Italy is said to house more than half the world’s greatest artworks. But they are not all locked away in museums. Here is a tiny selection of statues seen in some of the streets and piazzas of Italy and the Vatican that go towards the 100,000 or so monuments in Italy. We’ve thrown in a […]
Calcio Storico: Florence’s toughest footballers… in those trousers?!
Florence is getting ready for the latest series of Calcio Storico (also known as Calcio Fiorentino), a unique sport which originated in Tuscany in the 1500s. ‘Calcio’ translates to both ‘kick’ and also to ‘football/soccer’ in Italian, thus ‘Calcio Storico’ can be translated as ‘Historical Football/Soccer’. However, this unique Italian sport is more like […]
Standing Still and Moving Forward on the Streets of Florence
Florence is so full of wonderful masterpieces by some of the greatest artists in history. The Uffizi Gallery houses what is arguably one of the finest collections of Renaissance art (and the Accademia is home to what many claim is the greatest artwork ever made – Michelangelo’s David). But there are also some great artworks […]
Art Rocks Hard in Florence: Michael Jackson, Jim Morrison, Lou Read and more in Florence Art Exhibit
Florence. Renaissance city. Great artistic masterpieces. Hub of unsurpassed genius. And now, Hard Rock? From midday Saturday 6th August, a new art exhibition is opening in Florence. Titled ‘THE ART OF HARD ROCK’, it is an art exhibition showcasing 40 works by big names in rock being held free of charge at Le Murate in […]
Calcio Storico – the most unusual Italian football match!
Here are some great shots from a match of Calcio Storico, a historic game that takes place each year in Piazza Santa Croce. It is in great contrast to the usual things people immagine when thinking of Florence – rather than cobbled laneways, the world’s best museums, the Ponte Vecchio and other stunning must-see sights […]
Inspired by Florence: English poetry about’Firenze’
Nowadays, we visit Florence and perhaps send a brief postcard to family and friends back home, perhaps even write a blog or twitter post about our experience. We may tag ourselves in photos posted on Facebook of our trip to Florence. But in the past, the expression of wonderment at Florence’s beauty was expressed in […]
Keeping a head of art in Florence
8601 top-grade diamonds, totaling 11006.18 karats including one veritable rock, a platinum to-scale skull, and real teeth from the 7th century. Strange ingredients, indeed. ‘Per l’amor di Dio’ (‘For the love of God’) is the title of this strange marvel, currently on display at the Palazzo Vecchio until May 1st, 2010. Valued at a 100 […]