DANCE PERFORMANCE: Alii Horti II. From Archive to Garden Stage

Alii Horti I, dance performance grant at Villa La Pietra, ph. Viola Parretti

Join Calliope Arts and Associazione Culturale Il Palmerino for the performance 'Alii Horti II' at 5.45pm on July 2, at Villa La Quiete (Via di Boldrone 2), Florence. 'Alii Horti II: From Archive to Garden' is an all-female, student-led dance performance conceived by Associazione Il Palmerino through a grant from the Calliope Arts Foundation. Choreographed by Sophie Robinson (University of Toronto), it is created as a tribute to the women connected to the history of Villa La Quiete: Cristina di Lorena (1565-1636); Eleonora Ramirez Montalvo (1602-1659); Vittoria Della Rovere (1622-1694); Anna Maria Luisa de’ Medici (1667-1743).

Villa La Quiete was a ‘summer home’ and garden beloved and cared for by three generations of Medici women (Cristina di Lorena, Vittoria della Rovere and Anna Maria Luisa de’ Medici). It was also a site that provided education opportunities for secular and religious women for centuries, including the Montalve congregation and their order’s founder Eleonora Ramirez de Montalvo (1602-1659). On July 2, 2026, its recently restored garden will host a dance performance that brings together the ‘voices’ of several generations of Medici women and focus on the garden as a spiritual and cultural ‘space of one’s own’. For the evening of the performance, audiences will have the opportunity to view an ‘installation’ of Elena Pierallini Salvini’s book art, which stands in conversations with the villa and garden.  

The performance is part of a three-year initiative, ‘The Garden Project’ and included in “Esplorazioni”of the Estate Fiorentina 2026 programme.

Through movement, the performance brings to life the stories of five remarkable women who connected to Villa La Quiete, exploring themes of female strength, sacrifice, and devotion to the arts. It draws on archival research, showcases original music by Artemis Skarmoutsos and other women composers from various centuries, and references the artwork of Florentine artist Elena Salvini Pierallini exhibited at Villa Il Palmerino until September 2026.

Performance awardees, led by professional choreographer Federica Parretti, include a group of student and professional dancers and musicians, such as Sofie Robinson, a Canadian dancer and choreographer from the University of Toronto, together with dance students affiliated with Il Palmerino, Margaret Dwyer and Alva Renspie from the University of Georgia. Professional dancer Camilla Recabarren Vilchez (Argentinean, currently based in Florence) and former dancer Celia Donoso Clemente, now assistant Collections Manager at NYU, will also support the student troupe. Featured music by the following composers: Artemis Skarmoutsos (Viola), Florence Price, Luise Adolpha Le Beau and Barbara Strozzi

Reservations necessary.

To reserve your place: associazione@palmerino.it