Palazzo Strozzi Florence Opens Bronzino: Artist and Poet at the Court of the Medici

Agnolo di Cosimo, known as Bronzino (1503-1572), was one of the greatest artists in the history of Italian painting. Court artist to Cosimo I de’ Medici (1519-1574), his work embodied the sophistication of the Mannerist style. Bronzino. Artist and Poet at the Court of the Medici, on view at the Palazzo Strozzi in Florence from 24 September 2010 to 23 January 2011, will be the very first exhibition devoted to his painted work. Bronzino conveyed the elegance of the Medici court in his work with “naturalness” and, at the same time, austere beauty.

Florence is the perfect setting for a monographic exhibition on Bronzino. The son of a butcher, not only was he born and died here, the city houses some of his greatest masterpieces, particularly in the Uffizi but also in other museums and churches. This landmark exhibition, with loans from the world’s most important museums, presents presents 63 works attributed to Bronzino, and 10 to Bronzino and his workshop, along with others by his master Pontormo, with whom he had close ties throughout his life. Bronzino’s paintings, with their sculptural definition, will be shown alongside sculptures by such 16th century masters as Benvenuto Cellini, Tribolo, Baccio Bandinelli and Pierino da Vinci, who were his friends and with whom he exchanged sonnets. The exhibition concludes with a number of works by Alessandro Allori, his favourite pupil.

Most of these jewel-like masterpieces have never been shown together. Alongside the paintings from the Uffizi, the exhibition will include such works as The Adoration of the Shepherds and the Allegory of Venus, Cupid and Jealousy from the Szépm vészeti Múzeum in Budapest, the Venus, Cupid and Satyr from the Galleria di Palazzo Colonna in Rome, the Portrait of a Young Man with a Book from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the Holy Family with St Anne and St John in the versions in the Musée du Louvre in Paris and the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, together with panel paintings from the J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, and from the National Gallery of Art, in Washington.

The exhibition will show three hitherto ‘missing’ works by Bronzino, two of which, while recorded and mentioned by Giorgio Vasari, were thought to have been lost: the Crucified Christ which he painted for Bartolomeo Panciatichi, and the St Cosmas, the right-hand panel accompanying the Besançon altarpiece when it originally graced Eleonora da Toledo’s chapel in Palazzo Vecchio. Their rediscovery sheds new light on Bronzino’s work and on his ties with the heretical religious mood that permeated the Medici court before 1550. The third previously unknown picture is Christ Carrying the Cross ascribed to his later years.

The exhibition, which has taken over four years to prepare, is curated by Carlo Falciani and Antonio Natali, the foremost experts on Cinquecento painting who have also contributed to the scholarly catalogue. The exhibition, in conjunction with Drawings of Bronzino at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York (20 January to 18 April 2010), will play a central role in fostering a new interpretation of this important artist. For those who enjoyed the New York show, this Florence exhibition is a must-see.

FLORENCE TATTOO CONVENTION 2010

A special and unique photographic exhibition that will remain active for all the event duration.
Tattoo hand - Photograph © Joann FletcherThe exhibition will get you in a articulated and valued journey based on the history of tattoo linked to fascinating phenomenon of mummification, all over the world and along the whole history of mankind.
The trip, richly described by explanatory captions, proceeds in a geographical sense with a large pool of tattooed mummies images belonging to distant lands such as Peru, with Princess Shaman Lady of Cao, with Siberian mummies belonging to the Shiite people of Pazyryk, New Zealand , the Philippines and Italy.
The expo purpose is to show the how much ancient this practice is and how much important has been in humanity history
People get tattooed since immemorial time, the right time to practice can be determined according with natural cycles, the reason could have been to belong a tribe, follow a thought or a cult, for protection from the evil spirits or mark an important moment in own human evolution.

Caravaggio: Sacrificio di Isacco (Uffizi, Firenze)

As known, Merisi painted, for Maffeo Barberini, a Sacrificio di Isacco (1603, Florence, Uffizi) where the sacrificial action takes place in full sunlight. In many copies the same subject is treated in night-time light, possibility to hypothesize the existence of a lost archetype by Caravaggio.
Coming from a Neapolitan private collection, this painting was sold by Christie's in 1989 as “copy of Caravaggio”, with an attributive proposal to Tommaso Salini by Giuliano Briganti. The reading of the canvass however was jeopardized by oxidized paints and vast repainting. After the purchase, a first radiographic investigation showed as the knife’s execution overlapped the hand and the sleeve – main topic in the execution technique by Caravaggio. But before the necessary cleaning, the painting disappeared in the antiquarian market’s meanders. Still in 1989 Mina Gregori recognized in the painting in Barbara Piasecka Johnson’s collection Caravaggio autograph of the night-time Sacrificio di Isacco, identifying it with the work inventoried in 1700 among Doña Antonia Cecilia Fernàndez de Hijar’s goods. Provocatively published by Maurice Marini as “copy?”, this work was found in 2006 in Modena private collection. Restored in 1995, it was submitted to diagnostic analysis in 2007. Compared to Johnson’s version’s investigations, the results demonstrate a concomitant free hand execution in the two paintings because of the presence of work in progress homologous repentances. The two autograph versions differentiate in the choice of the night moment, nearer to the dawn in Johnson painting.
A copy of this painting is exhibited in the Cathedral at Castellammare di Stabia. Another one is at Panafiel (Valladolid, Spain), probably sent in his feud by Don Pedro Giron, Spanish ambassador in Rome up to 1616 and probably the first owner of the work. He was also viceroy in Naples, where he left the “night-time” original, once back to Spain in 1620.

Caravaggio: BACCO at the Uffizi

Hotel Mario's staff helps to visit Florence and its jewels!!!
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (29 September 1571 – 18 July 1610) was an Italian artist active in Rome, Naples, Malta, and Sicily between 1593 and 1610. His paintings, which combine a realistic observation of the human state, both physical and emotional, with a dramatic use of lighting, had a formative influence on the Baroque school of painting.
Caravaggio trained as a painter in Milan under a master who had himself trained under Titian. In his early twenties Caravaggio moved to Rome where, during the late 16th and early 17th centuries, many huge new churches and palazzi were being built and paintings were needed to fill them. During the Counter-Reformation the Roman Catholic Church searched for religious art with which to counter the threat of Protestantism, and for this task the artificial conventions of Mannerism, which had ruled art for almost a century, no longer seemed adequate. Caravaggio's novelty was a radical naturalism which combined close physical observation with a dramatic, even theatrical, use of chiaroscuro that came to be known as Tenebrism, the shift from light to dark with little intermediate value. He burst upon the Rome art scene in 1600 with the success of his first public commissions, the Martyrdom of Saint Matthew and Calling of Saint Matthew. Thereafter he never lacked for commissions or patrons, yet he handled his success atrociously. An early published notice on him, dating from 1604 and describing his lifestyle three years previously, tells how "after a fortnight's work he will swagger about for a month or two with a sword at his side and a servant following him, from one ball-court to the next, ever ready to engage in a fight or an argument, so that it is most awkward to get along with him." In 1606 he killed a young man in a brawl and fled from Rome with a price on his head. In Malta in 1608 he was involved in another brawl, and yet another in Naples in 1609, possibly a deliberate attempt on his life by unidentified enemies. By the next year, after a relatively brief career, he was dead.
Famous (and notorious) while he lived, Caravaggio was forgotten almost immediately after his death, and it was only in the 20th century that his importance to the development of Western art was rediscovered. Despite this, his influence on the new Baroque style that eventually emerged from the ruins of Mannerism, was profound. It can be seen directly or indirectly in the work of Rubens, Jusepe de Ribera, Bernini, and Rembrandt, and artists in the following generation heavily under his influence were called the "Caravaggisti" or "Caravagesques", as well as Tenebrists or "Tenebrosi" ("shadowists"). Andre Berne-Joffroy, Paul Valéry's secretary, said of him: "What begins in the work of Caravaggio is, quite simply, modern painting."

HOTEL MARIO'S - FLORENCE

The ornate renaissance building which houses Mario’s Hotel dates back to the 17th century, when it was the aristocratic residence of a noble of the great Florentine Republic and was converted into a hotel in 1872. Today, Mario's is still run by a Florentine family who have been in the hospitality industry for generations. Leonardo and his brothers will make sure that the 3 Star Hotel Mario's continues to remain the value for money, charming Florentine Guest House for which it is famous. Now refurbished and improved, through continuous change Mario’s Guest House is a perfect blend of charm and splendour from the cradle of the renaissance with modern customer service and with only 16 rooms we’re able to give each and every guest personal service.
The entire property is air conditioned and central heated, with 21st century insulation and a range of mod cons like power showers, international satellite TV and a Hotel Bar with internet point where you can relax and catch up on those emails. Business clients are welcome to use our fax and photocopier and will be pleased to know we’re located right by the Fortezza da Basso Exhibition Centre.

Transportation from Florence Airport to railway station Florence

The Florence Airport, commonly knew as Florence Peretola Airport or Amerigo Vespucci or simply Peretola, is located 4 miles from the center of Florence. A taxi can make the trip in 15 minutes charging 20 Euro ( + 20 Euro per bag ) and the shuttle Bus between the airport and Santa Maria Novella railway station takes 20 minutes.The Volainubus Airport Shuttle connects Vespucci Airport to downtown Florence, exactly only 2 blocks from Hotel Mario's ( via Faenza 89 ). Tickets are purchased on board and cost 4 Euro.
Florence's central station is called Firenze Santa Maria Novella (look for signs announcing "Firenze SMN"). The train station is located in the northwest corner of central Florence, within convenient walking distance of most Florence tourist attractions and of course, the place where you'll feel like at home: Hotel Mario's, Florence.
Our contacts for any information are :
www.hotelmarios.com
info@hotelmarios.com
+39055216801
via Faenza 89 ( just next to the train station Santa Maria Novella )

VIEW OF FLORENCE

Hotel Mario's............the place of Florentine style!!!

Florence has a legendary artistic heritage. Cimabue and Giotto, the fathers of Italian painting, lived in Florence as well as Arnolfo and Andrea Pisano, renewers of architecture and sculpture; Brunelleschi, Donatello and Masaccio, forefathers of the Renaissance, Ghiberti and the Della Robbias, Filippo Lippi and Angelico; Botticelli, Paolo Uccello and the universal genius of Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo.

Their works, together with those of many other generations of artists, are gathered in the several museums of the town: the Uffizi Gallery, the Palatina gallery with the paintings of the "Golden Ages", the Bargello with the sculptures of the Renaissance, the museum of San Marco with Fra Angelico's works, the Academy, the chapels of the Medicis, Buonarroti' s house with the sculptures of Michelangelo, the following museums: Bardini, Horne, Stibbert, Romano, Corsini, The Gallery of Modern Art, the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, the museum of Silverware and the museum of Precious Stones.
The "Circumcision of Jesus", a Renaissance painting by Andrea Mantegna.

Great monuments are the landmarks of Florentine artistic culture: the Florence Baptistery with its mosaics; the Cathedral with its sculptures, the medieval churches with bands of frescoes; public as well as private palaces: Palazzo Vecchio, Palazzo Pitti, Palazzo Medici Riccardi, Palazzo Davanzati; monasteries, cloisters, refectories; the "Certosa". In the archeological museum includes documents of Etruscan civilization. In fact the city is so rich in art that some first time visitors experience the Stendhal syndrome as they encounter its art for the first time.
The 15th century early-Renaissance frescos in the Cappella dei Magi in the Palazzo Medici-Riccardi.

The Florentines – perhaps most notably Filippo Brunelleschi (1377–1466) and Leon Batist'Alberti (1404–1472) – invented both Renaissance and Neoclassical architecture, which revolutionized the way Rome, London and Paris and every other major city in Europe – from Barcelona to St. Petersburg – were built. The cathedral – one of the largest churches, topped by Brunelleschi's dome, dominates the Florentine skyline. The Florentines decided to start building it – late in the 13th century – knowing they did not know how they were going to do it. It was "technology forcing" – like the Kennedy Administration's decision to put a man on the moon. The dome was the largest ever built at the time, and the first major dome built in Europe since the two great domes of Roman times – the Pantheon in Rome, and Hagia Sophia in Constantinople. As a matter of fact, as mentioned in sections above, the Santa Maria del Fiore dome remains the largest brick dome of its kind in the world. In front of it is the medieval gem of the Baptistery, where every Florentine was baptized until modern times. The two buildings incorporate in their decoration the transition from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance. In recent years, most of the important works of art from the two buildings – and from the wonderful Bell Tower, designed by Giotto, have been removed and replaced by copies. The originals are now housed in the spectacular Museum of the Works of the Duomo, just to the east of the Cathedral.

Florence has large numbers of art-filled churches, such as San Miniato al Monte, San Lorenzo, Santa Maria Novella, Santa Trinita, the Brancacci Chapel at Santa Maria della Carmine, Santa Croce, Santo Spirito, SS Annunziata, Ognissanti and many more.
The Palazzo della Signoria, better known as the Palazzo Vecchio (English:The Old Palace).

And that is without mentioning any "artists". From Arnolfo and Cimabue to Giotto, Nanni di Banco, and Uccello; through Lorenzo Ghiberti, and Donatello and Massaccio and the various della Robbias; through Fra Angelico and Botticelli and Piero della Francesca, and on to Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci, the Florentines have dominated the visual arts in a great way. And this list does not include many who, in any other place would be considered among the greatest of artists, but in Florence must be considered among the near-great: Benvenuto Cellini, Andrea del Sarto, Benozzo Gozzoli, Domenico Ghirlandaio, Fra Lippo Lippi, Buontalenti, Orcagna, Pollaiuolo, Filippino Lippi, Verrocchio, Bronzino, Desiderio da Settignano, Michelozzo, the Rossellis, the Sangallos, Pontormo, just to name a few. And this list does not include the prolific Ignoto. Nor does it include the near-Florentines, such as Raphael, Andrea Pisano, Giambologna, the wonderfully nicknamed Sodoma and so many more, such as Peter-Paul Rubens — all of whom spent time in Florence and were nurtured by it.
The statue of Perseo by Cellini in the Loggia dei Lanzi.

Then there are the art galleries. The Uffizi and the Pitti Palace are two of the most famous picture galleries in the world. But the heart and soul of Florence are in the two superb collections of sculpture, the Bargello and the Museum of the Works of the Duomo. They are filled with the brilliant, revolutionary creations of Donatello, Verrochio, Desiderio da Settignano, Michelangelo and so many other masterpieces that create a body of work unique in the world. And, of course, there is the Accademia, with Michelangelo's David – perhaps the most well-known work of art anywhere, plus the moving unfinished statues of the slaves Michelangelo created for the tomb of Pope Julius II.

In all, Florence has a great and numerous amount of museums. Among those at the top of most lists – other than those above – are: the impressive medieval city hall, the Palazzo della Signoria (a.k.a Palazzo Vecchio), a wonderful building with magnificent rooms and some great art; the Archeological Museum, the Museum of the History of Science, the Palazzo Davanzatti, the Stibbert Museum, St. Marks, the Medici Chapels, the Museum of the Works of Santa Croce, the Museum of the Cloister of Santa Maria Novella, the Zoological Museum ("La Specola"), the Bardini, and the Museo Horne. There is also a wonderful collection of works by the modern sculptor, Marino Marini, in a museum named after him. If photography is your interest, you should not miss the superb collection of works by the early photographers, the Alinari brothers. The magnificent Strozzi Palace is also the site of many special exhibits.

Top 5 Things to Check Out in Florence, Italy

Hotel Mario's is very near to the most important spots in Florence!!! Ask the staff and your stay will be amazing!!!

Santa Maria del Fiore:
The fourth largest church in Europe, its length being 153 metres (502 ft) and its height 116 metres (381 ft).

San Giovanni Baptistery:
Located in front of the Florence Cathedral, it is decorated by many artists, notably by Lorenzo Ghiberti with the Gates of Paradise.

Basilica of Santa Maria Novella:
Located in Santa Maria Novella square (near the big Firenze Santa Maria Novella railway station) this contains works by Masaccio, Paolo Uccello, Filippino Lippi and Domenico Ghirlandaio. The great façade was made by Leon Battista Alberti.

Basilica of Santa Croce:
The principal Franciscan church in Florence, Italy, and a minor basilica of the Roman Catholic Church. It is situated on the Piazza di Santa Croce, about 800 metres south east of the Duomo. The site, when first chosen, was in marshland outside the city walls. It is the burial place of some of the most illustrious Italians, such as Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli, Foscolo, Gentile, Rossini, and Marconi, thus it is known also as the Temple of the Italian Glories (Tempio dell'Itale Glorie).

San Marco:
A complex comprising a church and a convent. The convent, which is now a museum, has three claims to fame: during the 15th century it was home to two famous Dominicans, the painter Fra Angelico and the preacher, Girolamo Savonarola. Also housed at the convent is a famous collection of manuscripts in a library built by Michelozzo.

Basilica of San Lorenzo:
One of the largest churches of Florence, Italy, situated at the centre of the city's main market district, and the burial place of all the principal members of the Medici family from Cosimo il Vecchio to Cosimo III.

Santo Spirito:
Located in the Oltrarno quarter, facing the square with the same name. The building on the interior is one of the pre-eminent examples of Renaissance architecture.

Orsanmichele:
This building was constructed on the site of the kitchen garden of the monastery of San Michele, now gone.

Santissima Annunziata:
A Roman Catholic basilica and the mother church of the Servite order. It is located on the north-eastern side of the Piazza Santissima Annunziata.

Ognissanti:
Founded by the lay order of the Umiliati, this was among the first examples of Baroque architecture built in the city. Its two orders of pilasters enclose niches and windows with fantastical cornices. To the left of the façade is a campanile of thirteenth and fourteenth-century construction.

Santa Maria del Carmine:
in the Oltrarno district of Florence, it is famous as the location of the Brancacci Chapel, housing outstanding Renaissance frescoes by Masaccio and Masolino da Panicale, later finished by Filippino Lippi.

Santa Trinita:
It is the mother church of the Vallumbrosan Order of monks, founded in 1092 by a Florentine nobleman. Nearby is the Ponte Santa Trinita over the river Arno. The church is famous for its Sassetti Chapel, containing notable frescoes by Domenico Ghirlandaio.

Medici Chapel in San Lorenzo:
The Medici Chapel are the resting place of most of the Medici as Grand Dukes of Tuscany. One is the Sagrestia Nuova, the "New Sacristy", designed by Michelangelo. The other is the Capella dei Principi, the 16th and 17th-century "Chapel of the Princes", which is entirely covered with a revetment of colored marbles inlaid with pietra dura.

San Marco:
Comprises a church and a convent. The convent, which is now a museum, has three claims to fame: In the 15th century, it was home to two famous Dominicans, the painter Fra Angelico and the preacher, Girolamo Savonarola. Also housed at the convent is a famous collection of manuscripts in a library built by Michelozzo.

Santa Felicita:
is a church in the downtown, probably the oldest in the city after San Lorenzo.
Badia Fiorentina
Famous as the parish church of Beatrice Portinari, the love of Dante's life, and the place where he watched her at mass, for Dante grew up across the street in what is now called the 'Casa di Dante', rebuilt in 1910 as a museum to Dante.

San Gaetano:
One of the most important examples of the Baroque style in Florence, a city better known for its Renaissance architecture.

San Miniato al Monte:
Standing at one of the highest points in the city, this has been described as the finest Romanesque structure in Tuscany and one of the most beautiful churches in Italy.

Florence Charterhouse:
A charterhouse, or Carthusian monastery, located in the Florence suburb of Galluzzo, in central Italy. The building is a walled complex located on Monte Acuto, at the point of confluence of the Ema and Greve rivers.

Great Synagogue of Florence:
A magnificent synagogue built between 1874 and 1882. The design integrates Islamic and Italian architectural traditions.

EXPLORING FLORENCE..........

Reserve a room at Hotel Mario's!!! The staff is very helpful and gives you many advices!!!

The city lies on the River Arno and is known for its history and its importance in the Middle Ages and in the Renaissance, especially for its art and architecture. A centre of medieval European trade and finance and one of the richest and wealthiest cities of the time, Florence is considered the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance; in fact, it has been called the Athens of the Middle Ages. It was long under the de facto rule of the Medici family. From 1865 to 1870 the city was also the capital of the Kingdom of Italy.

The historic centre of Florence attracts millions of tourists each year and was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1982. Florence is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful cities in the world, and its artistic, historic and cultural heritage and impact in the world remains vast up to this day. The city has also a major European impact in music, architecture, education, cuisine, fashion, philosophy, science and religion. The historic centre of Florence contains numerous elegant squares (piazzas), Renaissance palaces (palazzi), academies, parks, gardens, churches, monasteries, museums, art galleries and ateliers. The city has also been nominated, according to a 2007 study, as the most desirable destination for tourists in the world.

The city boasts a wide range of collections of art, especially those held in the Pitti Palace and the Uffizi, (which receives about 1.6 million tourists a year). Florence is arguably the last preserved Renaissance city in the world and is regarded by many as the art capital of Italy. It has been the birthplace or chosen home of many notable historical figures, such as Dante, Boccaccio, Leonardo da Vinci, Botticelli, Niccolò Machiavelli, Brunelleschi, Michelangelo, Donatello, Galileo Galilei, Catherine de' Medici, Antonio Meucci.

EMERGENCY 2010 - FIRENZE: 9° Emergency national meeting

Oltre 20 mila presenze in sei giorni: nel 2009 l'8° Incontro Nazionale dei volontari di Emergency si è chiuso con una partecipazione calorosa ed emozionante.
Nel 2010 vogliamo ripetere questa esperienza straordinaria.

Dal 7 al 12 settembre, rinnoviamo il nostro appuntamento a Firenze per il 9° Incontro Nazionale di Emergency: incontri, mostre fotografiche, spettacoli e conferenze per raccontare Emergency.

Sei giorni per stare insieme - volontari, sostenitori, personale medico, amici e simpatizzanti -, per vedere, capire e confrontarsi.

Filosofi, giornalisti, intellettuali, scrittori, artisti e musicisti sono nuovamente chiamati a raccolta per discutere del lavoro di Emergency e soprattutto dei valori e dei principi che lo ispirano.
Parleremo di guerra, ma anche di salute, uguaglianza, democrazia, informazione; parleremo non solo del "cosa", ma anche e soprattutto del "come" e del "perché“.

Events in Florence, September 2010

Dear friends,

September will be a fantastic month for many reasons: one of them is the exhibition of Bronzino from September 24th, 2010 to January 23rd, 2011. Bronzino,one of the greatest painters of the 16th century at Palazzo Strozzi www.palazzostrozzi.org
Then, you are still in time to visit Casa Buonarroti, with an exhibition on Pietro da Cortona; this will ends 11th of October 2010.
On the occasion of the 4th centennial of Caravaggio's death, the exhibit presents over 100 paintings belonging to the outstanding Florentine legacy of works by Caravaggio, a nucleus of Caravaggesque paintings,at the Uffizi at the Galleria Palatina of Palazzo Pitti.
These are only some of the many possibility you have coming to Florence in September.We'll be pleased if between a Caravaggio and a Bistecca alla Fiorentina, could enjoy a real Florentine hospitality: Hotel Mario's, in the centre of Florence, in the heart of the old city.
www.hotelmarios.com
info@hotelmarios.com
tel : +39055216801