I love finding advertisements for cultural events around this great big amazing city I get to inhabit! Recently I saw this poster and I thought: perché no??

I looked it up and discovered that The Baroque Festival Florence includes great collaborations with internationally renowned musicians. The festival is organized by Konzert Opera Florence, a non-profit musical association that offers concerts of Renaissance and Baroque music in Florentine places of artistic interest. Sign me up!

I invited some new friends from Israel to go with me and we had dinner first at a lovely trattoria, and then we attended this amazing performance of a violinist and organist, both well-known musicians from Germany.

I never know how things will actually happen even if it seems to be as simple as something like attending a concert. It keeps me on my toes!

We arrived for the concert at the beautiful if small church of Santa Felicità near the Ponte Vecchio. I love this historic church which has the distinction of having the Vasari Corridor run through it on the 2nd level and I rarely miss an opportunity to run in and see the Pontormo fresco whenever I pass by and the doors are open!

We were ushered into a side door, not the church itself, which was fine by me because I got to see this divine little chapel (and a corridor with 15th century frescoes and outdoor courtyard), known as the Sala Capitolare, which was set up with a small organ and a stand for the violinist. Best of all, for me anyway, were the frescoes that adorned this piccolo space. The central paintings on the back wall are surely Quattrocento and I have never had the chance to see them before, so this was a real treat.

It was crowded already when we arrived in this small chapel, but we found seats and I settled in for a full concert, but things would change.

A renowned German violinist played on his 17th century Italian violin, along with an organist also from Germany. The first part of the concert was held in the chapel and we were serenaded with music by Bach and Vivaldi.

Then we were all asked to go to the nave of the main church where the rest of the concert would take place, because the church’s big, 18th century organ, was required for the next part of the program! See what I mean about never knowing what to expect!

I’d love to attend more of these concerts.