STUDENTSVILLE

The buon fresco (true fresco) gives the colours great permanence and resistance to aging, since they are an integral part of the wall surface, rather than a superimposed layer of paint on it. The medium of fresco makes great demands on a painter’s technical skill, since he must work fast (while the plaster is wet) but cannot correct mistakes by overpainting. Many rich families in the Renaissance purchased big cycles of frescoes to exalt their house and power. Portraits of the members of the house, with plenty of details in clothing and architectural design, were expressly required to the painters. The Tornabuoni found their celebration in the main enormous chapel of Santa Maria Novella Church, and the Sassetti in the Santa Trinita Church. The artist in charge was Domenico Ghirlandaio, the number one of the visual biographers of Renaissance Florence.

Osteria La Cantinetta is hard to miss if you go anywhere at all outside of your Florence apartment or hotel room. On the street...

From tomorrow to Thursday, Florence became the capital of fashion and style with the number 81 edition of Pitti Uomo. All the events are here, many of these need an invitation .

Here are the first recommendations on where to celebrate the New Year in Florence.Squares :Piazza Della Signoria : Philharmonic Orchestra of Ukraine, Donetsk from 23.00 - Free entrancePiazza...

Everyone loves a good Christmas present from abroad; they’re exotic and exciting, and hint at the unsaid “Look at all the effort I went through to bring you this extraordinary gift from so far away.” If, this Holiday season, you’ve found yourself without the time or money for an around the globe shopping spree, you can thank Florence, Italy for arranging for the world to meet you there. Grazie, Firenze!

Florence is widely known as the cradle of the Renaissance. However, it is in the Middle Ages that the basis for the flowering of...

Would you like to taste the flavours of Florence, to discover the traditions and the humanity of the city through the eyes of the local people, and, most of all, is it not the right time for a couple glasses of wine? This is the Vinaino Tour. A vinaino is an old street wine vendor and this is a “goliardic” tour to discover Florence and its highlights (such as Ponte Vecchio, the Duomo, the Republic Square, ecc.) with new eyes. We will stroll around the main squares and the narrow streets to go exploring some hidden corner and discover the history and the tradition of Florence.What we see during our tour:The Old Market. We will step back into a Florence of street merchants, tradesmen, groceries, marketplaces and brothels, where selling some meet without paying duty or revealing to foreigners merchants the undisclosed secrets of silk dyeing could deal you a public flogging in Old Market (Piazza Repubblica)… One of the oldest market of Florence took place in front of Strozzi Palace: this is why in the past this area was called “Piazza delle Cipolle”, i.e. “Onions Square”. The New Market. This Loggia was built around 1547; originally, silk and precious items where sold here, followed by the famous Florentine straw hats from 1800. Dishonest merchants and debtors were punished here with the so-called “acculata” (we will explain to you what it litterary means in Italian, but nothing pleasant at all!).

“Happiness is the consequence of personal effort. You fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it, and sometimes even travel around the world looking for it. You have to participate relentlessly in the manifestations of your own blessings. And once you have achieved a state of happiness, you must never become lax about maintaining it. You must make a mighty effort to keep swimming upward into that happiness forever, to stay afloat on top of it.”--Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat Pray Love

Studying abroad in Italy for 3 months, I knew I couldn’t leave here without visiting Rome. Rome is home to some of the most important and influential history in the world, the capital of Italy, and a huge city with so much to do and see in general. I finally made the trip last weekend, and it definitely was an eventful one! I’ll give you some advice to squeeze in all of the must-see sights while avoiding lines, tourist traps and ultimately making the most of your weekend.

"MANGIA MANGIA!!!” Something not so uncommonly heard as you roam the streets of Florence. I suppose Italian restaurant owners think that just talking about eating will remind passersby that their stomaches are empty and need filling...pronto!?There’s a remarkable amount of differences between dining out in the U.S. and dining out in Italy, that it’s hardly comparable. I feel as though going out in Italy is more about the food, and less about the experience. While in the U.S., surely the food is important, but Americans love being waited on and dining lavishly. It’s all about feeling like a “princess.” The food could taste like pond scum, yet if the room was decorated like the Monte Carlo, you bet the dinner wait for that restaurant is at least 3 hours. While Americans must have perfect service, a server waiting on them to the T, Italians do not put emphasis on this. In fact, I find it hard to even find a server or get their attention if I do find one. Their philosophy is more of a “I’ll take your order when I get around to it and you’ll get your food when you get it.” But the food...thats a whole new story. Since time is not important in Italy, rather, relaxing is key; the food is made to perfection, compared to the American philosophy of “as quick as possible!”