florence – Page 3 – Fennyblack

Vogue fashion night out #vfno2015 Florence

Yes here we are! Just after some hours spent in the streets of the city center to explore the Vogue Fashion Night of 2015..

Agenda said it would have been full of people, parties, dj sets and shops open till late, but above all, the promotional gadgets were supposed to be everywhere. Not true. Gadgets can be translated into buying #vfno t-shirts for only 20€…25€

Even if the 30% is supposed to be part of charity funds for Meyer’s hospital, I literally think that this price is too much.

Anyway, let’s start with a little bit of pictures:

#vfno2015 #Pinko #pinkoLove

#vfno2015 #sisley

#vfno2015 #scrambler #DucatiScrambler in partnership with Tudor, Fani optical store in Via Tornabuoni

#vfno2015 #EmilioCavalliniBoutique

#vfno2015 #Pomellato Hyppo dancers 😍

#vfno2015 Inside Strozzi Palace with DJs, purple lights, people

And finally, here we are in Repubblica Square, where fashion people, normal people, casual ones, dark ones, stylish and vintage ones, everybody meet.

Lion’s Fountain: an Irish pub in the centre of Florence

I was hanging around, just off the office, so why don’t have a great beer-time in one of the best Irish pub of the city?

Here we go: Lion’s Fountain is its name and it’s located exactly in the centre, in San Pier Maggiore square.

Here you are its famous ‘fountain’:

inside Lion's fountain — inside Lion’s fountain

As you can see from these pictures, it’s one of the most international place because thanks to its position, its special beers and above all to the fact that it’s possible to watch Football matches, it has become very popular among the foreign students who live in the city.

All the football supporters always go there.. before, during or after the matches, and this is its great fortune.

Moreover, you can also choose to have a delicious brunch:

Their motto? #beLions !
If you have the chance, enjoy Lions of Florence!

Toys for fashion – Hasbro & Luisa Via Roma 2015

It is called #MakeKidsHappy the new campaign of those two pillars. This year LVR topic for Pitti event was My Little Pony – exactly for Firenze4ever LVR initiative – and several mini ponies has been luxury-restyled in order to be sold and collect funds for SaveTheChildren. Stylists who wore these fantastic characters of the childhood were selectioned among several stars: from Versace to Fendi, Delpozo, Faith Connection, Arora, Cavalli…and obviously the LVR work of art!

Here you are some shots:

I’m guessing how much could they cost?!

So colorful and happy, it’s worth to think about how enjoyable was our childhood life 🙂 (well, exactly as right now!)

Florence restyling – Pitti power

It’s unbelievable, walking by the usual streets and discover that so many shops has opened in less than 2 days!

I’m guessing when did they work to have a complete brand new store ready for this day..

Anyway this is Pitti power.

Have a look to those pictures which show both the sides of Pitti power:

Here you are some of the top Shop Windows of the city:

LVR - Luisa Via Roma — Firenze4ever events LVR

And also some esclusive parties with special guests (The famous ones and the ones who think to be famous!):

LVR party pass — LVR event Manifattura Tabaccchi

Giorgio Moroder — guest of LVR party for Pitti

Giorgio Moroder and minipony — minipony: the focus of LVR Pitti concept

Not twins but a couple — LVR fiction characters

And then the best one, what do you think you can find in the streets the day after the first night of Pitti parties?!

SHOES!

And weird people, for sure:

feeling like Dante?! — nowadays version of Dante Alighieri

Italian Landascapes that sometimes sound like Japanese paintings

weird tutele for this post, I know… But it’s exatcly what I thought when I look at some mountains while I was on the way back to Florence, after spending a wonderful Sunday on Cala Violino beach. Look at those photos, they show Alpi Apuane with a weird fog and sense of Mystics Don’t they remind you about those static Japanese paintings? Ukyio-e art? See for example this one Maybe it’s not about the landscape… It’s about the different levels they show: they seem to be painted by following several horizontal lines That’s why I thought to create a frame like this one 🙂 really love it! Remember, If you want to see this mystic panorama, go visit Alpi Apuane, the unique Alps that are part of Appennini!

White masks in Four Seasons, the five stars hotel of Florence

It was a sunny afternoon when a friend of mine just asked me to go outside and try to visit the very exclusive gardens of Four Seasons Hotel, in Florence. Why not?

We could have a walk in the garden and then enjoy a fruit juice there (considering that it’s Sunday, and it’s the day after Saturday, the end of the weekend, it’s better not to drink again and be ready for Monday)..

So.. we were saying fruit juice, or detox cocktail, isn’t it?

Anyway, we just went around and suddenly we noticed different white sculptures in those gardens..I couldn’t ever imagine there could be so modern sculptures in that location! I felt as being in the Sculpture gardens of Washington DC! Those are the gardens and their wonderful tress and flowers:

Apparently, all the sculptures represented a sort of contrast between the traditional, romantic and ancient age on one hand and the modern, mixed and distorted reality on the other hand, look at those pictures:

Ugo Riva sculptures - Four Seasons gardens — Ugo Riva sculptures – Four Seasons gardens

And here you are some details: see the stuff sticking the masks! They are cartoons statues, pieces of glasses, mobile phones, Micky Mouse, Winnie the Pooh and all those characters that are part of the youngest life:

Ugo Riva sculptures - some cartoons details — Ugo Riva sculptures – some cartoons details

If you’re interested in discovering more about Ugo RIva (as me), here you can find some more info about his life and works of art.

Discovering Van Gogh (Alive) and his Japanese side

I decided to have a visit to this news exhibition about Van Gogh: there won’t be his actual paintings, just projections of his paintings. The exhibit is located in an old church of Florence, Santo Stefano Church, near Ponte Vecchio.

It taught me different things about Van Gogh life and, above all, his Japanese side. I already knew he was mad – think everybody know that – but when I read he used to chop off some of his body parts (like his ear) I was completely astonished. And I also read about his use of the color: blu and read for crazy mood, rage and contrast, as here:

Vase with red poppies, Van Gogh — The red vineyard, Van Gogh

then yellow..

yellow for the best mood: so bright as his sunflowers and rooms that became yellow-painted

then the violet and purple, which were used to get the standard pale stars (of his popular paintings) more lively and particular. From Van Gogh words, he said that if you look better into each star you will surely notice these shades that make it not so common:

The starry nights, Night Terrace and others, Van Gogh

And then what sounds very new to me: for a period of his life he was influenced by Ukyio-e paintings, that’s why also the projections represented different Japanese aspects: the red and white flag and sun, candid flowers and peach blossoms, portraits about Japanese ordinary persons..and so on. One of the distinctive aspect of these paintings is that very heavy black lines that outline each subject of the drawings. Watch here:

Iris - Van Gogh and his Japanese side — Iris – Van Gogh and his Japanese side

It was an interesting date with the artist, a mad and tormented soul that seems to have fight with the outside, finding the rest the world in his work of arts.

I’m on top of the DO-OME, Florence, part 1

It’s time to upload some new pictures for you! It’s been a while I haven’t written any article, so busy!

But now I’m ready for maybe one of the best articles, with the best pictures: views from the top of Dome of Florence and the Bell Tower too: Brunelleschi vs Giotto, what a contest!

It was Saturday afternoon, after 2 hours working hard in the gym, why don’t take a tour of the city and enjoy those wonderful and breath-taking moments? Enjoy them!

Dome of Florence - views from the top of the Bell Tower — Dome of Florence – views from the top of the Bell Tower

Brunelleschi's Dome of Florence and views — Brunelleschi’s Dome of Florence and views

Bell Tower, Florence: views from the top

What do you think about these views?

Well, if you would enjoy some more pictures from another perspective – from the top of Brunelleschi’s Dome (the Cupola), just follow me! You’ll discover some very exclusive points of views 🙂

Exhibit to Schifano – ‘Orizzonte N.2’, Florence

Yesterday, Saturday afternoon, what to do during a Saturday afternoon in Florence if you don’t want to spend time shopping somewhere and you have already gone for a walk (2 hours walking!)…?

Well let’s check on Zero Florence website for any update about events, theatre..something different. And here you are the great discover: exhibition – free – pop art – Schifano Yes! Starting at 6 pm:

Schifano - pop art artist — Schifano – pop art artist

Schifano - 'Inventario' — Schifano – ‘Inventario’

Schifano - works of art — Schifano – works of art

Here you are a detail of Bagnai Gallery (where the exhibit took place):

and to finish, the very silent and exclusive vernissage:

Florence, Palazzo Bagnai - Bagnai Gallery — Florence, Palazzo Bagnai – Bagnai Gallery

This exhibit is until 18th April and it’s by Lorand Hegyi.

Don’t miss it!

Santa Maria Novella: magnificent stained-glass windows and Neo-gothic style of Florence

It was today, 18th February that Florence celebrates the death anniversary of Anna Maria Luisa de’ Medici.
Thanks to it, there (still?!) is free entry in several museums of the city were, and Santa Maria Novella was one of those.

It has been several time I didn’t enter that door, hence the results are surprizingly amazing!

Look at those pictures to know what I mean, discover the inner side of the first Gothic Church in Florence:

Santa Maria Novella entrance - Florence — Santa Maria Novella entrance (looking back) – Florence

San Thomas of Canterbury, right wall of SMN

Giotto Crucifix in the middle of the central aisle

Santa Maria Novella - central aisle and altar — Santa Maria Novella – central aisle and altar

Santa Maria Novella main altar, Neo-gothic style, rebuilt in 19th Century

Cappella Tornabuoni, magnificent stained-glass windows

frescoes by Ghirlandaio - final part by Michelangelo Buonarroti — frescoes by Ghirlandaio – final part by Michelangelo Buonarroti

For this last picture it’s worth to say that historical arts tells us that those frescoes were made by Ghirlandaio and its collaborators: one of them was Michelangelo Buonarroti and it is told that he contributed to paint the final part of the fresco…but it also told that Ghirlandaio was so jealous and envied him for his work of arts that decided to dismiss his pupil.

But let’s go on with SMN pictures:

Giant wooden bookrest of 6th Century (in Tornabuoni Chapel, just behind the main altar)

In Santa Maria Novella's Cloister — In Santa Maria Novella’s Cloister

and the the final view:

Santa Maria Novella - front view — Santa Maria Novella – front view

I found it very very very interesting, so, even if it doesn’t seem to have an English version, enjoy the virtual tour/map of the Church here, you can have different explanation of what you’re gonna see if you once decide to visit Santa Maria Novella, Florence.