Cinephiles who are looking to enjoy a movie while staying in one of our vacation rentals in Florence will likely find the beautiful Giunti Odeon Libreria e Cinema to be a dream spot to spend hours reading books, enjoying a coffee, and catching a movie! Located inside a historic building and bringing together three wonderful businesses under one especially lovely roof, it creates a dream cultural hub for locals and visitors alike who are exploring the city.
The striking good looks and impressive setting of the Giunti Odeon will wow guests upon arrival as it is located in the Palazzo dello Strozzino, built in 1457 by the Strozzi family and designed by famous Renaissance architect Filippo Brunelleschi and then completed under the supervision of Michelozzo di Bartolomeo Michelozzi. While it is not uncommon for a business or shop to be found inside a Renaissance palace in Florence, this is a rather special and lovely example that has been recently renovated masterfully – and just celebrated one year since being reopened.
In the centuries after the palace was built for the Strozzi family, it passed through various other families and hands before being purchased by the Chiari family. It was these owners who, upon the recommendation of the actress Eleonora Duse, first decided to transform the building into a cinema with the help of another renowned architect, Marcello Piacenti. The movie theatre opened to the public eight years later, in 1922, under new owners, the Italian-American Cinema Company. Cinema Odeon Firenze was a key figure and institution in cinema in Florence for close to a century before a new vision for the business was imagined.
Reopened as the Giunti Odeon back in November 2023 in collaboration with the Giunti Editore publishers, the cinema became a movie theatre and bookshop that hopes to create a cultural space that will invite young people in and reinvigorate interest in creative and cultural pursuits. The space was reimagined by Studio Benaimm, a design studio in Florence who restored many of the original features while also undertaking the task of removing the ground-floor stalls to add book shelves. While the gallery and stage were left to their original purposes, plush new armchairs were added and the entire space was made much brighter.
Now opening each morning and serving as a bookshop all day with some screenings of films in the background in English and Italian throughout the day, there is then an evening screening during which it reverts to a cinema before closing for the evening. These original-language film screenings take place at 9pm each evening, with subtitles in Italian or English, and include restored classics and a selection of blockbuster and art house releases. Other events will also take place in the space, including book launches and events, art shows, concerts, workshops and other events for children.
An utterly beautiful place that will appeal to book-lovers, cinephiles, culture vultures, architecture and interior design enthusiasts, and more, this gem is a major recent highlight of the city. So, browse our holiday rentals in Florence, find the right one for you, book it, and then come visit. Check out the movie listings, find some interesting books, and get stuck into the art and culture scene of this great city – both past and present – as is represented in this one rather extraordinary building!
