I Love Florence Italy

TO BE A FLORENTINE

28/07/202108/08/2021 omalbertiFlorence

The three faces of Florence As it happens, there are probably three Florences. The first is that of the old historic centre. While this continues to stand proud as a repository for everything that is[…]

MERCANTIA FESTIVAL 2021

18/07/202118/07/2021 omalbertiFlorence

Finally, after a one-year-break, in Tuscany will take a place a new, 33rd, edition of Mecantia Festival – in Certaldo (35 km from Florence) that usually comes here every July. Mercantia is one of the[…]

ORSANMICHELE CHURCH

09/07/202109/07/2021 omalbertiFlorence

Orsanmichele was built in 1337 on the site of the garden (hortus) of the church of San Michele and originally served as an open-arcaded grain market. In 1380 the arcades were filled in and the[…]

CRICKET CAGE

29/06/202108/08/2021 omalbertiFlorence

When Filippo Brunelleschi had finished erecting his splendid cupola, he began all the finishing touches that were necessary for completing the masterpiece. One of these was the decorating of the octagonal drum located at the[…]

St. John the Baptist Day

24/06/202108/08/2021 omalbertiEvents in Florence 2021

The feast of the patron Saint John the Baptist was celebrated in Florence since the earliest times. Historians and chroniclers tell us that the festival was not only religious, but also political and civil. All[…]

Musical June 2021 with Tuscan Orchestra

08/06/202108/08/2021 omalbertiEvents in Florence 2021

We can happily announce that concerts and musical events have finally back in our lives in Tuscany! In June, the Tuscany Orchestra will give a cycle of open-air concerts, in magnificent places – in the[…]

THE WINE DOORS

28/05/202128/05/2021 omalbertiFlorence

While strolling through the streets of Florence it is possible to come across tiny “arch”-shaped windows resembling the typical doors and portals in the long walls of ancient patrician palazzos. Some of these still conserve[…]

THE LILY’S COLOUR CHANGE

25/05/202125/05/2021 omalbertiFlorence

There are several strange stories surrounding the events of Palazzo della Signoria (called Palazzo “Vecchio” – The Old Palace – in order to distinguish it from the “new” residence of the Medici: PalazzoPitti). The most[…]

THE UNCOUNTABLE BEES

15/05/202115/05/2021 omalbertiFlorence

The bronze equestrian monument to Ferdinando I of Medici, brother of Francesco, and likewise Grand-Duke of Tuscany, which rises up in the centre of Piazza Santissima Annunziata, was started by Giambologna and later finished by[…]

TUSCANY TIPS: AREZZO ANTIQUES FAIR

05/05/202105/05/2021 omalbertiItaly

If you have a few days to spend in Tuscany and these days coinside wit the first Sunday of the month and every preceding Saturday, we suggest you to visit Antques Fair in Arezzo! Arezzo[…]

Labor Day

01/05/202101/05/2021 omalbertiEvents in Florence 2021

Labor Day is celebrated on May 1st – not only in Italy but also in many other countries. It is a day that has a great significance and roots far back in the past. May[…]

SANTA MARIA NOVELLA DISTRICT

26/04/202128/04/2021 omalbertiFlorence

This neighborhood begins at the Santa Maria Novella train station. From the station you can arrive at Piazza (square) of Santa Maria Novella taking Via degli Avelli. Santa Maria Novella is a large church at[…]

LIBERATION DAY

26/04/202126/04/2021 omalbertiEvents in Florence 2021

April 25th is a national holiday in Italy that commemorates the end of the fascist regime and of the occupation by Nazi Germany during World War II and the victory of the the Resistance in Italy. It is a fundamental day in the history of Italy and[…]

GATES OF PARADISE

21/04/202126/04/2021 omalbertiFlorence

The year 1401 was a watershed date. In the winter of that year the wool importers’ guild announced a competition to select a designer for the remaining doors, with the result that some of the[…]

MEDICI VILLAS

13/04/202113/04/2021 omalbertiFlorence

The Medici Villas are a series of rural building complexes near Florence which were owned by members of the Medici family between the XV and the XVII centuries. The villas served several functions. They were[…]

EATING OUT

07/04/2021 omalbertiFlorence

Eating is definitely one of life’s pleasures in Florence, as it is all over Italy. The food is fresh, seasonal and, above all, local. You’ll eat the best of Tuscan produce cooked to Tuscan[…]

HAPPY EASTER 2021 FROM FLORENCE!

02/04/2021 omalbertiFlorence

We’re waiting for the Easter coming on April, 4th this year and, meanwhile, would like to tell you about an interesting Easter tradition in Florence: Scpoppio del Carro Scoppio del Carro, or the explosion[…]

BAPTISTERY

31/03/202131/03/2021 omalbertiFlorence

After visiting the Duomo, the next port of call is the battistero (baptistery). In exile, Dante fondly referred to this building as his “bel San Giovanni” and described it as “ancient” – a word[…]

NEW YEAR… IN MARCH

25/03/2021 omalbertiFlorence

Till 1750 in Florence we were celebrating New Year on day March, 25th and not January, 1st. Nowadays we call it traditional Florentine New Year (Capodanno Fiorentino). It coincided with feast of the Annunciation,[…]

DANTEDì – NATIONAL DAY OF DANTE ALIGHIERI

23/03/2021 omalbertiFlorence

Starting from 2020, in Italy we have a new national commemorable day, March 25th – Dantedì. Which means in Italian “Day of Dante”. Dante Alighieri, a revered poet whose Divine Comedy is widely regarded as the[…]