ENTERTAINMENT - Florence and Tuscany - page 282

is staged in the Sala Vanni ,
while several bars regularly
hold live jazz sessions.
Big-name rock concerts are
mostly held at the 7,000-seater
Nelson Mandela Forum or at
the city's football stadium.
For smaller, more intimate
venues go to clubs such as
Auditorium Flog , Tenax or
Saschall . Firenze Spettacolo
has a detailed list of bars and
clubs hosting live music.
In summer, Florence's
piazzas and gardens become
the venues for alfresco bars
and live music. Summertime
also sees open-air jazz and
rock concerts taking place all
over the region.
Blues fans should look out
for Pistoia Blues , a mid-July
weekend jamboree of open-
air blues concerts, which
attracts well-known names.

sagre. Commonly defined by
food, drink and music, these
events are a great way to see
the Tuscans at play.

CHILDREN'S
ENTERTAINMENT

While Florence and Tuscany
are extremely child-friendly,
child-orientated entertainment
is lacking so parents need
to be inventive. As far as
museums are concerned, only
the Museo dei Ragazzi in
Palazzo Vecchio (see pp78-9)
has a specific programme for
children, but several other
museums, such as Museo di
Storia della Scienza (see p74)
and Museo “La Specola” (see
p119) , are fun too. For children
below ten years, Mondobimbo
Inflatables Parterre has bouncy
castles and Giardino di Boboli
is good for a run-around.
Outside Florence, there's a
small zoo in Pistoia (see p187)
and Parco Preistorico , with its
gigantic model dinosaurs, is
near Pisa. Pinocchio Park at
Collodi (see 183) , is dedicated
to one of Tuscany's most
loved characters, and Parco
Giochi Cavallino Matto is a
huge funfair with plenty of
rides to keep the kids amused.

Contemporary dance performance

English are rare, and as such,
the genre attracts few non-
Italian speaking visitors.
However, Tuscany's 300 local
theatres - many of them now
restored - are worth a visit.
Dance is popular through-
out the region and several
festivals, including the Florence
Dance Festival, feature classical
and contemporary dance.

OPEN-AIR
ENTERTAINMENT

Unique to Tuscany are the
many traditional festivals
celebrated through the year,
the most famous being the
Palio in Siena (see p222) . The
others range from large events
attended by thousands of
spectators to tiny little village

JAZZ, BLUES AND ROCK

Florence will not disappoint
jazz fans. A great season of
progressive jazz concerts, often
featuring international names,

DIRECTORY

OPERA AND
CLASSICAL MUSIC
Box Office
Via Alamanni 39. Map 1
B4. Tel [phone].
www .boxol.it
Estate Fiesolana
Tel [phone].
www .estatefiesolana.it
Estate Musicale
Chigiana
Via di Città 89, Chigiana.
Tel [phone].
www .chigiana.it
Incontri in Terra
di Siena
La Foce, Chianciano
Terme. Tel [phone].
www .lafoce.com
Puccini Opera
Festival
Torre del Lago.
Tel [phone].
www .puccinifestival.it

CHILDREN'S
ENTERTAINMENT
Giardino di Boboli
Piazza de' Pitti.
Map 3 B2.
Tel [phone].
Mondobimbo
Inflatables Parterre
Piazza della Libertà.
Map 2 E2.
Tel [phone].
Parco Giochi
Cavallino Matto
Via Po 1, Marina di
Castagneto Donoratico.
Tel [phone].
Parco Preistorico
Via Cappuccini 20,
Peccioli.
Tel [phone].
Pinocchio Park
Collodi.
Tel [phone].
www .pinocchio.it

Teatro dei Differenti
Piazza Angelio 8, Barga.
Tel [phone].
Teatro del Maggio
Corso Italia 16. Map 1 A5.
www .maggio
fiorentino.com
Teatro della Pergola
Via della Pergola 12-32.
Map 2 E5. Tel 055 226
43 16. www .pergola.
firenze.it
Teatro Verdi
Via Ghibellina 99. Map 4
D1. Tel [phone].
www .teatroverdifirenze.it
Tuscan Sun Festival
www .tuscansun
festival.com

Odeon Original
Sound
Piazza Strozzi. Map 5 C3.
Tel [phone].
JAZZ, BLUES AND
ROCK
Auditorium Flog
Via Michele Mercati 24B.
Tel [phone].
Nelson Mandela
Forum
Viale Malta 4.
Tel [phone].
Pistoia Blues
Tel [phone].
www .pistoiablues.com
Sala Vanni
Piazza del Carmine 14.
Map 3 A1. Tel 055 287
347.
Saschall
Lungarno Aldo Moro 3.
Tel [phone].
Tenax
Via Pratese 46.
Tel [phone].

FILM, THEATRE
AND DANCE
Florence Dance
Festival
Borgo Stella 23r. Map 3
B1. Tel [phone].