I’m taking a break from obsessively gazing at pictures and video of our rising arno river with the rest of Italy to finally get cracking on my February events’ post. This month has surprised me with just how much cool things there are to do including classical music aperitivos, chocolate fair, karaoke night, free film fests and much more. I also added a Valentine’s Day in Florence suggestions at the bottom of the post and feel free to message/comment on anything I might have missed. Plus check out the official events list PDF from the comune di Firenze. 

*Carnival 2014 is around the corner! Discover all the info, dates, prices and more with this awesome article by Around Tuscany. I love both Venice & Viareggio’s celebrations and would love to see the orange throwing one in Ivrea, one day..

• Tours: ‘So you think you know Florence?’ – my favorite tours in town by Alexandra Lawrence are back with a new exciting series this month in Firenze. This time you can discover the Museum of Orsanmichele, Bardini Museum or Machiavelli at the national library. The most affordable {and fun} tours in the city, perfect for tourists and locals alike. I go often!

• Aperitivo & Concert at Villa Bardini. February 4th. Music and aperitivo in one of the most beautiful places in Florence, I adore it here and think you will too, this is a great deal. At 4pm you can check out the photography exhibit “From Giorgio Armani To The Renaissance,” by Aldo Fallai, with a free guided tour. 5pm is the classical music concert with aperitivo to follow.                                                 Info & Reservations (required):  055 20066206 – [email protected]. Admission to the concert + aperitivo € 6.00, Free for children *Free parking in Piazzale del Forte Belvedere

• Chocolate festival: Chocoholics unite! Chocofest is happening from February 7th – 16th in Fiesole, and Piazza Santa Maria Novella. Artisan chocolate, tastings, aperitivo and more – the only problem I have is that I live way too close to this piazza and might just need to avoid going near the train station so I don’t overdo it ;-).

• Concert: Italian singer Renato Zero on his ‘grand finale tour’ is coming to Florence. February 10, 11 at the Mandela Forum in Firenze.

• Non-Profit event/ February 12th, via maggio 11, 5:30pm. I was sent this event by a fan of my blog on Facebook and wanted to share with you all {and please follow suit if you also have a cool event that I might not know about}. Lectures regarding anti-violence awareness with a cocktail hour beforehand. On the flyer you can find all of the info you need.

• karaoke night! February 12th at the Red Garter (via dei Benci 33r) 9pm. The Florentine staff and amateur wannabe singers are invited to take place in a super fun get together over beer and pretend sopranos.

*** Take part in the Instagram Challenge #TheFlorentineinme. Snap your best shot featuring a copy of The Florentine around town to win a dinner, brunch or breakfast for the top five Instagrams.

• Cinema: Seleção de Cinema : Brazilian film festival at the Odeon cinehall, piazza strozzi. February 13 -16th. For the first time in Florence there is a Film festival dedicated to showcasing the best Brazilian contemporary films, how cool! Opening Thursday, February 13th with those tied to the films often present. Films in original version with subtitles in Italian. Full program here.Admission: Single show: €5, Daily: €8, Subscription for the entire event: 20€
  Information and program: www.quellidellacompagnia.it or via email [email protected]Link to FB event 

• Free tour: February 15th. On the occasion of the celebration for the 450th anniversary of the birth of Galileo Galilei, extraordinary opening of Villa il Gioiello, the final resting place of Galileo in Florence Italy, guided tours and free lectures. More info here in Italian.

Saturday, February 15, 2014, 10-6pm
Villa il Gioiello
Via Pian dei Giullari , 42 – Florence
Prof. Samuel Straulino
Info and reservations are required 055-2756444
Monday to Friday 9-5pm

• Film festival/cinema: the new Spazio Alfieri is featuring several free film screenings with the theme: Italian Identities exploring What is Italian identity?, February 17–March 10 at the Spazio Alfieri, via dell’Ulivo 6. Subtitles in English. Facebook page. This sounds absolutely awesome and hopefully I will see you there!

• Book Exchange: February 16th. 3:30pm-5:30pm  Mercatino dello scambio e del dono. Book-lending and donating market. Bring your used books and exchange them for new ones [or just donate if you like!]. As a book lover, I can appreciate initiatives like this and as an added bonus – this can help you learn Italian! To be held at the Circolo Andreoni, Via Antonio d’Orso 8 [Campo di Marte area]

• Music: Free concert: Thank you Arttrav for sharing this on facebook, an interesting and [free] piano concert at Museo Bardini is taking place Friday, February 19th at 9pm. Make sure to RSVP!

• Dance shows: Danza in Fiera is back at the Fortezza di Basso from February 27 until March 2nd. Fortezza di Basso. Dance shows featuring choreography, workshops, free lessons, masterclasses, ballet, hip & hop and much more – this action packed week is the must-see event for those who love and appreciate dance. All of the info can be found here.

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Fun ideas for Valentine’s Day 2014. I thought I would include my ideas for what to do on everyone’s favorite (or hated) day all about love. If you have an event you want to share, email me or write in the comments :).

• Nighttime thermal spa dip at Terme Antica Querciolaia. My favorite thermal spa escape in Tuscany is opening its doors on v-day 2014 with a romantic dinner, massage for two and a dip in the thermal springs at their Rapolano Terme resort (about 50 minutes from Florence by car) doors are open from 9pm to 1am. I love this place and thought this would be perfect whether you are in a couple or with friends. More details can be found here.

• Day trips: Serena Puosi from Around Tuscany wrote this fabulous article on what towns to visit this Valentine’s Day and she was spot on with these locations. I love the idea of a romantic weekend trip just exploring a town yet-to-be-discovered between wine drinking and pasta eating. Plus if you decide to be a little PDA and make out everywhere, you can do so in a town you don’t currently live in ;-). Just sayin 

Other ideas for Valentine’s Day in Florence fun in order to avoid expensive themed menus could be hosting a singles party/aperitivo at a friend’s apartment in town or go on a ‘worst of Florence’ bar pub crawl which I have done before with friends though my ‘worst’ pick Fish pub has now closed it doors for good.

I also like the idea of visiting one of the panoramic terraces in Florence for a fancy drink and doing dinner at home, or a fancy hot chocolate at Hemingways in the Oltrarno. Or visit a museum! State museums offer 2-for-1 entrance on v-day – valid for any two people who go to a state museum together on February 14th.

Hate Valentines Day? Why not join this anti-vday party organized by Yelp at one of my favorite dive bars in town – Bar Argentina by Piazza Beccaria. They make awesome drinks and the atmosphere is super fun! The Florentine has also made this cool list of ‘I hate Valentine’s Day events’ including a 1 Billion rising Flashdance that looks pretty awesome!