Milan’s Pinacoteca di Brera museum, conceived under Napoleon as a “little Louvre”, is finally getting a modern art addition first envisioned more than 50 years ago with the opening of Palazzo Citterio, home to one of the world’s most important collections of 20th century Italian art. Completing the project, long beset by shifting priorities, periods … Read more
Florence, the stunning capital of Italy’s Tuscany region, which attracts millions of tourists each year, is taking drastic steps to tackle overtourism. The city’s Mayor, Sara Funaro, and her cabinet have approved a 10-point plan that includes banning certain items from the city’s historic centre, according to an announcement from City Hall. This includes a … Read more
A beautiful European city brimming with some of the best museums on the continent is just as pretty as Florence but without the massive crowds. Dresden, the third largest city in eastern Germany after Berlin and Leipzig, is often nicknamed “Florence on the Elbe” for its lavish architecture and riverside setting. Florence, renowned for its … Read more
But rather than ancient Rome, this is present-day Florence, and the day is June 24, a public holiday honouring the Italian city’s patron saint, San Giovanni. A parade precedes the annual event. Photo: John Brunton Any tourist planning to visit the otherwise romantic Piazza di Santa Croce on this day should be prepared for surprises. … Read more
The keynote is luxury, but variety is the byword, with booths selling everything from new trends in athleisure to masterwork examples of the not-yet-dead tie and business suit. Men’s fashion is celebrated in Florence at Pitti Uomo, the semi-annual trade show that is almost as much theatre as it is business. Well-dressed men are a … Read more
There are few figures in American history as mythologized as J. Robert Oppenheimer — in no small part due to the man himself. So building a cohesive story about him — the physicist who helped define an entire scientific field so new and arcane it was called “boys’ physics”; the precocious child-genius who delivered a … Read more
A museum director in Florence has come under fire for branding the city a prostitute. The woman compared the city to a prostitute because it is being “crushed by tourism”. Cecilie Hollberg, director of the Galleria dell’Accademia, made the remarks during a media interaction. “Once a city becomes a prostitute, it is difficult for it … Read more
