Art & Museums

No town in Tuscany is too small to have a museum, and many are tucked away in the most unlikely places.

• When God Lived at Ife: A spectacular collection of Nigerian terracottas and bronzes. Until July 3 2005.
• Leonardo's Automobile: A reconstruction of the horseless carriage in his codices.
• Arezzo's Collezione Bartolini: A show dedicated to a 19th Century artist's collection opens a window onto both the period and the creative process.
• Livio Scarpella: Ayoung artist who will go places, in Florence's Galleria Poggiali e Forconi.
• Renato Alessandrini: A contemporary master, in the Museo Marini, which is beautiful too.
• A Tu per Tu con il Grande Blu: Genova's Acquarium is the largest in Europe.
• I Macchiaioli: An exciting group of Tuscan artists, contemporary to the Impressionists.
• San Gaetano, one of Florence's Baroque churches, has reopened after decades.
• Il Corridoio Vasariano: Built to join the Court with the Seat of Florentine Govenrment...
• An Etruscan Enigma: Murlo's Poggio Civitate. A fascinating museum, in a beautiful setting.
• Benvenuto Cellini's Perseo is being restored. But all is not lost -- you can find out how things are going on the Net, or visit the labs in person.
• Chasing, the art of working the surface of a metal, is all but lost. However, there still are people who know how to do it in Florence.