TBS Crew goes to Florence for the première of Inferno, the movie

Abandon all hope, ye who enter here. This sentence hangs over the doors of Florence’s Opera Theatre — and it may sound a little uninviting to us, who are about to enter the theatre. We are here for the world premiere of Inferno by Ron Howard, which is set in Florence, and is tightly connected to Dante and his Commedia — and no sentence could better summarize the apocalyptic atmosphere permeating the story that we are about to watch on screen than the sentence above the doors of the theatre. So, one thing at a time: we are in Florence thanks to Peuterey, who invited us to the premiere of this film. This is an adaptation of Dan Brown’s bestselling book, and it shows the lesser known sides of the city — lesser known even to me, a connaisseur of Florence, since I basically grew up there. 5 of us visited from Milan: Chiara, Laura, Angelo, Federico, our special guest for this Florentine weekend, and me, of course.

After a 3-hour trip that we spent singing and telling stories, we got to our hotel, which also happens to be one of the best in Florence, the Four Seasons — which was also the ideal location for our afternoon photoshoot… You know, we love selfies 😉 A few hours later, it was time for the red carpet, that we shared with, drum roll, Tom Hanks and Felicity Jones! The main actors were at the premiere with us, to share a few stories from the backstage — and they didn’t deny the audience any selfies, either: did you spot us in the parterre in Ron Howard’s selfie on Instagram? After the film showing, Peuterey invited us to a wonderful dinner at the Cantinetta Antinori, where we enjoyed some Tuscan specialties. Have you ever tried pan con l’uva? It’s a typical September sweet, made with fresh grapes… Delicious!
The following day, we were woken up by faint sunlight, which made the perfect weather for discovering the surprising places that were Ron Howard’s movie locations. Dan Brown’s book is basically a treasure hunt, with hints hidden in some of the most evocative and best known spots in the city, such as the Battistero and the Palazzo Vecchio — but still revealing some of these places’ best kept secrets, the kinds of secrets not even a connaisseur would know. Did you know that Palazzo Vecchio is actually connected to Boboli gardens by a corridor that crosses the river, named Corridoio Vasariano? You can find its entrance in one of the most incredible areas of the garden, the Grotta dei Buontalenti cave, which is worth a visit itself, since it’s really spectacular. The palace itself harbors so many secrets and so many hidden passages, like the one that leaves from Sala delle Mappe (room of maps, the entrance to the tunnel is behind the map of Armenia) and leads to a private room. Here, you will find a grill that will allow you to watch what is going on in the Salone dei Cinquecento room, completely unseen: crazy! This was a unique experience for us, and the best thing about it is that it is open to all, provided you book your visit first! We recommend watching the film first, so you can follow every passage more accurately. Did you book your weekend then?