Mandragora – serie

Equipped with all you need to know on the history and traditions of the Chianti region, you will be guided on half-day or full-day drives out from Radda in Chianti and Gaiole in Chianti. Four itineraries with maps and commentary will lead you through historic sites and stunning landscape - with places to stop for an espresso, a leisurely lunch, an ice cream snack, some shopping, and a superb dinner.

From 22 September 2017 to 21 January 2018 Palazzo Strozzi will be hosting a splendid exhibition devoted to the art of the second half of the 16th century in Florence, the third and final act in a trilogy which began with Bronzino ISBN 9788874611546, in 2010 and was followed by Pontormo and Rosso Fiorentino ISBN 9788874612161, in 2014. Curated by Carlo Falciani and Antonio Natali, the show, and this accompanying book, explores the development of Florentine art in the second half of the century through the painting, sculpture, and draughtsmanship of such artists as Andrea del Sarto, Bronzino, Pontormo, Giorgio Vasari, Giambologna and Bartolomeo Ammannati. The exhibition will also provide a unique opportunity to celebrate the outstanding cultural and intellectual era that was marked by the Council of Trent and its Counter-Reformation, and by the figure of Francesco I de Medici, one of the most outstanding figures in the history of court patronage of the arts in Europe.

Caravaggio’s Portrait of a Gentleman with a Ruff, which is a recent arrival in the Klesch Collection, has a short critical history. It also has a very limited history as regards the associated bibliography and media coverage, perhaps because the painting came to the fore prior to the social media explosion characteristic of recent years and, above all, at a time when today’s almost obsessive interest in Caravaggio was certainly not so developed. This interest has since expanded to incorporate all levels of communication, even the most widely popular. The Portrait first came to people’s attention in 1992 and despite the fact that the artist already exerted an appeal that few other painters could boast at the time, Caravaggio’s following was far removed from what it is today.Text in English and Italian.

The volume takes the form of a refined collection of table settings used in the private residences of the most eminent Tuscan families. The narration complemented by images takes readers through a dazzling, multi-coloured world composed of precious pieces of porcelain, splendid silver objects and transparent crystals, in which the traditional and classical blend with design elements and modern tastes. What gives unity to the entire collection is undisputed taste and elegance.Author Claudia Pianetti Della Stufa is not only a sophisticated interpreter of mise en place but also a true enthusiast of the aesthetics of refined table settings in all their nuances. Her knowledgeable gaze accompanies readers through classical, contemporary and country chic arrangements.Text in English and Italian.

Father Andrew, an artist and priest of the Archdiocese of New York, recounts his impressions during a peripatetic retreat in Tuscany some years ago, under the guidance of Timothy Verdon an art historian and Catholic priest. Timothy Verdon’s hope was to help the listeners open to the spiritual as well as aesthetic beauty of the buildings, sculptures and paintings seen and Father Andrew’s book tells that something of this sort happened, at least in his case. A Tuscan Résumé is an ‘inspired’ work, in response to the same Spirit that touched the architects and artists whose masterpieces Father Andrew describes.

This is a colourful and entertaining survival kit for teenagers visiting (or living in) Florence. It was thought up, written and designed in collaboration with Amici Musei Fiorentini.