Category Archives: Firenze

Puccini was a heavy smoker of cigarettes and cigars. In February 1924, while composing his last opera Turandot in Viareggio, he began to suffer from sore throat, and in March it developed with cough and hoarseness. The previous summer, while … Continue reading →

It’s time for part eight of Florentine typical expressions! 1) ‘un se ne pòle più, it means we can’t take it anymore (it’s enough). Pole in florentine is the third singular person of the verb potére (can). Spèngi la televisione, … Continue reading →

When Dante Alighieri was born? We have few informations about his life, but we can try to reconstruct the story from direct or indirect accounts. There is strong evidence that Dante was born in Florence, in the quarter of Porta … Continue reading →

It seems that, after a few days I posted my article on Leonardo’s Monna Lisa, the Louvre has changed the content of the web page that describes the painting, removing their statement about it (that I cited in the article): … Continue reading →

Who is the woman depicted in this painting? Who is the author of this painting? While we are quite sure about the answer to the latest question, the mystery remains for the first one. For a curious joke of the … Continue reading →

The young woman of this portrait attributed to Sandro Botticelli, with wires perle braided hair, a cameo in the neck depicting Apollo, Marsyas and Olympus, and a ruby on the head with even pearls, is nowadays celebrated everywhere as the … Continue reading →

Many of you know very well The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci. This famous painting is also called “Il Cenacolo“. The reason is that cenacolo (the plural is cenacoli) derives from the latin coenaculum, which in the ancient Rome … Continue reading →

Yes, it’s part seven of typical florentine expressions :-) 1) nostràle, it means ours, from our places. It is used at the market to indicate a product that is not imported from a foreign country, often produced in our region … Continue reading →

Here I want to make a list of some common art related mistakes about Florence. 1) Fontana del Porcellino, this fountain at Loggia del Mercato Nuovo is a replica (made by Fonderia Marinelli) of the famous fountain made about in … Continue reading →

Today I want to tell you a story. It’s a story of suffering, courage, and freedom. It’s about the liberation of Florence from the nazis, that started on August 11, 1944. On August 3, while the insurrectional forces were organizing … Continue reading →