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Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella has endured the rise and fall of various kingdoms, two World Wars, every pandemic from the Black Death to Covid, and countless other historical catastrophes and changes.  There is probably no other brand that could find a more impressive testament to its popularity; but why exactly has Santa Mari...

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We are jet lagged and so everything carries a dream-like quality to it. The lush green countryside of Tuscany unfolds outside our car window on our first full day in Italy. Tuscany is breathtakingly beautiful and I’m happy that I agreed to spend our first full day here in the care of a private car and driver, bouncing from one Tuscan village to ano...

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The self portraits rooms at the uffizi galleries. Five hundred plus years of self-portraits and portraits of artists return to the gallery after a century: the new installation extends from fifteenth-century masters to the painters, sculptors, video artists, and comic book artists of today The Uffizi Galleries in Florence on Monday opened 12 new ro...

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If you know where a city is, you know why it exists. If you know why a city exists, you can imagine who wanted to live there. And if you understand what kind of people lived in that city, you will find a straight line to how it looks, how it was decorated, what was valued.   Florence is in a spot that provides protection, via robust hills and river...

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Florence: June 11th, 2023. The city center is buzzing, and we join the migration of locals heading towards Piazza Santa Croce. The square is closed off, giving us the opportunity to circle it through side streets and alleyways. Florentines, and a few beer-guzzling Brits, wait dressed in either red, Rossi, or green, Verdi, signifying their allegianc...

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To experience the finest Italian Renaissance art anywhere, there’s no finer place to visit than Florence, Italy. That’s what keeps drawing SUNY Fredonia students each summer to Art History 390: Arts of Italy, a study abroad course taught by Department of Visual Arts and New Media Associate Professor Peter Tucker. Beginning in late May, 15 students...

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A visit to Florence would be totally incomplete without a hearty Bistecca alla Fiorentina, or the Florentine steak (beefsteak Florentine style is another version of the name). This meat lover’s delight is perhaps the most iconic Tuscan dish, earning a spot in the repertoire of internationally known (and adored) Italian cuisine. But what makes this...

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Thinking of visiting Florence in winter? You’re in luck—we think it’s one of the best times of year to come! (Really!) Here are a few reasons why you’ll like Florence in the off season… as well as some other (maybe not as great) things to keep in mind about the off season in Florence. The off season in Tuscany is from November to Easter, excluding...

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If you ever found yourself in Florence, or Firenze as the locals call it, it was probably hard to miss the name of the Medici family. The story of how its three generations almost single-handedly influenced the prosperity of an entire city-state is still an interesting one, six centuries on. Some credit the Medicis for Florence’s rebirth – renaissa...

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The recent fascination surrounding Renaissance painter and nun Plautilla Nelli follows a familiar narrative. The inspiring story goes a little along the lines of: “genius-woman-artist-finally-recieves-art-historical-due-after-centuries-of-obscurity,” and is one we know all too well. Most articles about the now-revered nun are quick to point out tha...

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