Alessandro Bellucci, the managing director of Le Nozze di Figaro and the vice president of the Assoconcerti association, details the benefits brought to the city and the outlook of the events space in the Cascine Park.

Why is there a need for events like these in Florence, and what benefits do they bring, in your opinion, to the city?
There’s an economic benefit, with studies conducted by the Chamber of Commerce to detail the effects Firenze Rocks has on the city. There is also the “rebranding” of the cultural character of the city. Florence has an extraordinary artistic heritage, but it also offers opportunities that are in the present and not in the past. This links to the idea of Florence, not as a museum city, but as a dynamic and contemporary city.

Have these events and spaces brought life back to the Visarno?
The Visarno is a racecourse, so it’s intended for horse racing, but that no longer has the numbers of people interested that it once had. It’s a huge facility that needs to have life in order not to fall into disuse. We hold many events throughout the year beyond Firenze Rocks, making it one of the most central places not only in the Cascine but in the city for the realization of events, fairs, and various activities.

Has Florence become rock?
Florence must not lose its nature; Florence must be both things. It must be one of the most beautiful cities in the world, where millions of people come every year to see things that we have right before our eyes and that many cannot, but it should not only have that role, because then it becomes a museum city and Firenze Rocks is one of the elements that helps the city to escape that.