Florence Tours and Itineraries Guide

Classic city tour, tour in the center of Florence

• Medieval Florence: a pleasant travel discovering the Medieval Florence. According to the time on your hands (half-day or full-day), it will be possible to visit the Basilica of Santa Croce; the Bargello Museum and the Florentine Badia (Abbey); the Chestnut’s Tower; the Dante Alighieri’s House-Museum and Church; the Oratory of the St. Martino’s Buonuomini (Good men); the square of St. Elisabetta with the Pagliazza’s Tower; the Baptistery of St. John; Pomte Vecchio (the Old Bridge); Davanzati Palace; the church of SS. Apostoli; the church of Santa Trinita and the ancient dominican Basilica of Santa Maria Novella.
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  Politics and arts in the time of Dante: dantesque route in Florence: conceived for all who apprecciate the dantesque genius, the route includes the visit of the Dante’s House-Museum and a pleasant walk through the places linked to the immortal florentine poet, like, for example, the square of St. Martino, with the Chestnut’s Tower and the Oratory of the St. Martino’s Buonuomini (Good men), the Florentine Badia (Abbey) and the church of S. Margherita de’ Cerchi, which houses the grave of Beatrice Portinari (the woman loved and praised by Dante) and where perhaps Dante married Gemma Donati.
• Tour in Orsamichele and route through the places of the ancient florentine Guilds: the half-day tour starts with the visit of the Orsanmichele Museum and of the homonym church. Then we’ll keep on with a interesting walk in the heart of the old town, on the trail of the ancient seats of the medieval urban Guilds.
• Florence, birthplace of the Renaissance: interesting walking tour through the many testimonies of the florentine Renaissance. According to the time on your hands and to your interests, it will be possible to visit the Brancacci Chapel into the Church of Santa Maria del Carmine; the Brunelleschi’s Church of Santo Spirito; the Uffizi Gallery; Piazza (square) della Signoria with its open-air museum; the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore with its famous dome; Medici-Riccardi Palace, Michelozzo’s masterpiece; the Brunelleschi’s Basilica of S. Lorenzo; the Academy Gallery, with Michelangelo’s masterpieces.
• • From the late-Gothic to the Renaissance: on the trail of Donatello: expressly conceived for the connoisseurs and the keens about italian sculpture, who want to discover or broaden the knowledge of the Donatello’s masterpieces in Florence. According to the time on your hands, it will be possibile to visit the Basilica of S. Lorenzo with the Old Sacristy; the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo, which contains numerous fine works of sculpture by Donatello from the Baptistery, Cathedral and Giotto’s Bell Tower; the Bargello Museum; Orsanmichele; Piazza (square) della Signoria; the Basilica of Santa Croce and the Museo dell’Opera di Santa Croce.
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  Genius and wantonnes: Michelangelo in Florence: conceived for all the fans of the great Michelangelo, the route could include, according to the time on your hands (half day or full day), the following stops: the Academy Gallery (David, Prisoners, St Matthew); the Medici Chapels with the New Sacristy; the Laurentin Library; the Museo dell’Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore (Bandini Pietà); the Bargello Museum (Pitti Tondo, Brutus , Bacchus Drunk); the Casa Buonarroti (Madonna of the Steps ad The battle between Greeks and centaurs); the Basilica of Santa Croce (Tomb of Michelangelo).
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  Between Vinci and Florence: on the trail of Leonardo: the route dedicated to this great protagonist of the Renaissance starts from Vinci, Leonardo’s home town, visiting the old town of this small village in the heart of the Valdarno area and the Museum of Leonardo, set up in the modern Uzielli Villa and in the rooms of the Castle of Guidi Counts. The tour continues in the near Anchiano, visiting Leonardo’s native house, recently restored and open to the public. After lunch, the tour will continue in the old town of Florence, visiting the Museum of Leonardo’s machines and the Museum of Leonardo. The tour will finish with a pleasant walk in the heart of the florentine old town, up to via (street) de’ Gondi, place where Leonardo lived in the years of his stay in Florence.
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  The architect of the florentine Renaissance: Filippo Brunelleschi: a route discovering the numerous Brunelleschi’s fine works in Florence could include, according to the time on your hands, the following stops: the Pazzi Chapel in the Basilica of Santa Croce; the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore with its dome; the Rotonda of Santa Maria degli Angeli; the Spedale degli Innocenti in piazza (square) Santissima Annunziata; the Basilica of S. Lorenzo and the Old Sacristy; the Gondi Chapel in the church of Santa Maria Novella; the Church of Santo Spirito in the Oltrarno (beyond the Arno river).
• The sixteenth century in Florence: the tour, thought for the italian art lovers, includes the visit of the most important and famous florentine woks of art of the sixteenth century. According to the time on your hands, it will be possible to visit: the Scalzo Cloister, with the Andrea del Sarto’s masterpieces; piazza (square) S. Marco with the homonym church; piazza (square) Santissima Annunziata with the Voti Cloister, which houses an interesting series of Mannerist frescoes; the Academy Gallery; the Medici Chapels with the New Sacristy; the Uffizi Gallery.
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  A dynasty in power: Medicean tour in Florence: a tour among the numerous medicean testimonies in Florence could include, according to the time on your hands and to your interests, the following stops: Medici-Riccardi Palace, the first Medici’s dwelling; the Basilica of S. Lorenzo (Old Sacristy) and the contiguous Medici Chapels (the Principi Chapel, medicean grand dukes’ mausoleum, and the New Sacristy, with the tombs of Lorenzo il Magnifico and other members of the Medici family); piazza (square) della Signoria with Palazzo Vecchio (the Old Palace), Cosimo I’s dwelling; the medicean Church of Santa Felicita; Pitti Palace, family’s last dwelling.
• Among marble, porphyry and plasma: the Medici’s passion for the precious stones: the half-day tour includes the visit of the Opificio delle Pietre Dure (Museum which houses wonderful furniture and objects made with gems and semiprecious stones) and of the Principi Chapel in San Lorenzo.
• Baroque Florence: a pleasant tour discovering the florentine Baroque could include, according to the time on your hands, the following stops: piazza (square) Santissima Annunziata with the Pietro Tacca’s fountains; the Gallery frescoed by Luca Giordano into the Medici-Riccardi Palace; the Principi Chapel in San Lorenzo; the Church of Ognissanti; the Church of S. Michele and S. Gaetano; Corsini Palace; the high altar in the Church of Santo Spirito; the rooms frescoed by Giovanni da San Giovanni and Pietro da Cortona inside the Pitti Palace; the Corsini Chapel inside the Church of Santa Maria del Carmine; the Casa Buonarroti, with its four monumental rooms decorated in baroque style; the Antella Palace’s façade in piazza (square) Santa Croce.
• The nineteenth century: Neoclassicism, Romanticism, Realism: a nineteenth century route in Florence could include, according to the time on your hands and to your interests, the following stops: Lorenzo Bartolini’s sculpture collection into the Academy Gallery; the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore and the Basilica of Santa Croce with their nineteenth century façades in neo-gothic style; the Basilica of Santa Croce with its grave pantheon; the rooms decorated by Pietro Benvenuti and Luigi Sabatelli into the Palatine Gallery and the Modern Art Gallery in Pitti Palace.
• Painting exhibition from age to age: a day into the Uffizi Gallery: visit of the most important and famous italian art Gallery (half-day or full-day).
• The secret path of the Prince: from piazza della Signoria to Pitti Palace, passing through the Vasari’s Corridor: special visit of the medicean corridor built by Giorgio Vasari hooking-up Palazzo Vecchio and Pitti Palace, passing through the Ponte Vecchio. It will be possibile to include also the visit of the Uffizi Gallery.
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  A day inside Pitti Palace: for all who want to discover and admire the treasures of the wonderful Grand-Dukes’ Residence where lived the Medici family, the Lorraine grand-dukes and the House of Savoy, I propose the visit of the Palatine Gallery, with the contiguous Royal Apartments, and of the Modern Art Gallery. For all who want to dedicate to Pitti Palace a full-day, it will possibile to integrate the previous plan visiting the enchanting spaces of the Museo degli Argenti, Boboli Gardens and Bardini Garden.
• From the mundane fame to the heavenly glory: painted a fresco powerful families’ chapels through silent tiny streets: pleasant walking tour discovering the finest florentine frescoed chapels, walking through ancient tiny streets in the heart of the old town. According to the time on your hands and to your preferences, it will be possibile to visit the Basilica of Santa Croce, with its wonderful chapels painted a fresco by Giotto and his followers and the Brunelleschi’s Pazzi Chapel decorated by Luca della Robbia; the Church of Santa Trinita with Lorenzo Monaco and Ghirlandaio’s frescoes; Borgo Santi Apostoli with the homonym church; the Church of Santa Felicita with the mannerist Pontormo’s masterpieces; the Church of Santo Spirito; the Brancacci Chapel with its famous frescoes of the Life of St Peter made by Masolino, Masaccio and Filippino Lippi; the Church of Santa Maria Novella with its frescoed chapels; the Magi Chapel, frescoed by Benozzo Gozzoli with the Procession of the Magi to Bethlehem, inside the Medici-Riccardi Palace.
• Dominican memoirs in Florence: the route suggested includes the visit of the ancient dominican Church of Santa Maria Novella, with the annexed romanesque Chiostro Verde (Green Cloister) and the monumental Cappellone degli Spagnoli (Spanish Chapel), and the visit of the Convent-Museum of San Marco, linked to the famous figures of Girolamo Savonarola, St Antoninus, Fra’ Angelico and Fra’ Bartolomeo and so place of the dominican memoirs in Florence.
• The places of the spirit, between art and devotion: this route aims at joining, according to an ideal leitmotif, two importants religious and historical-artistic medieval centres: the monumental complex of the Opera del Duomo – with the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, the Baptistery of St John, the Giotto’s Bell Tower and the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo – for rediscovering the old medieval religious centre, and the Church of Santa Maria Novella, centre of religious preaching by the Dominican Order, which installed itself in Florence in the first half of the thirteenth century.
• Santa Maria Novella, via Tornabuoni and Santa Trinita: the route, of the duration of about 3 hours, starts with the visit of the Church of Santa Maria Novella, with also the homonym square. Then we’ll keep on walking along via Tornabuoni, admiring its numerous historical palaces: Antinori Palace, Tornabuoni Palace, Strozzi Palace, Spini-Feroni Palace, Bartolini-Salimbeni Palace. The route includes also the visit of the Church of Santa Trinita and of the Davanzati Palace, which has housed the Museum of the Ancient Florentine House since 1956.
• The quarter of San Lorenzo and the life in the suburbs: itinerary dedicated to the life in the florentine suburbs, conceived for them who want to discover the florentine city lifestyle, that is the most authentic and common aspects of the florentine urban life. An half-day route begins from the quarter of San Lorenzo, one of the most ancient district of the city, visiting the homonym Basilica and the Central Market, whose stalls espose very good local products, the majority of them coming from the hills near Florence. The tour finishes with a walk along via (street) Sant’Antonino and via dell’Ariento, the most vivacious and picturesque streets of the quarter, full of shops and stands with the typical products of the local handicraft. A full-day route (about 6 hours) could integrate the previous itinerary with the visit of Borgo Pinti, with its open market, the Church of Sant’Ambrogio with the “Miracle” Chapel and the Perugino’s frescoes inside the Chapter House of the Church of Santa Maria de’ Pazzi, for then keeping on towards Borgo SS. Apostoli, with a medieval urban order perfectly preserved, and the Church of Santa Trinita. Walking along the Lungarno Corsini, we’ll finally reach Borgo Ognissanti, where it will be possibile to admire the wonderful palaces and to visit the Church of Ognissanti.
• The Oltrarno: Florence’s treasures beyond the Arno: according to the time on your hands, it will be possibile to visit Ponte Vecchio, the Church of Santa Felicita, Pitti Palace, the Church of San Felice in Piazza, the Palace of Bianca Cappello (grand duke Francesco I’s mistress and then legitimate wife), the Church of Santo Spirito, the Brancacci Chapel and the Church of Santa Maria del Carmine, the baroque Church of San Frediano in Cestello.
• Historical-artistic itinerary between Ponte Vecchio and Porta San Niccolò: the route is conceived like a pleasant half-day walking tour discovering a “different” Oltrarno: starting by Ponte Vecchio, the walk keeps on through the old stretch of via (street) de’ Bardi, on the trail of Beatrice Portinari, the women loved and celebrated by the great poet Dante Alighieri, who married the florentine nobleman Simone de’ Bardi. Along the way, it will be possible to admire: the Capponi delle Rovinate Palace, whose courtyard is considered one of the first example of Renaissance architecture; the fifteenth-century Larioni de’ Bardi Palace, according to tradition built by the architect Michelozzo; the neoclassic Canigiani Palace, next to whom there is the Church of Santa Lucia dei Magnoli, where it will be possible to admire some fine works by Ambrogio Lorenzetti and Jacopo del Sellaio. The tour keeps on going up along Costa Scarpuccia, up to the Church of San Giorgio or “dello Spirito Santo”, rebuilt in the XVIII century by Giovan Battista Foggini and nowadays Rumanian Orthodox Church. Then we’ll go on along the other stretch of via (street) de’ Bardi, reaching the sixteenth-century Torrigiani Palace and the Bardini Museum, where it will possibile to admire art works by Tino di Camaino, Donatello, Antonio del Pollaiolo, Tintoretto and Tiepolo. Keeping on along via (street) San Niccolò, we’ll reach the Church of San Niccolò Oltr’Arno, with its original gothic internal structure and then, reaching the Lungarno Serristori, we’ll arrive to the Rodolfo Siviero’s House-Museum, collector of the Twentieth century. If you had a full-day on your hands, the tour could continue after lunch starting by piazza (square) Giuseppe Poggi, dominated by the massive fourteenth-century Porta (Gate) di San Niccolò. Going on along the flights of San Niccolò, designed by Giovanni Poggi, it will be possibile to reach Piazzale (large square) Michelangiolo; from here, hiking over the Viale (Avenue) di Monte alle Croci, it will be possibile to reach the Franciscan Church of San Salvatore al Monte and then the Romanesque Basilica of San Miniato al Monte.
• Bus-Tour: coach route along the Viale dei Colli: I propose you an half-day itinerary passing by bus through the famous tree-lined avenue 8 km long – which from Ponte (Bridge) San Niccolò leads to Porta (Gate) Romana – planned by the architect Giuseppe Poggi when Florence became the capital of Italy in the nineteenth century. The first stop of our route will be piazzale Michelangiolo, from that, on foot, we’ll be able to reach and visit the Churches of San Salvatore and San Miniato al Monte, with the contiguous monumeltal Cemetery called “the Porte Sante”. The tour will continue by bus along the viale (avenue) Galileo Galilei, with an optional diversion in via (street) San Leonardo for visiting (by booking) the medicean Villa of Poggio Imperiale. If the visit of this Villa doesn’t hold your interest, we’ll be able to keep on by bus along the viale (avenue) Galilei, up to the square of Porta (Gate) Romana. After a short-lasting visit of the square, it will be possibile to reach on foot Piazza (square) della Calza, for admiring the precious Last Supper painted by Franciabigio inside the Convento (Convent) della Calza.
• From the city to the country, on the trail of Galileo Galilei: the route starts by piazza (square) de’ Giudici, visiting the Museo di Storia della Scienza (Museum of the history of science). Then we’ll keep on crossing Ponte Vecchio, up to piazza (square) Santa Felicita with the visit of the homonym church. Then we’ll go up along Costa San Giorgio, going in front of the house where lived Galileo Galilei, and, crossing the ancient Porta (Gate) San Giorgio, we’ll go up admiring Florence from the bleaches of the Forte Belvedere. The tour keeps on towards the country, passing through the little and suggestive via (street) San Leonardo for a delightful stroll among the “walled-in” city and the pleasant surrounding hills. On the way, it will be possibile to admire the florentine seat of the John Hopkins University, the little country church of San Leonardo in Arcetri, the studio of the famous painter Ottone Rosai and the florentine dwelling where Cajkovskij composed some of his mesterpieces. Going straight on via (street) San Leonardo, we’ll go up among old walls and valuable blocks up to Arcetri, place where died Galileo Galilei, who was in political exile in this area. According to your interests, it would be possible to continue the tour along via (street) San Leonardo up to the seventeenth-century Villa of Poggio Imperiale, whose ground floor can be visited by booking.
• Unknown Florence: an half-day itinerary starts visiting the Scalzo Cloister, with the wonderful Andrea del Sarto’s frescoes of the Life of St John the Baptist. Then we’ll cross piazza (square) San Marco up to piazza SS. Annunziata, for admiring the wonderful Voti Cloister, with its series of Mannerist frescoes by Andrea del Sarto, Pontormo and Rosso Fiorentino. The tour finishes visiting the Museo (Museum) dell’Ospedale degli Innocenti. In a full-day itinerary, it would be possibile to integrate the half-day plan visiting the Florentine Badia (Abbey) and, passing through the Loggia del Grano, the Giorgio Vasari’s House and the Horne Museum.
• The Last Suppers: monastic culture, Holy Communion’s iconography and florentine tradition: interesting itinerary aiming to create a direct conversation with the art of the great masters who in the course of time have expressed the fascinating spirituality of the religious theme of the Last Supper, inside the refectories of the florentine convents. According to the time on your hands and to your interests, it will be possibile to admire: the fourteenth-century Last Supper painted by Taddeo Gaddi inside the ex-refectory of the franciscan convent of Santa Croce; the fragment of the Andrea dell’Orcagna’s Last Supper into the Church of Santo Spirito; the Last Supper, masterpiece of Andrea del Castagno, into the ex-convent of Santa Apollonia; the Last Suppers frescoed by Domenico del Ghirlandaio inside the convent of Ognissanti and inside the small refectory of the convent of San Marco; Perugino’s Last Supper inside the refectory of the ex-convent of Fuligno; the Cenacolo della Calza painted by Franciabigio; the Last Supper frescoed by Andrea del Sarto inside the big refectory of the monastery of San Michele in San Salvi.
• The Collecting in Florence: route dedicated to the phenomenon of collecting, which since the second half of the nineteenth century has made Florence the protagonist of the european antiquarian panorama. According to the time on your hands and to your preferences, it will be possibile to visit: the eclectic Stibbert Museum; the Casa Buonarroti (a delightful little museum dedicated to Michelangelo); the Horne Museum; the Bardini Museum; Siviero’s House-Museum; the Fondazione Romano’s Museum, with its collection of sculpture left to the city by the Neapolitan antiquarian Salvatore Romano in 1946, inside the convent of Santo Spirito; the Museo delle Porcellane inside Pitti Palace.

Tours in Province