right or the wrong thing to eat? Will it make me ill? Is that a poison or not? That’s how we react to stimuli. If a client doesn’t like the smell of roses, for example, it’ll be hard to change their minds. They might smell the essential oil, which is pure, and find it to be very different than what they had perhaps perceived as the rose perfume they’d pre-viously purchased from certain brands. For this reason, when people smell what I keep here, sometimes for them it’s an improvement and sometimes it’s not. Per-haps someone walks in wanting patchouli, but when they smell the real patchouli, they’ll say, “But I wanted something else”.

HF: Are perfumes male or female specific? Or is there a certain degree of gender fluidity?SC: Rose is a perfume that belongs neither to the masculine or feminine sphere. In the Arab world, rose is a masculine fragrance, whereas in France, it’s considered a fragrance for women.

HF: Do people walk in inspired by Florence, having smelled something in the air that they’d like to take away as a scent memory? SC: We don’t really do that kind of thing, because otherwise we’d descend into touristy territory. We make a fragrance that features the Florentine iris; it’s not what you’d expect, it’s a bit woody, very particular. It’s obvious that if we were to identify ourselves with Florence, they would be a clear sales approach. However, everything we do is made in Florence: artisans make and engrave our bottles. That’s what we want to communicate.

HF: Are there scent preferences based on nationality? SC: People from the Far East love lighter perfumes. They don’t like the woody, resin-ous perfumes that are adored in Arab countries. Americans have got used to com-mercial perfumes because over there it’s hard to find niche fragrances. Scents are an Italian thing. It was born here; it’s our invention.

HF: Do you seek inspiration from the history of perfume in Florence?SC: I once made a Renaissance perfume based on what I found documented on papers about trade routes to America and the Far East. The famous Rose de Grasse and Rosa di Maggio, which can’t be found anymore, were brought into being by Catherine de’ Medici. I made a version of the perfumed gloves that Catherine wore. When she removed them, the scent would stay on her hands. At that time, hands

were the only point of contact between people. Back in Renaissance Florence, physicians believed that perfume kept viruses and illness at bay. Whenever they visited sick people, they wore a beak, which had two holes over which they laid a cloth soaked in perfume.

HF: Which perfumes did they use?SC: Rose and lavender in particular. Chemical research was being done in Florence: there were physicians, spice merchants, apothecaries, and also alchemists. Studies were conducted into spagiria, organic chemistry, into the art of distillation and harvesting plants in specific situations, with the sun in a certain position and when plants yielded their best aromas. This research resulted in the making of strong oils that were often used by alchemists. There was always this aphrodisiacal aspect too. Ambergris, which is found in the ocean, came to be used in medicines, as an aphrodisiac in herbal teas, and in perfumes too.

HF: Tell us about your career to date. SC: I worked for important brands in the perfume world before reaching a point where I wanted to create a “new” concept, which was linked to my name. I was the creative director and founder of Aquaflor, but I was a minority shareholder. Aquaflor was important for me to understand certain things. For me, a perfumery is best expressed in a small space that’s personalised and intimate. What we offer here in via di San Niccolò is a bespoke experience that doesn’t exist anywhere else in the world: the profumoir. Guests sit down at this desk by the window and can choose from an “organ” of 99 bottles of scent blends that I’ve created. I guide peo-ple through the experience using droppers to make their own custom fragrance during a one-hour consultation. My wish is that people leave here happy that they’ve created a unique perfume all of their own.

HF: How does the bespoke perfume-making process work?SC: I explain how perfume is made: the percentages needed and how to construct a formula. Then I ask a series of questions to understand a person’s perfume expe-riences and personal tastes. Some people come to me because the scent they’ve used their entire life has been discontinued. We can try to make something similar, but it will never be exactly the same. There are two different categories of people: those who use the same perfume their whole life and those who change all the time. When I was at university, I had no money, but I travelled, and I’d always buy a tube of toothpaste wherever I went. Whenever I used it afterwards, I’d be trans-ported back there. Many people use perfume to remind themselves of particular moments in their lives.

The scent sorcererYou might not be searching for the philosopher’s stone down via di San Niccolò, but strolling into Sileno Cheloni’s signature atelier feels like you’ve found it. This blue-hued den is a cabinet of curiosities that charms passersby powerless before personalized perfumes. FRAGRANCE / Helen Farrell + photos by Marco Badiani


Cooking in FlorenceCooking Class & Personal Chef

Via Ghibellina 3c\r, FlorencePh. +39 335 6469869 / +39 338 6248098

www.cookinginflorence.it

L’Ideale: where cooking is personalIt’s tricky to get Laura and Gianluca of Cooking in Florence to stay still for long enough to explain what’s next this autumn at their via Ghibellina loft. But once they do pause over a moka coffee and homemade almond-studded cookies, you realize that a culinary extravaganza is in store.

TF x Cooking in Florence

Laura (“The Boss”, her words) meets and greets individuals who arrive as customers and leave as friends, imparting her years of gastronom-

ic knowledge, while Gianluca (“The Gypsy Chef”, his words) flits between stove and sitting area, pas-sionate and personable about the seasonal ingredi-ents spotted at the nearby market. Passion for food is a personal affair, one that this chalk-and-cheese pair have made into their quest down the decades in the trade. L’Ideale connects the dots; you arrive with the outline to your tastes, and Laura and Gianluca will do the colouring in, blurring the lines and bursting with colours, flavours and aromas that you’d simply never chanced upon before. This is what makes Cooking in Florence stand out: it’s run by passionate, profes-sional food experts who work in a flexible space that’s neither a restaurant nor a traditional cooking school, all based on an honest hunger to reveal Tuscany’s gas-tronomic specialities.

Tell Laura what you have in mind and she’ll devise the experience for you, whether it’s a significant birth-day or milestone anniversary, a reunion among old friends, corporate teambuilding or a cooking class with family. The bliss of the via Ghibellina space is that it can be tailored to your needs, whims or desires, for cooking, eating, drinking and dancing. Before your eyes, Gianluca will whip up dishes to delight your taste buds: classic but surprising recipes that acknowledge the region’s past while embracing its present, from flavourful canapés to freshly baked bread made with ancient grains, fresh egg pasta with meat sauces like mamma makes, hearty wild boar stews and indulgent

desserts. Nothing’s overly technical or pretentious, and there’s not an avocado in sight (well, perhaps oc-casionally, just for fun).

L’Ideale, the sizeable studio space belonging to Cooking in Florence, represents an Ithaka, idyllic culi-nary circumstances in which the journey proves more important than the destination. Here, in via Ghibellina, a whisk away from the seasonal, ever-fresh and curat-ed produce at top local markets, the idea of cooking distances itself from the tried-and-tested restaurant concept to focus on the inherently personal nature of being in the kitchen. It’s a sociable space in which conversation flows at the natural pace of provisioning: steaks from a trusted beef supplier in the Mugello, wines from a friend of a friend’s niche estate, grainy cave-aged cheeses from a maker in the Maremma. Unexpected and unconventional, anything could happen at L’Ideale—and invariably it does.

As the summer comes to a close and autumn draws in, L’Ideale will become a culinary cultural hub with its themed dinners all'italiana. From mid-October on-wards, Laura and Gianluca will welcome fellow foodie friends for gastronomic experiences that in the past have ranged from an evening celebrating Calvana beef reared in the mountains near Prato to a bread, butter and Tuscan Cabernet night.

Stay in touch by signing up for the Cooking in Florence newsletter:

[email protected]

259September 2019 29259September 2019 29

Gourmet cuisineat Grand Hotel Minerva150 YEARS / TF x GHM

It’s a prime dining location in Florence: an exquisitely laid table by piazza Santa Maria Novella. La Buona Novella Restaurant at Grand Hotel Minerva serves gourmet cuisine by night and contemporary hotel fare by day. We spoke with talented young chef Tommaso Calonaci to find out about the new summer menu and his team’s sources of inspiration.

The Florentine: There’s plenty of fruit and vegeta-bles on the menu. Is that a deliberate choice?Tommaso Calonaci: Seventy percent of our menu centres around fruit and vegetables. On the summer menu, there’s mackerel with peaches. We bathe the mackerel first in salt and then in an acidulous mari-nade, where we add peaches macerated in vinegar. The fish is served with fresh and grilled peaches with miso. I like to use the broiler as it reminds us of Tuscan cooking, which we’ve lost a little in recent times. The idea is to apply a touch of sourness and char to unusu-al ingredients like peaches in this instance. We like to add contrast and movement in terms of taste and co-lour. You’ll also find cannelloni pasta filled with ricotta and nettles served with venison tartare and seasonal fruits. The aim is to serve dishes that have substantial and tangible flavours.

TF: Tell us about your signature dishes.TC: One of my signature dishes is a chocolate mousse made from 70 percent Valrhona chocolate and ex-tra-virgin olive oil, which enhances the flavour of the chocolate. We play with contrasting temperatures and consistencies: a slightly salty cocoa crumble, yogurt gelato, frozen raspberry caramel. As you dip a spoon in it, your mouth perceives the warmth of the mousse, followed by the gelato that lowers the temperature.

TF: That sounds delicious. What about a main course?TC: Onion noodles is another dish that’s been on the menu for a year and a half now. It’s a recipe that ev-eryone seems to enjoy, even people who aren’t con-vinced when it comes to onions. We slice them so they resemble spaghetti before marinating the strands in milk for a day before serving them like an elongat-ed nest on the plate with grated pepper, lemon and liquorice dust over the top, plus a pouring of light Parmesan fondue. Given that the onions aren’t over-worked, they maintain their crunchiness, while being delicately flavoured at the same time.

Grand Hotel MinervaPiazza Santa Maria Novella 16, Florencewww.grandhotelminerva.comFB: @labuonanovellaGHMIG: @labuonanovellaghmT. 055 27230

TF: We love the cocktails served with perfect snacks up on the roof. How difficult was it to devise these pairings?TC: We’ve had a lot of fun developing dishes that pair with the cocktails concocted by our barman Kareem Bennett. The concept was to do something different with the hotel’s cocktail list. Our job in the kitchen was to develop snacks that complement the enticing drinks that Kareem has designed alongside Julian Bi-ondi. The mescal-based Paloma, made from mescal and grapefruit, flirts with smokiness and freshness, so our solution, which plays with similar flavours, was a ceviche featuring smoked paprika and herring caviar. Creating a dish as a pairing is always a tricky business, but luckily Kareem and I have similar sensibilities. It almost never happens, but we managed to get it just right on the first attempt!

TF: The bread served at La Buona Novella is memorable. Do you make it yourself?TC: In the kitchen, we make everything from scratch, including the bread, which we improve everyday—it’s a passion of mine. I really care about the starter yeast and sourcing mostly local flours. Our bread strives to be innovative as the perfect accompaniment to a meal, so we change it often.

TF: What’s your career path been to date? TC: When I started three and a half years ago at Grand Hotel Minerva, I first spent a month under Giuseppe Mancino’s wing at Il Principe di Piemonte in Versilia—the Maestrelli family, the proprietors of the Minerva, are also involved in that hotel’s operations. Mancino’s a true professional and a wonderful person; he taught me the ropes of managing a grand hotel kitchen.

Previous to that, I worked at Il Vecchio Mulino, in Bagno a Ripoli, before spending a short spell in Rennes, before returning to Florence’s Acquapazza, La Prova del Nove at Firenze Number Nine and La Ménagère under Davide Oldani. The management here at Grand Hotel Minerva believed in me from the get-go with a new kitchen—I was only 24 at the time. That first season was intense as I learned how to manage the all-day nature of the job, from breakfast to lunch, aperitif by the pool and dinner by the piazza. Now, it’s a well-oiled machine with one of the young-est and most talented teams in town.

TF: How would you sum up your culinary philosophy?TC: For chefs, there’s always the risk of being tempt-ed into using too many ingredients and frills, but in actual fact the best dishes are based on three ele-ments that pair well together.

We want to serve dishesthat have substantialand tangible flavours.


Friends at sea#CASTIGLIONCELLO / Tara Guaimano

The endless Italian summer was great for the tanned patrons, but the surfers’ outlook great-ly differed. The Garagolo hadn’t seen a sin-

gle wave all week. Nonetheless, Michele Rinaldi, a 27-year-old local surfer, paddled out on a soft-top longboard, with eager eyes and no waves in sight.

However, by October, the Garagolo saw waves reaching up to two meters overhead.

“Surfing at home in Italy has its perks—familiar sceneries, friends and atmosphere,” said Rinaldi, a team rider and surf school instructor at Amici del Mare. “We have quality surfing days, and although it’s not the ocean, it’s still worth it.”

The Italian surf is inconsistent and its smoothest rides come during fall storm seasons. But for the crew at Amici del Mare Surf School in Castiglion-cello, the search is half the thrill. When the bays are flat, they grab an espresso together and wait for the swell.

“The waves here really won’t be as big as they are in other places. I think that, in Italy, this is why surf-ing is skipped over,” said Andrea Cannavò, coach and director at Amici del Mare. “There aren’t waves every day—you have to go find them.”

Amici del Mare Surf School is situated on a beach walk on the Garagolo Bay. On days where the fore-cast is flat, the instructors and team riders hang out on the beach, enjoying each other’s company. Between monitoring the winds and early morning wave checks, the unpredictability of the Italian surf allows for utmost appreciation for the land they call home.

“Most likely, the most beautiful sets will not be surfed by anyone,” Cannavò said.

Surf culture in Italy has been around for decades, but it hasn’t gained much traction in the global surf conversation until recent years. Professionals like Leonardo Fioravanti have made their name in World Surf League Championships and have put Italian surfers on the map. Today, thanks to Ami-ci del Mare and other surf schools, the sport has gained immense visibility on the Italian peninsula.

“In the past, there was this idea here in Italy that those who practiced surfing were out of the box or alternative,” Cannavò said. “I still remember when I was told that I was crazy because I was surfing during the winter months. Now, with the right gear, it’s totally normal.”

Born and raised in Castiglioncello, Cannavò surfed his first waves on the Garagolo. He was a member of the Italian national bodyboarding team for 10 years and has earned multiple champion titles in the Italian, European and world body-board competitions. Since then, he’s committed his career to spreading the culture that he holds close to heart.

“It’s an amazing feeling to be able to transmit the same thing I felt when I first learned,” he said.

Castiglioncello usually sees smaller waves, owing to the currents from the south and south-west winds. Waves originating from a southern wind are usually blocked by Elba Island, unless they are especially strong, where they can reach about two meters. At the peak of the season, some of the smoothest rides come from winds in front of Corsica.

“We have been able to create a group of peo-ple who really appreciate what they have, where they are, and Italy for what it is,” Cannavò said. “Not everyone has the opportunity to travel to surf in France, Spain or America—we have to learn how to appreciate the Italian sea.”

The Garagolo and Bagni Quercetano, Castiglion-cello’s other typical surf spot, have rocky shores, allowing for a diversity of wave patterns that work for both pros and beginners.

“This helps us to spread the culture of surfing and creates solid bonds between our surfers,” Can-navò said.

“If we have a swell, at first light, I’m in the water with my friends,” said Simone Martini, 24-year-old team rider and co-founder of Italian surfboard company Etesia Surfboards in Cecina.

For Rinaldi and Martini, who are consistent qual-ifiers in Italian championships year-round, bonding with the younger team riders is part of all the fun.

“You can’t see the difference of our ages in the water,” Martini said.

The growth of Amici del Mare Surf School is only one piece of the transition that Italian surfing has taken from alternative to popular culture. Most of it has come from family values and a shared connec-tion to the sea amongst Italian surfers and beach-goers.

“I think surfing in Italy is one of the most beau-tiful things,” Cannavò said. “Even though Castigli-oncello is not the most famous surf spot in Italy, you search for waves where you want, because it’s where you want to be.”

FILM OVERVIEWAmici del Mare is a short documentary film ex-amining surf culture and lifestyle on the Tuscan Coast. Following the lives of the instructors and team riders of Amici del Mare Surf School, the film features a heartwarming story of family val-ues in the coastal town of Castiglioncello. The story considers the transition of surfing in Italy from alternative to popular culture through a mutual connection to the sea. Director Tara Guaimano and producers Jackson Klarsfeld and Anthony Vitale are students at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York. Guaimano is an Italian-American surfer from New Jersey who crossed paths with the surfers during her time studying abroad in Italy.

Amici del Mare will be available for streaming free online on September 15. View it online at: www.theflr.net/amicidelmare.

A sea of Italian beachgoers sunbathed along the Garagolo bay in late September. Beside them sat a group of five young surfers,

longboards in hand, watching the lifeless water lapping on the rocky shoreline.

Amici del Mare Surf School coach and bodyboard champion Andrea Cannavò.

Ph. Benjamin Thomas Ward

Team rider Michele Rinaldi.Ph. Benjamin Thomas Ward

Castiglioncello’s Bagni Quercetano.Ph.Tara Guaimano


Harvest and moreSEGGIANO / Helen Farrell

Featuring thought-provoking photog-raphy by Roberto Benzi, Paolo Maz-

zo and Carlos Nuñez Delgado-Roig, on September 7 the Andalucía exhibition will be presented by the castle’s own-er Charlotte Horton and horse breeder Mirko Nesurini, with Maria Silvana Pavan on the piano. The free show will run until December 31 (10.30am-12.30pm, 3-6pm; closed Mondays).

The harvest is on the horizon and Cas-tello di Potentino is no exception. Join Emily O’Hare (Decanter, The Florentine and former head sommelier and wine buyer at London’s The River Café) for the Wine-making and Level Two WSET course. This six-day residential course, running September 15 to 22, will involve hands-on grape picking and fruit pressing—

even using the Etruscan wine stones to squeeze out the juice by foot—before studying for the sought-after international wine knowledge qualifi-cation. Chablis, Chateauneuf du Pape, Barolo, Rioja and many more tastings are on the table, alongside the castle’s own ethereal wines, plus plenty of op-portunities to explore the local region. See www.potentino.com for further details and to sign up.

While visiting the castle, marvel at the painstaking restoration project accomplished by the estate’s owners. Dating to 1042, when the stronghold was the property of a certain Count Pietrone or Pepone, the Greene family acquired Potentino in 2000.

“The castle was a complete wreck when we found it,” explains Charlotte Horton. “The roofs were falling in, the doors and windows were in bits and pieces, rooms full of bottles and old mattresses. It took our team at least two weeks to clear it out before we could even start working out how much there was to do. There was no plumbing or electricity, so bathrooms were quite a novelty for the building. The loo we found was a medieval hole with a long drop to a cesspit at the bottom of the tower!”

Room by room, the family reno-vated the eleventh-century fortress, saving the colours and designs they unearthed along the way. Only local,

September is a sublime month to visit Castello di Potentino,

and unusually there’s a taste of Southern Spain in the offing.

booking potentino.com information whitecottagebakery.com

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Helen Underwood from the White Cottage Bakery was recently a participant at Terroir Tuscany last November and we immediately knew she would be back at Potentino before too long.

Helen has devised this wonderful week of hands-on baking and all things yeasty. Come and get kneading! Master the art of Italian bread making! It is going to be a brilliant week.

The White Cottage Bakery’s

From Thursday, October 31 to Thursday, November 7

Tuscan Baking Retreat

traditional natural materials were used, such as terracotta, peperino (volcanic stone), chestnut wood, earth pigments and oxides for colour and whitewash. Old beams were cut and used to face newly constructed doors. Coach bolts were secured instead of modern screws. Rusty hinges were a must, not shiny brass or chrome.

Sip wine, gaze at the exhibition, learn something: Castello di Potentino won’t let you leave until the ancient edifice has enthralled you by its Etruscan essence.


A new look for a centuries-old wine estateHot on the heels of the success of desired destination wedding venue Villa Medicea di Lilliano and the recent opening of urban luxury apartments Peruzzi Residences in Florence’s Santa Croce quarter, now the Malenchini family have rebranded their wines.

Contemporary while retaining Italian refinement, the updated sleek labels are an outward

expression of the modern direction embraced by the Malenchini family, who have been producing award-winning wines in the hills near Florence for over a century. The fresh and fun packaging is proudly emblazoned with the logo of the Chianti Colli Fiorentini wine consortium as well as the estate’s crown-topped flag emblem.

The contents inside the bottle evolve all the time as quality

comes from years of expertise and experience. From the cherry-scented Chianti DOCG to the bold Super Tuscan IGT Bruzzico and luscious Vin Santo patiently aged in small oak barrels, September is a stellar month to explore the Villa Medicea di Lilliano Wine Estate. Experience the grape harvest among the berry-heavy vines, explore the ancient cellars on the winery tour and savour tastings in the quintessentially Tuscan wine shop.

The cooking class experience in the villa’s historic kitchen is a memorable activity as Italian mamma

Villa Medicea di Lilliano Via Lilliano e Meoli 82, Grassina,

near Florence www.medicivilla.com

IG: @villamediceadilillianoFB: @villadililliano

Peruzzi Urban Residences Piazza dei Peruzzi 4, Florence

www.peruzziresidences.com IG: @peruzziresidencesFB: @peruzziresidences

Monica shares her family recipes for typical Tuscan dishes, such as fresh pasta and tiramisu.

Don’t miss the free Sound Stations Jazz Concert on September 15. Starting at 9pm, Nicola Vernuccio and Claudia Tellini will perform a repertoire that resembles a long, delicate weaving of fragments: operetta, musicals, jazz, jewels of African and Mediterranean traditions, and spiritual music, which are anything but predictable. During the evening, guests will be able to taste and purchase the new-look Malenchini estate wines.

RUFFINO&

PONTASSIEVE7 - 8 SEPTEMBER 2019

THREE DAYS OF FOOD,WINE, MUSIC

AND MUCH MORE

LDA 1877

Entrance from Via Aretina,Piazzale Ruffino 1 - Pontassieve

SATURDAY AND SUNDAY

FREE WINERY TOURAND WINE TASTING

FROM 3 PM TO 8 PM

The historic Ruffino cellarsopen especially

for the occasion,the site of wine productionin Pontassieve since 1877.

ETHICAL STEAKHOUSE

Open daily from noon to midnightVia de’ Ginori 24r - FlorenceReservations: Tel. 055/294065

S L I C ED S I R LO I N*ROCKET SALAD & PECORINO CHEESE with extra virgin Tuscan oil 15

CARAMELIZED ONIONSwith extra virgin Tuscan oil 15

BLACK TUSCAN TRUFFLEwith extra virgin Tuscan oil 18

FAVA BEAN CREAMwith extra virgin Tuscan oil 16

* many other meat specialities are available


ETHICAL STEAKHOUSE

Open daily from noon to midnightVia de’ Ginori 24r - FlorenceReservations: Tel. 055/294065

S L I C ED S I R LO I N*ROCKET SALAD & PECORINO CHEESE with extra virgin Tuscan oil 15

CARAMELIZED ONIONSwith extra virgin Tuscan oil 15

BLACK TUSCAN TRUFFLEwith extra virgin Tuscan oil 18

FAVA BEAN CREAMwith extra virgin Tuscan oil 16

* many other meat specialities are available

Classifieds& Bizcards

Seeking but not finding? If English is your first language and Florence is where you live, you might find what you're looking for in our classifieds. Need something? Submit a classified online at www.theflorentine.net/submit-a-classified/

THE BEST WAY TO GET AND FIND WHAT YOU NEED

ACTIVITIES & CLASSES

Art & Academic classes

Teacher Academy: Invest in yourself! The best-rated teacher training course pro-vider in Europe is in Florence! The Academy offers short term (1-2 weeks) professional development courses for teachers. It is a great place to meet teachers from all over Europe and exchange experiences. Our courses are offered in 14 European cities. 99% satisfied. Register with us! E-mail: [email protected] www.teacheracademy.eu +39 055 247 9995

Learn at Cartavetra: weekly session Contemporary techniques (MON. 6-9 pm), exploration of art techniques using tools of daily life; Illustration/Monotype (TUES. 6–9pm/ WED. 10am–1pm), creativity devel-opment through monotype, stencil, collage; Engraving Techniques (WED. 6–9 pm), les-sons in plate making, basic inking and print-ing. Email: [email protected] tel. 340 0792 997, www.cartavetra.org

Kids Activities and courses

New bilingual school, Borgo San Lorenzo Now accepting applications for the new school year! Interesting partnerships with both local and international schools, exciting curriculum, and lots more! From 5 years old through middle school. Professional, quali-fied teachers. Part time options and distance options available for homeschoolers. Contact us for more details. Tel. +39 055 8495765 E-mail [email protected] www.centrostudimugello.it

Language classes

Speaking Italian With Valentina Experienced Italian Tutor offers individual/group classes at any level and age. I want to help you feel confident and learn Italian quickly and proficiently. We can personalize the lessons to your goals. I'll provide you with all the material. Lessons are available at either my location, your home/workplace, or by Skype: my timetable is flexible as suits your needs. FB page: Speaking Italian In Florence With Vale Tel. +39 3398124465 www.speakingitalianinflorence.com

Italian lessons/cultural lessons I'm Roberta, a qualified, experienced and motivated Italian teacher. I offer Italian lessons/cultural lessons, based on my long experience and passion for helping others learn. Beyond my qualification, I'm dedicated to showing my students the empathy and guidance needed for learning. Write to me for information, reviews, prices. Roberta: [email protected]

SPEAK ENGLISH WITH CONFIDENCE. Intermediate, academic, business and con-versational English. One-on-one or small group. Themes, complemented by vocab-ulary, grammar. Energetic instructor: native spkr, 17 yrs university-level teaching. Get in touch for a free half-hour meeting. Central Florence. Tel. 366 242 9229 Email: [email protected]

Italian lessons for all levels Italian teachers with university degree in Italian Language and Literature, offer private one on one as well as group Italian lessons for all levels, classes focused on practical skills. In short: lessons for all tastes – tailor made – just how you want it. We have a vast range of experience with people from different cultures and language levels. Enjoyable, fun and interactive lessons that show results! 25 Euro for a lesson. Call/send a message 334/1978686 or 349/7893685.E- mail: [email protected]

Qualified English Teacher To improve your grasp of the English lan-guage regardless of your age or current lev-el of English get in contact with me. I hold the certificate in Teaching English to Speak-ers of Other Languages. For many years, I was the Global Vice President of Public Re-lations and Marketing Communications at The Economist newspaper in London. I hold a Masters degee in Art History from The Courtauld Institute. My Bachelors is in Law. Call me on 389 253 9949 or E-mail: [email protected]

School of Italian language and culture Learn Italian in a beautiful innovative school in the heart of Florence. Classes for standard Italian, art history, music & theatre, food & wine and more. Maximum 8 students per group. Extracurricular activities to live the

city like a Florentine. Tel. 055 2741464 www.italianme.it

Earn a TEFL Certificate. Train to teach English as a foreign language. New courses monthly - 4 weeks, 120 hrs, 10 hrs teaching practice. Graduate credits offered towards a master in TESOL. Via Lingua Florence. E-mail [email protected] Tel. 055 283161 www.cteflflorence.com

Tours & group activities

Stay Safe! Use a licensed tour operator. Make sure any tour services you use are registered and insured locally as required by law. #Licensedtouroperator. theflr.net/fiavet

Discover Hidden Florence Tours Join Linda Sassano Higgins, Nationally Licensed Italian Tour Guide, and take a journey through Florence like never before. Discover the Hidden Secrets that Florence has to tell: from Florence's Roman Origins to Saving Florence's Art during WWII. Private Museum, Walking Tours and Arti-san Demonstrations, tailored to your individual interests. Available September and October 2019 Tel. 393 314407113 - Discoverhft.com Email: [email protected]

Artviva, the Original & Best Tours Fully-licensed and insured and based ex-clusively in Florence for over twenty years, we are the most widely recommended tour company in Florence. We work with amazing experts, offering high quality small group tours and incredible events. Our team pro-vides outstanding customer care. We have fabulous new experiences on offer including Florence’s first Learn to Cook a Florentine Steak Experience. Use the coupon code: "Flo-rentine" on our site to get a great discount! Tel.+39 055 2645033 Email [email protected] www.artviva.com

Cooking with Carlotta: live like a local Customized cooking classes for individuals or small groups in a traditional Italian kitch-en, using local fresh ingredients and my grandmother’s cherished recipes. For more

information please Whatsapp me or visit the website. Tel. +39 329 0941506 www.cookingwithcarlotta.com

Tuscan Culinary Tour: Wine and Olive Oil Villa Medicea di Lilliano boasts more than 100 years of winemaking, and a centuries-old tradition of Italian olive oil production. Guid-ed tours are available any time of the day to tantalise your taste buds with a culinary tour and tastings of our award-winning wine and Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Tel. +39 055 642602 [email protected] www.medicivilla.com

Cooking in Florence Private hands-on cooking class and wine and olive oil tasting in Central Florence. We’ll be cooking a complete menu with fresh and seasonal ingredients. The chef is available for market tour and food experiences. Service of Personal chef in villa or catering. You’ll have an unforgettable experience ! Tel. +39 338 6248098 www.cookinginflorence.it

Various classes

Writing wizardry. Edit your MS (fiction or non-fiction), find best techniques, hone skills to keep readers turn-ing the pages. Meet for free half-hour consul-tation. Central Florence. (39) 366 242 9229 E-mail: [email protected]

HOUSING

Housing for rent

Luxury Loft in Santa Croce square Wonderful apartment in the centre of Flor-ence, in Santa Croce square, the heart of Florence night life. The apartment is newly renovated with high quality finishes and fittings, completely furnished, with 58" LCD TV and Wi-Fi internet connection. Rent from 6 to 18 months. Available from 16th Sept! My mobile is +393471926217 E-mail: [email protected]

Vacation rentals offered

Apartment for 2 months Bright, airy small apartment with a very old cat for rent in zona Gavinana from 11 Sep-tember to 11 November. On second floor, with a balcony , washing machine, micro-wave and induction stove. 350 eu/month. Please only enquire if serious, clean living and wanting it for both months. Tel. 3400907523 E-mail: [email protected]

JOBS

Child care & Au pair

Baby sitter English native speaker Florentine family looking for an english mother tongue baby sitter for 2 kids (8 and 3 years old). High flexibility in defining work hours. A basic understanding of Italian is needed and experience in managing kids. Please email cv.: [email protected] Tel. 393402511183

CENTROITALIANOFIRENZE

ARTE E PRODUZIONI ARTIGIANALI

FOTOGRAFIA, GRAFICA E VIDEO

ITALIAN LANGUAGE AND CULTURE

Centro italianodi cultura, artee formazioneprofessionale

Art and Artisan production

Photography, Graphics and Multimedia

www.centroitalianofirenze.it • Piazza D’Azeglio 20 • [email protected] • 055 0118558


Legal & consulting services

Legal-Tax-Technical Consultants SBF Consulting is a firm providing through its circuit, Accounting, Tax, Legal, Notarial and Architectural services. Our team pro-vides services in due diligence and assis-tance for Real Estate purchases/sales. For further information contact: Dr. Tomma-so Francalanci, Via dei Sette Santi 53, 50131 Firenze, T.055-5000850, E-mail [email protected]

Medical and healthcare services

Your dentist in the Centre of Florence. We take care of your mouth and of those headaches, back and neck pains provoked by unbalanced dentition. Dental office, via Sassetti 6. Tel. 055 215414, call for quick ap-pointments 333 9565550.

Clinical Psychologist Italian Clinical Psychologist in Florence, prac-tice in English, French, Spanish. Long term ex-perience in therapy for anxiety, panic, depres-sion, as well as cross-cultural couples therapy and study-abroad student counselling. EMDR Expert for trauma, behavioural dependencies. Work with emotions in order to get quality of daily life. Dr. Paolo Molino, Via Verdi 7. Tel. 3311064726 [email protected] www.paolomolino.com

American Psychotherapist Dr. Mary Ann Bellini practices in Florence at Lungarno Cellini 25. She is available for indi-vidual, couple, and family therapy. Dr. Bellini is well known in the international community for her experience in counseling with study-abroad university students and cross-cultural couples. In addition to therapy for depression, anxiety, and panic disorder, she is also an ex-pert in hypnotherapy for trauma, chronic pain, and disordered eating behaviors. Your mental wellness is an important priority. Tel. +39 339/5705988 [email protected]

NEW OSTEOPATH IN FLORENCE 15+years experience. Hands-on care for adults and children. Relief of acute injuries and chronic discomfort. Internationally-rec-ognized speaker. Two central locations. Call 0550107880 for an appointment. Mention ad for 30% off first visit. www.osteoinflorence.com

Child care & Au pair

English mother tongue babysitter Looking for an experienced English mother tongue babysitter to play with my 4 year-old daughter for two/three days a week, 15.30-17:30 p.m. Occasionally on Friday or Saturday night. Trustworthy, patient, loving and creative. Location Porta Romana. Tel. 328/8593078 E-mail: [email protected]

LONG-TERM BABYSITTING & EVENTS MyTata Inglese is an association that con-nects families with babysitters. We are look-ing for motivated NATIVE English speakers to join our community of babysitters. We orga-nize weekly labs and dynamic group/individ-ual babysitting. While we are happy to work with students, we have a preference for those staying longer terms. We encourage babysit-ters to share their hobbies with the children (painting, dancing, sculpting, acting etc.) so we prefer people with interests and passions. Prerequisites: 100% Native English-Speakers, motivated and professional. Must have week-day afternoon availability. Please email us your resume at [email protected]. Note: We will require a letter of recommenda-tion prior to introducing you to our families.

Job offered

English teachers Do you speak English & want to work in beautiful Florence?! Love working with chil-dren and need casual & flexible work? Come and join the Labsitters team! Our start-up company helps local kids learn English and have fun with games, arts & cooking classes. We want young, energetic English speakers (mother-tongue or fluent bilingual) to join us in Florence, Pisa & Prato. www.labsitters.com E-mail: [email protected]

Content Editor US mother tongue We are looking for an American mother tongue Content Editor to join our team at our office in Florence to add deals and offers on our coupons website Bravodeal.com. No remote job. Full time needed. Available from now. Please send us your CV with photo. 1000€ to 1200€ net E-mail: [email protected]

Dynamic individuals to join our team! International store in the center looking for dynamic individuals to join our team! Must be fluent in English and very outgoing. We are also looking for people who speak Rus-sian and Chinese. The positions available are for full time. If this sounds like you, please send your CV by email: [email protected]

Sales Assistant for selling Pandora jewelry in the center of Florence. Fluent English & Italian and preferably a third language. Part time. Please send CV by email: [email protected]

SERVICES

Beauty & Wellness

Munstermann Cosmetical & Phytotherapy products. The "farmacia" has perpetuated for almost a century an old-fashioned tradi-tion of producing medicinal preparatives and natural cosmetics. Open Tue-Sat 10am-1pm / 2-7pm. Piazza Goldoni 2r. Tel. 055/210660. www.munstermann.it

Nails & Beauty salons Your beauty centers in Florence, special-ized in nail reconstruction and eyelash extensions. Find us: via dell'Agnolo 109r/ whatsapp +393331725551, viale Lavagnini 20r / whatsapp +393387640409, via Nazio-nale 120r / whatsapp +393347519977.

General services

Saying I Do? Wedding Photography Whiskey & Champagne are US/Euro based wedding photographers who will capture your special day in a creative way through image storytelling that will be cherished for generations to come. Planning your Desti-nation Wedding or Engagement in Italy? Email [email protected]

Local, National, European and World wide relocation service. Tran Ship Italia. New Zea-lander owned and operated servicing the Flor-ence and Tuscany region since 2009. Regular trips around Europe and the U.K. International part loads, 20ft, 40ft containers world wide. Storage available. Call Richard st 340/8748222 [email protected] www.transhipitalia.com

Affordable Website Hosting & Development At SeaPortWebDesign.com we've been building websites for years and would love to add you to our list of clients. Check out our website and find out how affordable your website can be. Have questions? Contact us! See something you like? It can be yours fast-er than you think. Pick a pricing plan that fits and let's get started! Jeff Bianchi - Owner and part-time Florentine. SeaPortWebDesign.com Tel. 055 3061229

HOMEOPATHY Spark your body to heal itself. Discover op-timum health to enjoy your busy lifestyle. Boost energy, increase stamina, be your best self. English-qualified homeopath treats anx-iety, stress, back, joint & skin problems, Offers detox, balance and path to vitality. Get in touch for a free half-hour meeting. Central Florence. Tel. (39) 366 242 9229 E-mail: [email protected]

Food addiction Do you find comfort in food? Do you eat out of boredom/anger/frustration/dissatisfaction? Do you understand what you should and should not eat, but simply lack the willpower to follow through? Do you have diet relapses? What if the problem was simply an addiction? I work with you to gain the ‘know-how' needed to increase your willpower, because addiction is not a moral failure or a weakness. Addiction is a disease of the brain that needs to be accepted, understood and confronted. Your willpower will automatically increase as your addiction wanes. Service covered by insurance compa-nies: HTH, CISI and others. Dr. Sana Barada, via Roma no. 4, Florence. I can work with you at my facility in the heart of Florence or ONLINE. Text/WhatsApp: +39 3335467043. [email protected] www.sanafirenze.com/en/

Reiki Healing in Florence Reiki is a Japanese energy healing technique used to relieve stress & stress-related condi-tions; reduce chronic pain; remedy sleep/fa-tigue issues; rebalance emotions, & restore your body's wellness. 1-hour sessions with Certified Reiki Master & E500 RYT in Florence center. En-glish & Italian. Tel. 3478080437 email: [email protected] www.tuscanwellness.com

For e Care And Beauty Of Your BodyHome-Made, According To Age-Old

MÜNSTERMANN RECIPES

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scuola di lingua e cultura italianaitalianmeiMEA SCHOOL WITH A VIEW

a new way to learn italian in Florence

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WE CAREFOR YOUR WATEROver 1,3 billion euros invested from 2002 to 2021 to provide you high-quality tap water and restore clean

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FlorenceTennis Club

ITALIAN SKETCHES

Deirdre Pirro

Originally the largest park in Florence, the Cascine was a Medici hunting and farming estate, which passed to the grand duchy of Lorraine with the death of the last Medici in 1737. Although it had occasionally been open to the public for special events during the 18th century, it only became an actual public park during the brief reign of Elisa Baciocchi, grand duchess of Tuscany and Napoleon’s sister; it continued to be so after the City of Florence acquired the property in 1869. By the late 19th century, the 18 hectares of woods, tall trees, shady paths and lawns became a place where the townsfolk strolled, who gained easy access to the green space between 1880 and 1897 thanks to Florence’s original tramway, which linked the Cascine and the city centre (much like today’s tram to Scandicci). It was the place to see and be seen, especially among the aristocracy and the ex-pat community. Even Queen Victoria in her carriage could often be seen there when on holiday in Florence.

International lawyer and Author of Italian Sketches: The Faces of

Modern Italy and Famous Expats in Italy, published by The Florentine

Press. Follow her on Twitter @dp_in_florence or contact her at

[email protected].

The Cascine quickly became the ideal setting for ex-pats, nostalgic for the sports and

pastimes they enjoyed back home; here they sought to recreate them. The first race horse meeting was held in the park in 1852 at the racecourse organized by the fabulously rich Russian count Anatole Demidoff and the Società Anonima Fiorentina. In 1859, a shooting range was created, followed several years later by clay pigeon shooting facilities, and in 1870, a club of velocipedists, or speed cyclists, was inaugurated, using a flat dirt track until, in 1894, it was transformed into what is still the concrete velodrome for bike races.

With 30 founding members, some Florentine and others English, the Florence Tennis Club was founded in 1898, the fifth club to become part of the Italian Lawn Tennis Association established in 1894. Games were initially played on the grass until two clay courts were built. At the time, nets, posts, rackets and other equipment were furnished by the Anglo-American Supply Stores in via Cavour. The men’s dress code on court was modelled on the English cricket style, whereas for women—club membership was open to them from the very beginning—the required style was rigidly Victorian, meaning they were encumbered to play in long skirts, tight bodices and vexatious hats. Tournaments were held for men from 1900 and for women from 1902, when Florence became the first club in Italy to allow women to compete. In fact, a cup is dedicated to Rhoda de Bellegarde de Saint Lary, a club member and the winner of the first and second Italian women’s championships in 1913 and 1914. She would die of Spanish flu in 1918 while serving as a Red Cross nurse during World War I.

The classical, red brick, then single-storied, clubhouse with its white door and window frames was designed by architect Pietro Berti and gifted to the club by the wealthy industrialist and first president, Count Giovanni Cosimo Cini, in 1900. There, in May 1910, representatives from the 12 most important Italian tennis clubs met and inaugurated the Italian Tennis Federation, voting in Florence club member Piero Antinori as president.

Over the years, the public has been entertained with tournaments featuring many Italian champions like Nicola Pietrangeli, Lea Pericoli and Adriano

Panatta, in addition to international stars including Ille Nastase, Vitas Gerulaitis and Roy Emerson. Five Davis Cup challenges (in 1933 with Yugoslavia, 1958 with India, 1959 with South Africa, 1962 with Russia, and 1993 with Australia) were contested on the Florentine courts and, since 1976, the International “City of Florence” Juniors Tournament has been held there at Easter every year, whose winners include Jennifer Capriati and Roger Federer.

In November 2003, the Florence Tennis Club joined the prestigious Association of Centenary Tennis Clubs, one of the 7 Italian clubs and only 79 clubs worldwide that are over 100 years old. Today, this verdant and tranquil oasis comprises 560 members, 10 red clay courts, two padel (a cross between tennis and squash) courts and a football pitch. The men’s and women’s changing rooms are in the clubhouse, although the small wooden hut used for that purpose when the club first opened can still be seen on the grounds. The clubhouse also houses two card rooms and a reading room with a bar. In the 1950s, a glass-enclosed restaurant was added and, during the summer, another restaurant is open near the swimming pool built in 1939 by Gherardo Bosio, a major exponent of Italian rationalism architecture. A well-equipped gym and sauna were

made available to members in 2011. Professional tennis coaches teach courses, from beginners to advanced, for youths and adults from September until June, while summer camps are organised for children and adolescents between the ages of 4 to 16.

From July 18 to 21, 2019, the Florence Tennis Club proudly hosted the 7th International “City of Florence” Wheelchair Tournament with about 40 competitors from Italy, Malaysia, Australia, Colombia, France, Austria, Spain, England, Turkey and China, an important date on the international calendar for disabled athletes and for the city. Prior to this, the Florence Club hosted two national wheelchair tournaments in 2011 and 2012, as well as an earlier international wheelchair tournament in 2013.

This month, excitement among spectators is already mounting as tennis fans flock to the Cascine to watch the revived second edition of the Florence Tennis Cup – Tuscan Airports Trophy, as part of the ATP Challenger Tour. From September 21 to 29, the tournament will take place at the Florence Tennis Club with national and international players vying for 75,000 dollars in hospitality and prize money.

The final say

ph. @charly.romiti

With 30 founding members, some Florentine and others English, the Florence Tennis Club was founded in 1898, the fifth club to become part of the Italian Lawn Tennis Association established in 1894.

FlorenceTennis Club

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FLOURISHING Florence - The Florentine

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