PlanetEye

On May 25th, join the celebration of Italian wine and "enotourismo" at an event called "Cantine Aperte 2008.

Cantine Aperte (Open Wineries Day) is the most important event held in Italy on the last Sunday of May: starring wine, its people and its places. ??On this festive day, all Italian wine lovers unite. From the Alps to Sicily, almost one thousand wineries welcome wine tourists to vineyards, barrels and barriques.

From the first edition held in 1993 to date, the event has enjoyed constant success and has continually expanded to include over eight hundred wineries open to one million enthusiastic wine tourists. ??The Tuscan region certainly can't be excluded from this important appointment with its great wine-producing lands: Chianti first and foremost, but let's not forget other prestigious controlled domination of origin (DOC) like Montalcino and Montepulciano, or other less famous areas like Massa Marittima, Maremma or the Etruscan coast. ??

There are almost 130 wineries in Tuscany that participate in Cantine Aperte, opening their doors to wine tourists on Sunday, May 25th, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Some wineries even organize original events. For example, "Finocchiona Day" to celebrate the praises of one of Chianti's age-old traditional lunch meats. ???

For information:

Movimento Turismo del Vino Toscana

Phone: 055 290684 Fax: 055 295189

Email: toscana@movimentoturismovino.it

You can download maps of wineries that participate in Cantine Aperte at: www.mtvtoscana.it.

Pinocchio's Birthday is celebrated May 25 in the Tuscan town of Pescia located on the train line from Florence to Lucca, famous for its Flower Market and the Adventures of Pinocchio, a fictional character that first appeared in 1883 by Carlo Collodi. Carved from a piece of pine by a woodcarver named Geppetto in a small Italian village, he was created as a wooden puppet, but dreamt of becoming a real boy. The name "Pinocchio" is derived from the Italian words pino (pine tree), and occhio (eye), i.e. pine-eye. In the Tuscan dialect, pinocchio is the term used to refer to the pine nut.

The Adventures of Pinocchio comes to life in Italy's Pinocchio Park, in the village of Collodi. Carlo Collodi, Pinocchio's creator, took his pen name from Collodi, birthplace of his mother. The park tells Collodi's version of the Pinocchio story through sculpture, mosaics and puppet shows.

Pinocchio Park is a great place to take kids. A winding path leads visitors through the Village of Pinocchio as they encounter statues of characters from the story. The park also has a snack bar and picnic area, amusement park for small children, a theater for puppet shows, and a museum and gift shop. There's even an internet train to keep the parents occupied.

Pinocchio Park is open every day, 8:30 to sunset.

The medieval hillside village of Collodi, 17km northeast of Lucca in Tuscany, is an interesting place to visit, too. Also in Collodi, near Pinocchio Park, is the Garzoni Garden. A combination ticket is available to visit both places.

Ah, spring is here and the sun is shining. Time for the various spring and summer wine festivals to start. personal favorite is in the lovely town of Montespertoli in Tuscany. Its wines are not Chianti Classico but are a separate Chianti DOC (yummy!)

The festival starts the 24 of May and ends the 2^nd of June so don’t miss out! Located in the main square, Piazza San Pietro in Mercato. The town of Montespertoli, in the center of the Chianti region, is situated high on a hill and thus features spectacular views of Florence and other Tuscan cities. Because Montespertoli is one of the wine capitals of Tuscany, it's the perfect place for a festival that features the best of the year's vintage. This year, the town will swarm with wine lovers and professional buyers alike for the 46th annual festival.

For more info: Florence Tourist Office Tel. (+39) 055-233-20

I stumbled upon this article in my usual Sunday reading and couldn’t help but be intrigued. Sure, we have wax museums at home, and we’ve all heard of the famous Madame Tussauds in London. But the Museum of Zoology and Natural History, called “La Specla” in Florence was fasinating to me. Founded in 1771 by a Grand Duke of Tuscany, he wanted to display a large collection of natural “curiosities” acquired by several generations of the Medici, the founding father’s of the Renaissance and the rulers of Florence for many years. Located next to the Pitti Palace, this is certainly one of the museums NOT on your standard list of “to do’” while in Florence. But for those who are curious, a must see.

Below you’ll find an article from Wikipedia explaining a bit more about the history of La Specola, how it came about and why its so special. Check out this cool video to give you a better idea of what to expect:

http://www.geobeats.com/videoclips/italy/florence/la-specola

Taken from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Museum of Zoology and Natural History, "La Specola" is located in Florence next to the Pitti Palace. The name Specola means observatory, a reference to the astronomical observatory founded there in 1790. It now forms part of the Museo di Storia Naturale di Firenze.

The museum has deep ties to history; parts of the collection trace back to the Medici Family. It is known for its collection of wax anatomical models from the 18th century.

The Imperial Regio Museo di Fisica e Storia Naturale (The Imperial-Royal Museum for Physics and Natural History) was founded in 1771 by Peter Lopold, Grand Duke of Tuscany. At the time of its opening, and for the first years of the 19th century, it was the only scientific museum of its kind specifically created for the public to view. It opened on 21 February 1775 to the general public.

Today the museum spans 34 rooms and contains not only zoological subjects, such as a stuffed hippopotamus (a 17th-century Medici pet, which once lived in the Boboli Gardens), but also a collection of anatomical waxes, an art developed in Florence in the 17th century for the purpose of teaching medicine.This collection is very famous worldwide for the incredible accuracy and realism of the details, copied from real corpses. Also in La Specola on display are scientific and medical instruments. Parts of the museum are decorated with frescoes and pietra dura representing some of the principal Italian scientific achievements from the Renaissance to the late 18th century.

The visit to this part of the museum inspired the creators of the Hollywood movie Hollow Man by Paul Verhoeven, especially in those scenes when the protagonist gradually turns from invisibility to visibility, first showing veins, then organs and muscles under the skin. 

Whoever thought bugs weren’t fun has never been to the Festa Del Grillo! The famous Festival of Crickets held annually in Florence is a strange tradition and feast that dates back to the 16^th century and is held at the Park of the Cascine where crickets are sold in colorfu, hand woven cages. According to tradition if a man decorates his beloved's doors or windows with flowers and gives her a cricket, luck would favour him in love. Days leading on to the festival children hunt for crickets to cage them. The male crickets have a yellow stripe to make them discernible. Crickets that sing are believed to bring the household luck. The children would capture them in wicker baskets and take them the park on the day of the feats and release the crickets. Although I have never been myself (a bit squemish with bugs) I hear there is fantastic food such as braised sausages and artichokes for those looking for more feast than fest.

For more info: Florence Tourist Office Tel. (+39) 055-233-20

Get your dancing shoes on and head to the annual Florence Tango Festival! This will be a great event for everyone! Can’t dance? Not to worry! There’s plenty of shows, art exhibitions, and free tango classes. You will truly be inspired!

The annual Florence Tango Festival welcomes top international dancers to the city's Saschall theatre. This year's guests include Alejandra Hobert and Adrian Veredice, Andrea Reyero and Sebastian Missè and Patricia Hilliges and Matteo Panero, among others.

Website: http://www.saschall.it/

Location: Saschall - Teatro di Firenze

Opening Hours: Most shows start 8.30pm

In browsing online for upcoming concerts or musical performances coming to Florence, I found the Orchestra da Camera Fiorentina that is performing at the end of April. Have a look below for details!

The Chamber Orchestra of Florence was created in 1981 by conductor and artistic director of the orchestra, Giuseppe Lanzetta.  Consisting of 40 musicians,  the orchestra has performed over 1300 concerts to date. Their repertoire contains both symphonic works and chamber music.  International critics have named the Orchestra da Camera Fiorentina "one of the best chamber orchestras of Europe".

Within just a few years the Orchestra da Camera Fiorentina has succeeded in drawing the attention of audiences in Italy and abroad. One reason for this would be the numerous successful appearances in Italy for the most important institutions of classical music. Another reason is the orchestra's touring schedule, which led the Orchestra da Camera Fiorentina to Brazil, Mexico, the United States, Spain, Malta, Portugal, Slovenia, Poland and Germany.

Many renowned soloists have performed with the orchestra, among them Augusto Vismara, Christiane Edinger, Jorge Demus, Eduard Brunner, Andreas Blau, Bruno Canino, Daniele Damiano, Cristiano Rossi, Vincenzo Mariozzi, Umberto Clerici, Andrea Nannoni, Filippo Maria Bressan, the choir of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino and the choir Athestis. Since 1985 the Orchestra da Camera Fiorentina is financed partly by the Italian ministry for Culture and by the Assessorato for urban culture of the province Florence and the region Tuscany.

PROGRAMME

April 27^th 2008 at 9:00pm Church of Orsanmichele