Strolling through Florence with Ocarina, with nursery rhymes, fairy tales and lullabies for traveling children: for a unique day touring the city with the new original Ocarina playlist, which can be listened to at home, together with Caterina dei Medici, who invented ice cream, or the sweet Prezzemolina, also narrated by Calvino.
The project “Firenze on air | A spasso con Ocarina” kicks off in April, bringing together the eco-friendly music player for boys and girls with Lilà Toys, the new out-of-the-box toy store (at 78r Via Maggio).
The idea comes from the combination of these two Florentine realities united by a taste for creativity and a desire to create points of contact between children and the territory, rich in history and art, by leveraging the power and magic of listening. With this unprecedented collaboration, Ocarina makes its players exclusively available to LíLá Toys, enriched with special multilingual content dedicated to Florence, to accompany the walks of young travelers, playfully proposing stories and anecdotes that will remain forever in their travel memories.
It will be possible to pick up the Ocarina Players at the LíLá Toys store on Via Maggio and thus begin a guided tour through the streets and squares of the city, among its historical characters and traditional celebrations.
From Caterina de’ Medici to sweet Prezzemolina, and beyond: the special playlist full of surprises for learning about Florence and its traditions will be available in Italian, French and English.
Six audio tracks for young explorers on a journey to discover Florence: from the story of Caterina de’ Medici, the Florentine queen of France who invented ice cream -a major female figure that should be discovered- to the tale of Prezzemolina, the protagonist of the Florentine fairy tale also taken up by Italo Calvino, and also lullabies and nursery rhymes typical of the Tuscan folk tradition, such as “Coscine di Pollo” and “Cavallino Arrì Arrò.”
An unusual audio guide designed especially for young children to lead them through Florence’s most beautiful streets and monuments, even the lesser-known ones, stimulating curiosity and conveying local culture.
A special focus has been placed on enriching the narrative with anecdotes and creating an authentic soundscape through traditional songs, sounds of the city and popular voices, in order to arouse children’s interest and give them an engaging sound experience. The tracks are the result of collaboration between Ocarina and experts in the history of art and entertainment, known in Italy and abroad.
At the end of the day, it will be possible to return the Player to the store and reserve it for the following days, or purchase a personal one as an inseparable travel companion. A discount of part of the advance service fee will be applied on each Player purchased in the store, and at the conclusion of the service, all users will be gifted the ‘Florence on air’ playlist as a souvenir of this magical adventure.
Nursery rhymes, lullabies and curiosities in the playlist:
“Catherine de’ Medici, the Queen Who Invented Ice Cream”: Catherine d Medici is one of Florence’s most famous historical figures. She is remembered as the Florentine who led France and revolutionized the French court’s cuisine and customs. It is thanks to her that starting in the second half of the century, ice cream became popular in Europe. It is said that the queen had called Florentine pastry chefs to the court who knew the recipe for making real ice cream, creamy and icy as we know it today, and in particular of the Buontalenti flavor.
“Prezzemolina “: “The tale of Prezzemolina” is part of the Tuscan tradition, but it is also featured in Italo Calvino’s collection “Fiabe Italiane”. It is an engaging, funny story that leads to a happy denouement.
A pregnant woman was stealing parsley, which she craved, from her neighbors, who were fairies.. These latter demanded that the new born child become theirs. A little girl, named Prezzemolina, was finally born…
“Coscine di pollo”: ‘Coscine di pollo’ is a sweet lullaby, from a mother to her child. It belongs to the Florentine folk tradition and is sung to children to accompany them to a peaceful sleep.
“Cavallino arrì arrò”: Cavallino arrì arrò is an Italian folk nursery rhyme that is part of a tradition dating back to at least the second half of the 19th century. The texts vary in time and place — here we present the Tuscan version.
“Ocarina on tour… in Florence”: A mini guide for children to discover Florence. Ocarina appears as “Cicero,” accompanying children on a tour of the city, among the most beautiful and curious streets and monuments.
