Festival Puccini 2015

Pubblicato il 11 Luglio 2015 da Genni

 01

The Puccini Festival is an annual summer opera festival held in July and August in Torre del Lago, near the lake of Massaciuccoli, Versilia. The location of its open-air theatre, the Teatro dei Quattromila (The Four Thousand Theatre so called for its seating capacity), is close to Giacomo Puccini’s house.  The composer had the villa built in 1900, and here he lived and worked on his major works.

 02 Tosca

Each year the Puccini Festival presents four or five performances of at least four operas. This year celebrates the 61st edition of the Festival and the season commences on July 24th with Tosca, which this year celebrates its 115th anniversary. The sets and costumes of the new production are by painter, sculptor and set designer Mimmo Paladino, one of the most significant representative of the Transavantgarde movement. Other performances will be held on July 31st and August 15th, 21st and 30th.

 03 Turandot

Following on July 25th is Turandot, Puccini’s unfinished masterpiece. Conducted by Bruno Nicoli, two great tenors will alternate in the role of Prince Calaf: Rudy Park and Rubens Pellizzari. Other performances will be on August 7th, 16th and 23rd, whereas on the 28th the Festival will host a colossal Chinese production of Turandot. On stage will be the National Opera House of Beijing led by Maestro Yu Feng, certainly a extraordinary performance.

 04 Madama Butterfly

August, 1st, 8th, 14th, 22nd and 29th, will see the performances of Madama Butterfly with the great Svetla Vassileva alternating in the principal role, that of Cio Cio San, with Silvana Froli and Anna Maria Stella Pansini. As by tradition, some of the operas’ roles are assigned to young talents discovered during the preceding edition’s singing Academy.

 05 Il Trittico

On August 20th the young talents of the Academy will perform Il Trittico, a work composed of three one-act operas: Il Tabarro, a horrific episode, Suor Angelica, a sentimental tragedy and Gianni Schicchi, a comedy.

 06 Julien Lestel

Other events scheduled are the traditional Puccini award, a concert on August 9th by British band Spandau Ballet followed by two concerts of Italian vocal trio Il Volo on August 12th and 13th. On August 19th, instead, a homage to Puccini’s genius presented by French choreographer Julien Lestel. Together with Fanny Fiat and his company of dancers, Lestel will dance to a miscellany of famous arias, inspired by Puccini’s heroines, and performed by various opera singers.

 07 Accommodation in Versilia S292

Certainly worth a visit to Versilia and its renowned coast.

 

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Kitchens in the old ages at the Medici Villa at Poggio a Caiano

Pubblicato il 8 Luglio 2015 da Genni

 01 Villa Medici at Poggio a Caiano

The second floor of the magnificent villa medicea di Poggio a Caiano houses the very unique Museum of Still Life, Museo della Natura Morta, which exhibits around 200 paintings, dating from the late 16th to mid-eighteenth century coming from the collections of the Medici.

 02 Still Life Museum

In these days, continuing until October 25th, as part of EXPO 2015, the Museum is hosting the exhibition Nelle Antiche Cucine, ‘in the old kitchens’. The show offers an original, as well as unusual, point of view on kitchens, considered the focal point of houses, in 17th– and 18th-century paintings.

 03 Giacomo Ceruti, aka il Pitocchetto, 1750s c., Bottiglia in un secchio di rame, alzatina con bicchieri, fiasco, pesche, melone, formaggio e panini, private collection

The works come from collections both in Florence or in other Italian museums and collections. They are displayed in three sections: the first is the kitchen interiors, the second is dedicated to those preparing the food and the third to pantries and other storage areas as well as to paintings depicting the great variety of food and culinary preparations.

 04 The workshop of Francesco Bassano (Bassano del Grappa, 1549-Venezia, 1592), 1576-1577, Cristo in casa di Marta, Maria e Lazzaro, Galleria Palatina, Florence

On show also various household objects, to help understand how artists specialized in this type of painting in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and famous period cookbooks such as the famous Opera Scappi. For the event the kitchens of the Villa Medici, designed and built between 1614 and 1619 during the reign of Cosimo II de ‘Medici and recently restored, will be opened to the public.

 05 The Medici Villa kitchens

Open every day from 9 am to 6 pm until August and then until 5 pm in September and October. Closed every second and third Monday of the month. Free admission.

 

Pubblicato in Events in Chianti, Exhibitions in Tuscany | Contrassegnato , , , , , | Lascia un commento

Cortona on the Move

Pubblicato il 3 Luglio 2015 da Genni

 01 Cortona

The International Photography Festival. Cortona on the Move, this year is celebrating its first five years of activity. During this short period Cortona OTM has rapidly become a major event for professional photographers, journalists, keen amateurs and enthusiasts around the world.

 02 The Christian Lutz Exhibition, Trilogy

Back from July 16th to September 27th, the success of Cortona OTM is due to both the Festival’s quality of content and research as to Cortona’s undeniable magical beauty. Here the extraordinary locations open to numerous photo exhibitions and its followers.

 03 OFF Circuit 2015 ©Marika Dee, Mongolia's Urban Youth - Between Tradition and Globalization

The aim of the Festival is to celebrate Journey: real or imaginary, shocking or innovatory, a voyage of self-discovery or the representation of man’s condition.  This year’s focus will be on Russia with exhibitions by Alexander Gronsky (Pastoral), Tatiana Plotnikova (The Mari – The Last Pagans Of Europe), Ksenia Diodorova (Into the Cold) and Eugenia Arbugaeva (Weather Man).

 04 The William Albert Allard Exhibition, Portraits of America

Besides exhibitions, the Festival also organizes workshops with contemporary professional photographers, exhibitions for emerging talents (Off Circuit) followed by helpful advice (Portofolio Readings), various conferences and dinners in addition to the competition Happiness on the Move.

 05 © Kai Wiedenhoefer, Confrontier

Certainly an excellent excuse for all photography lovers to come over and explore Cortona.

 06 © Tomas van Houtryve, Blue Sky Days

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Arezzo, ICASTICA 2015

Pubblicato il 1 Luglio 2015 da Genni

 01 Icastica

Icastica means “the art of representing reality” and for three years now the town of Arezzo has been hosting this cultural event which deals with international aesthetics by means of  art, entertainment and study days.

 02 Icastica

On from June 28th to September 27th, the theme of this year’s edition is “Cultivating Culture” following Expo Milano 2015 title concept: “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life”. Contemporary artists from all over the world will be invading town.

 03 Icastica

Sites will be all over the old town centre; from churches to museums, from streets to squares, hosting exhibitions, conferences, concerts, film showings and poetry readings. There will also be Icastica tours of Arezzo.

 04 Fabio Vitale, Pietà, 2006

A great opportunity to visit Arezzo, its sights and see some interesting artworks.

 05 Accommodation in Arezzo S113

Pubblicato in Accommodations in Tuscany, Arezzo, Art and accommodations, Art in Arezzo, Events in Arezzo, Exhibitions in Arezzo, Villas in Tuscany | Contrassegnato , , | Lascia un commento

The Archaeological Evenings in Tuscany 2015

Pubblicato il 29 Giugno 2015 da Genni

01 Roman amphitheatre in the archaeological area of Roselle

The Archaeological Evenings have returned until August 2nd for its 15th edition. The evenings are a series of 200 events throughout Tuscany based on archaeology and its sites, museums, parks. A look at some of the events.

 02 NAMF, National Archaeological Museum of Florence

The National Archaeological Museum of Florence has prolonged the exhibition “Small Great Bronzes: Greek, Etruscan and Roman masterpieces of the Medici-Lorraine collections” until August 31st. On show over 160 findings, part of an extraordinary collection of bronze statuettes assembled during three centuries. Opening hours: Monday, Saturday and Sunday from 8.30 am to 2 pm, from Tuesday to Friday from 8.30 am to 7 pm. Closed every second and fourth Sunday of July and August. Full ticket costs 4 Euros.

 03 Fiesole, Roman baths

On June 29th the Archaeological Museum of Fiesole is organizing from 5 pm to 6.30 pm a guided tour and experimental archaeological labs: Prehistoric milling, Greek and Etruscan hunting, Roman olive oil and Lombard table habits. Ticket costs 5 Euros. On July 12th the guided tour will be followed by a dinner buffet. Ticket + dinner costs 35 Euros.

 04 Baratti, archaeological park

On July 3rd the Archaeological Museum of Populonia is hosting at 9.30 pm a conference on “Elba, Populonia and the Etruscan Iron: a journey through history and science”, while at 9 pm on July 6th, 11th, 18th, 25th and August 1st,  the whole Archaeological Park of Baratti and Populonia are organizing an Etruscan evening with evening visit to the Necropolis of San Cerbone, possibly in Etruscan or Roman costume, with dinner.

 05 Archaeological area of the Lake Massaciuccoli, Massarosa

The archaeological area of Lake Massaciuccoli, Massarosa, will be hosting an Ancient Roman Festival on July 3rd and 4th. Guided tours around the Roman camp and an analysis of traditions, religion, medicine and cooking during the period. From 5 pm to midnight. Full ticket costs 5 Euros.

 06 Pieve di San Appiano, Barberino Val d'Elsa

On July 4th at the Antiquarium of the Pieve di Sant’Appiano outside Barberino Val d’Elsa will be on show “The Etruscan Fashion”. The curators will trace a quick portrait of classic and Hellenistic fashion through the observation of the Etruscan urns and of the fragments of painted Greek pottery belonging to the Antiquarium’s collection. It will also be possible to try ones hand at weaving the ancient way thanks to the replica of a warp-weighted loom. Free admission.

 07 MAEC, Etruscan Academy Museum of Cortona

MAEC, the Etruscan Academy Museum of Cortona is organizing various events amongst which “Tracking the elephants. The Paleontological Route of Farneta” on July 9th and the “Sacred Egyptian Dances” on July 10th, while on July 12th there will be “Etruscans once a month: the Etruscans, the sky and the stars”.

 08 Palazzo Pretorio Museum, Certaldo

At the Museum of Palazzo Pretorio in Certaldo on July 10th there will be a guided tour of the archaeology halls of the museum. The tour starts at 9 pm, ends at midnight and is free.

 09 Archaeological Museum of Orbetello

The Archaeological Museum of Orbetello has many evening events in programme amongst which on July 11th the Guided Tour of Museum with Aperitivo. Starting 6.30 pm. Free admission.

 10 Santa Maria della Scala, Siena

At Siena the Museum Complex of Santa Maria della Scala on July 23rd at 9.30 pm will be hosting a guided tour of an hour and half on the theme of food and production in the ancient world. Free admission. The same evening, the museum will remain open from 9 pm to midnight.

 

Pubblicato in Archaeology in Tuscany, Events in Tuscany, Tuscany | Contrassegnato , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Lascia un commento