The sun is out..put your hats..Summer is coming!!

Hello everyone!! How are you?

The sun is out..put your hats..Summer is coming!! This kind of optimism is music to our ears;  winter has been never ending and everyone in Florence is tired of having to pack an umbrella before leaving the house.

Rain or no rain, summer events are coming in thick and fast with lots of outdoor music events that will have you grooving and shaking until the early hours before the month is rounded off with celebrations of the city itself.

What a fantastic May I had in the States!! Between Palm Beach, the opening of the Hamptons Atelier, Florence and the Fashion Show in New York...I found myself almost everywhere and nowhere! However the “peak” of the month was the Spirit of Life Award Annual Luncheon organized by the City of Hope where I gave a full fashion show with over 30 looks showing my Spring Summer and the coming Fall Winter looks. After I was presented with the Ambassador of Hope Award to my great surprise! Truly honored.

I try to support an equal number of medical causes in Italy and in the States, especially when focused on cancer research. I could not became a doctor (one of my childhood dreams) so now I help when I can honoring my great-grand father Dr. James Ewing’s work and dedication to medical research.

The best moment of course...sharing the stage with my two boys!

Now back to Florence...you are arriving every day and I am happy to see you once more back in my "Bella Firenze".

The Visarno Arena is THE place to be for music, music, music and… more music! Imagine Dragons take to the stage on June 2 following the release of their fourth studio album” Origins". Opening acts will be British singer with serious country vibes, Jake Bugg, as well as young Italian-German artist Fil Bo Riva.

June continues footloose and fancy free when the longest-running (or longest-leaping) dance troupe in the United States will tour its way in to the Tuscan capital for three days this month. That’s right, the Martha Graham Dance Company comes to town and you’ll find tickets and information here, www.maggiofiorentino.com/en/events/martha-graham-dance-company-2/ on June 12.

If you’re at home and therefore not clicking your heels down Florence’s vicoli, may I suggest summoning some beautiful sunshine by putting on your favourite tunes and lighting up the dinner with some friends.

NYU Florence’s Campus is a magnificent 57-acre estate lined with olive groves and cypress trees that provides the perfect backdrop for the 15th edition of the site’s summertime festival, The Season. An array of sophisticated concerts and theatre await those who wish to live out a dreamy Tuscan summer in exquisite company; opening the festivities on June 6 is the annual Sir Harold Acton concert, which this year will be a Verdi-themed evening with the young singers of the Accademia Verdiana from Parma followed by Ludovico Ariosto’s world-famous Orlando Furioso on June 12 (fingers are eternally crossed but rain date set for June 13!), a musical theatre-themed concert by the Continuum Company of New York on June 20 before concluding with Molière’s Tartuffe on June 27.

So pleasant is the atmosphere at this annual celebration of summertide fun that booking is ESSENTIAL! Email:  lapietra.reply@nyu.edu to book your seat.

Cool down by heading up to Fiesole for the Estate Fiesolana, the annual music festival that takes place in the small town’s breathtakingly beautiful Ancient Roman Amphitheatre. Starting June 20, the festival includes music, theatre and the eventual international import of Aussie surfer-musician Xavier Rudd, whose sweet melodies will echo through Fiesole’s thoroughfares.

On June 24, for the city’s patron saint day San Giovanni, residents take to the streets to watch the final of the calcio storico, follow the procession from Palazzo Vecchio to piazza del Duomo and marvel at the fireworks that get launched from piazzale Michelangelo. Be sure to nab a spot lungarno or book one on a rooftop before 10pm for a bird’s eye view!

Can’t make it? A sweet shot of 'Nocino', a typical nut-based liqueur drunk on San Giovanni, should transport you to Florence’s flag-stone streets in no time.

It’s an all-singing, all-dancing start to the summer but don’t forget to relax and use the long days to spend time with your loved-ones, cooking or just chatting until the sun goes down.

After all, it’s the 'bella stagione'!

Ciao!

Jennifer