Villa Bardini – Florence

December 7, 2011

Villa Bardini, situated inside the age-old Bardini Garden with spectacular views of Florence, was re-opened in 2007 after a restoration.  It was returned to its original splendour thanks to the contribution of the Entre Cassa di Risparmio. On the occasion of this exhibition dedicated to Vincenzo Cabianca, a Veronese painter considered one of the fathers [...]

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Certaldo Alto

November 29, 2011

Perched atop Siena’s wine region, this enchanting medieval town hosts a fall culinary festival highly recommended for foodies and others with an appreciation for Italy’s fine culinary tradition.  The Italian landscape is littered with quaint villages and hillside Outposts, but this little town is a real gem.  ‘Alto’ literally translates into ‘tall’ or ‘high,’ but [...]

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Boccaccio’ s Women

November 19, 2011

One hundred paintings inspired by the Tales of Boccaccio by Jenny McIntosh, Scottish transplant to Bagni di Lucca, are on exhibit in Lucca at Corte dell’Angelo, via Roma this week beginning on November 5th (see What’s On). Her discov- ery of Boccaccio is a tale within a tale in- volving Franklin Samuel Stych, “Sam” as [...]

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Lucca Italy – Giacomo Puccini’s Birthplace Museum Now Open

September 14, 2011

The birthplace of Giacomo Puccini Museum, originally opened in 1979.  It was closed for extensive renovations and is now open again for visitors.  The museum contains precious objects belonging to the musician on the piano with all the work which he composed Turandot.
There are also autograph scores of early works like the Mass for 4 voices [...]

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Luminaria di Santa Croce–A Festival in Italy

September 13, 2011

In Lucca, a medieval walled city in the Tuscany region of Italy, an illusionary festival of lights called the Luminaria di Santa Croce, is held in September. It is part of the traditional Santa Croce Festival which is called “Settembre Lucchese” in Italian, meaning “Lucca’s September.” The origin of the festival is said to be [...]

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Movies: to inspire your Italian vacation thoughts!

September 5, 2011

A Room with a View: When Lucy Honeychurch and chaperone Charlotte Bartlett find themselves in Florence with rooms without views, fellow guests Mr Emerson and son George step in to remedy the situation. Meeting the Emersons could change Lucy’s life forever but, once back in England, how will her experiences in Tuscany affect her marriage [...]

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More Recommended Reading – Tuscany by Sonja Bullaty

August 11, 2011

Memorable are the splendid photographs in Tuscany, which exquisitely capture the light, colors, and textures of Italy’s most romantic and inspiring region. For three decades Sonja Bullaty and Angelo Lomeo have been drawn to Tuscany and its surrounding areas endeavoring to photograph the special light, the sculpted countryside, the heralded cities and hilltowns, and the [...]

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