Palazzo Davanzati in Florence - a different museum

Florence

Imagine a different day in Florence! You want to escape the crowd and the confusion of the city center, where to go? what to do? i have an idea...go and visit Palazzo Davanzati.

In the past this palace belonged to the Davizzi family, wealthy merchants in the late fourteenth century. They constructed the palace, which later was purchased by the Davanzati family in the late sixteenth century.

This palace brings you back in time, show you the structure of what the modern palaces are going to be, so don't miss this place next time you are in Florence!!!

Palazzo Davanzati
Florence

Palazzo Davanzati


Address:  Via Porta Rossa 13 – Firenze – Tel. 055 2388610

Hours: Weekdays: 8.15 am – 1.50 pm; open second and fourth Monday of the month.

Holidays: 8.15 – 1.50 pm – open first, third and fifth Sunday of the month.

Closed on: the second and fourth Sunday of the month; the first, third and fifth Monday of every month. December 25, January 1, May 1

A presto!!

Simona

Artemisia Gentileschi’s Judith & Holofernes

Artemisia Gentileschi,
Judith & Holofernes

Artemisia Gentileschi was a young active artist in Naples, when she was raped by Agostino Tassi, former family friend, and worker partner of Orazio Gentileschi, father of the artist in question. After months of marriage promises without fact, the case went to court, because the accused didn’t want to keep his promise and so after trials and confrontations Tassi ended in jail for a few months and Artemisia married a painter, brother of the witness who defended her. This experience signed her life and fed her way of painting.

Judith and Holofernes by Artemisia Gentileschi is the classical representation, the revenge of a woman, who seduced by a man, asks for justice. The seductive and intelligent female painted by Artemisia recall the same subject matter executed by Caravaggio thirteen years before when the latter painted another resolute woman hacking off a bearded male head.

Artemisia’s work is more shocking, more resolute, and close to the scene of a woman’s kitchen, where we know everything can happen! The victim is the “animal” who caused pain and disgrace in her life and so Judith-Artemisia is symbolically decapitating, but also castrating the man, who raped her at the age of fourteen. Caravaggio’s victim, Holofernes, instead, is represented more as a heroic and absurd person in the desperate effort to live.

Museo di Capodimonte

The work by Artemisia has always followed the artist, even when she travelled around Italy in search of commission, until when in 1630 she decided to go to Naples, to stay for a short time and instead remained there until she died. Still today the work is in the National Museum of Capodimonte, where it can be admired by the art lovers!

Imagine a night at the museum!!!

Still in holiday in Italy???!! Tonight there is a wonderful initiative, promoted by the Ministry of Cultural Heritage...Martedi' in Arte....between 7pm and 11pm the main museums of Italy will be open for free to the public to enjoy the artistic beauty of this country.

So...if you are in Italy in this current moment and you want to spent a different night, go and enjoy!!!

Here the list of the museums that participate to this initiative:

CAMPANIA


- Scavi e Teatro Antico di Ercolano, Corso Resina, 5 - Ercolano (NA)
- Palazzo Reale di Napoli, Piazza del Plebiscito, 1 - Napoli (NA)
- Museo di Capodimonte, Via Miano, 1 - Napoli (NA)
- Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli, Piazza Museo - Napoli (NA)
- Museo di San Martino, Largo San Martino - Napoli (NA)
- Scavi Vecchi e Nuovi di Pompei, Villa dei Misteri, 2 - Pompei (NA)
- Reggia di Caserta e Complesso Vanvitelliano, Via Douet 2/a - Caserta (CE)




LAZIO


- Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea, Viale delle Belle Arti, 131 - Roma (RM)
- Terme di Diocleziano, Via Romita, 8 - Roma (RM)
- Crypta Balbi, Via delle Botteghe Oscure, 31 - Roma (RM)
- Museo Nazionale Romano – Palazzo Massimo alle Terme, Largo di Villa Peretti, 1 - Roma (RM)
- Palazzo Altemps, Via di S. Apollinare, 44 - Roma (RM)
- Pantheon, Piazza della Rotonda - Roma (RM)
- Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica in Palazzo Barberini, Via Quattro Fontane, 13 - Roma (RM)
- Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica in Palazzo Corsini, Via della Lungara, 10 - Roma (RM)
- Museo e Galleria Borghese, Piazzale Scipione Borghese, 5 - Roma (RM)
- Museo Nazionale di Castel Sant’Angelo, Lungotevere Castello, 50 - Roma (RM)
- Villa d’Este, Piazza Trento, 1 – Tivoli (RM)




LOMBARDIA


- Museo di Palazzo Ducale di Mantova, Piazza Sordello – Mantova (MN)
- Pinacoteca di Brera, Via Brera – Milano (MI)
- Cenacolo Vinciano *, Piazza S. Maria delle Grazie – Milano (MI)
(* l'apertura è prevista con le stesse regole di conservazione e tutela, cioè 25 persone per gruppo ogni quarto d'ora fino ad esaurimento dei posti. La prenotazione è gratuita ma obbligatoria tramite il Call Center 0292800360)




PUGLIA


- Castello Svevo, Piazza Federico II di Svevia – Bari (BA)




TOSCANA


- Cappelle Medicee, Piazza Madonna degli Aldobrandini - Firenze (FI)
- Galleria degli Uffizi e corridoio Vasariano , Via Della Ninna - Firenze (FI)
- Galleria dell'Accademia, Via Ricasoli - Firenze (FI) il 26 ottobre apertura dalle ore 20.30 alle 0,30
- Galleria d’Arte Moderna, Piazza Pitti - Firenze (FI)
- Galleria Palatina e appartamento Palazzo Pitti, Piazza Pitti - Firenze (FI)
- Museo del Bargello, Via del Proconsolo - Firenze (FI)
- Museo San Marco, Piazza S. Marco - Firenze (FI)
- Palazzo Davanzati, Via Porta Rossa - Firenze (FI)




UMBRIA


- Galleria Nazionale dell'Umbria, Corso Vannucci - Palazzo dei Priori – Perugia (PG) con apertura dalle 20.00 alle 23.00




VENETO


- Galleria "Giorgio Franchetti" alla Ca' d'Oro, Cannaregio, 3932 - Venezia (VE)
- Gallerie dell'Accademia, Dorsoduro Campo della Carità, 1050/a - Venezia (VE)

A castle in Rome: Castel Sant'Angelo

Castel'Angelo has an amazing story behind it. It was originally built as the Mausoleum of Emperor Hadrian. The long and varied history of the building, with its thousands of metamorphosis seems to have unsettled the complicated maze of underground rooms, balconies, stairs and courtyards that constitute the current structure of the castle.

The original structure and subsequent changes within the building overlap and merge, creating a body faceted and complex, laden with symbolic and historical layers.  

this photo was taken when I was on holiday

on the bridge you can see the two angels commissioned to Gianlorenzo Bernini.

Not far from the Vatican, this amazing building should be one of the stop during your Italian journey!!!!

Love and art on Valentine's Day

If you love art and you want to celebrate this event with someone you love, a beautiful initiative has been organized by the Ministry of Heritage and Culture for the following week-end all over Italy, so don't miss this occasion!

Valentine's day is the perfect day to celebrate love and sweetness, so a wonderful experience for all those who love to get together, give flowers, chocolates or sharing moments of love.

For this reason the Ministry of Heritage and Culture, 12 and 13 February decided to give all couples a Valentine's Day alternative, with the opportunity to learn and discover the wonders of Italian cultural heritage by offering two entrances to the price of one in all the museums, monuments and archaeological sites state.

Valentine's Day is the first major event of the year MiBAC offers to all Italian citizens and foreigners to stimulate the knowledge and rediscovery of our artistic and enhance the wealth that the world envies us and that we, first, we enjoy.

For more information on the places that adhere to this initiative, have a look to this link (in Italian):

Giornata di san Valentino - 2011