Italy's favourite son, finally moving out - The Florentine

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www.theflorentine.net
News
Italy’s favourite son,
finally moving out
continued from pg. 1
Leonardo da Vinci just can’t seem to stay out of the news these days.
The latest controversy surrounding the Renaissance genius concerns
borrowing and loaning. Should Leonardo be loaned abroad? Should
priceless works of art be forced to abandon their native cities, and be packed
up and shipped off to the four corners of the globe? This is the question on
the minds of Florentine art lovers, experts and novices alike, as they weigh
the pros and cons of world-wide art exchange.
Culture Minister Rutelli has taken a stand to quiet reports that Florence’s
Uffizi Gallery allegedly nixed plans to loan one of Leonardo’s masterpieces,
The Annunciation, to a major Italian cultural showcase in Japan. On a
recent visit to the Cortina event Cortina In-con-tra, Rutelli tried to still a
debate originally set off by art expert Vittorio Sgarbi after the Academia di
Brera refused to loan Mantegna’s Dead Christ to an exhibit in Mantova.
Some 100 brands will be present at the Fragranze exhibition, which features
products of outstanding artisan quality. Perfume lovers should watch
for producers such as Erno Laszlo, Fragonard, Laura Tonatto, L’Artisan
Parfumeur, and Lorenzo Villoresi, creator of the Academia dell’Arte del
Profumo. On Saturday and Sunday, interactive booths devoted to a wide
variety of fragrance-related sectors, including spas and wellness centres,
will be set up inside the Corsini gardens, allowing visitors to participate in
activities and experience the world of fragrance. The style-conscious can
also take advantage of an interactive booth showcasing the Italian barbering
tradition.
Additionally, Sept. 15 will see the long-awaited offi cial opening of the
Museo della Farmacia di Santa Maria Novella. The Santa Maria Novella
fragrance-pharmaceutical ‘factory,’ offi cially founded in 1612, is the oldest
such fi rm in the world. Its fragrances have captured the imagination of stars
such as Roberto Benigni, Catherine Zeta Jones and royal ladies like Queen
Elizabeth II and Sarah Ferguson.
Florence is the perfect home for Fragranze. Here, in this historical homeland
of modern perfumery, Florentines have long valued the aromatics tradition.
It’s a tradition refl ected in the city’s numerous monumental and botanical
gardens—the Giardino dei Semplici, the Orto Botanico, the Giardino
dell’Orticoltura, Parco Bardini, and the park surrounding Villa Peyron—as
well as its museum collections. The Museo della Scienza, for instance,
exhibits a series of unique perfume-related instruments. These ancient
accessories, vials and fl acons bear witness to the traditional techniques
developed and used for centuries by artisans in Florentine workshops and
laboratories.
History buffs will recall how Catherine de’ Medici brought the art of
perfumerie to France during her reign. The Medici sovereign exported this
art, typical of the Italian court in those years, and travelled with professional
chemists and aroma-experts, such as the fi rst modern profumiere Renato
Bianco, known as ‘Renè le Florentin.’
And even today, the Tuscan region still grows many of Italy’s most coveted
medicinal and cooking herbs.
Caffeteria
Pasticceria
Recognized in many travel guides
as one of Florence’s finest cafe’s.
Robiglio offers daily lunch and
dinner menus, as well as serving
a‘true’ American breakfast!
Steps away from the duomo,
at Robiglio, you will find elegant
pastries, candies, and beautiful
gifts to take away.
continued from pg. 1
FLORENTINES TURN UP THEIR NOSES
Cafe & Pastry Shop
Via Tosinghi 11/R
Daily 8:00 to 20:00
Ristorante
Gelateria
Restaurant
Via de Medici
Daily 12:00/15:00 19:30/23:00
Typical Tuscan Menu,
specializing in Vegetarian dishes.
3
Thursday 7 September 2006
Florence NEWS
Table of CONTENTS
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FLORENCE NEWS
Italy’s favourite son,
fi nally moving out
Florentines turn up
their noses
City wants to attack violence
Mafi a’s loss r
edeemed by youth
Savings on aisle 5
Friendlier Tuscan skies
Flood of fakes can’t
be damned
NATIONAL NEWS
Venice goes Hollywood
Troops backed
By both sides
For name’s sake
SPORT NEWS
A slow start for Italy?
Spain grabs the gold
TOP PICKS &
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Events Highlights
UP CLOSE & PERSONAL
An interview with
Alessandro Frigiola
CULTURE & CUSTOMS
ITALIAN VOICES:
A Window on Language
and Customs in Italy
THE ARTS
Hills and heavens of Mugello
HOW TO DO...
Sinking your feet into
Italian soil
TRAVEL & LEISURE
SLOW TRAVEL along the
highways and byways of Italy
Stop, Lock and Roll
STYLE & FASHION
A blast from the past
FOOD & WINE
Where wine is pleasure
BOOK REVIEW
Travels with Intent
What was Florence
like in 1764?
USEFUL NUMBERS
CLASSIFIED ADS