Forte di Belvedere: summer 2025 among art, music and culture
A packed schedule of sunset concerts, talks, guided tours, and a new cafeteria with a view of Florence: find out how to experience one of the city's most iconic places
Among the most spectacular and beloved places in Florence, Forte di Belvedere is back in the spotlight of summer 2025 with a new season of events, culture and participation. The Fort reopens its doors under the new management of the MUS.E Foundation, which will curate its activities for the next ten years.
No longer just a venue for temporary exhibitions, but the beating heart of the city, the Fort is transformed into an open and multidisciplinary cultural center, capable of interweaving history, landscape, contemporary art and music. A place to experience every day, until October 15, with rich and varied programming designed for Florentines and visitors alike.
Forte BelvedereBelvedere Firenze: panoramic cafeteria and evening events
Among the most anticipated novelties is the reopening of the historic panoramic cafeteria-renamed Belvedere Firenze-on June 30, with an exceptional evening. On stage, the Orchestra of Tuscany, conducted by Giovanni Conte and with Fabrizio Fadda on clarinet, will perform a selection of pieces by Mozart and Rossini (9:30 p.m.). The cafeteria will also be accessible daily beyond museum opening hours and will host concerts, meetings and cultural talks, making the Forte a landmark of the Florentine summer.
From July 2 to October 15, every Wednesday the sunset will be tinged with music with the Forte in Musica festival, which brings some of the most interesting names on the Italian and international scene to the Belvedere stage. Appointments not to be missed include:
July 2: Lakecia Benjamin, between jazz, soul and African roots
July 9: Badara Seck, the voice of Senegal
July 23: Alessio Bondì, Sicilian folk and Brazilian contaminations
July 30: Fabrizio Bosso and Bebo Ferra, stars of European jazz
September 10: Francesco Cangi & The Lonely Rockets, in collaboration with Firenze Jazz Festival
October 15: grand finale with Stefano Tamborrino and Alessandro Cianferoni, followed by DJ sets
Thursdays at the Fort are time for thought and discussion with the series of meetings The actuality of beauty, inspired by philosopher Hans Georg Gadamer. At twilight, journalists, philosophers and popularizers reflect on the value of beauty today. Among the expected guests: Monica Maggioni (RAI), Sigfrido Ranucci (Report), Agnese Pini (QN), Mario Giordano (Fuori dal Coro), Edoardo Prati, young popularizer and social phenomenon.
Guided tours and workshops for all
At the heart of the enhancement project is Firenze Forma Continua, a program of the Florence World Heritage and UNESCO Relations Office, developed with HeRe_Lab and the University of Florence, in collaboration with Fondazione MUS.E. At the Forte comes to life Firenze Forma Continua LAB, an installation-workshop on the urban evolution of the city from 750 B.C. to the present. An immersive and participatory experience designed for residents and tourists of all ages. Every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the public will be able to participate in thematic visits and workshops, by reservation:
Shapes of the city (Friday h17 and h18.30): urban planning and architecture
My special place (Saturday): iconic places and affective memory
The art of seeing (Sunday): views, photography and life drawing
Hours and tickets
Forte di Belvedere is open Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. (last admission 7 p.m.).
Free admission for residents of the Metropolitan City of Florence
Full ticket: 5 € | Reduced: 3 €
Free access to the cafeteria and events on the terraces
Panorama di Firenze da Forte BelvedereHistory of Forte Belvedere
It will be possible to appreciate the history and spaces of Fort San Giorgio, the construction of which was started in 1590 at the behest of Ferdinand I de' Medici as the last part of an update of the Oltrarno defensive program, devoting special attention to the bastions, gunboats, the palace and the mysterious treasure room.
Forte Belvedere, in addition to being a famous vantage point, is in fact also a fine piece of architecture. It was built at the end of the 1500s to a design by Bernardo Buontalenti and on the orders of Grand Duke Ferdinand I de' Medici, who had just returned to Florence after his banishment from an intolerant city, and who, in order to shelter himself from possible attacks in moving from his home (Palazzo Pitti) to his offices (Palazzo Vecchio), had the famous corridor built by Vasari. The fortress of Belvedere was to be the last stage of the Vasarian Corridor and was intended to protect the seat of government, Palazzo Pitti, the southern part of the city, to demonstrate by its majesty all the Medicean power and finally to guarantee the Grand Duke a refuge from possible uprisings. It was also planned as a hiding place for the family treasure: a crypt protected by death traps was discovered at the bottom of a well dug inside the central building.
The site on which the fort was built had already been identified at the time of the Siege of Florence by Michelangelo as a site of great strategic importance. As in other works by Buontalenti, the originality of Forte Belvedere, an urban fortress that therefore had to feature fine finishes, is manifested in the unique details of the construction of both the fortification and the inner villa, the elegant and white three-story Palazzetto del Belvederethat dominates the entire building.
The central building, the Grand Duke's residence in unhealthy times such as during the plague epidemic of the 1600s, did not fit military principles, but with its white Medici villa walls it constitutes a visible sign of Medici rule.
Grand Duke Peter Leopold in the late 18th century made public the unparalleled balcony over Florence: the fort never suffered a siege, nor did its artillery ever fire a shot. The fort's cannon blasts announced only noon for centuries, so much so that for Florentines that din was good-naturedly called "the cannon of pasta."
