4 Best Performing Arts Venues in Florence, Italy

This magnificent Art Deco theater, opened in 1922, has been transformed into a versatile cultural space with a bookstore, movie theater, and restaurant–bar. More than 25,000 books (there's an English-language section) fill the marble entrance and expansive ground floor. The upper galleries, with plush velvet theater chairs, are good places to take a break from sightseeing during the day and to watch international films in their original languages at night. A hidden restaurant and bar to the right of the entrance stays open after midnight (when the movies finish) and is a cozy setting for brunch, lunch, dinner, and drinks; its attached Piazza degli Strozzi patio is a popular aperitivo spot.

The British Institute of Florence runs English-language events; the programmer has a penchant for classic movies and the institute sometimes screens films. Also on offer here are weekly lectures, concerts, and a stunning library.

This weeklong documentary film festival happens in November or December with screenings at various venues around town.

The daily Florentine newspaper La Nazione has movie listings. Note that most American films are dubbed into Italian rather than subtitled.