The Best Tour in Florence: Renaissance and Medici Tales

About this experience

This tour is the best walking tour that you can ever have in Florence. It is a great introduction to the city for both first-timers as well as returners. It covers the main attractions of the city and also the hidden gems that are well and truly "off the beaten track" and gives you facts you wouldn't know or notice walking around by yourself. While you'll be led through the city you will be even accompanied through three centuries full of thrilling stories about the Medici family who influenced Florence’s history; little by little the Renaissance will become alive in front of you. You will not be involved in a boring, neutral lecture, but in a pleasant stroll through the center of Florence, in a friendly and easy-going atmosphere.

Itinerary

English information from the provider

1. Stop 1

   Duration: 10 min

   The Basilica di San Lorenzo (Basilica of St Lawrence) is one of the largest churches of Florence, Italy, situated at the centre of the city’s main market district, and the burial place of all the principal members of the Medici family from Cosimo il Vecchio to Cosimo III.

2. Stop 2

   Duration: 10 min

   The Palazzo Medici Riccardi was designed for Cosimo de' Medici, head of the Medici banking family, and was built between 1444 and 1484.

3. Stop 3

   Duration: 10 min

   The Florence Baptistery, also known as the Baptistery of Saint John stands in both the Piazza del Duomo and the Piazza San Giovanni, across from Florence Cathedral and the Campanile di Giotto. The Baptistery is one of the oldest buildings in the city, constructed between 1059 and 1128 in the Florentine Romanesque style.

4. Stop 4

   Duration: 10 min

   Florence Cathedral, formally the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore is the cathedral of Florence (Italian: Duomo di Firenze). It was begun in 1296 in the Gothic style to a design of Arnolfo di Cambio. The cathedral complex, in Piazza del Duomo, includes the Baptistery and Giotto's Campanile. These three buildings are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site covering the historic centre of Florence and are a major tourist attraction of Tuscany.

5. Stop 5

   Duration: 10 min

   Giotto's Campanile is adjacent to the Basilica of Santa Maria del Fiore and the Baptistry of St. John. This tower is one of the showpieces of Florentine Gothic architecture with its design by Giotto, its rich sculptural decorations and its polychrome marble encrustations.

6. Stop 6

   Duration: 10 min

   This dome is one of the biggest mystery in art and architecture of every time. It was the largest in the world. It remains the largest brick dome ever constructed.

7. Stop 7

   Duration: 5 min

   Dante Alighieri wrote the Divine Comedy. This book is widely considered the most important poem of the Middle Ages and the greatest literary work in the Italian language.

8. Stop 8

   Duration: 10 min

   Piazza della Signoria is an L-shaped square in front of the Palazzo Vecchio. It is the meeting place of Florentines as well as the numerous tourists, located near Palazzo Vecchio and Piazza del Duomo and gateway to Uffizi Gallery.

9. Stop 9

   Duration: 10 min

   The Palazzo Vecchio ("Old Palace") is the town hall of the city. This massive fortress-palace is among the most impressive town halls of Tuscany. Overlooking the square with its copy of Michelangelo's David statue as well the gallery of statues in the adjacent Loggia dei Lanzi, it is one of the most significant public places in Italy, and it hosts cultural points and museums.

10. Stop 10

    Duration: 10 min

    The Uffizi Gallery is an art museum located adjacent to the Piazza della Signoria and it is one of the most important Italian museums and the most visited, it is also one of the largest and best known in the world and holds a collection of priceless works, particularly from the period of the Italian Renaissance. The building of Uffizi complex was begun by Giorgio Vasari in 1560 for Cosimo I de' Medici so as to accommodate the offices of the Florentine magistrates, hence the name uffizi, "offices".

What's included

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• Licensed Guide

What's not included

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• Gratuities
• Audio devices are REQUIRED by city regulations.

Additional information

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• Wheelchair accessible
• Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
• Service animals allowed
• Public transportation options are available nearby
• Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
• All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
• Suitable for all physical fitness levels
• This tour is made possible only thanks to your donations. We offer the tour in this way because we are confident in the quality of what we are providing. At the end of the tour, you will decide the appropriate amount to compensate for the expertise and professionalism of the guide who accompanied you. The only form of compensation for the guide is what you choose to donate.

Cancellation policy

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For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.