“Sono arrivati degli inglesi”. The British presence in Florence through the images of Alinari Archives

A lecture by Giorgio van Straten

 

 

“Sono arrivati degli Inglesi”, diceva il facchino d’albergo al padrone, “ma non ho capito se son Russi o Tedeschi”.  ("Some English have arrived", the hotel porter said to the owner, "but I haven’t understood if they are Russians or Germans".) “Inglesi” for the Florentines in 19th century meant foreigners: because most of them spoke english.

The presence in Florence of so many English (and American) intellectuals, artists, and entrepreneurs in the 19th century had a profound impact on the history and identity of Florence.

 

In this lecture Giorgio van Straten, president of the Alinari Foundation, will explore the life and times of the Inglesi, using images from the oldest photographic archives in the world.

 

If you are in Florence and would like to attend the lecture in person at the British Institute Library, please register here or send an email to bif@britishinstitute.it. The registration fee is 12 Euro per person.

 

To join this lecture online, simply click on this link to register and receive the Zoom meeting invitation: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMlfu2hrD4uHdO2TGkmpUryw0Yi1GWqd1K5 The virtual doors will open at 18:00 Italian time on Wednesday 27th March.

 

A recording of the virtual lecture will be published on our YouTube channel. Clicking on the link above, you authorise the British Institute of Florence to use your image, name and comments.

 

There is no charge to attend the event on Zoom, but we ask you to consider making a donation to support the Institute and its beautiful library if you wish to attend an event.

 

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This lecture is sponsored by Angela and Richard Camber.