Florence all lit up for the celebration of Italy’s 150 years of unification! Here you can see Palazzo Vecchio all lit up in green, white and red!

The tower had the Italian flag down its side, there were flags everywhere, lots of people in the square and music to accompany the festive air. Happy 150 years, Italy!

Giacomo Puccini

Giacomo Puccini December 2010 Events in Lucca

TUTTI I LUNEDI’, MARTEDI’ E MERCOLEDI’ DEL MESE /EVERY MONDAY, TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY OF THE MONTH
SPECIAL CONCERTS
“PUCCINI AND MOZART”
(always with different performers and programmes)

TUTTI I VENERDI’ DEL MESE – EVERY FRIDAY OF THE MONTH

MOZART & PUCCINI
Arie e duetti da/arias and duets from  LE NOZZE DI FIGARO, COSI’ FAN TUTTE, DON GIOVANNI, MADAMA BUTTERFLY, LA BOHEME, TOSCA

TUTTI I SABATO DEL MESE – EVERY SATURDAY OF THE MONTH

UNA NOTTE ALL’OPERA/A NIGHT AT THE OPERA
Arie e duetti dal repertorio lirico di Puccini, Verdi, Leoncavallo, Donietti, Mascagni ed altri/arias and duets from the Italian operatic repertoire

TUTTE LE DOMENICHE DEL MESE – EVERY SUNDAY OF THE MONTH

PUCCINI E LA CANZONE TRADIZIONALE NAPOLETANA – PUCCINI & THE  NEAPOLITAN TRADITIONAL SONGS

SPECIAL CONCERTS

25th DECEMBER 2010 – AT 18hrs BASILICA DI SAN GIOVANNI
CONCERTO DI NATALE/CHRISTMAS CONCERT
PUCCINI E I CANTI DI NATALE TRADIZIONALI/PUCCINI&TRADITIONAL CHRISTMAS SONGS

26th  DECEMBER 2010 – AT 18hrs BASILICA DI SAN GIOVANNI
PUCCINI & LA CANZONE POPOLARE NAPOLETANA
PUCCINI & THE NEAPOLITAN SONGS

31ST DECEMBER 2010 – AT 18hrs CHURCH OF SAN GIOVANNI
GRAN GALA D’OPERA
GREAT OPERA GALA
Solisti & Coro del Festival “Puccini e la sua Lucca”
STRAUSS KONZERT ORCHESTRA
Dir. ANDREA COLOMBINI

31st DECEMBER 2010 – AT 23hrs – AUDITORIUM OF SAN ROMANO – LUCCA
GREAT NEW YEAR’S EVE CONCERT
With the Strauss Konzert Orchestra conducted by Andrea Colombini
(Orchestral showpieces)

1st JANUARY 2011 – AT 17.30 BASILICA DI SAN GIOVANNI
NEW YEAR’S CONCERT with the Music of the Strauss’ Family
STRAUSS KONZERT ORCHESTRA
Dir.ANDREACOLOMBINI

& 2ND JANUARY 2011– AT 18hrs
BEETHOVEN,  & WAGNER

R.Wagner: Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg – Vorspiel & Prieslied
L.V.Beethoven: Symphonies 5 & 7

Sandy Skoglund - The power of the immagination

Lucca Digital Photo Fest, 20 Novemebr – 12  December

The sixth international photographic and videoart festival, amongst the most prestigeous in Europe. Seventeen photographic exhibitions, workshops, lectures by famous photographers, awards in various locations.
Full programme on www.ldpf.it

PALAZZO DUCALE Piazza Napoleone
Bye Bye Baby, Marylin Giuliana Scime’s private collection, till 30 January.
Horst P. Horst Fashion and glamour, till 30 January.
Francesca Woodman till 12 December.

PALAZZO GUINIGI
Giorgia Fiori Il Dono photos taken in missions throughout the world, till 12 December.

CHIESA DEI SERVI
Donna Ferrata 10013 TriBeCa till 12 December

World press photo 200 photos which won awards from the World Press Foundation, till 12 December

CHIESA DELL’ALBA
Boris Missirkov and Georgi Bogdanov Svetana Maneva Bulgarian installations/portraits till 12 December.

EX MANIFATTURA TABACCHI
Jan Saudek Il Teatro della Vita Eroticism and irony, till 12 December.
Andrea di Martino La messa è finita. The rebirth of deconsecrated churches in Italy.
Rania Bellou Prison Privacy installations from Greece.
Tracey Moffat Revolution, doomed love. Australian artist’s videoart, till 12 December.

CENTER OF CONTEMPORARY ART Via della Fratta 36.
Michel Comte Not Only for Women photographic exhibition. Faminine icons of our times. Open 10.00-19.00 Tuesday to Sunday.
Monday closed. Starts 20 November till 23 January.
Paola Binante  Parapilomeni till 12 December.
Ludmilla Radchenko Born to be Pop open 10.00-19.00 Tuesday to Sunday.
Closed Mondays, till 10 November.

Olive oil extra virgin

The Desco
Obviously winter is the season of serious eating, and in November and December, Lucca has the perfect showcase for everything local that is good to eat and drink. The sixth edition of Il Desco opens on 20 November at the Real Collegio (see article opposite) and runs through successive weekends until 12 December.

This food fair, to which entry is free, has established itself as a wonderful way to sample the very best that lucchesia has to offer-indeed, there are those who have been known to give up making lunch at home enterely for severl weekends, and settle instead for a gentle graze around these fabulous food stalls.

This year, although the entire range of products will be available over the full run of the fair, one product will be available over the full run of the fair, one product in particular will be highlighted each weekend; on 20-21 November it will be fagioli followed on 27-28 November by farro.
Chestnuts have pride of place on 4-5 December, and connoisseurs of oil and bread should head for the Desco on 11-12 December.
In addition on 8 December, which is of course a national holiday in Italy, and the day on which pre-Christmas preparations officially get under way, there will be a special session devoted to chocolate and cigars – just how wicked can you get?

Each weekend, there will be a forum of experts debating the merits and ssalient features of each highlighted product, and discussing how best to cook them.
And look out for local alimentari and restaurants joining in the fun. There will be no escape!

Giacomo Puccini

Giacomo Puccini November 2010 Events in Lucca

TUTTI I LUNEDI’, MARTEDI’ E MERCOLEDI’ DEL MESE /EVERY MONDAY, TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY OF THE MONTH
SPECIAL CONCERTS
“PUCCINI AND MOZART”
(always with different performers and programmes)

TUTTI I VENERDI’ DEL MESE – EVERY FRIDAY OF THE MONTH

MOZART & PUCCINI
Arie e duetti da/arias and duets from  LE NOZZE DI FIGARO, COSI’ FAN TUTTE, DON GIOVANNI, MADAMA BUTTERFLY, LA BOHEME, TOSCA

TUTTI I SABATO DEL MESE – EVERY SATURDAY OF THE MONTH

UNA NOTTE ALL’OPERA/A NIGHT AT THE OPERA
Arie e duetti dal repertorio lirico di Puccini, Verdi, Leoncavallo, Donietti, Mascagni ed altri/arias and duets from the Italian operatic repertoire

TUTTE LE DOMENICHE DEL MESE – EVERY SUNDAY OF THE MONTH

PUCCINI E LA CANZONE TRADIZIONALE NAPOLETANA – PUCCINI & THE  NEAPOLITAN TRADITIONAL SONGS

LUNEDI’/MONDAY  29th November 2010 – at 21.15 BASILICA DI SAN GIOVANNI

CONCERTO DI GALA NELL’85thMO ANNIVERSARIO DALLA MORTE DI GIACOMO PUCCINI
GALA CONCERT FOR THE 85th ANNIVERSARY OF THE DEATH OF GIACOMO PUCCINI
Programma da stabilire/ Programme to be announced

Tuscany events - Lucca Film Festival

Tuscany events: “Lucca Film Festival” 6th season

Monday 4th
CINEMA CENTRALE
7:00 p.m. FESTIVAL INAUGURATION
(aperitif and buffet from 7.00 p.m. to 9.00 p.m)

retrospective GYÖRGY PÁLFI
9:00 p.m. Meeting with the director GYÖRGY PÁLFI
after TAXIDERMIA
(György Pálfi, Ungheria, 2006, col. 91’)
special events
11:00 p.m. FREE RADICALS: A (HI)STORY OF EXPERIMENTAL FILM
(Pip Chodorov, France, 2010 col. 80′)

Tuesday 5th
CINEMA CENTRALE
CINEMATON
3:00 p.m. Cinématon di Gerard Courant –
official selection
3:30 p.m. LOS MINUTOS, LAS HORAS
(Janaína Marques Ribeiro, Cuba/Brazil, 2009 Col. 11’)
BROKEN WINDOWS
(Richard O’Sullivan, England, 2010 Col. 6’)
XIE ZI
(Giuseppe Marco Albano, Italy, 2010 Col. 11’)
CET AIR LA’
(Marie Loiser, USA, 2010 b/n. 3’)
I WASS A MILL
(Stefano Giannotti, Italy, 2010, Col. 3’)
SALIM
(Tommaso Landucci, Italy, 2009, Col. 14’)
CHASING WAVES
(Paul O. Donoghue, England, 2010, Col. 6’)
SELF
(Oleg Dubson, USA, 2009, b/n, 20’)
FILM ABOUT AN UNKNOWN ARTIST
(Laura Garbštien, Lithuania, 2009, Col. 11’)
THE CAT
(George Ungar, Canada, 2010 b/n. 2’)
retrospective GYÖRGY PÁLFI
6:00 p.m. meeting with the director GYÖRGY PÁLFI
After I’M NOT YOUR FRIEND
(György Pálfi, Hungary, 2009 col. 100′)
Preview FRANCO BROCANI
9:00 p.m Shorts for Corona Cinematografica (1967 – 1984)
Introduce Giulio Bursi (University di Gorizia). After:
È ORMAI SICURO IL MIO RITORNO A KNOSSOS
[LA FORMA DELLE IDEE]
(Franco Brocani, Italy, 1967 b/n. 14’)
LO SPECCHIO A FORMA DI GABBIA
(Franco Brocani, Italy, 1970 b/n. 12’)
LA MASCHERA DEL MINOTAURO
(Franco Brocani, Italy, 1971 b/n. 11’)
SEGNALE DI UN PIANETA IN VIA D’ESTINZIONE
(Franco Brocani, Italy, 1972 b/n. 11’)
FRANKENSTEIN
(Franco Brocani, Italy, 1972 col. 12’)
SULLA POESIA
(Franco Brocani, Italy, 1984 col. 12’)
special events: VIVA: Andy Warhol’s muse
10:30 p.m. LONSOME COWBOYS
(Andy Warhol, USA, 1968 col. 109′)

Wednesday 6th
CINEMA CENTRALE
homage ABEL FERRARA
3:00 p.m. THE BLACKOUT
(Abel Ferrara, USA, 1997, col. 106’)
special events
5:00 p.m. LES CARNETS DE LA BÊTE / THE BEAST NOTES
(Keja Ho Kramer, France, 2008 Video, col. 28′)
5:30 p.m. CENT’ANNI DI NOSTALGIA
(JELENA EDA PEŠIC Italy, 2004 col. 9′)
special events:
6:15 p.m. (An) Other Irish Cinema
meeting with the directors Donal Foreman, Rouzbeh Rashidi and Maximilian Le Cain. After
PULL
(Donal Foreman, Ireland, 2009, 20’)
REPEAT
(Donal Foreman, Ireland, 2009, 12’)
REFUGE
(Donal Foreman, Ireland, 2010, 10’)
FLOODED MEADOW
(Rouzbeh Rashidi, Ireland, 2009, 7’)
HISTORY OF CINEMA
(Rouzbeh Rashidi, Ireland, 2008, 33’)
Everybody’s Favourite Disease
(Maximilian Le Cain, Ireland, 2010, 3’)
Making a Home
(Maximilian Le Cain, Ireland, 2007, 9’)
Valley of the kings
(Maximilian Le Cain, Ireland, 2008, 10’)
homage ABEL FERRARA
9:00 p.m. THE ADDICTION
(Abel Ferrara, USA, 1995, b/n. 82’)
retrospective GYÖRGY PÁLFI
10:30 p.m. HUKKLE
(György Pálfi, Hungary, 2003, col. 78′)

Thursday 7th
CINEMA CENTRALE
Official Selection
3.00 p.m. GYRA
(KINE, Greece, 2010 b/n. 12’)
HOME
(Francesco Filippi, Italy, 2009, Col. 15’)
OGGI GIRA’ COSI’
(Sydney Sibilia, Italy, 2010 Col. 17’)
WATER.MON.MIRROW.FLOWER
(Tianran Duan, USA, 2010, Col. 3’)
KOH
(Adam R. Levine, USA/Thailandia, 2010 b/n. 2’)
LICHT
(André Schreuders, Holland, 2010, Col. 15’)
BOULE
(Björn Ullrich, Germany, 2010, Col. 5’)
CRONOLOGIA
(Rosana Cuellar, Germany, 2010, Col. 12’)
PUZZLE
(Sebastien Loghman, France, 2010, Col. 3’)
ABSTRACT?
(Alexei Dimitriev, Russia, 2009 Col. 4’)
ROXY
(Shirley Petchprapa, USA, 2010, Col. 12’)
VANISHING POINT #3
(Rick Niebe, Italy, 2010, Col. 2’)
homage ABEL FERRARA
5:00 p.m. CHINA GIRL
(Abel Ferrara, USA, 1987, col. 88′)
Preview FRANCO BROCANI
6:45 p.m. A proposito di W.S. Hayter (Grafica e Cinema)
(Franco Brocani, Italy, 1968, col. e b/n. 15’)
L’utopia del male
(Franco Brocani, Italy, 1974, b/n. 14’)
S.P.Q.R.
(Franco Brocani, Italy, 1975, col. 12’)
La città sublime
(Franco Brocani, Italy, 1975, col. 11’)
Gastrosofia
(Franco Brocani, Italy, 1976, col. 14’)

homage ABEL FERRARA
9:00 p.m. meeting with the director ABEL FERRARA
introduce enrico ghezzi. After:
BAD LIEUTENANT
(Abel Ferrara, USA, 1992, col. 96’)
CINEMATON
11:30 p.m. Cinématon di Gerard Courant – Breve selezione

Friday 8th
CINEMA CENTRALE
official selection
3:00 p.m. RESISTANCE
(Fabienne Gautier, France, 2010, Col. 27’)
SO CHE C’E’ UN UOMO
(Gianclaudio Cappai, Italy, 2009, Col. 29’)
SO ABSTRACT!
(Eytan Ipeker, Turkey, 2009, Col. 6’)
FROM -60° TO +113° F
(Elle Burchill, USA, 2010, Col. 14’)
ENTITY OF HAZE
(Rouzbeh Rashidi, Ireland, 2010, Col. 12’)
ICH BIN’S HELMUT
(Nicolas Steiner, Switzerland/Germany, 2010, Col. 11’)
GELIEBTE
(Ingo J. Biermann, Germany, 2009, Col. 5’)
LAS REMESAS
(Arturo Artal / Juan Carrascal, Spain, 2009, Col. 3’)
LONTANO
(Michele Gurrieri, France, 2010, Col. 11’)
special events
5:00 p.m. meeting with the director ADOLPHO ARRIETTA. After
FLAMMES
(Adolpho Arrietta, France, 1978 – 2009, col. 50’)
homage ABEL FERRARA
6:15 p.m. introduction of Abel Ferrara and Marcello Assante. After
MULBERRY STREET
(Abel Ferrara, USA, 2009,col, doc, 80’)

9:00 p.m. Prize giving of the winners of the official selection
9:15 p.m. Meeting with the director ABEL FERRARA and the actress SHANYN LEIGH. After
GO GO TALES
(Abel Ferrara, USA/Italy, 2007 Col. 100′)
special events
11:15 p.m. THE SUN AND THE MOON
(Steve Dwoskin, England, 2007, video, col. 60′)

Saturday 9th
Auditorium San Romano
5.30 p.m. Presentation of the book:
Lo schermo liberato – Il cinema di Miklos Jancso
With the author Giulio Marlia and the editor Marco Del Bucchia.
6.30 p.m. Conference:
film criticism on web – situations and new horizons
With: Marco Luceri (Corriete Fiorentino), Claudio Carabba (Corriere della Sera), Stefano Giuntini (Loschermo.it), Gianni Quilici (La linea dell’occhio), Alessandro Baratti (Spietati.it), Donal Foreman and Max Le Cain (Experimental Conversations) and Laura Da Prato (Splatter Container).

8.00 p.m. CLOSING PARTY (aperitif from 8.00 p.m. to 9.00 p.m.)
9:00 p.m. SCREENING OF THE WINNER OF THE OFFICIAL SELECTION

special events: VIVA: Andy Warhol’s muse
9:30 p.m. NECROPOLIS
(Franco Brocani, Italy, 1970, col. 126′)

Homage to Miklós Jancsó and Márta Mészáros
in collaboration with Viareggio EuropaCinema

Film review exhibition organized by the Associazione Vista Nova

Web-site: www.vistanova.it

Giacomo Puccini

Giacomo Puccini October 2010 Events in Lucca

TUTTI I LUNEDI’, MARTEDI’ E MERCOLEDI’ DEL MESE /EVERY MONDAY, TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY OF THE MONTH
SPECIAL CONCERTS
“PUCCINI AND MOZART”
(always with different performers and programmes)

TUTTI I GIOVEDI’ DEL MESE – EVERY THRUSDAY OF THE MONTH

UNA NOTTE ALL’OPERA/A NIGHT AT THE OPERA
Arie e duetti dal repertorio lirico di Puccini, Verdi, Leoncavallo, Donietti, Mascagni ed altri/arias and duets from the Italian operatic repertoire

TUTTI I VENERDI’ DEL MESE – EVERY FRIDAY OF THE MONTH

MOZART & PUCCINI
Arie e duetti da/arias and duets from  LE NOZZE DI FIGARO, COSI’ FAN TUTTE, DON GIOVANNI, MADAMA BUTTERFLY, LA BOHEME, TOSCA

TUTTI I SABATO DEL MESE – EVERY SATURDAY OF THE MONTH

UNA NOTTE ALL’OPERA/A NIGHT AT THE OPERA
Arie e duetti dal repertorio lirico di Puccini, Verdi, Leoncavallo, Donietti, Mascagni ed altri/arias and duets from the Italian operatic repertoire

TUTTE LE DOMENICHE DEL MESE – EVERY SUNDAY OF THE MONTH

PUCCINI E LA CANZONE TRADIZIONALE NAPOLETANA – PUCCINI & THE  NEAPOLITAN TRADITIONAL SONGS

Lucca

23 September
Conference
“Camillo Benso Conte di Cavour: l’uomo e lo statista”
Opening festivities for the 150th anniversary of the Unification of Italy to mark the bicentennial of the  birth of C. B. Cavour. Organized by AC Lucca and the prefecture  of Lucca.

24 September
“I tre tenori -omaggio a Luciano Pavarotti”
Grand Opera Gala special produced by Puccinine
San Giovanni Church 9.30
Web site: www.puccinielasualucca.com

24 September – 15 October
“Letterathe”
Cultural and literary meetings hed by the City Administration of Lucca in Villa Bottini, the Lucca Public Library, the Municipal Library.
organized by the Associazione Il Vallisneriano, the Reader’s Society and LuccAutori.
Lucca Public Library, Lucca Municipal Library, Villa Bottini, 5.00 pm and 9.15 pm

25 September
“In search of the Pioppino”
Hike in search of this delicious mushroom
Starts from the Antraccoli Church, 10.00 am

25 September
“Festival of Magic”
Display of the final course of magic sponsored by District 1 and organized by the Associazione Arti Libere.
Palazzo Pfanner Portico, 5.00 pm

26 September
“Puccini versus Verdi – The grat Italian opera challenge”
Grand Opera Gala special produced by Puccini e la sua Lucca Festival.
San Giovanni Church 9.30 pm
Web site: www.puccinielasualucca.com

27 September
“European Languages Day”
Session and conferences on the theme of “Multilingual Education and Humanities” and “Learning languages to build Europe” organized by the University of Pisa and the Fondazione Banca del Monte di Lucca in collaboration with city and European officials.
Pisa – Aula Magna Nuova, Palazzo della Sapienza 9.00-12.00 noon
Lucca Palazzo Ducale, 2.00 pm – 7.00 pm

28 September
“Amalia Paladini, una donna del Risorgimento”
Meeting with Maria Teresa Mori – Conference organized by the Centro Donna Lucca
Agorà Auditorium, 5.00 pm

29 September
Solemn Pontifical
Feast of St. Michael
In the San Michele Foro, 5.00 pm

Italian calcio

Forza Lucchese!
Yes, the football season has begun. It may seem only five minutes since the World Cup disappeared from our television screens (and let us not dwell on the performance of the Italian national team) but once again the Beautiful Game is with us.

And at the Stadio Porta Elisa in Lucca, hopes are high. After all, local team la Lucchese are on a bit of a roll, having been promoted in each of their last two seasons.
Associazione sportiva Lucchese Libertas 1905 to give them their full name or the “rossoneri” as they are commonly known from the colours of their strip now play in Lega pro 1 Division, otherwise known as Serie C.

A gripping season can be expected as the Lucchese battle to hold onto their new status, not least against local rivals in the same Division, Pisa ( first derby is at Porta Elisa on 17 ocotber) and Viareggio (an away match on 14 November).
Manager Giancarlo Favarin has made a great difference since he took over and as la Lucchese take to the pitch to the strains of “Nessun Dorma” once more, let’s hope he can do it again this season.

Tickets are available from the Tourist Information Office, Piazza Curtatone (just outside the railway station).
You’ll need to produce your passport or other evidence of identity.

Lucca

Lucca and Pisa in Harmony

Forget all the old jokes about the ancient rivalry between Lucca and pisa. Not only is it the latest idea to promote both cities as a joint tourist destination, but this year, the annual concert for San Michele in Lucca will feature choirs from Lucca and Pisa combining in harmony.
On 25 September in Lucca, repeated on 26 September in pisa, audiences can hear the Polifonica Lucchese, the Società Corale Pisana and members of the vocal group Stereo Tipi come together to perform Braham’s towering choral work, the Deutsches Requiem
The initiative comes jointly from Egisto Matteucci, musical director of the Polifonica Lucchese and Gianpaolo Mazzoli, maestro of the Società Corale Pisana and also Director of Lucca’s prestigiuos music school, the Istituto Boccherini. In the version of the Requiem for two pianos and timpani, the choirs will be joined by pianists Carlo Palese and Simone Soldati and timpanist David Mazzei. the solo vocal parts are taken by two favourites with Lucca audiences, Korean soprano Hye Won Nam, and lucchese bass Francesco Facini.
First performed in 1868, when Brahams was 34 years old, the Deutsches Requiem, so called because it was written with German (rather than Latin) text, has been variously described as ” a masterpieces of exceptional vision”, a masterful fusion of new and old techiniques and by Clara Schuman as ” a truly tremendous piece of art”. It was dedicated by Brahams to his mother and to Robert Schuman, both of whom had recently died, but also “to humanity in general”.

Concerto per San Michele, at Church of San Michele in Foro, Lucca at 5.30 pm on Saturday 25 September, tickets at the door, euro 10,00. In Pisa on Sunday 26 in the Church of San francesco at 9 pm.