Friday 22 June, the house of da Vinci’s birth will be opened again, following major restoration works, overseen by Professor Daniela Lamberini of the Department of Architecture of Florence University. The works further enhance the evocative, rustic simplicity of the place, respecting its historical vale and rediscovering some panoramic views hither to hidden to the visitor.
Category: Arts
A book reveals how Bartali helped the escaping Jews
ANSA news agency reveals how the florentine cyclist Gino Bartali helped the escaping Jews. New information documents the undercover activities conducted during the Second World War by Bartali in order to save the lives of numerous Jews in Italy and which are now contained in a new biography (”Road to Valour”, Crown, 318 pages) published in these days in the USA by journalist Aili McConnon and historical researcher Andres McConnon.
Door of Paradise unveiled after 27 years
An eight-ton gilded bronze door so splendid Michelangelo dubbed it the “Door of Paradise” will be unveiled to the public again after 27 years of restoration work. But Lorenzo Ghiberti’s 15th-century door which bears scenes from the Old Testament won’t be going back in its place on the baptistery of Florence’s duomo, or cathedral. Instead, starting on Sept. 8, it will go on display in a case at a Florence museum, the Museo dell’Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore, to preserve it from renewed damage.
Uffizi Gallery, watch the new spaces
The Uffizi Gallery will shortly open ten new spaces, dedicated to 16th-century painters, mainly from Tuscany, from Andrea del Sarto to Bronzino and Raffaello. There will also be a gallery with Hellenistic sculptures. The new spaces, a statement reads, will open ”in the coming months.”
Open studios to discover the contemporary art
Organized and curated by the Centre for Contemporary Culture Strozzina in the regional project toscanaincontemporanea, Open Studios is a two years project – started in 2009 – which allowe to discover the places of contemporary art through visits to the studios of artists who live and work in the provinces of Florence, Prato, Pistoia, Pisa and Siena.
Reinassence masters from Uffizi to Michener Museum
For the first time ever, a selection of 45 paintings and tapestries from the famed Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy, is coming to the James A. Michener Art Museum, US. About 45 minutes northeast of the city and can be reached conveniently from New York City or Washington DC. The exhibition “Offering of the Angels: Treasures from the Uffizi Gallery” is opened April 21, 2012 through August 10, 2012.
The culture week, read the full calendar
This year, from April 14th to 22nd, MiBAC opens italian museums, mansions, monuments, archeological sites, archives and state libraries, for nine days in order to promote the Italian cultural heritage. The Culture Week offers a full calendar: exhibitions, conferences, special openings, workshops, tours and concerts.
New frontiers, the native Amercians at Palazzo Pitti
The year 2012 marks the fifth centennial of the death of Amerigo Vespucci, one of the discoverers of the American continents and, especially, the one who gave his name to the new lands. The Superintendent intends to commemorate the great navigator who was born in Florence in 1454, with an exhibition (July 3-Decembre 8 at Andito degli Angiolini and Galleria del Costume) dedicated to the native inhabitants of North America.
The controversial crucifix in the Bargello
It is shown at the Museum of the Bargello in Florence The “Crucifixion” attributed to Michelangelo. The Italian state had purchased the “Crucifixion” in 2008 for 3 million and 250 thousand euros from an antique shop in Turin. The Corte dei Conti suggests that they have paid too much, based on expert opinions that refer to a maximum of 700-800 thousand euros.
Open day at the Uffizi Library with 78,600 titles
Today, Friday, March 30 the Uffizi Library will be open for an Open Day from 2 to 5 pm. During the extraordinary opening to the general public, the staff will be on hand to listen to the history of the Library and its collections and let see some of the most significant works, watch the process of binding of a book or a periodical collection, learn about the life of a magazine in the library, see the evolution of the book through time.