The ISI Florence Guide | Listing the Best Picks of the Month to Explore the City at its Best.
RITORNI. Da Modigliani a Morandi
Where: Museo del Novecento, Piazza Santa Maria Novella
When: Mon to Sun (Closed Thu), 11:00am – 8:00pm
For the first time ever, this exhibition will feature Modigliani’s only self portrait. Moreover, the exhibition will feature 15 artworks from some of the greatest early 20th century Italian painters.
Price: Tickets starting at € 4,50
L’INCANTO DI ORFEO – ORPHEUS’ ENCHANTMENT
Where: Palazzo Medici Riccardi – Via Cavour, 3
When: Mon to Sun (Closed Wed) 9:00am – 7:00pm
This exhibition will showcase approximately sixty works of art devoted to one of the most meaningful and immortal figures of Greek mythology, running the gamut from paintings to sculptures, drawings, manuscripts, installations, and films from classical antiquity to the present day.
Price: Tickets € 15,00 (€ 10,00 under 25)
WOMEN OF THE SKY
Where: Biblioteca Nazionale – Piazza dei Cavalleggeri
When: Open Mon to Fri 10:00am – 5:00pm,
Sat 10:00am – 1:00pm
The National Central Library of Florence is currently hosting “Donne del Cielo: da muse a scienziate” (Women of the Sky: From Muses to Scientists). This tour delves into the stories of women who have shaped our understanding of astronomy, from their historical role as inspiring figures to their modern contributions as scientists.
FREE
JANNIS KOUNELLIS – THE ROOM SEES
Where: Museo del Novecento – Piazza S. Maria Novella
When: Open Mon to Sun (Closed Thu) 11:00am – 8:00pm
The art of Jannis Kounellis returns to Florence with an exhibition featuring more than a hundred drawings made on paper, mostly in India ink, pencil, and charcoal, between the 1970s and 1980s.
Price: Tickets € 9,50 (€ 4,50 under 25)
SALVATORE FERRAGAMO
Where: Museo Ferragamo – Piazza S. Trinita, 5R
When: Open everyday 10:00am – 7:30pm
The exhibition explores the life and crafts of the famous Italian Designer. In particular, it pays homage to Ferragamo’s work in Hollywood.
Price: Tickets € 8,00
ANTONIO CANOVA & NEOCLASSICISM (LUCCA)
Where: Ex Cavallerizza – Piazzale Giuseppe Verdi
When: Open Everyday, 10:00am to 8:00pm
The exhibition features numerous masterpieces by Antonio Canova, including sculptures and paintings from prestigious public and private collections. It offers a captivating journey into the ongoing pursuit of beauty and its ideals, showcasing over 100 works by Canova and Neoclassical masters from Lucca and Tuscany such as Pompeo Batoni, Bernardino Nocchi, and Stefano Tofanelli, as well as Francisco Goya.
Price: Tickets starting at € 15,00
CANDLELIGHT CONCERT TRIBUTE TO QUEEN
Where: Palazzo Pucci – Via de’ Pucci, 4
When: Sunday, May 19
Candlelight concerts go beyond the traditional concert format: as the spectators enjoy the music, they are enveloped in the warm light of candles. The result is a breathtaking and utterly unique event.
Price: Tickets starting at € 25,00
INDIPENDENZA ANTIQUARIA
Where: Piazza Indipendenza
When: Saturday & Sunday, May 18 & 19 – 9:00am-7:00pm
Monthly flea market near the city center where you can find vintage furniture, books, paintings, fine china and all sorts of interesting objects!
Free
PITTI PIZZA & FRIENDS FOOD FESTIVAL
Where: Piazzale Michelangelo
When: From Thursday, May 23 to Sunday, May 26
The event offers a wide variety of experiences, from gastronomic tastings to talks by experts in the field of nutrition, focusing on the importance of healthy pizza in line with the principles of the Mediterranean diet. There will be a dedicated oven for celiacs and attention will be given to different food intolerances.
FREE
A.C. FIORENTINA – HOME GAMES
Where: Stadio Artemio Franchi, Viale Manfredo Fanti
When:
Monday, May 13 – 8:45pm (Fiorentina vs Monza)
Sunday, May 19 – 6:00pm (Fiorentina vs Napoli)
Price: Varies
Website: https://www.bigliettifiorentina.com/en/
THE IRIS GARDEN
Where: Piazzale Michelangelo
When: Open until May 20
Tucked into the sheltered corner of Piazzale Michelangelo, the Iris Garden boasts more than 10,000 different varieties. The secluded area is a relaxing escape, filled with only distant echoes of Florence. The Italian Iris Society, headquartered in Florence due to the city’s historical attachment to the flower, maintains the flowerbeds and sponsors an annual international iris competition.
FREE ENTRANCE
THE ROSE GARDEN
If you’ve already seen Boboli Garden, you can’t miss the Rose Garden, right below Piazzale Michelangelo. The garden has a great view of the Duomo and Palazzo Vecchio and is ideal for a relaxing afternoon with friends or even a picnic! The park opens everyday at 9:00am and closes at sunset. As the garden closes, you can make your way back to the Piazzale and enjoy a beautiful sunset on the staircase to the left of the statue of David.
FREE ENTRANCE
ORTICOLTURA GARDEN
Just outside the historical city center, Orticoltura garden is a quiet spot where you can relax while admiring the Florence skyline. The park is open everyday from 8:30am to 7:00pm. The upper part of the garden (entrance on Via Trento, 11) offers a great view on the city, and is the perfect spot where to watch the sunset over Florence. If you enter from Via Vittorio Emanuele II, 4 you can see the huge 19th century greenhouse. This park is a fan favorite among families and friends, who meet here to relax, catch up and even do yoga!
FREE ENTRANCE
GIUNTI ODEON CINEMA E LIBRERIA
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.
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)
SIENA
A historical rival of Florence, Siena is full of art and artisanal work, as well as being known world-wide for its Palio (horserace), that takes place in July and August. The city is divided into “contrade” to this day, each having a different symbol and colours. The city is charming and can be visited easily in a day.
Getting there: There are frequent regional trains from Florence SMN station to Siena throughout the day (about 1.5 hr ride + 1 mile by foot to the city center).
PANINO al LAMPREDOTTO
Lampredotto is considered the king of Florentine street food. Taking its name from the lamprey (a type of fish that once inhabited the Arno river), lampredotto is usually eaten with a type of bread called “rosetta” and can be served with just salt and pepper, with hot sauce or with “salsa verde”, a condiment that includes olive oil, parsley, capers, stale bread, and anchovies. The meat is boiled for hours in a broth made with carrots, celery, bay leaves, onions, garlic, pepper, and a few juniper berries: the more it cooks the better it tastes.
Despite taking its name from a fish, lampredotto comes from cows. More specifically, lampredotto is one of the four stomachs of the cow, the abomasum. Being part of the cow’s entrails, lampredotto has a particular consistency that not everyone likes, but we encourage you to try it!
Where to eat it: Tripperia Pollini (Via dei Macci, 126); I’Trippaio di Firenze (Via Gioberti); Il Trippaio di Sant’Ambrogio (Piazza Lorenzo Ghiberti).