Author: Lourdes Flores

An American living in Florence for over 10 years, Lourdes continues to explore and discover new places in Tuscany with the eyes of a tourist but with the experience of living in Italy. She shares her experiences on this blog and website, particularly offering lots of travel planning help on the Forum!

The Monteriggioni Medieval Festival

July 3, 2015

The small, medieval walled town of Monteriggioni near Siena every July organizes one of the best medieval fairs in all of Italy. We love traveling “back in time”, especially when it is in such a beautiful, and time appropriate, setting as is this small fortified village set upon a hill. Monteriggioni, di Torri si Incorona…

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La Divina Bellezza – Discovering the Divine Beauty of Siena

June 30, 2015

This summer, visitors to Siena will have the opportunity to experience a spectacular, colorful, sensory display that will immerse you in the rich history of Siena, to when it was the center of the world, when much of the beauty you can still see today in Siena was created. In practical terms, the Opera del…

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Bargello Celebrates 150 years

June 19, 2015

On June 22, 1865, the Bargello National Museum became the first national museum in Italy after its unification. This Monday, June 22, 2015 will thus mark its 150th birthday for the Bargello and as a celebration of sorts, the “Montanina” bell in its bell tower will once again ring after 15 years of silence at…

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Summer in Tuscany: Top 5 Things to Do on Elba Island

June 17, 2015

If you come to Italy during the summer, it would quite sad if you didn’t spend at least a few days on the Italian coast, enjoying the Mediterranean sea and sun. If you’re in Tuscany, we recommend skipping the Cinque Terre as they get very crowded in the summer and have very limited beaches where…

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Day of Celebration at Florence’s Botanical Gardens May 21st

May 20, 2015

Tomorrow, May 21st, is a full day of celebration at the Giardino dei Semplici, Florence’s wonderful Botanical Gardens. The official reopening of the gardens will be celebrated from 10am with interesting guided tours, demonstrations of the various plants, seeds and more growing within the garden, music and even bubbles to delight children and adults alike!

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On our way to Elba!

We’re preparing our departure for Elba! We were there this past September, and we’ve been invited back for 3 full days of fun and learning as part of a blog tour sponsored by ElbaMyLove.com, a new portal dedicated to every aspect about visiting the island. The organized tour is to share with us both new…

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The World Burger Tour is coming to Florence!

May 15, 2015

If you’re getting hungry and want a break from Tuscan cuisine, then search out Hard Rock Cafe‘s “street truck” next week for free tastings of the diner’s classics as part of the World Burger Tour! From the Hard Rock Burger, Hard Rock Cheese Burger and Hard Rock Bacon Cheese Burger to the Legendary Burger and…

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Blue Night this Saturday in Florence

May 8, 2015

The European Union was born on May 9th, 1950. In it’s 6th year, Florence celebrates this date with a special night of cultural entertainment, exhibitions, performances and more. This year it is a particularly interesting event as it isn’t just one night but runs over 5 days! There are over 50 shows on the program,…

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Momenting the Memento: 2015 IFFTI Conference in Florence

May 7, 2015

Coming up in Florence this May 2015 is a very interesting, 5 day international conference hosted by Polimoda, the international fashion marketing and design school based here in Florence. While it is a fashion school and an international foundation of fashion tech institutes behind the conference, the 5 day project is spreading across all of Florence…

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Siena Cathedral Pavement Uncovered for EXPO 2015

April 29, 2015

The wonderful pavement of the Siena cathedral is for the most part visible, with short rails protecting it from the passage of feet (recent protection as you can tell it is worn down in many parts). The major scenes, however, are right in front of the altar and to the sides and these are covered…

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