Looking for more info on the current interests by the citizens of Florence I visited assorted newspapers. They were all English language newspapers ... not geared towards the natives. 
A very mild, informative-for-tourists online paper. Lots of schedules, like this:
The Art Exhibits in FlorenceIn the same edition was a story by Mercedes Matos Carrara about a woman artist, Yvonne Di Palma, and her Presepial* Installation In Honor Of Peace *The term Presepe or Presepio comes from the Latin praesepe or manger, used as the crib for baby Jesus in Bethlehem. first part of the article talks about history.
Palazzo Strozzi: Caterina and Maria de' Medici, Women in Power; October 24-February 8.
Pope Sixtus III (432-240) built a grotto in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore to house fragments of the manger, brought to Rome from Bethlehem. Christmas Mass was celebrated in front of the relics and the church was also known as Santa Maria ad Praesepem.This history continues, and continues, (Florence is chock full of history) then comes to the artist
Yvonne DiPalma, has ingeniously related her own contemporary version of a Neapolitan 18th century presepio into her Presepial Installation in Honor of Peace. The very talented American expatriate came to Italy for the first time after getting her BA in Humanities at Johns Hopkins University. She travelled to Naples and its neighbouring towns to meet her Italian relatives. During her graduation trip she ended up meeting her late husband Michele Attanasio.
As a child, the Philadelphia-born artist had been extremely impressed by a Neapolitan presepio of small Baroque figures, shown every Christmas at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The figures, with their terracotta painted heads, crystal eyes and carved wooden hands in hand-sewn outfits over their wire-supported heads and hemp bodies, had been done by Neapolitan 18th century sculptors that had specialized on the three-scene presepio.
Yvonne DiPalma, together with her husband and some of his friends decided to use the eighteenth century techniques to create a twentieth century presepio ....Their goal was blending painting, sculpture, fashion, music, and theatre, into one work. ...... A visit to the artist’s studio .... with its installation of over two hundred figures and animals is an unforgettable experience. The exhibit is free. .....
The next paper was what I was hoping for.
* Corriere della Sera (English)
For those who do not read Italian this may be the most helpful newspaper. For this reason it tops our list.
