Monica Magnani’s Florence

Monica Magnani’s Florence

PHOTOS & ENGLISH / SPANISH VERSIONS BELOW

Se qualcuno mi dice ‘Firenze’ la prima cosa che mi viene in mente è fuggire via. Firenze, a volte, io la guardo e mi sembra diventata un luogo comune, un cliché inventato per far contenti i turisti. Firenze per la nave da crociera è il percorso di due ore, per gli amanti clandestini è la città di un fine-settimana, per le famiglie sono i musei delle vacanze di Pasqua, per le gite scolastiche è il capitolo sul Rinascimento, per gli animi malinconici è lo struggimento della sindrome di Stendhal. Io, da questa Firenze, ho continuamente voglia di scappare e forse mi piace proprio perché, poi, quando sono fuggita via dai luoghi comuni, è così bello aver nostalgia di questa città! Firenze, per chi ha voglia di scappare, ha molte vie di fuga: per alcune ci vuole un mezzo di trasporto, per altre, invece, basta un paio di scarpe comode.

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The magnificent medieval beauty of Arezzo

The magnificent medieval beauty of Arezzo

PHOTOS & SPANISH VERSION BELOW

Set in the rural heart of Eastern Tuscany, and despite not having the historical heritage of its sisters Lucca and Florence, Arezzo preserves a beautiful medieval town and a pleasant lifestyle, hiding also charming corners that still remind of its splendid past. This town, which was home to geniuses like Petrarca, Masaccio, Piero della Francesca and Vasari, becomes today key to discover the more rugged face of the so-called region with the soft hills. It also became a lucumonia, that is to say, one of the twelve capitals that shaped the Etruscan League. Due to the quality of its clays, Arezzo was famous for its ceramics. Additionally, many scenes from the film Life is Beautiful by Roberto Benigni were filmed there, too.…

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Alternatives to the “Stendhal syndrome:” Museum House Vasari or the artist who gave name to the Renaissance

Alternatives to the “Stendhal syndrome:” Museum House Vasari or the artist who gave name to the Renaissance

PHOTOS & SPANISH VERSION BELOW

Vasari bought this garden house in Arezzo in 1541. In the last century some Tuscan artists turned the place into a small museum dedicated to Mannerism. This site is today an illustrious example of an artist’s house in which Giorgio Vasari, the first art historian of our era, celebrated his thoughts and his art. Its rooms are profusely decorated with frescoes and embellished with Mannerist paintings, revealing the supreme expression of 16th century Italian art. After completing his architectural works, Vasari dedicated himself to the pictorial decoration between 1542 and 1568, thus these rooms praise the artist’s role through biblical, mythological themes and numerous allegories to the astonishment of any visitor. The main rooms are substantially unchanged. The original furniture does not remain.
Casa Vasari – Via XX Settembre 55 – 52100 Arezzo

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