The ISI Florence Guide | Listing the Best Picks of the Month to Explore the City at its Best.
DOMENICA AL MUSEO: FREE ENTRANCE TO MUSEUMS
When: Sunday, February 2 – all day
Take advantage of free entrance to a selection of museums:
Galleria degli Uffizi, Galleria dell’Accademia, Museo delle Cappelle Medicee, Palazzo Pitti, Museo Nazionale del Bargello, Palazzo Davanzati, Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Casa Martelli, Museo di Orsanmichele, Villa Medicea di Castello, Villa il Ventaglio, Villa Corsini, Villa Medicea della Petraia.
FLORENCE SHORT FILM FESTIVAL
Experience the best of independent cinema at the Florence Short Film Festival. Showcasing a diverse selection of short films, the festival highlights emerging talent, unique storytelling, and innovative filmmaking from around the world.
When: Thursday, February 6 to Saturday, February 8 – 9:00pm
Where: Cinema La Compagnia (Via Cavour 50/r)
Tickets: € 8.00
CARNIVAL PARADE
The Carnival parade in Florence fills the streets with vibrant costumes, lively music, and elaborate floats. Families, locals, and tourists gather to celebrate, enjoying festive performances, confetti showers, and a joyful atmosphere, all led by Florence’s main Carnival character, Stenterello. It’s a wonderful local tradition.
When: Sunday, February 9 – 3:30pm
Where: Piazza Santa Maria Novella
FREE
2025 SUPER BOWL
The Big Game at the Hard Rock Cafe Firenze! Broadcast live starting from midnight.
For special menu prices and reservations check:
https://www.hardrockcafe.com/location/florence/it/
When: Sunday, February 9 – from 11:00pm
Where: Hard Rock Cafe – Via Brunelleschi, 1
Dinner + Game: starting at € 28.00
I LOVE VINTAGE MARKET
Enjoy a variety of handpicked vintage items, including unique clothes, bags, jewelry, accessories, posters, vinyl, and design pieces. You’ll also find the best handmade crafts, with items created using recycled materials and techniques.
When: Sunday, February 16 11:00am – 8:00pm
Where: The Social Hub – Viale Spartaco Lavagnini, 70
FREE
ROCK AT THE OPERA
An impressive symphonic rock show that blends the explosive energy of rock with the grandeur of orchestral music, offering a unique and thrilling experience. Featuring four vocalists and a live rock band, the show takes the audience through the greatest hits in rock history, reinterpreting them with orchestral arrangements. The setlist includes unforgettable classics from legendary bands like AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Metallica, Aerosmith, Deep Purple, The Beatles, and many more!
When: Friday, February 14 & Saturday, February 15 – 9:00pm
Where: Teatro Cantiere Carrara – Lungarno Aldo Moro, 3
Tickets: starting at € 27.40
ABBA DREAM TRIBUTE
The ABBA Dream Tribute Concert pays homage to the legendary Swedish band, capturing the essence of their timeless music. With a talented ensemble of musicians, the concert features ABBA’s greatest hits, from “Dancing Queen” to “Take a Chance on Me”. The show not only highlights the band’s iconic pop sound but also brings the energy and magic of ABBA’s live performances to the stage.
When: Friday, February 21 – 9:00pm
Where: Teatro Cantiere Carrara – Lungarno Aldo Moro, 3
Tickets: starting at € 19.00
QUIZ NIGHT AT YELLOWSQUARE
Quiz Night at YellowSquare Hostel in Florence offers a fun evening of friendly competition. Test your knowledge with a variety of questions, enjoy music, and compete for exciting prizes. The game is held in English, and it’s great way to spend the evening!
When: Thursday, February 6 – 9:00pm
Where: Yellowsquare Hostel – Viale Redi, 19
FREE
A.C. FIORENTINA – HOME GAMES
Where: Stadio Artemio Franchi, Viale Manfredo Fanti
When:
Sunday, February 2 – 3:00pm (Fiorentina vs Genoa)
Sunday, February 16 – 3:00pm – 3:00pm (Fiorentina vs Como)
Buy your tickets online at https://www.acffiorentina.com/en/ticketing or at the Fiorentina Store under the train station (show your ISI Florence card for a discount on Fiorentina merch!)
RETROSCENA
The fulcrum of the exhibition are the works of masters who lived through, suffered or opposed the policies of Fascism, eighty years after the liberation of Italy from Nazi-Fascism.
When: Open Mon to Sun (Closed Thu) 11:00am – 8:00pm
Where: Museo del Novecento, Piazza Santa Maria Novella
Tickets starting at: € 4.50
IMPRESSIONISTI IN NORMANDIA
The exhibition features artists like Monet, Renoir, Delacroix, and Courbet, who capture the vibrancy of Normandy’s landscapes – the birthplace of Impressionism – by portraying the moods of the sky, the sparkle of water, and lush green valleys. The exhibition focuses on the Peindre en Normandie Collection alongside loans from the Musée d’Art Moderne in Le Havre and private collections.
When: Open everyday, 9:30am – 7:00pm
Where: Museo degli Innocenti, Piazza Santissima Annunziata
Price: tickets starting at € 16,00
MUSEUM of ILLUSIONS
The space where illusions meet scientific inventions and arts: physics and optics are displayed together with mysterious artworks and classical riddles.
When: Open Mon to Fri 10:00am – 7:00pm; Sat & Sun 9:00am – 9:00pm
Where: Borgo degli Albizi, 29
Price: tickets € 17,00
SALVATORE FERRAGAMO
The exhibition explores the life and crafts of the famous Italian designer. In particular, it pays homage to Ferragamo’s work in Hollywood.
When: Open Everyday, 10:30am – 7:30pm
Where: Museo Ferragamo – Piazza S. Trinita, 5R
Price: tickets € 8,00
HOKUSAI EXHIBITION IN PISA
The HOKUSAI exhibition at Palazzo Blu in Pisa showcases over 200 works, including several masterpieces that have never been exhibited before. This extraordinary collection offers visitors a rare chance to explore the artistry of Katsushika Hokusai, widely regarded as the greatest exponent of Ukiyo-e, a genre of Japanese art that flourished during the Edo period. Through the exhibition, viewers can delve into the rich visual culture of Japan and appreciate the techniques and themes that made Hokusai’s work so influential, from his famous woodblock prints to his innovative use of perspective and color.
When: Open Mon to Fri, 10:00am – 7:00pm, weekend 10:00am – 8:00pm
Where: Palazzo Blu – Lungarno Gambacorti, 9
Tickets: € 14,00 (€ 12,00 under 25)
CARNEVALE!
Carnevale is an Italian holiday generally celebrated in February or March, as it doesn’t have a fixed date.
The festivity as we know it today stems from Christianity: it is the period right before Lent, which is characterized by fasting and self-denial, especially when it comes to meat. The name itself comes from the Latin “carnem levare”, which translates to “removing the meat”.
The date for the Carnevale changes depending on when Easter is: it begins exactly nine weeks before Easter and ends with Mardi Gras, the day before Ash Wednesday. For these reasons, Carnevale was seen in the past as the final time to celebrate and enjoy the pleasures of life before Lent.
The tradition of celebrating by feasting and sharing in the merriment comes from the Roman Saturnalia, a festival in which social norms were disregarded or even reversed completely, and people often wore costumes. This feature unites cities throughout Italy, and even though the most well-known celebrations are the ones in Venice, all regions throughout the Italian peninsula have their own special traditions. For example, in Viareggio, allegorical chariots parade through the town, while in Sciacca the inhabitants make paper-mâché works. The most unique Carnival tradition, however, can be found in Ivrea (Piedmont), where participants take part in the so-called Battle of the Oranges. As the name suggests the people taking part in the game throw oranges at each other.
Despite its religious roots, Carnevale is popular among many Italians, and especially families, where children are encouraged to dress up, sometimes making their own paper masks at school.
CARNEVALE DI VIAREGGIO
When: February 8/16/22/27 & March 2/4 – Parade starting times vary according to day
Where: Viareggio
Price: Entrance ticket: Starting at € 25,00
Round-trip train ticket Firenze S.M.Novella – Viareggio: € 21,60
Regarded as highly as the Venetian carnival, Carnevale di Viareggio gets its name from the town on the Tyrrhenian coast. Over 150 years old, the Carnevale di Viareggio is considered amongst the most renowned carnival celebrations in both Italy and Europe.
The parade features allegorical floats with political and social themes.
GIUNTI ODEON – LIBRERIA E CINEMA
Open seven days a week, from 8.30 in the morning to the end of each night’s film, Giunti Odeon is the new and improved face of the old Odeon cinema. Built over 100 years ago, Odeon has been a meeting point for cinephiles for over a century. Today, it maintains its mission as a cinema, with the addition of a bookshop, where bookshelves occupy the entire ground floor. One screen guarantees night-time movie projections, while a LED wall ensures daytime entertainment in Italian and English.
Explore the beautiful architecture while browsing English and Italian books or stay until late and catch the latest movie in its original language with Italian subtitles.
CENCI
The origin of cenci (“rags”) can be traced to Ancient Rome’s frictilia, sweet fried dough that was served during Saturnalia, a festival that resembles modern Carnival. The recipe is not much different nowadays, but despite being a relatively simple dish, most Florentines love it and purchase it around Carnival time in any pasticceria or supermarket. Fun fact! The recipe expanded to other parts of Italy during the centuries, cenci have different names in different regions, such as frappe or chiacchiere (“chit chat”).
Where to eat it: During the carnival period you can find them in most bakeries, but we suggest Forno Ghibellina (Via Ghibellina, 41r).
SCHIACCIATA ALLA FIORENTINA
Along with cenci, schiacciata alla fiorentina is a typical Carnival cake, and a favorite of Florentines. It is a sponge cake that comes in a rectangular shape and has a distinct orange and vanilla scent. Traditionally it is served plain, but you can also find it filled with Chantilly cream. It is customary to stencil the Florentine lily on top of the cake with cocoa powder. Originally, the cake was known as Schiacciata delle Murate, because it was made by the cloistered nuns that lived in the convent (called Le Murate) on Via Ghibellina, and after it was converted into a prison the cake was often given to prisoners as part of their last meal before being executed.
Where to eat it: During the carnival period you can find it in most bakeries, but we suggest Forno Ghibellina (Via Ghibellina, 41r).
FRITTELLE
Another Carnevale delicacy is frittelle, sweet rice balls that are a must during this period. The dish has its roots in the Renaissance (it was seen in writing for the first time in 1465!) and is made with rice cooked in milk mixed with water, sugar, and finely chopped orange peels. After the rice is cooked, rum, lemon, eggs, and a little flour are added. Once the mixture has thickened, it is rolled into little balls and fried. Before serving, the rice balls are rolled in sugar. Like many recipes in Tuscany, every family has its recipe that is passed on, so the preparation can vary.
Where to eat it: During the carnival period you can find it in most bakeries, but we suggest Forno Ghibellina (Via Ghibellina, 41r).
LUCCA
Lucca is a charming old city with a rich history, beautiful churches and Renais-sance-era city walls that are almost perfectly intact to this day. We suggest you take a stroll on the walls to have a great view of the city, as well as a visit to Torre Giunigi (Giunigi Tower) and the garden situated on the top. Inside the city you must see Piazza Anfiteatro, built on the ruins of the Roman amphitheatre.
Getting there: There are frequent regional trains from Florence SMN station to Lucca throughout the day (about 1.5 hr. ride)