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, October 1 – all day
Where: 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.
Price: Free
MAPPLETHORPE VON GLOEDEN. BEAUTY AND DESIRE
Photography exhibition that pays homage to the works of Robert Mapplethorpe and Wilhelm von Gloeden, exploring parallel themes and motifs that transcend time.
Where: Museo del Novecento – Piazza Santa Maria Novella, 10
When: Until February 14, Open Mon to Sun, 11:00am – 8:00pm (Closed on Thu)
Price: € 9,50 (€ 4,50 under 25)
INTERNATIONAL CERAMICS FAIR
Ninety ceramic artists from all over Europe will attend the 24th edition of the renowned International Ceramics Fair. From everyday objects to furniture, jewellery and more, many cultures and techniques are present in the two-day market-exhibit, with food and wine adding to the occasion and circular economy projects on display.
When: Saturday & Sunday, October 7 & 8
Where: Piazza Santa Croce
Price: FREE
SCANDICCI STREET MARKET
Set in Florence’s neighboring town of Scandicci, the yearly street market has something for everyone. Try delicious food from street vendors and enjoy an afternoon of shopping! The street market also offers clothing, handcrafted items, and anything you need to spruce up your fall wardrobe.
When: From Saturday, October 7 to Sunday, October 15
Where: Scandicci – Getting there: Take the T1 tram line in front of Florence SMN train station (direction: Villa Costanza) and get off at the stop called “Resistenza.” The ticket costs € 1,70 and can be bought directly at the tram platform.
Price: FREE
FLORENCE ART AND DESIGN BIENNALE 2023
Monthly flea market in the city center where you can find vintage furniture, books, paintings, fine china and all sorts of interesting objects!
When: From Saturday, October 14 to Sunday, October 22
Where: Fortezza da Basso
Price: € 12
Website: https://www.florencebiennale.org/en/calendar
INDIPENDENZA ANTIQUARIA
Monthly flea market in the city center where you can find vintage furniture, books, paintings, fine china and all sorts of interesting objects!
When: Saturday & Sunday, October 14 & 15 – 9:00 am to 7:00pm
Where: Piazza Savonarola, 1
Price: FREE
A.C. FIORENTINA – HOME GAMES
Where: Stadio Artemio Franchi, Viale Manfredo Fanti
When:
Monday, October 2 – 8:45pm (Fiorentina vs Cagliari)
Thursday, October 5 – 8:45pm * (Fiorentina vs Ferencváros)
Monday, October 23 – 8:45pm (Fiorentina vs Empoli)
Thursday, October 26 – 8:45pm * (Fiorentina vs Čukarički)
*Conference League
Price: Varies
Website: https://www.bigliettifiorentina.com/en/
CANDELIGHT SPOOKY CONCERT
Enjoy a mesmerizing evening at the Cattedrale dell’Immagine, where haunting melodies and an eerie, candle lit ambiance will transport you into a world of spine-tingling suspense. With pieces from famous composers as well as soundtracks from popular horror movies, this concert is the perfect event to get into the Halloween spirit in Florence!
Where: Cattedrale dell’Immagine – Piazza di Santo Stefano
When: Thursday, October 26 – 7:30
Price: Tickets start at € 20
Website: https://feverup.com/m/138515
HALLOWEEN AT ISI FLORENCE
While the Institute does not have a Halloween party, students can dress up in a costume for the day. Come get your candy in the Student Services office! The best costume will win a paid breakfast at Rivarno!
HALLOWEEN: COME AS YOU ARE NOT
The 25hours hotel in Florence transforms into a haunted house this Halloween! This chic location in the heart of Florence promises a party never seen before, with a prize for the best “fancy costume”: a one-night stay at a 25hours hotel of the winner’s choice! With the chain having hotels all over Europe it is an amazing opportunity.
Where: 25hours Hotel – Piazza San Paolino
When: Tuesday, October 31 – 8:00pm
Price: € 25 (includes drink, buffet and DJ set)
BUCHETTE DEL VINO
During the Renaissance, these small openings emerging from the facades of ancient noble palaces were used to sell wine, just like a wine shop would do nowadays. At the end of a work day, tired workers would knock on the wooden shutters from which a capacious glass of wine would be handed over for the price of two florins – the Florentine currency used at the time –. These windows were located precisely at elbow height so that the exchange could comfortably take place. To this day we can count 181 wine windows throughout the city, and some of them are still in operation, see how many you can spot! Stop by Fishmood in Piazza dei Peruzzi, knock on the window, and ask for your drink to go!
LUCCA COMICS & GAMES 2023
When: From Wednesday, November 1 to Sunday, November 5
Where: Lucca
Price: Tickets start at € 22
Website: https://www.ticketone.it/en/artist/lucca-comics-games/
Experience Italy’s biggest and most famous comic, gaming, and cosplay convention, Lucca Comics & Games! It takes place every year at the end of October and beginning of November, spanning the entirety of the town. Lucca’s picturesque medieval streets provide the perfect backdrop for this one-of-a-kind event. Whether you’re a die-hard comic book aficionado, a dedicated gamer, or a fantasy enthusiast, there’s something for everyone at Lucca Comics & Games. The event boasts a vast exhibition area, where you can immerse yourself in the world of comics, manga, and graphic novels.
Getting there: There are frequent regional trains from Florence SMN station to Lucca throughout the day (about 1.5 hr. ride)
EUROCHOCOLATE IN PERUGIA
Where: Perugia (Umbria region)
When: From Friday, October 13 to Sunday, October 22
Tickets: Starting at € 6 / € 10 on weekends
Website: https://www.eurochocolate.com/
Calling all chocolate lovers! Every year Perugia turns into a real-life chocolate heaven! With innovative flavors and designs, this world-renowned festival attracts visitors and experts from all around the globe. Spanning a week, Eurochocolate offers the chance to try chocolate delicacies and to watch chocolate crafters work their magic. Perugia, the city in the Umbria region that hosts the event every October, is easily reachable by train from Florence.
Getting there: You can take a regional train from Florence Santa Maria Novella Station that will take you directly to Perugia in about two hours.
CHESTNUT FESTIVAL IN MARRADI
Where: Marradi
When: Sunday, October 8, 15, 22, 29
Tickets: € 3
Every October, the charming mountain town of Marradi hosts the chestnut festival, a beloved tradition. The festival offers chestnut-flavored delicacies, including roasted and candied chestnuts, chestnut rolls filled with cream, and a traditional tuscan cake made with chestnut flour called “castagnaccio”.
Getting there: There are frequent regional trains between Florence SMN station and Marradi. The stop is called “Marradi-Palazzuolo sul Senio”.
CORTONA
Popularized by the movie “Under the Tuscan Sun”, Cortona is a charming small town near Arezzo. Cortona is rich with history: its roots are Etruscan, but the town has held importance during Roman times, throughout the Middle Ages and today is a popular spot to enjoy the Tuscan countryside.
Getting there: There are frequent regional trains from Florence SMN station to Camucia-Cortona, which is 2 miles from Cortona proper. To get to the town there are frequent busses from the train station.
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)
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!
BISTECCA alla FIORENTINA
The origin of the world-renowned bistecca alla Fiorentina, can be traced back to the Medici family, who ruled Florence between the 15th and the 18th century. During that time it was tradition for the family to light up bonfires in squares around Florence to celebrate St. Lawrence (August 10th). On the night of St. Lawrence, the people would gather around the bonfires, enjoy the steak courtesy of the Medici family, and admire the shooting stars that crossed the night sky. The bistecca is cooked on hot coals without any condiments. Once cooked, it should be salted, put on a wooden tray, and then covered, so that the “juices” can be properly re-absorbed. It is eaten rare and asking to have it well done is often frowned upon.
Where to eat it: Trattoria Zà Zà (Piazza del Mercato Centrale, 26r) – Ristorante La Giostra (Borgo Pinti, 10/18R) – Trattoria 4 Leoni (Via dei Vellutini, 1r)