Bytes of Italy

Balls and Blood

Sports Illustrated recently did a feature on calcio fiorentino, a version of soccer first played in Florence in the 16th century and revived in 1930.  Saying it is soccer is a bit of stretch as it is more like a team ultimate fighting match than a soccer game.  It is a combination of soccer, rugby and australian rules football, with a bit of martial arts thrown in.  A brief description of the game from the article is provided below:

Two teams of muscular tattooed, bare-chested men are engaged in hand-to-hand combat over a ball, though with all the bodies flying, it's often impossible to say where it is.  A thousand spectators sit in the bleachers set up around the square, yelling with rapacious glee.  The melee is intermittently obscured by thick, red smoke, generated for the occasion by a machine, creating the illusion that all present - including old Dante - are peering into the fiery depths of hell.

The rest of the article can be accessed here.

The Monster of Florence

I just learned that Douglas Preston, an author who has written or co-written many thrillers I have quite enjoyed, has penned a new and very personal non-fiction book based on his experiences outside Florence.  This new book which will come out in mid-June is titled The Monster of Florence and is summarized as follows:

In 2000, Douglas Preston fulfilled a dream to move his family to Italy. Then he discovered that the olive grove in front of their 14th century farmhouse had been the scene of the most infamous double-murders in Italian history, committed by a serial killer known as the Monster of Florence. Preston, intrigued, meets Italian investigative journalist Mario Spezi to learn more. This is the true story of their search for--and identification of--the man they believe committed the crimes, and their chilling interview with him. And then, in a strange twist of fate, Preston and Spezi themselves become targets of the police investigation. Preston has his phone tapped, is interrogated, and told to leave the country. Spezi fares worse: he is thrown into Italy's grim Capanne prison, accused of being the Monster of Florence himself. Like one of Preston's thrillers, The Monster Of Florence, tells a remarkable and harrowing story involving murder, mutilation, and suicide-and at the center of it, Preston and Spezi, caught in a bizarre prosecutorial vendetta.

Sounds like a fascinating read and I am very much looking forward to getting my hands on it.

Palazzo Antinori

In their February 2008 issue, T&L features the Palazzo Antinori, a Renaissance palace located in Florence which has served as the headquarters for the Marchesi Antinori winery since the 16th century.  Inside the palazzo are two restaurants, the upscale Cantinetta Antinori and the unpretentious Buca Lapi.  Cantinetta serves elaborate regional dishes while Buca Lapi reputedly offers up the best steak in Florence.  Given that the palazzo is located on Via Tornabuoni close to Prada, Versace and Armani, I would suggest you eat and imbibe after you shop, or you may find your wine-lessened inhibitions leave you with a substantially lightened wallet.

Florence Journal

If you are planning a trip to Florence, already live there or are contemplating a move, a great web destination for you is the blog Florence Journal.  This eclectic site features everything from interesting places to visit in and around Florence to the restaurants they frequent and wines they drink to the books they're reading on Italy.  This is definitely a blog worth putting on your subscription list.

Uffizi Expanding

Following decades of delays, dating since the 1960s, the Uffizi Gallery is finally undergoing an expansion.  The gallery, which is home to one of the greatest art collections in the world, will stay open during the construction activity. The aim is to keep the artworks and visitors as little affected as possible, with workmen, equipment and a crane shielded from view behind a screen.  The expansion will double the building's 6,000 square metres of display space to 12,000, enabling hundreds of works, currently in storage, to be displayed.  More than 2,000 art works will be displayed compared to 1,200 at present.  The Uffizi will also be able to double the number of visitors admitted daily, from 4,000 to 8,000.

The work will be carried out in three phases, with the first phase to last around four and a half years.  The work during this phase will focus on the first floor being converted into an exhibition space, the ground floor being changed to offices and a photo archive, and the construction of one of two new stairwells. The gallery's electrical and plumbing systems will also be updated, roof repairs will be tackled and the facade will be cleaned up. The second phase, and apparently the most controversial, will last two years and will feature a loggia designed by Japanese architect Arata Isozaki.  Plans for the final stage are still being completed but are expected to take until 2013 to complete.

The Uffizi, as you likely know, is one of the most famous museums of paintings and sculpture in the world. It has an amazing collection of Primitive and Renaissance masterpieces from some of the most acclaimed artists of all time, including Giotto, Fra Angelico, Filippo Lippi, Botticelli, Correggio, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo and Caravaggio. Of particular note are Botticelli's Primavera and The Birth of Venus. There is also a good representation of German, Dutch and Flemish masters such as Dürer, Rembrandt and Rubens.  A great site to visit to see all of the artwork online and get background information on all of the artists is Virtual Uffizi.

It occupies the top floor of a large U-shaped building built between 1560 and 1580 by Giorgio Vasari to house the administrative offices (or uffici in Italian, hence Uffizi) of the Tuscan State. The Gallery was created by Grand-duke Francesco I and subsequently enriched by various members of the Medici family, who were great collectors of paintings, sculpture and works of art. The collection was rearranged and enlarged by the Lorraine Grand-dukes, who succeeded the Medici, and finally by the Italian State.

For more information about the Uffizi, click here.

Florence in a Box

I just came across an interesting new online store selling unique and handcrafted Tuscan products located at www.florenceinabox.com.  Nothing in the store is mass-produced.  Rather, each piece is hand made often using techniques and tools that were invented hundreds of years ago. 

Everything they sell ships directly from the artist's studio or workshop to your home. The product categories include ceramics, glass works, wood, metal art, clothing and accessories, paper and book binding and silver.  Though the selection is not very broad yet, there are nevertheless many beautiful and unique items that would make wonderful gifts.  It's definitely worth a browse.