Halloween in Florence

Tomorrow is the night of 31st of October: sort of magic and special for Anglo-Saxon tradition: it’s Halloween! Children dress up and go knokcing to the doors of neighbourhoods and ask for ”trick or treat?” Houses ready to receive them are decorated with emptied and lighted pumpkins. Nowadays this Anglo-Saxon celebration is getting popular also in Italy and some towns like Florence are ready to animate the night before All Saints. Not only for the many foreigners who live in Tuscany, and specially in Florence, but also for Italian youngsters who are looking for any excuse to have fun and enjoy the florentine nightlife.

Halloween, Florence 2007

Originated in Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, the Celts celebrated the Druidic fire festival called 'Samhain'. 'Samhain' celebrated the feast of the dead in Pagan and Christian times or the close of harvest . Today it has become a commercialized holiday with costumes, candy, harvest and ghoul-like decorations. This is especially true in the United States and some parts of Europe.

Today in Italy Halloween or All Saints Day is becoming more and more popular, especially in the cities. So get your costumes ready because you will find plenty to do on Old Hallow's Eve in and around Florence.

Halloween is on a Wednesday this year and on the Fall break of most study abroad programs. Think of it as the ultimate spring break but with costumes! Many private bars and discos host special events on Halloween night. During the day there are festivals and cultural events taken place around Florence.

The following proposals for a great Halloween’s night come from Florentine pubs, bars and discos :

Auditorium Flog W live: HALLOWEEN HORROR PARTY
HALLOWEEN NIGHT: “PROFONDO ROSSO PARTY' with DAEMONIA in concert. DARIO ARGENTO TRIBUTE: a night with the soundtracks of the most terrific movies by Dario Argento (PROFONDO ROSSO,SUSPIRIA, INFERNO, TENEBRE) and other horror cult movies, (HALLOWEEN by JOHN CARPENTER, TUBULAR BELLS by M.OLDFIELD, the Exorcist) SPECIAL VIDEO SELECTION ENERGY ZONE D.J.’s Open 9.30 p.m admittance ticket € 8.

Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Convivium: Halloween night
Features special drinks and food buffet. Viale Europa 4-6 Firenze.

Halloween party at Rifrullo's: special dinner with pumpkins, special events. For more info: www.ilrifrullo.com info@ilrifrullo.com

Halloween at Boston T
A night for dancing and drinking at Viale Europa.

Halloween Party at Fortezza da Basso 'Cosmo Night - Halloween Party with special guest from Germany dj FELIX KROCHER

Halloween for kids in Via San Gallo 25r, 50127 Firenze, tel 055 2658324: events, plays, games, free gitfs and cakes for children at the bookstore. From 4.30 pm.

Halloween Jazz Party with FLORENCE FUNKY COMPANY in concert from 9 pm. After dj set ’70-'80 until late at JAZZ CLUB (Via Nuova de’ Caccini n° 3)

Halloween night will be also at the Otel: a mysterious night immersed in the sound of the music. 9, Via Generale Dalla Chiesa Firenze.

HALLOWEEN SPECIAL DINNER at Red Passion, ristoshow. On stage: “Brit-Rock Wave” with “LULLABY Quartet” in concert from 9 pm RED PASSION (via de' Serragli 48r, 338.2799075 - 0552381016).

Borgo a Mozzano. Just a bus ride away, you can find yourself lost in a haunted road or treat yourself to some Halloween goodies. Try the "path of terror"! Watch the video>>

Long term rental apartment in Florence

Long term rentals

Elegant bilocal apartment in a country house, few steps from Florence, Italy.

The apartment is in the countryside, 10 minutes from the the city center of Florence. It’s an independent building, nobody under, nobody above, nobody besides.
It’s very silent and quiet, the ideal place for relaxing after work.
It has private parking for car and motorbike. The apartment has been completely renewed and furnished in August 2007.

The apartment is on 2 floors: on the main floor there is the living room, upstairs the sleeping room (double bedroom) and the bathroom (with window). All the windows have nice views on gardens and trees. The building belongs to an old tuscan country structure. The ceilings have wooden beams and the floors are in cotto. The dining room has the cooking corner and a lovely fireplace. The dining room has a table that seats six persons.
On the first floor there’s a bright double bedroom with a wardrobe, a bath with shower.

Where it is:

The flat in the area knowed as “Firenze Certosa” very close to the city of Florence and to the roadway (A1). It could be a good place to stay while visiting Tuscany: Siena and Arezzo are less than 1 hour, San Gimignano and Volterra are about 40 minutes. Pisa is near too. With the roadway you can reach all the places of interest in Italy: Rome, Naples, Bologna.. Then, when you come back home, you can park easily in the front of the apartment and rest in the silence of the country. The apartment is not far from Impruneta, at the beginning of Chianti area, where you can find many typical restaurants and wine bar.

Rock Contest 2007

If you have any interest in music, enjoy live performances but don't know where in Italy you can find a concert filled with variety and new beats,then look no further. On Thursday, October 11th, Florence will kick off 'Rock Contest 2007' at the Ambasciata di Marte on Via Mannelli which will take place every Thursday in October and November. This extended concert which occurs every Thursday night in October and November culminates 36 bands from across the country which compete to impress the fans, gain votes and finally be the last-standing group to call themselves the winners of this famous event. Previous winners of the competition have gone on to become very popular in the music industry today, and you won't want to miss this 19th annual band competition for music-lovers everywhere. Performances begin at 9pm and entrance to the concert is free. Come see what the Italian music scene is all about while taking part in this staple of Florence culture!

Dates & Venues:
Thursday, October 18 @ Omi Music Club in Sesto Fiorentino
Thursday, October 25 @ Ambasciata di Marte
Thursday, November 1 @ Omi Music Club in Sesto Fiorentino
Saturday, November 10 @ 'Centro Giovani' youth center in Calenzano
Thursday, November 15 @ Ambasciata di Marte

Chestnut Festival

Chestnut Festival

To truly experience Florence, one must take advantage of the various fairs and festivals which take place in and around the city during the colorful month of October.

One of the most popular is the Chestnut Festival located in the neighboring area of Mugello every Sunday in October (7,14,21 & 28). Enjoy the festivities while indulging in the many scrumptious, tasty desserts of the Tuscan region such as fried cakes and roasted chestnuts topped with honey. In the late morning, treat yourself to the many traditional dishes of the region including polenta (ai funghi porcini, carni di cinghiale e capriolo) and local wine. In the afternoon, take time to digest and enjoy the live music and variety of attractions and exhibitions offered. Mugello is easily accessible by train or bus and the 20 to 30 minute travel from Florence is well worth the time spent at this historic, delicious festival in a classic Italian town.
You can also have a tour on a special "old" steam-engine train!

Festival of Creativity

Festival of Creativity 2007: 400 events dedicated to the arts, research, innovation, and intelligence. Florence, Fortezza da Basso October 25 to 28, 2007

Thursday 3pm - 3am
Friday to Sunday 10am to 3am free entrance
From October 25 to 28 at Florence's Fortezza da Basso, the second edition of the Festival of Creativity will take place, an event promoted by the Tuscan Region and organized by Fondazione Sistema Toscana. With an exhibition space of approximately 40,000 square meters, 400 events (concerts, meetings, exhibits), 1,600 artists and speakers from over 40 countries around the world, the Festival program includes meetings and debates with great representatives of modern culture, the world of art and design, and the Italian and international music scenes.

Last year this festival was a great success with more than 170.000 visitors!

Pure creative energy will dominate during the Carta Bianca meetings, an hour dedicated to the great masters of modern creativity: Derrick De Kerckhove, the undisputed guru of mass media; Joshua Davis, the New York designer who revolutionized commercial art in recent years; and the great Dario Fo, who will lead a public conversation on Leonardo Da Vinci.

The River to River: Florence Indian Film Festival is pleased to announce a new collaboration with the Festival of Creativity, which takes place October 25 to 28, 2007 at Florence's Fortezza da Basso. On this occasion, four short films of past editions of River to River will be screened on Saturday October 27 at 5pm at the Teatrino Lorenese at the Fortezza da Basso. The shorts portray various aspects of modern India. www.rivertoriver.it

Using musical instruments, videocameras and video screenings, this jam session will come to life and allow the public to interact under the guidance of three experts in the field: Livio Magnini (guitarist of Jetlag, Bluvertigo musical producer), Jacopo Rondinelli (bass player of Jetlag, set designer) and O.M.M.A. (internationally-famed media artist and Nokiatrendslab vj). www.nokiatrendslab.it.
October 25-28 THE MIX 7pm - 10pm
October 25-28 PERFORMANCE 11pm - 3am DJs and VJs selected during the Nokia contest
for other info: http://www.festivaldellacreativita.it

Spanish dinner in Florence

This night at the florentine restaurant "Il Rifrullo" there will be a special dinner with tapas and other spanish foods.

For 18 euros you can eat how much you can and drink Sangria and Tinto de verano. For info: info@ilrifrullo.com