The Rose Garden or Giardino delle Rose in Florence is situated near Oltrarno towards the left banks of the River Arno. It is a park which is on the hills near the Piazalle Michelangelo leading westwards to Viale Joseph Poggi. It offers one of the best views of the city of Florence.

In 1865 when Florence became the capital of Italy the municipality began beautifying the city. It commissioned Giuseppe Poggi to design the Giardino delle Rose in the style of French gardens. In May 1895 it was opened to the public to commemorate the “Festival of Art and Flowers” conducted by the Horticultural and Fine Arts Societies of Italy.
 
The Rose garden has over four hundred varieties of roses and several thousand plants. Although admission is free it is open for only six weeks of the year from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. It is open from the first of May to the sixteenth of June when the roses are in full bloom. The temperate climate of Florence is very conducive to the flowering of roses and if you love roses and all other flowers like I do try to visit Florence in summer. You will definitely get enamoured by the beauty and fragrance of the different types of roses including ancient and modern ones. 
 
The gardens consist of a main terrace in the middle and four distinctive areas. It has It has beautiful fountains surrounding the rose bushes. Besides roses the gardens has a lot more to offer. It has a beautifully designed Japanese garden and a Secret garden. It also offers a breathtaking view of Florence, the Arno Valley and the surrounding beautiful hills.

Cimabue as he is most often referred to is a famous Italian artist of the Byzantine period. He is also known as Cenni di Peppi or Cenni di Pepo. He was born in Florence sometime between 1240 and 1245 (the exact date is unknown) and was a contemporary of Dante.
 
Cimabue was a popular artist and painted many frescoes in churches in Florence and also in Italy. Some of his important works are showcased in art galleries like the Santa Trinita Madonna at the Uffizi in Florence. In the National Gallery of Art, Washington you can find four of his famous works. They are tempera on panel and depict the Madonna and scenes of Christ with famous saints like Saint John, Saint Peter and Saint James. The Virgin and Child Enthroned with Two angels is part of the collection in the National Gallery of Art in London. The Madonna and Child in Majesty surrounded by Angels hangs at the Louvre in Paris and the Virgin and Child at the Courtauld Institute of Art Gallery, London.
 
Cimabue strove to break away from the sharp lines and stylized regulations of Byzantine art and renew pictorial reality in his paintings. By emphasizing visual presence he represented space, fluidity, body and light in such a way as to influence fourteenth century art and artists mostly notably his famous student Giotti.
 
He has worked with tempera on wood and also on mosaic. Some of his important works are part of many churches and cathedrals. He was the artist who created Saint John which is part of a larger mosaic in the Cathedral at Pisa. He is also the mosaicist for a series of frescoes in the San Francesco Church in Assisi depicting scenes from the New Testament and also a magnificent but badly damaged Crucifix in the Church of San Croce in Florence.
 
He died in 1302 leaving behind his work and his mentoring of students which have rightly earned him a place in Florentine history and art.

The seventh edition of the India EU initiative the Florence Indian Film Festival has begun in the historic city of Florence from December 7 to December 13. This prestigious event showcases Indian films and also included three prestigious awards for Best Feature Film, Best Short Film and Best Documentary.

This year the retrospective section of the film festival River to River features the well respected and talented film director Bimal Roy. Three of his most famous hits Do Bhiga Zameen, Bandini and Devdas are being screened. In the 1954 Cannes Film Festival Do Bhiga Zameen won the Prix International Award.

The venue of the festival is the Cinema Gambrinus which is situated on Piazza della Repubblica in Florence. It is about ten minutes away from the Duomo and the closest train station is the Santa Maria Novella Station.

The River to River festival showcases mainly Indian films including short films, feature films, animation films and documentaries. To get a wider impact and give a broader perspective films form the neighbouring countries including Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka. There is no entrance fee.

This film festival is an excellent way to nurture cultural ties between India and Italy including economic ties as the Indian film industry especially the animation industry is growing by leaps and bounds. There is a rich and varied set of films which are being showcased at the festival so come and enjoy the Florence Indian Film Festival 2007 River to River.

The Heidelberg Market in Florence has begun once again at Piazza San Croce. The historic centre of San Croce is ablaze with lights and the atmosphere is lovely out here. Come visit us and spend Christmas here in Florence at one of our innumerable properties here in Florence including one in San Croce or in our villas dotting outskirts of the city.
 
The Heidelberg Market travels from Heidelberg in Germany to celebrate the Christmas spirit with the Florentines. It features fifty picturesque wooden huts bursting with all kinds of goodies. There are many a food stall for you to experience and savour all kinds of traditional and popular Italian food including meats, cheeses, bread, sausages, kraut, strudel and many more delicacies including vin brule which is warm wine delicately seasoned with spices.
 
There are also many quaint and exclusive stalls set up by artisans from Germany of course, Poland, France, Austria and other European Union countries. At these stalls you can pick up a wide range of handmade goods including clothes, toys, porcelain items, ceramic items, hats and candles. It also features many Christmas decorations and toys for setting up the Nativity Scene which is an old and still popular Italian tradition.
 
There are also colourful carousels which I think not only children by adults like me still love to ride on. So come join us to celebrate Christmas in Florence with its brilliant lights and innumerable Christmas attractions. The Heidelberg Market in Florence is on from November 29 to December 17, 2007.

Le Fonticine restaurant in San Lorenzo in Florence is named after the famous sixteenth century fountain near its entrance with the same name designed by Lucca della Robbia. The restaurant is situated quite close to the San Lorenzo market and the Central Market (Mercato Centrale) in Florence.
 
It is family run restaurant offering a warm ambience. The walls are filled with modern art collected over a period of over forty years. It is nice to sit at the tables at the back of the restaurant as you can walk past the open kitchen and grill which are a bit of a novelty?
 
The menu is quite extensive with a lot of pasta dishes. There are starters, first courses, second courses, sides, specials and of course desserts. There are hearty and filling vegetable soups, starters, many salads and a wide range of main dishes. It goes without saying that all the pastas are hand made and home made fresh daily. Different types of pasta are combined with mushrooms, vegetables, wild boar sauce, truffles, and vegetables like egg plant, spinach  etc so you can order any pasta combination as per your favourite sauce? The famous Florentine Steak Bistecca alla Fiorentina, wild boar, tripe dishes and other traditional Tuscan food also form part of the menu.
 
I think Tuscan and Italian desserts are a very important part of any delicious Italian meal. Sublime desserts including different cheeses, mascarpone, meringues, fresh fruit, ice creams, crème caramel, fruit tarts and cakes give a perfect end your meal. 
 
Le Fonticine restaurant in San Lorenzo is open both for lunch and dinner. It is better to make a reservation. There is a fairly good wine list so enjoy!!