From the treasure hunt for families to the heritage walks in the UNESCO area, to the guided tours in museums: all the free initiatives scheduled from March 18th to 25th.
During the Settimana del fiorentino, which encompasses the extensive calendar of events organized in the city for the Florentine New Year, the Musei Civici Fiorentini and MUS.E are offering a series of special guided tours, completely free, focusing on the origin of the festival and the sense of “Florentine-ness” associated with this celebration.
The origin of the Florentine New Year
The Florentine New Year recalls the ancient tradition that attracted thousands of people to the city who flocked to the fair and devoutly paid homage to the image of the Annunciation. The origin of this festival dates back to the Middle Ages when March 25, the Feast of the Annunciation by the angel Gabriel, was chosen as the beginning of the civil year. In 1582, the Gregorian calendar came into effect, fixing the first day of each year as January 1st, but the city of Florence continued to celebrate it on March 25th – “ab concetione Christi” or “ab incarnatione Christi”, from the conception of Christ – until 1749.
For the 2024 Settimana del Fiorentino, the museums and the entire historic center, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, offer themselves to the public, both citizens and visitors, as places to discover the most fascinating traces of the past, while shaping a deeper and more open vision for the present.
The guided tour program in the civic museums of Florence
On March 18, at 2:00 p.m. and 3:30 p.m., there will be a visit to the Salvatore Romano Foundation, in Piazza Santo Spirito, with “Art Rarities for the City”, where the collection of medieval and Renaissance works donated to the city of Florence by the great Neapolitan antique dealer will be displayed. This will be followed by an appointment on March 19, at 2:00 p.m. and 3:30 p.m., with “The Annunciation: Stories of Mary” at the Santa Maria Novella Complex. This visit will explore the Basilica and Convent to discover masterpieces and minor arts that trace the stories of the Madonna over the centuries.
On March 21, at 3:00 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., the tour will move to the MAD Murate Art District for a journey through the spaces that first housed an ancient convent, then the city prison, and now the current center for contemporary art production. “Scorci Fiorentini” is the title of the event scheduled for March 22 at 3:00 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. at the Museo Novecento, a visit to the collection that includes masterpieces of the 20th century, including Ottone Rosai’s series of paintings, capturing the tones, atmospheres, noises, and silences of mid-20th century Florence.
On March 25th at the Bardini Museum (at 3:30 p.m.), “A Gift for Florence” will traverse the collections of the great antique dealer, while from March 23rd to 25th (at 3:00 p.m., 4:00 p.m., and 5:00 p.m.), at the Palazzo Vecchio Museum, there will be an appointment with “Traces of Florence”, allowing visitors to appreciate a significant section of the museum dedicated to the history of the city and its urban development from the Renaissance to the 20th century.
On Saturday 23rd (at 11:00 a.m.) and Sunday 24th (at 3:15 p.m.), children can participate in the activity “To make a city you need a flower” at Palazzo Vecchio, to reclaim the symbol of the city. On Sunday 24th, there will be a special appointment for families with the Treasure Hunt in the city (from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.) with departures every half hour from Palazzo Vecchio. All families will be given a Florentine iris bulb thanks to the collaboration of Vivaio Guido Degl’Innocenti.
The city’s towers and gates will also be open and free to visit: on the 23rd, guided tours will be available at the San Niccolò Tower (at 3:00 p.m., 3:45 p.m., 4:30 p.m., and 5:15 p.m.), on the 24th at Porta San Frediano (at 3:00 p.m., 3:45 p.m., 4:30 p.m., and 5:15 p.m.), and on the 25th at Porta Romana (at 3:00 p.m., 3:45 p.m., 4:30 p.m., and 5:15 p.m.).
On the same days, visitors who wish can wear comfortable shoes and participate in the Heritage Walks (at 11:00 a.m.), which will accompany them in the discovery of the UNESCO area, from Porta San Giorgio to San Niccolò, along the Ramps designed by Giuseppe Poggi, the Rose Garden, and up to Piazzale Michelangelo. Three itineraries are proposed: on the 23rd along the walls of Oltrarno, on the 24th towards San Miniato al Monte, and on the 25th around Porta San Gallo. Among the city itineraries is also the one on the traces of Giorgio Vasari (on the 22nd at 4:00 p.m.) which, on the occasion of the 450th anniversary of his death, will lead through the historic center to rediscover the places and architectures that bear the imprint of the Ducal architect, from the genesis of the Uffizi Galleries to the reform of the Florentine churches.
For info and bookings: 055.2768224 e info@musefirenze.it
