Florence Journal

Rain

The news from Florence is rain - it just won't stop. The forecast does have sunshine for tomorrow, which I think all of Tuscany is looking forward to. And it was about 45 degrees last night to boot! It has been unseasonably cool and damp for weeks now. I am sure there is a lot more going on here but the weather is all anyone seems to be talking about right now...

Festa della Donna

The Festa della Donna is today! Give a woman some flowers, preferably the yellow Mimosa:

There is more about the history of this holiday here and this is more focused on the Italian version.

Curtain Lights, Florence

Here are some more Christmas lights in Florence, these are the ones that look like curtains:

Florence Christmas Lights

The Christmas lights are up all over town, with many different types of lights on different streets. I will be posting more photos soon but here are the lights on Via dei Servi at dusk on Monday: 

Some more commentary on the Amanda Knox trial

Not really crazy about Alan M. Dershwitz's opinions, but here is some more thinking about this case and the options the defendant still has:

"The trial took nearly a year. But now that an Italian jury has determined that Amanda Knox, a 22-year-old American student, is guilty of murdering her British housemate in Perugia, Italy, in 2007, the legal wrangling has in some ways just begun."

From thelede.blogs.nytimes.com

Festa della Toscana

BTW - today was the Festa della Toscana - which to me meant the kids had off school. Turns out there is more too it: Festa della Toscana

Biblioteca delle Oblate open until Midnight during December

A message from the Comune of Florence:

La Biblioteca delle Oblate si accende per te!

Il nostro orario sara prolungato fino alla Mezzanotte, tutti i giorni, per tutto il mese di dicembre.

Ti invitiamo alle molte e varie iniziative di inaugurazione martedi 1 dicembre, dalle 18 fino alle 24. Sara presente il Sindaco di Firenze Matteo Renzi.

The Oblate library is at Via dell'Oriuolo 26. It is a great place to get on line (for residents and students - not sure if tourists can get access with a passport of not) for free (they have WiFi throughout) - you get 3 hours a day, and the cafe is finally open too.

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Artists Lead the Way in the Oltrarno

New article in the NY Times this morning about the arts scene in the Oltrarno:

The artists were performing for an event at Spazio Arti e Mestieri, or SAM, which opened in April. While traditional artisans are struggling in the current economic climate, organizations like SAM are trying to bring the sector into the 21st century, tapping into a growing community of artists, designers and boutique owners who have flocked to the Oltrarno, a tightly packed neighborhood that has long personified the darker and grittier side of the city.

Worth a read.

Italian tourism taking a hit

Not that it is surprising, but tourism here is definitely hurting. The prices are high to begin with for Americans, even with the recent improvement in the dollar - but the GBP has absolutely crashed, and the Russians are in trouble too. There was a recent NY Times article that focused on Rome but could as easily have been about Florence: All Roads May Lead Here, but They Aren’t Bringing Big Spenders Even the local English language newspaper here just ran an article wondering if this is the bottom:

"There is little doubt that we are in the midst of an important moment in Florence. The city is changing by the day-decreasing tourism, increasing rents, more rules, less money. Have we hit rock bottom?"

It will definitely be an interesting and challenging 2009.

TERRORISM: SIMULATED ATTACKS PLANNED IN 7 ITALIAN CITIES

From ADN KRONOS International:

Rome, 17 August (AKI) - Rome and Milan are to be the first of seven Italian cities where Italy's interior ministry is planning simulated terrorist attacks in September to give the country's security forces practice in how to cope with such events. Similar operations will follow in Naples, Turin, Florence, Bologna and Venice, the ministry announced. The risk of a terrorist act in Italy remains high, according to interior minister Giuseppe Pisanu.

"It will be incumbent on the interior ministry to coordinate all necessary actions in the event of an attack on Italy by Islamist extremists," he said. Pisanu this week signed the first of three decrees converting into law a series of anti-terror measures that have been in place since 2 August. These include restrictions on commercial activities, transport, access to explosives, and the obligation for Internet cafe owners to obtain and record the personal data of clients.

Click here for the whole story