In this edition

• UNESCO reviews Florence's 'black cube' opera house redevelopment

  UNESCO is examining whether a redevelopment of Florence's former opera house, widely called the 'black cube,' conflicts with the Renaissance city's World Heritage designation.

  Costanza Bardi · 385 words

• Florence delivery riders join heatwave strike for workplace protections

  Delivery riders in Florence, Milan and Bologna are striking to protect their health and earnings during Italy's intensifying heatwave.

  Costanza Bardi · 365 words

Recent headlines from this bureau

• UNESCO reviews Florence's 'black cube' opera house redevelopment
• Florence delivery riders join heatwave strike for workplace protections
• Tuscany braces for third heatwave as harvest season looms
• Montepulciano's wine barrel race draws global attention
• Drought threatens irrigation in northern Italy as water reserves deplete
• UNESCO assesses Florence's 'black cube' against World Heritage status
• Florence and Perugia under red heat alert as Italy's heatwave intensifies
• Tuscan leather supply chain fractures as 830 firms close since 2019

Geography & climate

Mediterranean, warm dry summers, mild winters.

Apennine hills, the Chianti country, the Arno valley, the Tyrrhenian coast and the Maremma.

Economy & culture

Tourism, wine and olive oil, fashion and leather, pharmaceuticals, marble.

The Renaissance, Florence and the Uffizi, the postcard countryside, the language that became standard Italian.