Editor Pick
A Chic Cinematic Experience
- November 4, 2009
- Rated 4 of 5 by
airynfaerie from St. Augustine, Florida
Looking for a place to spend a somewhat "regular" date-night while you're in Florence? Maybe like dinner + a movie? Well, of course to the traveler, nothing is really "regular" in this stunning Renaissance town, but everything has a special Italian flair. First pick out one of the mouthwatering restaurants, enjoy a Tuscan meal over candlelight, and then head over to the beautiful Odeon Cinema.
Just behind the famous Piazza della Repubblica in the heart of the city center, is Piazza Strozzi where this lovely movie house resides. The first time I'd heard of it was through some fellow American expats, who said they love it because it plays not only the latest Italian movies, but also a handful of the new released American films as well...in original language. Because Florence is so full of American students, and English-speaking visitors and expats, it only makes sense that a cinema started to cater to this audience. Every Monday (and sometimes on Tuesdays and Thursdays as well), the theater shows brand new original language releases. At first I thought they'd be showing older films, but mostly they showed films which had just been released in the US!
Besides it being great to have a place to enjoy films, the building itself is a remarkable setting. The old theatre, which was built in 1462 as a smaller palace of the Palazzo Strozzi next door, this building was renovated in the early 20th century and opened as a cinema in 1922. When you walk inside, you feel as if you've stepped back into a glamourous time in the past...with heavy red velvet curtains, marble sculptures, and original tapestries in the lobby, and then a huge stained glass dome in the ceiling of the theatre with padded velvet seats.
There is a full snack bar in the lobby and even an intermission time in each film as is customary in Italy...so you can stock up again on some chocolate and soda. Most films show around four times throughout the evening (usually start times run between 4pm and 10pm), and the price is comparable around 6-8 euros. There are a few hip bars just outside the theatre to enjoy a late night out afterwards, including Yab and Colle Bereto.
• http://www.cinehall.it/
• Piazza Strozzi
• Bus stop: Vecchietti (6B)
• +39 055 21 40 68
From journal Visits Off the Beaten Path in Florence