San Lorenzo District to Close at Midnight - The Florentine

4
Thursday 05 May 2005
Florence NEWS
News
www.theflorentine.net
News in BRIEF
Cost of Living Rises
1.2% in Florence
Although lower than that of most
large cities in Italy, Florence’s
cost of living has risen 1.2%
since last year. While the cost of
rent, water, gas, and clothing has
increased, that of various food
items has actually decreased.
The cost of meat and fruit fell by
0.5% and fi sh took a dive with
costs falling by 3.1%.
Richard Ginori Stays
in Florence
Even one of the most famous
porcelain and dinnerware companies
in Italy, Richard Ginori,
has been hit by the recent economic
crisis and risked moving
its production away from its native
Florence plant in order to cut
costs. A new management has
now taken over the company and
has decided to keep producing
at the Sesto Fiorentino plant for
the time being. Ginori is historically
one of the most important
companies of Florence.
Gabinetto Vieusseux
Has New President
The acclaimed library, archive, and
restoration institution of Florence,
Gabinetto Vieusseux, recently
welcomed a new president, Enzo
Cheli. Cheli previously held such
prestigious roles as Judge for the
Constitutional Court, and hopes
are that he will successfully relaunch
this important historical
institution.
The Gabinetto Vieusseux is located
in Palazzo Strozzi and has long
participated in activities promoting
the use and exchange of cultural
heritages. A special report
on Tuscan-American relations will
be presented on Thursday, May
5th (see events list for more info).
Housing Crisis
Over the course of the next two
years, 900 tenants in Florence
will face eviction. Tenant’s rights
constituents have protested
these high numbers. The City has
decided to respond to the housing
crisis by offering no-interest
loans of up to 5,000 Euro for
families most in need.
Illegal Work Decreases
in Tuscany
The Italian Tax Bureau (INPS)
caught 6,886 people who worked
without paying taxes in 2002, but
estimates are that total numbers
reach as high as 22,000. Though
still high, these numbers demonstrate
a decrease of 10% since
1995 in “under the table” work
agreements. Tuscany also ranks
lower than average in national
statistics. The sectors that have
the highest numbers of workers
being paid illegally are agriculture
and service industries
May 8 Dedicated
to the Small
Towns of Italy
A national initiative
to give recognition
to smaller localities
Sunday, May 8th is a day to celebrate Italian towns
whose population amounts to less than 5,000 inhabitants.
Organisers hope that this initiative will
achieve a new recognition of these less central locations
that are often overlooked despite their wealth of traditions,
resources, art, and history.
The ancient villages, towns, and municipalities that
belong in this category have risen to the occasion and
will be offering a variety of events. Exhibits, guided
tours, nature walks and food festivals will be held in
most participating locations. In Tuscany alone there are
Stolen Art Works Recovered
Undercover Operation in Arezzo Antiques Market a Success
Florentine authorities raided a
home near Arezzo last week
in a successful finale to the
three month long operation organised
to recover 20 pieces of valuable
art that had been stolen over the
past eight years.
The pieces that were stolen primarily
from churches and private
homes range from sculptures to
paintings to furniture and date from
1500 to 1800.
Among the most notable pieces is
an oil painting of San Carlo Borromeo
141 towns, communes and municipalities that have less
than 5,000 inhabitants, and all of them will be participating
to varying degrees in this initiative appropriately
titled ‘Piccola Grande Italia.’
The initiative organised by the environmental group
Legambiente has also been sponsored by the Italian
government.
For a fulvl list of towns go to: http://www.legambiente.
com/piccolagrandeitalia/
and Filippo Neri,
by the Lombard
School that was
stolen from a
church in Stresa
(Verbania).
The total value
of the stolen
works is estimated
to be over 500
million Euro.
Investigations
led police to an
“Investigations
led police to an
undercover operation
working within
various Tuscan
antique markets, in
particular that of
Arezzo.”
undercover operation working within
various Tuscan antique markets, in
particular that of Arezzo.
The thieves appear to have been
part of an organised operation originating
in Naples, and they generally
targeted works located in central
and northern Italy. The police
force’s special squad to protect Italy’s
cultural patrimony was pleased
with the results of the operation.
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