Summer is still ON...in the Hamptons

Dear all,

It’s the hottest month of the year, but that doesn’t stop Florence rolling out endlessly cool events, and there’s a whole series of cultural news to boot!

BUT...before continuing with your monthly personalized view on the beautiful Firenze, for all my BALLERINAS lovers please click on the link CUSTOMIZE IT and have fun creating your own ballerinas...new feature to play with, when you feel doing it!!!

The Church of San Miniato al Monte, the Church of San Salvatore al Monte, the Rampe dei Poggi, Piazzale Michelangelo, and the Rose and Iris Gardens have become UNESCO World Heritage sites. We’ve never needed convincing that Florence is home to world-class sites, but it’s great to see it recognized!

In practical news, as of August 6, the EU Digital Covid certificate that indicates whether you have been vaccinated (one dose is enough for qualification) have had a negative test within 48 hours, or have recovered from COVID-19 within the last 6 months, is required to access specific non-essential services such as eating inside restaurants and entry to outdoor events, gyms, theaters, museums, cinemas and pools. It’s presumed that non-Europeans will be able to produce the equivalent certificate from their countries of origin, although it hasn’t yet been specifically stated.

Back to the fun: there are plenty of events to get us out and about on these sultry summer evenings, the only time of the day when we can muster up the courage to leave the safety of the air con! The 22nd edition of Italian Brass Week takes place from August 1-8, with various locations all over the city filling with the sound of summer.

Another unmissable event for your calendars forms part of the ever-popular Estate Fiorentinaline-up: Firenze Suona Estate is a music- and literary-packed program consisting of 15 events in various parts of the city, bringing arts and culture to parks and piazzas for some time spent in the fresh air listening to music and literature. What could be better!

Turning on the oven is an absolute no in August, simply too hot! So, cooking this month involves plenty of fruit and vegetables, all the best of the season, and there are plenty of creative ways to keep it fresh! Eggplants are a staple at this time of the year, and there’s a super simple Tuscan dish that will mean your energy will be spent on eating, and not on hours in a hot kitchen.

Boil a pot filled with half water and half vinegar, adding a bit of coarse salt once boiling. Peel melanzane (eggplants), and cut them thinly. Cook in the pot for about 4 mins, and then drain and leave on a cloth to cool. Remove the melanzane and place in glass jars filled with olive oil, leaving them for at least 3 days. Then, they are ready to eat whenever and however you’d like; it’s a perfect picnic food too!

Don’t forget that Ferragosto falls on August 15, so you’re likely to find almost the whole city shut as everyone seeks the sea or someplace cool. With origins dating back to the Roman Emperor Augustus to the time when harvests were celebrated, it’s still viewed as an occasion for festivities and fun, centuries later.

And so, Buon Agosto! With love....Yours