THE EVENT …

“Fattori e il naturalismo in Toscana” is a big exhibition, cured by Francesca Dini.

It has been organized from 19^th of March and it will continue thought all 2008; it’s just one of the many events organized to celebrate Giovanni Fattori, who belongs to the most important painters of Risorgimento.

This frameworks exhibition propose 35 operas: 11 from Giovanni Fattori between these: “Horse branding in Maremma” and “Viale Principe Amedeo”; the others operas are made by Niccolò Cannicci, Eugenio Lecconi, Egisto Ferroni, Francesco Gioli, Luigi Gioli,  Guglielmo Micheli,  Ruggero Panerai,  Ruggero Sorbi,  Adolfo Tommasi e Angiolo Tommasi.

It’s supported by “Ente Cassa di Risparmio di Firenze” with “Soprintendenza per il Patrimonio Storico, Artistico ed Etnoantropologico” and “Galleria d’arte Moderna”.

…THE PAINTER…

Giovanni Fattori is considerate one of the most famous painter of the group known as the Macchiaioli.

He was born in Livorno in 1825 and he decided to move in Florence for studying arts. As others painters, he changed, during the time, the subject of his painting, passing from military and historical subjects to landscapes with figures and rural subjects.

…AND THE LOCATION: VILLA BARDINI

Villa Bardini is situated next to Forte Belvedere in the top of Costa San Giorgio. It was build in 1641 by Silvani Gerardo and the name derives from its panoramic position.

The garden is composed from 3 different placet:  there is a large terraced, an English wood to the west and an agricultural area to the east.  The Villa, as well, has a different functions: in the upper floor there is the Roberto Capucci Fondation and a museum deducated to Pietro Arrigoni; the ground floor is dedicate for exhibitions and meetings.

INFORMATION

TIME TABLE

- every day from 09.00 am to 07.00 p.m.

- Closed on the fist and last Monday of the month

TICKETS

- Full: 6,00 euro

- Reduced : 5,00 euro or 4.00 euro

For more information about the program, tickets and location you can visit the official site www.giovannifattori.it

or call the following number:

0039 055 2638599

If you consider this to be a good idea, think that summer is the best period of the year to enjoy a holiday in Italy. In June and July especially, you will find beautiful sunny weather, with bright days lasting until 9/10 p.m., and at the same time, temperatures never are too hot for visiting, walking and travelling.

In order to encourage foreign students to join and appreciate the “Bel Paese” (’Beautiful Country’, as Italy is used to be named abroad), for third consecutive year and following the success of the previous Special Offers in 2006 and 2007, Scuola Leonardo da Vinci - one of the most important Italy’s providers of in-country Italian language schools in Italy - is featuring again, last minute language travel packages in all its Italian language school centers, located in some of the most beautiful and attractive Italian cities, such as Florence, Milan, Rome and Siena.

The “last minute offer to study abroad in Italy” is a package that includes a 2 week language and culture course and accomodation in shared apartment or hosting family, for students who wish to enjoy Italian culture by living and stuying in Italy.

Italian language and culture courses offered by Scuola Leonardo da Vinci have been conceived to help foreign students in a fast development of their Italian language skills and their knowledge of Italian current culture.

In addition, after their lessons in class, they will have the possibility to attend cultural and leisure activities, enjoy their free time by visiting the city and its surroundings, or have fun during the night with their new school mates in the numerous nightclubs (bars, pubs, discos) of the city. Activities, excursions and nights out are usually organized with the school staff.

If you feel tempted by the idea of having a different, interesting holiday this year, here you will find some last minute offers to come to Italy, to study Italian language in one of the Leonardo da Vinci school centers in Florence, Milan, Rome or Siena. We promise you will have a very good time in our Leonardo da Vinci schools!

Discover our special price for a special offer so, what are you waiting for? Enroll now!
Carpe diem! Cogli l’attimo!
We are waiting for you!

…THE EVENT….

The “Maggio Musicale Fiorentino” was founded in 1933 on initiative of Luigi Ridolfi and master Vittorio Gui, with the successive contribution of Alexander Pavolini successor of Ridolfi in the role of Florence’s Federal.

It is an annual festival, organized by Florence, where are performing grand operas, concerts, ballets and theatre performances.

Besides it’s considerate one of the most prestigious artistic festivals to world-wide level and the company of dance of the Theatre (called Maggio Danza) is one of the main active formations in Italy.

Usually, the “Maggio Musicale Fiorentino” takes place in the beginning of June, in the Teatro Comunale (Town Theatre).

From 1986 the main director of the “Maggio Musicale Fiorentino” Orchestra is Zubin Mehta, who, in 2006, became honorary director to life. In 2001, the Government of India honoured him with the Padma Vibhushan, India’s second highest civilian award. In September, 2006 the Kennedy Center announced Maestro Mehta as one of the receipients of that year’s Kennedy Center Honors. These were presented on December the 2^nd, 2006. In the final, on February the 3^rd, 2007, Zubin Mehta received of the Second Annual Bridgebuilder Award at Loyola Marymount University.

…CURIOSITY….

The event has ancient origins; it descends from the spring celebration Calendimaggio so we can say the Musical May Fiorentino is like a modern representation of that festival.

The Calendimaggio was a spring festivity, celebrated, in fact, the first day of May - calende di Maggio - with celebrations which prolonged practically for all the month.

It was a tradition of all Tuscany and interests other regions (Appennino of Emilia Romagna, Four province, Oltrepò Pavian, marginal zones from Liguria, etc).

In Florence, “flower’s city”, the festivity began with the suspension of every activity and with the organisation of a long parade on the principal streets and the windows and the balconies were adorns for the occasion with tapestries and flags.

It started on 26^th of April and will finish on 1^st of July…This is the 71^st edition and like always it’s rich of initiatives!!!!

For any information about the program, tickets and location you can visit the official site

www.maggiofiorentino.com

or call the following numbers:

Box Office - TEATRO COMUNALE

Corso Italia, 16

fax + 39 (055) 287222

From tuesday to friday : from 10.00 a.m. to 04.30 p.m.

Saturday from 10.00 to 01.00 p.m.

INFORMATION E CALL CENTER

055 2779350

every day from 10 a.m. to 06 p.m.

tickets@maggiofiorentino.com

BOX OFFICE FLORENCE

Via Alamanni, 39

tel. + 39 055 210804

Timetable:

From tuesday to Saturday : from 10.00 a.m. to 07.30 p.m.

Monday from 03.30 p.m. to 07.30 p.m.

One of the most important monuments from Medici era in Florence is the Fortezza da Basso. It was build in the first half of the 1500s, between 1534and 1537, and it’s dislocated nearby the Central Railway Station of Santa Maria Novella.
It was designes by Antonio da Sangallo the Younger, on commission from Alessandro de’ Medici. The complex extends over an area of almost 100,000 square metres (55.000) of indoor); the number and variety of its rooms and spaces make it be an ideal setting for the conferences and trade faires.
The Fortezza da Basso is now the main exhibition centre in Florence, where lot of the most important trade faires and shows are held, one of these is the Handicraft Trade Fair.

….AND NOW ABOUT THE FAIR!

If you are in Florence in this period you can visit the interesting exhibition at Fortezza da Basso: the 72° International handicrafts Trade Fair, that will have place from April 25th to May 4th.
Here you can find more than 700 stands showing theire goods; for example you can find frames sellers, jewelery, clothes etc… .
At the Fortezza you can also find a special floor assigned at the international trade, where are sellers from all over the world.
Mostra dell’Artigianto is not only a trade exhibition, nor also a celebration of creativity and arts because you can admire lot of handemade and artistic goods.

The past is a very important argument for Florence and its culture, but in those days you will breath a peculiar atmospheare of “future”; therefore there will be new materials, new colours and new shapes which, however, are still keeping on the traditional refinement.

So, if we convinced you to visit it, we give you the details.

Time table

• every day from 10:00 am to 23:00
• last day from 10:00 am to 20:00

Tickets

• Full: 5,00 euro
• Not full (ridotto) : 4,00 euro

How to find it
It is at 250 meter to the central Railway Station S. Maria Novella (every bus can stop you there).

For more information: Events in Florence by About Florence

Handicraft Trade Fair official website

NOTE: all the images are taken from the Handicrafts Trade Fair Photo Gallery published in the official website.

During Easter time in our Italian classrooms students discover the Italian Easter traditions such as: recipes for the Easter Sunday, traditional cerimonies and events.

In Florence they will know everything about the famous “Scoppio del carro“, (The burst of the Cart), celebrated on Easter Sunday morning.

In Rome, Easter is a big event: thousands of pilgrims go there to hear the Pope’s message from Saint Peter’s Square.

In Milan, after the huge lunch on Sunday, people use to enjoy the Easter Monday by spending it in the big and beautiful parks within the city.

While in Siena Easter is the right time to enjoy the wonderful or to go to some villages near Siena, where people celebrates this festivity with religious costumed processions, as in Chianciano Terme or in Cetona.

In Italy there’s an expression frequently heard:
“Natale con i tuoi, Pasqua con chi vuoi” (”Christmas with your family, Easter with who you prefer”).
Maybe one time you will decide to spend Easter time with Leonardo da Vinci schools!

Buona Pasqua to everybody!

From a survey made by the free press “Studenti Magazine” and the association “Erasmus Student network Italia”, came out that the Erasmus students in Italy generally have problems in finding an accomodation (apartments are always too much expensive), in moving into the University bureaucratic bother and even in communicating with Italians in the first period of time, because a lot of people can’t speak English (and they need at least 1 month to learn Italian).

Thanks to our experience with international students, we are perfectly aware of the problems they find when they come to study in Italy, that’s why we use all our energies to solve these problems.
We want that our students “feel like Italians” and live their experience in the best way.

Our staff, that is able to speak a fluent and perfect English, is always available to students and ready to help them if they have some problems, if they need suggestions about where to find cheap shops and markets, or how to look for a convenient accomodation (we offer free services in finding accomodation to our students too, as apartments or hosting families carefully selected by our staff).

For this purpose we chose to collaborate with some online non commercial tourist guides that can help our students to discover Italy and the cities where Scuola Leonardo da Vinci is located: about Florence, about Milan, about Roma and about Siena.

Our schools are equipped with all the facilities, such as bar/cafeteria, library or internet point with free internet access (this was another problem underlined by the survey).

Last but not least, our teaching staff consists of young teams of experienced language teachers, who have studied at University and have been specially trained in teaching Italian to foreigners (read about our teaching method), since another trouble for Erasmus students was the lack of professionalism by teachers.

We hope to offer another example for our students, on how could it be beautiful and exciting to spend a language holiday in Italy.