What: GANZO and UNESCO are providing an assortment of international foods in celebration of the World Day for Cultural Diversity! Proceeds benefit the Thailand project! Join us for an amazing celebration with a wide array of international cuisine!
UNESCO is celebrating the first annual International Jazz Day in 2012! Italy celebrates this great genre of music on April 30th, 2012 in Rome with UNESCO hosting a free concert at Auditorium Parco della Musica, Sala Petrassi (Roma) at 20:30. Tickets can be acquired through Parco della Musica Infopoint.
The international celebration of jazz is ‘intended to raise awareness in the international community of the virtues of jazz as an educational tool, and a force for peace, unity, dialogue and enhanced cooperation among people’. UNESCO intends to 'bring together performers, educators, governments, experts, and fans alike, as they explore together the history, meaning, impact, and legacy of jazz music throughout the world.'
Jazz was selected because of the following impacts:
Jazz breaks down barriers and creates opportunities for mutual understanding and tolerance;
Jazz is a vector of freedom of expression;
Jazz is a symbol of unity and peace;
Jazz reduces tensions between individuals, groups, and communities;
Jazz fosters gender equality;
Jazz reinforces the role youth play for social change;
Jazz encourages artistic innovation, improvisation, new forms of expression, and inclusion of traditional music forms into new ones;
Jazz stimulates intercultural dialogue and empowers young people from marginalized societies.
To read the full press release by Director-General Irina Bokova, click here.
The Ponte Vecchio, or Old Bridge, is a Medieval Bridge over the Arno River. It is the only bridge in Florence to still have shops along it, once occupied by butchers, but presently occupied by jewelers, art dealers, and souvenirs. The Ponte Vecchio is flanked by Ponte Santa Trinita and Ponte alle Grazie.
The bridge spans the Arno at its narrowest point, and it is believed that the bridge was first built during Roman times. After being destroyed by a flood in 1117, it was reconstructed in stone, and swept away again in 1333. The bridge was again rebuilt in 1345. The bridge has always hosted shops and merchants who displayed their goods on tables in front of their premises. At the end of the sixteenth century Grand Duke Ferdinand I replaced the butchers’ shops with gold and silversmiths, and the trade has prevailed ever since. The back shops were added in the seventeenth century.
During World War II, the Ponte Vecchio was not destroyed by Germans during their retreat of August 4, 1944, unlike all of the other bridges in Florence. This was allegedly because of an express order by Hitler. The bridge was also severely damaged by the 1966 flood of the Arno River. The Arno rose so high that a fortune of gold was washed away.
Along the Ponte Vecchio, there were many padlocks locked to various places, especially to the railing around the statue of Benvenuto Cellini. Benvenuto Cellini was an Italian goldsmith, sculptor, painter, soldier, and musician. The padlock tradition was perhaps introduced by the padlock shop owner at the end of the bridge. It is popularly connected to idea of love and lovers: by locking the padlock and throwing the key into the river, the lovers became eternally bonded.
Our Recommendations
Open Bar Golden View (Via dei Bardi 58r) – This restaurant has three dining rooms with enormous windows overlooking the Arno, the Uffizi, the Ponte Vecchio, and the Vasari Corridor. The restaurant serves traditional Tuscan cuisine with a Mediterranean touch, and a lot of fresh seafood.
On Via Por Santa Maria, there are many stands outside gelateria’s which serve delicious waffles! Try a waffle with nutella, gelato, or chocolate, and enjoy!
