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Above: Old and new: a Jan Fabre sculpture has a temporary home in the Piazza della SignoriaBelow: A one-week course at the British Institute in November 2016 will mark the 50th anniversary of the fl ood of 1966rooms in the Palazzo Lanfredini, contains the art department and the one of the largest lending collections of English books in mainland Europe – members of NADFAS are especially welcome.Next year marks the British Institute’s centenary year and, in the spirit of Boccaccio’s The Decameron, it is designing a special ten-session course to celebrate 100 Florentine masterpieces. There will be visits to museums and monuments, as well as illustrated lectures in the Harold Acton Library. Beginning with the great monuments of Florence’s medieval period, including the decorative programmes of the Romanesque Baptistery of San Giovanni and the Benedictine/Olivetan basilica of San Miniato al Monte, ‘100 Treasures in Florence’ will give an overview of important paintings and sculptures of the Renaissance, continue on to the age of the Medici Grand Duchy (often referred to as Florence’s forgotten centuries) and onward still to the important Impressionist, Futurist and contemporary works of Florence. While celebrated favourites, including Michelangelo’s David and Botticelli’s Primavera will certainly feature, the programme will offer an opportunity for participants to familiarise themselves with more recent, yet lesser-known, artists, including Félicie de Fauveau and Giovanni Fattori. The course will also include a special consideration of the Institute’s own treasure, the Warrior with Shield bronze, bequeathed by the widow of the sculptor Henry Moore and exhibited today in the cloister of the Franciscan basilica of Santa Croce. In November this year, the city will mark 50 years since the terrible fl ood of 1966. The British Institute will be running short courses and hosting special events to mark the fl ood and the way the city and the world responded to the disaster. Meanwhile, the magnifi cent Renaissance Palazzo Strozzi will be hosting an exhibition by Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei (until January 2017), while a major exhibition of Renaissance sculpture is planned next autumn. Jeremy Boudreau, Head of History of Art at the British Institute and a NADFAS-accredited Lecturer, admits one of the greatest pleasures in designing short courses in Florence is that the city is constantly re-inventing itself. Where else can one fi nd works by the likes of Jeff Koons or Jan Fabre installed among the colossal Mannerist statues of Ammannati, Bandinelli and Cellini? Or see state-of-the-art fi bre optic lighting transform the city’s ancient towers and bridges at twilight? Whether your interests lie in the art of yesterday, today or tomorrow, there has never been a better time to visit the beautiful city of Florence. ■¥ For more details about the British Institute in Florence and its courses, see www.britishinstitute.it.Pazzi chapel; Santo Spirito; and San Miniato al Monte. Florence was the cradle of the Renaissance, and later briefl y capital of the new Kingdom of Italy (1865–1871). From Boccaccio to Botticelli, Dante to Donatello, Giotto to Galileo, Lorenzo the Magnifi cent to Leonardo da Vinci, Machiavelli to Michelangelo: all these called Florence home.In two Renaissance palazzi on either side of the river Arno, is the British Institute of Florence, founded in 1917 and now a vibrant bi-cultural institution offering educational and cultural programmes for students and visitors from all over the world. At the time of WW1, Florentine residents – among them poets, university professors, publishers and journalists – developed the idea of a reading room, library and space for cultural exchange between Britain and Italy. Apart from a brief period during WW2 when British staff had to leave and the Italians at the Institute safeguarded its treasures, the Institute has remained open ever since. Holding true to its mission, today the British Institute offers courses in History of Art, Italian and English for students of all ages.The Harold Acton Library, named after the writer and aesthete who gifted the Images: courtesy of the British Institute; Shutterstock.FLORENCE www.nadfas.org.uk NADFAS REVIEW / AUTUMN 2016 41