Firenze Province

Louvre loans rare Renaissance masterpieces to Florence

A priceless selection of drawings identified as the work of some of Italy's greatest Renaissance luminaries has gone on show in Florence in the building where Michelangelo once lived.

Calcio Storico Fiorentino

Calcio Storico Fiorentino, also known as Calcio in Costume, is a Florentine tradition dating back to the 15th century. Its origins aren't exactly clear, but many believe it began when military troops needed a way to keep fit while awaiting another battle.

Nude Mona Lisa on show in Vinci

A 16th-century painting of a nude Mona Lisa once attributed to Leonardo Da Vinci will go on show for the first time on Saturday as part of a sweeping new exhibition opening near Florence.

The battle of the Centaurs - the raging torments of a teenage sculptor

Aleid Ford examines this early work by Michelangelo

Japanese prof hands inheritance to Florence church

Frescoes in the famous Florentine church of Santa Croce are to get a facelift thanks to a Renaissance-mad Japanese art history professor who has handed over his entire inheritance for the project.

Remains of Temple of Isis found in Florence courthouse

Workmen inside Florence's courthouse have stumbled across a spiral column and hundreds of multicoloured fragments that experts believe may have belonged to a Roman temple dedicated to the Egyptian goddess Isis.

Mapplethorpe and Michelangelo celebrate male form

An unusual new exhibition here contrasts the art of controversial 20th-century photographer Robert Mapplethorpe with that of Renaissance master Michelangelo Buonarroti in a celebration of the human form.