Author: Lourdes Flores

I'm from California but have called Florence my home for over a decade. I love to explore Italy; it is a lot of fun to try to see everything like I'm seeing it for the first time, keeping you, our readers, always in mind. I enjoy sharing what I know and helping others as they make their travel plans for Tuscany through our Forum. If you have itinerary-related questions, please post them there and I'll answer!

European Heritage Days September 24 & 25

September 21, 2016

The European Heritage Days are the most widely celebrated participatory cultural event shared by the citizens of Europe.  Held in September each year, EHDs events – often called Heritage Open Days – take place in the 50 countries party to the European Cultural Convention; this year, the days fall this weekend, Sept 24-25. During this…

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Bargello Courtyard special events

Longer Summer Openings at Florence Museums with Special Events

August 3, 2016

This summer in Florence, when the temps are quite warm during the day, you can dedicate a part of your evening to culture and art! The Uffizi, Accademia, Bargello and Medici Chapels all are offering extended opening times on different days of the week to offer a chance to visit these popular museums outside of…

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Black David laying in Piazza Repubblica

A Michelangelo Week: July 14-21

July 13, 2016

“A Michelangeleque Week” is starting tomorrow, July 14 through July 21, which coincides with the anniversary of his funeral in San Lorenzo on the 14th of July 1564. The Settimana Michelangiolesca is an annual, multidisciplinary cultural festival, now in its 3rd edition, that is centered around the life and work of Michelangelo Buonarroti. Painter, sculptor,…

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A McDonald’s Right Next to the Duomo?

June 23, 2016

This week the media and public have learned that the City of Florence has been in talks with the international fast-food chain McDonald’s for a new branch opening right in Piazza Duomo, on the northern side of the cathedral. An uproar has risen on social media, while the city’s mayor, Dario Nardella, has spoken publicly…

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