To mark the 91th anniversary of the death of English writer Vernon Lee, the Il Palmerino Cultural Association, based in the historic Villa Il Palmerino, is organising two unmissable events to remember and celebrate her literary and cultural legacy. The artistic collective curated by Elisabeth Vermeer will bring to life the event Hortus Vitae, Vernon Lee's garden of thought, an experience that combines different forms of expression in a single, engaging day. The event will inc

Rita Severi , who taught English language and literature at the University of Verona for over thirty years, has published books and essays in Italian and English on the Victorian period, Oscar Wilde, Ronald Firbank, Vernon Lee, Maurice Hewlett, Shakespeare and Anglo-Italian relations during the Renaissance. A member of CIRVI, she specialises in English-speaking travellers in Italy. Since 2018, she has published: William Dean Howells, Viaggi in Italia (2018) and the volume Art

Il Palmerino was delighted to close the exhibition Flavia Arlotta: Inner Gardens with a special musical tribute: Singer Giedre Kisieliute was accompanied on the piano by pianist Xu Yifei. Moreover, readings from her letters, correspondence, and diaries were presented by Monica Francini and Douglas MacRae Brown to celebrate the end of the Finissage.

On the 10th of December 2025, a conference on colonial objects, collections, and museums through stories and rethinking of critics took place at Il Palmerino. It was given by Beatrice Falcucci, a current fellow at the Center for the Study of Cultural Memory (London). Her work focuses on Italian colonial culture, European colonial museology, and post-colonial legacies. Falcucci was introduced by University of Florence professor Giovanni Tarantino, and the conversation was mode

Francesca Alexander (1837-1917), originally known as Ester Frances Alexander was an accomplished Illustrator, author, painter and philanthropist. Born in Boston to Francis Alexander, a famous American portrait painter and Lucia Gray Swett, a wealthy heiress. When she was 16, Alexander moved to Florence where she would spend the rest of her life. Alexander, though not classically trained, was a gifted illustrator. Learning from her father, she would draw anything and everythi

The Art and Life of Francesca Alexander On November 26, 2025, Il Palmerino Cultural Association was delighted to host a lecture by US writer and professor Jacqueline Marie Musacchio, entitled: The Art and Life of Francesca Alexander (1837 - 1917) , after her recently published book by the same name. Francesca Alexander and her parents moved from Boston to Florence in 1853 and became part of the city's thriving international community. She was a largely self-taught artist, and