Vasari's Corridor reopens

From Wednesday 21st January through April, it will once again be possible to visit the Corridoio Vasariano. The "Vasarian Corridor" was designed by Renaissance man Giorgio Vasari for Cosimo I de' Medici: Cosimo didn't much like mixing with everyday folk when he was perusing his palazzi; Vasari built him a secret passageway so he didn't have to. The Corridoio now hosts one of the world's finest collections of artists' self-portraits.

The Corridoio, which runs from the Palazzo Vecchio through the Uffizi to the Pitti Palace in Oltrarno, including a clandestine crossing above the Ponte Vecchio, will be open twice daily for guided visits from Tuesday to Friday. Call 055/2654321 to book. Tickets are €10.50.

Bargello Treats for 2009

Visitors to Florence's Bargello Museum in early 2009 can look forward to a couple of extra treats on top of the usual world-class permanent sculpture collection. Restoration work has finished on Donatello's bronze David, the first free-standing nude since Roman times when it was completed sometime in the 1440s. It will take centre-stage alongside the sculptor's other Bargello works, and earlier (1401) bronze panels by Ghiberti and Brunelleschi, in the Salone del Quattrocento.

Meanwhile, April sees the opening of an important exhibition of works by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, charting the links between his sculpture and the birth of Baroque portraiture. It follows a major Bernini exhibition at California's Getty Center in 2008.

The Bargello Museum, housed inside a magnificent Gothic fortress on Via del Proconsolo, is worth €4 of your entrance money anytime. It's one Florence stop I recommend highly in the new book, due out in May.

Taking You Back to Tuscany

Just back from Tuscany? Pining for the place? Not even a little? I know I am.

This website combines Google Maps and 360 degree panoramic photography to give you a real sense of being in 15 different spots across the region. There's even a bit of Umbria – Perugia and Assisi – thrown in for good measure.

I especially love this internal panorama of the Basilica di San Miniato al Monte, in Florence. The Romanesque basilica, just uphill from Piazzale Michelangelo (see the book, p. 61), is one of the few city spots you can find a bit of peace, even in high season. On p. 63 of the book we recommend a family Oltrarno walk, from the Giardino di Boboli, that'll guide you all there.

Okay, so a bit of surfing doesn't quite match basking under a Tuscan sun for yourself. But, from my desk in East London, it's as close as I'm getting for now. Alas.

Florentine Genius Festival

If you're planning to be in Florence over the next couple of weeks be sure to check this website for details of over 100 events taking place as part of the city's Genio Fiorentino festival. The festival was attended by almost 400,000 visitors last year.

Genio Fiorentino runs from 15th to 25th May, opening tomorrow with a musical event celebrating Benvenuto Cellini, whose bronze Perseus Holding the Head of Medusa, pictured, graces the Loggia dei Lanzi in Piazza della Signoria.

Other artistic highlights include an exhibition of drawings by Leonardo and Raphael inside the Palazzo Medici-Riccardi (see the book, p. 56). The exhibition's opening coincides with the festival ending, on 25th May.

The Genio sees the annual opening of the Corridoio Vasariano, a covered passageway that links the Ponte Vecchio with the Palazzo Pitti, crossing the Arno inside the Ponte Vecchio. See the book, p. 59, for more details.

Florence's Istituto degli Innocenti is also hosting children's workshops, the Bottega dei Ragazzi, throughout the Genio. Contact them direct for advice on what events best suit your child's spoken Italian skills: local tel. 055 2478386 (Mon–Sat 9am–1pm and 4–7pm),email labottegadeiragazzi@istitutodeglinnocenti.it.

Florence's tourist office, local tel. 055 290832, will be able to direct you towards other events suited to visiting families. For comprehensive visitor information for Florence, see the book, p. 38–47.