Within Florence - A visual diary

Brands made in Florence #2: Madova Glove Factory, the best gloves in town

20 mayo, 2019 / By: Paco Neumann

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The Donnini family has been producing high-quality hand made gloves since 1919, although their store opened in 1954. Stablished in via Guiccirdini 1R, next to their factory, both located near the Ponte Vecchio, Madova frequent clients are usually Korean, Japanese, American and Italian. The most notorious tiny glove shop in town is carefully designed, with its numerous shelves and drawers, where the gloves are conscientiously packaged and stored, classified by their shapes, sizes, and colors and available for both, men and women. Gloves made with first-class deerskin, lamb, or napa leather, and lined with silk, wool, or cashmere. Being all of them designed and manufactured in-house, some models are simple whilst others are perfect for sophisticated outfits.…

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Outdoors

Gardens of Florence #2: Walking through lemon trees and turtles in giardino Corsini al Prato

15 mayo, 2019 / By: Paco Neumann

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The unexpected Florence is found in Porta al Prato, a surprise standing among the noise of the tram and the traffic, in Via della Scala. Here lies the garden-oasis at the back of Palazzo Corsini al Prato, an impressive but decadent building from 1590. Its garden is home to about 180 citrus trees (mostly lemon trees), as well as wisteria, lecithins, roses, tulips and peonies. Additionally, a hundred turtles roam freely around the land. This site is preserved from mass tourism and offers an unprecedented experience. Also, the garden hosts every May the exhibition of craftsmen of the palace.
(Via il Prato, 58 – EUR10 admission)…

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Moments & People

Carla Macis´ Florence

10 mayo, 2019 / By: Paco Neumann

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Ho due città: una del cuore e una dell’anima. Cagliari è la mia città del cuore, mentre Firenze è quella dell’anima. A Firenze vivo da quando avevo 19 anni, ma non pensavo che mi sarei trattenuta a viverci, ma è successo. Piano piano «ci siamo scelte» ed è diventata l’unica città dove avrei potuto vivere per poter fare il mio lavoro, che mi consente di avere tante relazioni e un buon «know how». Mi piace la sua dimensione internazionale, ma anche la piccola dimensione e l’incanto che provo ogni volta che ancora dopo 33 anni riesce a suscitarmi.…

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Moments & People

Berlin vs. Florence: comparisons game

6 mayo, 2019 / By: Paco Neumann

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As I arrived in Berlin, I remember being fascinated by its wide sidewalks, streets and avenues. I sense the opposite in Florence, where a car hardly fits in its streets and maximum two people can meet on the sidewalks. In Berlin, I might just longed for distance. Now I search for proximity. Closeness. They say that Berlin is a cosmopolitan city, but in Florence I hear everyday languages that I could never identify. Florence windows are not double-glazed. Not so isolated like those in Berlin. I get up sometimes at night to check that mine are not open …The city enters my room as if I really lived in the street. And I do not care, because I know all of these little bits, together, are called life.
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Outdoors

Gardens of Florence #6: giardino dell´Iris

5 mayo, 2019 / By: Paco Neumann

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Each year Florence is ready to witness the flowering of the iris in the giardino dell´Iris. It is located in piazzale Michelangelo and was founded in 1954 with the aim of organizing an annual international contest to reward the best varieties of iris. Florence is considered the natural home of the iris because of the bond that this flower always had with the history of the city. The emblem of Florence is a red iris in a white field, and not a lily, as is mistakenly believed. The site offers panoramic views of the city thanks to a surface of approximately two and a half hectares on the hill of an olive grove. It is divided by paths and stone paths, flowerbeds and stairs. Here one can see the variants of the iris: intermediate and dwarf bearded, Japanese, Sibiric, Louisiana … In addition to guided tours in Italian and English, watercolor painting courses are also offered.
Monday through Friday from 10a.m. to 1p.m. and from 3p.m. to 7:30p.m. Saturdays and Sundays from 10a.m. to 7:30p.m. Last admission, half an hour before closing time. Free entrance…

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Wine & Food

Florence Cocktail Week 2019, fancy a drink?

4 mayo, 2019 / By: Paco Neumann

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Following the success of previous editions, Florence Cocktail Week 2019 is back in May for a week dedicated to custom cocktails. The event, which runs from May 6 to 12, is promoted by Paola Mencarelli and Lorenzo Nigro and will feature masterclasses, roundtables, and tasting sessions at 30 cocktail lounges around town with notable bartenders such as Santa Rosa Bistrot, Mad: Souls & Spirits, Winter Garden Bar, La Menagère, and Rasputin.
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Wine & Food

Le Murate, Florence cultural meeting point

2 mayo, 2019 / By: Paco Neumann

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The first and only time I was in Le Murate was in March 2015. It was a first date and I fell in love with him. The relationship prospered, although soon after it became complicated and exploded. A thousand pieces of my heart flew through his room. I picked up a few and I took them with me, in case they were needed for the future … Today I return to Le Murate to reconcile with my past in this city. Because one really starts to belong to a city when the memories of a certain ‘past’ happened on that particular place … Le Murate also has its own past. This Florence former prison has been converted into a local cultural meeting point. In addition to modern apartments, Le Murate now hosts a bookstore, an art gallery, a wine bar, and a café: Le Murate Caffè Letterario. Literati, intellectuals, and local cultural scene players meet in this bar-restaurant-café. In addition, they organize lectures, debates, art exhibitions or live music. In summer, the open-air patio leads the night, and even films are screened here.

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Events & Entertainment

Russian Orthodox Church of Florence celebrates Orthodox Easter tonight

26 abril, 2019 / By: Paco Neumann

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Modern buildings stand out in Florence more than anywhere else, since most of the historic centre buildings come from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Built in Russian art nouveau style between 1899 and 1903 and declared Historical Monument, the Russian Orthodox Church was recently restored. Its unusual facade is characterized by its onion domes. This temple is the first Russian religious building erected in the Italian territory, thanks to the efforts of the parish priest Vladimir Levickij, to the donations of Demidoff family, some parishioners, and nothing more and nothing less Emperor Nicholas II.

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Events & Entertainment

Italy on April 25 celebrates the Liberation Day

25 abril, 2019 / By: Paco Neumann

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Liberation Day is a national holiday in Italy that is annually celebrated on April 25. It marks the fall of Mussolini’s Italian Social Republic, the end of the Nazi occupation in Italy in 1945, and the victory of the Resistance towards the end of the World War II. Italy’s Liberation Day (Festa della liberazione) is also known as the Anniversary of the Liberation (Anniversario della liberazione d’Italia) or Anniversary of the Resistance (anniversario della Resistenza).
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Outdoors

Lo Scoppio del Carro: Sunday Easter tradition in Florence

21 abril, 2019 / By: Paco Neumann

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On Easter Sunday every year, Florence celebrates the religious holiday in a very special way. The Scoppio del Carro (Explosion of the Cart) dates back over three centuries. A particular wagon built in 1622 is pulled by a pair of oxen decorated in garlands through the streets of Florence to the square between the Baptistry and Cathedral. The Scoppio del Carro is a folk tradition of Florence.

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