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December 3, 2008 12:51:46 PM CST


Florence

Florence news stories

5 Stories

Madonna Gets a 10-Year Facelift

Italian lab restores Raphael's landmark painting with cutting edge techniques

(Newser) - After a 10-year facelift, an Italian Renaissance landmark is finally ready for its unveiling. Raphael’s Madonna of the Goldfinch underwent extensive renovations that included CAT scans and X-rays, Reuters reports. A Florentine lab removed coverings by early restorers who saved the work, which was smashed in a house collapse more than 460 years ago. "We will celebrate it like the return of our prodigal daughter," said a gallery official. More »

More about:  Italy art painting Florence X-rays Renaissance Raphael

 David Could Crumble: Engineer 

Years of traffic, tourism put Michelangelo's marble masterpiece at risk

(Newser) - Michelangelo’s famed statue of David is in danger of collapse and must be stabilized, an Italian engineering professor tells ANSA. Failure isn’t imminent, though a major earthquake could topple the Renaissance masterwork on display in Florence. Small cracks in the statue, thought to have emerged during the 500 years the marble stood outside, were patched 4 years ago but have reappeared. More »

More about:  Italy statue Florence Michelangelo Renaissance

Top Spots for Solo Adventurers

Go it alone for fun

(Newser) - Looking to mend a well-trodden heart with a solo adventure? From serene fishing villages to culture-packed cities, several destinations can be just the ticket. For those who prefer to go it alone, IgoUgo readers recommend: Vienna Rio de Janeiro Florence Parque Nacional Volcan Baru, Panama Marseille, France More »

More about:  list travel vacation Vienna Maldives Rio de Janeiro Florence Malta Marseille solo travel trips Angkor

Italian Church Pairs Perfume With Prayer

Opened in Dante's time, pharmacy today sells scents in LA, Tokyo

(Newser) - Florence's Santa Maria Novella church has an intriguing sideline: It's home to one of the world's oldest pharmacies, which today churns out tonics and perfumes made according to medieval recipes. Smithsonian profiles the church, where Dominican monks began concocting herbal remedies and rose water, used to clean plague-touched homes, more than 600 years ago; today their wares are sold from New York to Tokyo. More »

More about:  church luxury goods Florence perfume pharmacy monasteries

Da Vinci to Be Decoded With Neutron Beam

Expert from bestseller may find masterpiece
in Florentine wall

(Newser) - An art diagnostician so inventive that he was mentioned in The Da Vinci Code —the only real-life character in the book—will beam neutrons at a wall of Florence’s famous town hall next month, hoping to uncover a hidden Leonardo fresco. Maurizio Seracini has been waiting three decades to discover whether the wall does, indeed, contain the Battle of Anghiari , a missing masterpiece considered so brilliant it was the “school of the world,” Wired reports. More »

More about:  painting Leonardo da Vinci Florence

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