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Entertaiment in
Florence
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Although Florence is quite a small city, it is
inundated with visitors, ex-pats and students; this is great news if
want to have an evening of raucous fun, or if you prefer to follow
more cultural pursuits. Visitors and Florentines alike are impressed
by the wealth of entertainment that they find on offer here.
Going to the cinema or the movies has become an increasingly popular
pastime since the mid-nineties, and the number of cinemas has
increased to meet the needs of the people in Florence, many of the
city's multiplexes have been renovated and reopened. This change in
the amount of cinemas that exist has created a climate of non-stop
cinematography , and fewer cinemas close down during the obligatory
Ferie (the Italian summer holidays), which generally last from
July until early September. Florentine cinemas are very varied; there
are modern one-screen halls, massive multiplexes and small independent
cinemas. The Cecchi Gori Group owns the most cinemas in the city and
the majority show general releases and (dubbed) American blockbusters,
although the Atelier group makes sure that Art house theatre is kept
alive. Atelier have 6 cinemas that show good quality independent films
and directors and actors will often attend previews' and answer
audience' questions. On Wednesdays, prices are reduced to L.8000 and
many Florentines will take a trip to the pictures then, and also in
December. However, one of the best times to go to the cinema is during
the summer; between the months of June and September, you can watch a
new release or one of the previous winter's "smashes" in the open air,
as you sit beneath the stars. Some of the normal theatres will
remain open; many of these have air-conditioning, which is a great way
to avoid the humidity of a Florentine summer and above all the
mosquitoes! Some of the cinemas in the centro storico e.g. Goldoni and
Odeon cinehall, show original language films weekly.
Although there are many more cinemas, compared with the amount of
theatres, it is unfair to say that Florence favours the "Big Screen"
to the stage. The Florentine theatrical tradition has always been
noteworthy, for example, the famous Maggio Musicale Fiorentino
attracts many well-known people. The range of productions is very
varied too, there are upbeat comedies by Neil Simon at Teatro della
Pergola, or more provocative, thought provoking dramas such as A
streetcar named desire at Teatro Manzoni. If Shakespeare is more your
thing, then the Metastasio Theatre will meet your highbrow needs!
In Florence (and everywhere else) most people want to go out and stay
out until late at the weekend; this city has a large number of bars
and discos, which people can enjoy any day of the week. For a quiet
evening, drinking and chatting late into the night, why not try Il
Caff?in Piazza Pitti, or Hemingway close to Chiesa del Carmine. At il
Genius you can relax with friends and play board/card games. Zoe,
Dolce Vita and Porfirio Rubirosa are a little more crowded and lively,
while Caff?Caracol has a Latina vibe. If you are more of a wine
lover, then try Pitti Gola or Cantina. Maybe you fancy a pint? Both
the William Pub and the Chequers Pub are British in style, (perhaps to
meet the needs of the many ex-pats who make their home here!) They
sell an infinite number of beers, and snacks accompanied by good music
and are populated by Florentine beer lovers and foreigners alike.
Lots of tourists like to check out the clubs and discos when they are
on holiday. Florence offers a great variety of nightspots, it is
possible to choose from mainstream discos such as Meccan? (where you
might meet a V.I.P or two), and the fabulous Andromeda, or more
specialist rock bars such as Tenax (popular with many young Italians)
and Flog. There are many nightclubs (especially during the summer)
with theme nights, where people can dance, listen to music and chat.
These include Pongo, which is close to Teatro Verdi and il Lid?on the
banks of the Arno, which attracts at least half of the city. Le Vie di
Fuga is housed in the ex prisons of Murate, and il Sottosopra disco is
between Santo Spirito and il Carmine. The H202 is a very forward
thinking club, music here includes rare funk, Afro beat and Brazilian;
they even have an Art Space' where the latest exhibitions can be seen.
Finally, there is Soul Cities near to the fortress.
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