Discover Tuscany’s Blog: exploring Tuscany and all its hidden corners…

On February 18, the city of Florence pays homage to the last member of the Medici dynasty, Maria Luisa de’ Medici, on the anniversary of her death. Thanks to her and her “patto di famiglia” signed in 1737, the family’s immense patrimony of art, sculpture and other precious collections were left to the city of Florence for the benefit and enjoyment of the public and future generations. We should definitely appreciate that she had the forethought to tie the collections to the city and thus cannot be sold which makes it possible to enjoy the marvelous treasures in Florence today.

One of the ways the city celebrates this day is by offering a free day at the city museums! Here they are and their opening hours:

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With February, Carnival season 2012 comes alive and Tuscany prepares to celebrate with big masked parades and events dedicated to Carnival.

Have you already prepared your fancy costume and bought some confetti and streamers?

If you answered “Yes”, then you have only to choose the destination to celebrate! Otherwise, do not worry, you still have a few days to find a pretty carnival costume .

In the coming weeks in Tuscany you will find many fun Carnival events, both in small towns and larger cities.
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Starting January 17, the Vasari Corridor will once again be open for special visits. This is a wonderful opportunity to get into and view the special art collection along the corridor, as well as experience the view of Florence as the Medici saw it! The special visits are offered directly by the Superintendance of the Florence State museums several times a week up until April 27 at a very low rate of € 10,50 per person.

The visits are for small groups of less than 5 and are perfect for couples. They are, unfortunately, only in Italian, but if you don’t mind this or know a bit of Italian, this is the best way to get into the Corridor as it isn’t open all of the time nor to everyone. The only way to generally see the inside of the Corridor is with tour groups that cost from € 80-100 per person, so this opportunity is really good for this reason.

To reserve your spot (better do so quickly as they often get booked quickly), you need to call +39-055-294-883. Days for the visits are: Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9am and 11:30am; Wednesdays and Fridays at 2pm and 4:30pm.

Learn a little more about the Vasari Corridor here.

Where: Poste Reali Hall at the Uffizi complex
When: up until January 29

If you’re in Florence this January, take the opportunity to visit this free exhibit in the Poste Reali Hall which is right across from the main entrance into the Uffizi Gallery. In its eleventh edition, the Friends of the Uffizi have delved into the Uffizi’s storage rooms and present works hardly ever seen by the public in a temporary exhibit through the end of January.

This year, the exhibit entitled “Unveiled Faces” brings together 45 Roman marble busts and sculptures of emperors, empresses and unknown private individuals that were at the very beginning of the Medici’s art collecting acquisitions in the 15th century.

Keep reading about the exhibit »

The Cavalcata dei Magi – Cavalcade of the Magi
from Palazzo Pitti to the Duomo
Parade starts at 14.30 from Piazza Pitti

This Friday, January 6, Florence celebrates the Epiphany with the great cavalcade of the Magi! The Three Kings bringing their gifts to a baby Jesus in the manger where he was born is set up in front of the Duomo and their symbolic arrival into Bethlehem is accompanied with a large parade in historical costume paying tribute, with over 500 participants from all over Tuscany and Italy. There are ladies and lords, knights, country folk, soldiers and much more! The Sbandieratori or flag-throwing company of the Uffizi enchants the public with their skills in throwing and waving their flags along the way and in Piazza della Signoria.

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Hope you all had a wonderful New Year’s Eve and that 2012 is off to a great start!

Here are some of our pictures from some of the piazzas and musical concerts in downtown Florence. It was a bit chaotic – it was fun and great to see so many people out on the streets celebrating!

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So once again this weekend we have another holiday coming up: New Year’s Day! Practically everything will be closed on Sunday, even those museums usually open on that day.

Like last weekend, on New Year’s Eve most everything will be open but closing about an hour earlier than usual. This includes the Uffizi and Accademia.

So after your late-night celebration on New Year’s Eve (see our post from yesterday offering suggestions of what to do), you might want to sleep in a bit on Sunday. No problem at all! But eventually you’ll get hungry and then after a meal you might want to do something in the afternoon, like see a little more of Florence .

Don’t despair – not everything is closed!
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Will you be welcoming 2012 in Tuscany? Many restaurants, discos and pubs organize special dinners or events (at fixed prices, where you need to reserve ahead of time) but there are also events planned for spending New Year’s Eve at the opera, watching a play or listening to music in the the main squares of the main Tuscan cities!

To help you plan exactly where you’ll be on the stroke of midnight December 31st, here are some ideas:

In Florence

If you prefer to join the crowds outdoors, the city of Florence selects five squares across the city to stage 5 different types of musical concerts. You can head to Piazza della Stazione in front of the Santa Maria Novella train station for rock/pop music which turns out into the main New Year’s Eve event in Florence. This year, starting at 9pm, dance to the Street Clerks then enjoy Pippo and his Polar Penguins and then dance to the beat of the Brunori Sas. At midnight, Italian rapper and big bill Caparezza takes the stage to make the city dance!

Keep reading about New Year's Eve celebrations in Tuscany »

Many of you will be celebrating Christmas in Florence and seeing your questions on our forum, we know you want to know what to do – and what you can do – particularly on December 25 when all museums will be closed. Did you know that December 26 is also a national Italian holiday?

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The next few days will see Florence under some very special lighting! The Firenze Light Festival, or F-LIGHT for short, will run from December 8-11 and will see the monuments in Piazza Signoria, Ponte Vecchio, Piazza Pitti, Ponte Santa Trinita’, the Santa Maria Novella Piazza and Piazza della Repubblica all lit up in various ways. From highlighting their geometric shapes to artistic installations, make sure to walk around after dark and take the city in a whole different light! We’ll try to go out and take some pictures to share with you in the next few days

Additionally, tomorrow December 8 the Christmas tree in Piazza Duomo will be officially lit up by Florence’s major, Matteo Renzi. It will be a magical night to walk around the city and enjoy your holiday shopping or just the season!