You can feel the air of September in the streets of Florence!

JENNIFER TATTANELLI - message from Firenze - Jennifer Tattanelli

Buongiorno all,

The leaves haven’t exactly begun to turn yet, but you can feel the air of September in the streets of Florence!

Friends have been arriving back home from far-flung vacations (and closer-to-home coastlines) in slow streams; the usual rhythm of events is cranking up again; little ones are restlessly preparing to head back to school and normal work schedules are once again taking shape (sigh).

Although the end of summer is always bittersweet, I’ve long found the fresh start afforded by September to be one of my favorite periods of the year. Everyone seems to be putting their best foot forward, far more so than in the rather grim days of January; the positive energy is contagious!

Perhaps nowhere is this spirit of positivity and community better embodied than in one of the classic charity events of Florentine September: Corri La Vita!

This year the scenic footrace—a valiant fundraising/awareness effort in the fight against breast cancer—is a little later than usual, landing on September 30 and giving us all plenty of time to choose our teams and perhaps even do a bit of training (okay, admittedly, it’s Florence, so most of us are artists not athletes!)

Still, the solidarity and the river of colorful T-shirts in the city (rumor has it they’ll be purple this year) make it one of the liveliest events of the season.

A major perk of participating in Corri La Vita—besides spending time in the fresh air as you contribute to a fantastic cause—is the opportunity that all runners and walkers get to visit numerous museums and exhibitions for free.

One of those on the list is among the most anticipated exhibitions of the year: Marina Abramovic: The Cleaner at Palazzo Strozzi (opening September 23—if you’re not here this season, it stays open through mid-January).

Abramovic is a trailblazing performance artist who’s had a multi-decade career and her experimental, intellectually stimulating productions and installations will soon occupy the stately Renaissance palazzo. It’s natural, but still huge for Florence to host someone of such international clout.

Speaking of inspiring women artists, our friends at the Advancing Women Artists Foundation continue their valuable work supporting women in the arts, past and present; they’re in the final stages of their “Adopt an Apostle” campaign (http://advancingwomenartists.org/art-in-need/what-can-i-help-restore-now/the-adopt-an-apostle-program) which will support the restoration of Plautilla Nelli’s monumental Last Supper, the earliest known painting on the subject by a woman.

They have also teamed up with Opus Ballet and numerous local artisans for a unique art and artisan-themed performance on September 27 at the newly updated Museo Novecento—if you’re in Florence, don’t miss this eight-movement show, “Apologia della Creativita’”.

I have been back and forth between Florence, New York and the Hamptons (wow I am lucky to live in gorgeous places!), feeling just a bit the jet lag one morning I opened my windows in Piazza Pitti and I saw at 5:30am a troupe filming in front the Pitti Palace...spotting someone familiar I went to check and I found a dear friend@matteorenzi while he was filming a Netflix series centered on Florence and all the beauties we are surronded...sorry I could not resist...selfie time!!

Finally—one thing we hear a lot about from many of you repeat travelers who love Florence and return here often is your interest in learning Italian (Language is the key ingredient to making any viaggio as vibrant as possible!).

I’m sure you’ve all already watched the requisite Fellini films and downloaded DuoLingo, but if you need an extra boost in your educational motivations, September 26 is the European Day of Languages.

If you’re stateside, you can still maintain the spirit of the day by breaking out your workbooks or calling up a conversation partner—and if you’re on the ground in Florence, many local language institutes will be hosting a series of fun events.

May we all embrace the back-to-school spirit of September and learn something new this month!

See you all very soon in Florence, New York or at the Fall seasonal shows! As always if you like to book your time with me or one of my super stylists crew simply click on the images below or send an email to: Fall Seasonal Show.

XOXO Yours,

Jennifer

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