The Florentine Scene

TITTO

Everybody loves gelato; how about making your own cup? At Titto, clients can choose their flavor — chocolate or cheesecake, among others — and topping, and pay by the kilo. The ice cream maker machines are easy to use, and the toppings include gummy bears, almonds, nuts and fresh fruit.

The shop is tiny and cozy, and lit up by orange walls — a great spot for a DIY experience.

— FABIANA REPACI
 
Titto
Via de’ Pucci, 15/rosso
Hours: Sunday to Thursday, noon-8 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, noon-11 p.m.
titto.it

NEXT: Touch >>

TOUCH

Florence has always been associated with tradition and good food, but with a bit of innovation, too. This is exactly what you’ll find at Touch, a new restaurant located just a few steps away from Titto.

Orders can be placed through iPads, which allow customers to peruse the menu listing international plates and a wide choice of wines, in addition to providing videos on the preparation of the meals.

The restaurant also features a recreation room, where patrons can lounge comfortably and enjoy a Wi-Fi connection, flip through a book or play chess.

Prices range from 30 to 40 euros, or $38 to $50 at current exchange.

— F.R.
 
Touch
Via Fiesolana 18r
Opens at 7 p.m.

touchflorence.com

NEXT: Genten >>

GENTEN

Japanese fashion group Kuipo Co. has opened its first Genten boutique in the heart of Florence, located in the antique Palazzo Cerchi.

The store covers two floors, one dedicated to the display of the brand’s accessories, while the other features a workshop where Florentine artisans customize bags, travel cases and small leather goods, with the revisited coat of arms of the Cerchi family. The venue uniquely blends the two distinctive Japanese and Florentine styles, with bonsai trees standing below frescoes of the lily, the symbol of the city.  — F.R.
 
Genten Firenze
Vicolo de’ Cerchi, 1
gentenfirenze.com

NEXT: Blue Velvet >>

BLUE VELVET

The freshly inaugurated club is located just a few steps away from Piazza della Signoria and it is exactly what was missing in Florence — given its size and scope in a centrally located area. The 984-square-foot venue features a night blue decor, with velvet chaise lounges and plenty of candles for atmosphere.

On the dance floor, music ranges from garage to R&B, and it’s always possible to step in earlier for an aperitivo with a buffet that starts at 7 p.m. The locale has appointed Tuesdays as international night dedicated to foreigners living in the city.

— F.R.
 
Blue Velvet
Via Castello d’Altafronte, 14r
Opens at 7 p.m.
bluevelvetfirenze.it

NEXT: Ray of Life >>

RAY OF LIFE

Ray of Life is an invitation to a virtual journey imagined by Jonathan Riss (creative director and founder of the luxury brand Jay Ahr), conceived by Dassault Systèmes, supported by retailer Luisa Via Roma and directed by filmmaker Asa Mader. In the birthplace of the Renaissance, the viewer is projected in a “realistic” futuristic fashion experience while being surrounded by tradition and century old monuments.

— F.R.

Ray of Life
June 15 to 22
Piazza Strozzi

NEXT: Delphinarium >>

DELPHINARIUM

Fantastical animals and surreal creatures will animate the room of Florence’s historical Palazzo Ricasoli, house of the Galleria Antonella Villanova, which will host the first exhibition of jewelry designer Delfina Delettrez, from June 20 to Sept. 10. Curated by Emanuela Nobile Mino, the retrospective will celebrate the five-year career of Delettrez, who is the daughter of Silvia Venturini Fendi and who built a reputation in the jewelry business with her imaginative pieces, combining a high dose of creativity with high-end craftsmanship. Spanning five rooms, which will be dedicated to different themes and collections and will be decorated to exalt the inspiration behind each creation, the exhibition will include a selection of one-of-a-kind and limited-edition pieces from the designer’s 10 collections, such as Anatomik from 2009 and Methaphysics, which launched this year. In addition, new pieces created for the gallery will be shown exclusively.

— ALESSANDRA TURRA

Delphinarium
June 20 to Sept. 10
Galleria Antonella Villanova, Palazzo Ricasoli

NEXT: Ferragamo >>

FERRAGAMO

Salvatore Ferragamo is set to pay tribute to Marilyn Monroe with an exhibition dedicated to the American icon held at the company’s museum in Florence from June 20 to Jan. 28.  

In order to re-create a complete and authentic portrait of the actress, the retrospective will include film clips, pictures, international magazine covers, Monroe’s original writings, 30 pairs of shoes and more than 50 outfits worn by the diva on the set of her most important movies, such as “Niagara,” “Some Like It Hot,” and “The Asphalt Jungle,” among others, and both in her private and public life.

In addition, curators Stefania Ricci and Sergio Risaliti analyzed some popular portraits of Monroe taken by famous photographers showing a link with masterpieces of the ancient past. For example, a portrait taken by Bert Stern in 1962 is juxtaposed with Canova’s sculpture “Ninfa dormiente,” and “The Alessandro Morente” marble sculpture is compared with a shot of the actress by Cecil Beaton.

The rooms of Palazzo Feroni, which houses Ferragamo’s museum, will also display prestigious works of art on loan from international museums, such as Andy Warhol’s “Four Marilyns” and a “Marilyn” collage by Italian Artist Mimmo Rotella, which will appear in the catalogue along with images of all the exhibition’s clothing and documents and a number of essays on the many aspects of Monroe’s complex personality.

The exhibition will be inaugurated with a private cocktail party on June 19.

— A.T.

Museo Salvatore Ferragamo
June 20 to Jan. 28
Palazzo Spini Feroni
Piazza Santa Trinità, Florence