The hunt for the remains of Lisa Gherardini, the woman who, according to many art historians, sat for Leonardo da Vinci’s famous Mona Lisa ,will start at the former convent of Sant’Orsola in Florence on May 9. The men from the National Historical and Cultural Preservation Committee will explore the crypt, the cloister and the church in the hope of finding the remains of the noblewoman; but there are doubts about the success of the whole operation; even if they should come across the remains of Mrs Gherardini (actually the skull is what they are really after) will they ever be able to restore a woman’s face and once and for all establish whether it is depicted in the portrait of Leonardo? Maybe yes, in fact according to an important document found in the archives of the Church of San Lorenzo in 2007, Fancesco Del Giocondo‘s wife Lisa Gherardini was really buried at the convent of Sant’Orsola.

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For a wedding location in Florence, Villa Le Piazzole is just outside the “city walls”, not far from the area of the Piazzale Michelangelo. It overlooks the surrounding hills of Tuscany and provides both Florence accommodation in a villa and an “Orangerie” specifically designed to house weddings.

Villa Le Piazzole received a special mention at the Best of Wine Tourism awards for Firenze, and the accommodation provides a simple country setting but with an elegant Italian garden, swimming pool with panorama over the surrounding countryside, a small amphitheatre and terraces with outdoor seating.

A small chapel, recently restored, can be used for weddings. For smaller parties, Villa Le Piazzole will do its own catering, matching dishes with its own label wine, or for bigger events it will use an external catering service. Wedding guests can enjoy staying in the villa, and have a tour of the grounds, with wine tasting in the evocative atmosphere of the old cellar. The Villa is close enough to Florence for day trips, while guests can escape the rush of the city in the evening. For more information, see the Villa Le Piazzole website.

Weddings in Italy: Villa Le Piazzole, Florence

Continue reading: Weddings in Florence: Villa Le Piazzole accommodation and Tuscan wedding location

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The Great Wine Capitals Florence branch announced the 2011 winners of the Best of Wine Tourism in Chianti last week, and DolceVita participated in the event and the subsequent tour of the winning locations. The awards were announced at the Palazzo Medici Riccardi in Florence, with representatives from Chianti accommodation and wine producers accepting the awards.

Florence is just one of the Great Wine Capitals group which includes Bordeaux, Bilbao-Rioja, Christchurch-South Island, Cape Town, Mainz-Rheinhessen, Mendoza, Porto and San Francisco-Napa Valley. Florence offers one of the world’s greatest cities of art together with the significant wine producing region of Chianti. The Best of Wine Tourism initiative is for tourism establishments awarded for their services to wine tourism; with criteria such as the quality of the facilities, the originality of the tourism on offer and the level of client service analysed by a jury which selects the winners from a pool of participants.

In the Chianti region, it is impossible to separate the wine from Tuscany tourism and the awards showcased a mix of Tuscan villa and farm stays, with wedding operators, wine producers, museums and restaurants, too. It was a panorama of wine tourism in Tuscany at a quality level. The winners, and their corresponding categories, are after the jump, and we’ll bring you more this week from the winners, including the international winner Villa Vignamaggio and accommodation winner, Borgo Scopeto Relais.

Continue reading: Great Wine Capitals Florence Best of Wine Tourism awards

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Situated in the heart of Florence, between the river and the old town, the amazing 18th century Villa Medici was converted into a five star hotel several years ago; despite the rearrangement of its layout, the place has retained all the irresistible romantic aura that once surrounded the noblest families in town. From the precious hangings to the unique pieces of art decorating its 100 rooms, the hotel epitomizes Italian love for luxury and good taste. Guests can relax at the Sina Fitness Club featuring new, state-of-the-art Technogym equipment, sit in the English conservatory or have lunch at the famous restaurant“ Lorenzo de’ Medici where one can easily bump into celebrities; in fact since its inauguration the hotel Villa de’ Medici has been a great favourite with the glitterati; from Hollywood actors Jack Lemmon, Anne Bancroft and George Clooney to Queen Rejna of Giordania and other heads of state, apparently no one can resist the beauty of its interior and the high quality of its service.

Grand Hotel Villa Medici in Florence

Continue reading: Florence luxury hotels - Grand hotel Villa Medici

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A lost masterpiece by Domenico Ghirlandaio’s son Ridolfo was found in a dusty warehouse and restored to its pristine beauty by a team of skilled restoration experts guided by Sabrina Cassi and Gianmaria Scenini. This “new work” depicting the Madonna and Child with the Infant Saint John the Baptist has just been sent to Scandicci where a major exhibition dedicated to the art and talent of Domenico Ghirlandaio is taking place. Annamaria Bernacchioni curator of the exhibition told reporters that this masterpiece by Ridolfo, continuator of his father‘s Florentine school, epitomises the artistic taste of Florence between 1520 and 1540 and therefore it will get all the attention it deserves at the show!

Ghirlandaio - Castello dell’Acciaiolo (Scandicci - Firenze)

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A few days ago French artist Clet set one of his sculptures made of glass and metal on a bridge in Florence, but the artwork was almost immediately removed by the authorities since he had not obtained any official permission to put on display his creations. Famous for his ironic and often irreverent works, Clet must now find a new place for his controversial masterpieces!

Photo | Clet on Facebook.

Opere di Clet

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George Clooney will star in a movie based on Douglas Preston and Mario Spezi’s best-seller The Monster of Florence. The book tells the story of a serial killer who slew more than a dozen people over a period of 20 years without being caught. The story is seen through the eyes of an American journalist (Preston) who leaves America for Florence in order to discover the truth about all those blood-curdling murders. Chris McQuarrie is writing the screenplay with his Valkyrie co-writer Nathan Alexander.

Fonte: Bloody Disgusting

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The 20th century has been celebrated in Milan with a major exhibition and now it’s the turn of Florence to get a closer look at it; but this time from an entirely different perspective. The exhibition “Novecento seduced. Seventeenth-century passions between the two wars from Velasquez to Annigoni” aims to give the public a deeper insight into 17th century and its art which seduced and fascinated such important 20th century artists as Giorgio De Chirico, Primo Conti, Achille Fucini and Pietro Annigoni. The public will have the unique opportunity to admire the masterpieces of Velasquez and Artemisia Gentileschi alongside the works of the aforementioned Italian painters and thus draw a parallel between the two centuries. The exhibition will run until May 2011.

A Firenze ‘Novecento sedotto. Il fascino del seicento tra le due guerre da Velàsquez ad Annigoni’

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After a long restoration, the Giotto crucifix (the attribution to the great Italian artist is no longer disputed) will be officially unveiled at the Church of Ognissanti in Florence on November 6.

In the meanwhile, the famous cross will be on display at the Opificio delle Pietre Dure where the five year restoration took place. For further information call 055.2651339/340/347/348.

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The city of Florence and the Italian state are furiously fighting over the ownership of Michelangelo’s masterpiece David. The famous statue has been Florence’s mascot since 1504 when it was put on display at the entrance of Palazzo Vecchio as a symbol of the city ‘s defiance of its foes. The row between Florence and the government erupted when two Roman lawyers commissioned by Silvio Berlusconi produced what they call conclusive evidence that the renaissance masterpiece belongs not to Florence, but to the Italian state.

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