Discovering Florence

Florence is the first city of the world in terms of concentration of artworks in relation to the city surface, and this may make it hard for first-time visitors to find their bearings in this labyrinth of masterpieces. This is why you should choose a tour that, in a little less than 3 hours, will introduce you to the history of the city, establishing a starting point for further discovery and understanding of the main artworks found in its many museums.

We will start our tour in Piazza della Repubblica, the ancient heart of the Roman city, and will proceed to introduce the various historical phases Florence went through over the course of time. Our next stop will be Piazza del Duomo, the religious heart of the city and the location of the main Florentine monuments from the Middle Ages: the Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral, Saint John’s Baptistery and Giotto’s Bell tower. We will admire these majestic architectures from the outside, while speaking of how Florence became one of the most important cities in the world in the 13th century. The coloured marbles and the richness of the artworks created for this square will complete the picture: in particular, we will discover the story of the competition for the creation of the bronze doors of the Baptistery, leading to the rivalry between two young talents, Lorenzo Ghiberti and Filippo Brunelleschi; we will proceed by looking at the bas-reliefs at the bottom of the bell tower, describing the history of human labour, the true secret behind the wealth of Florence. We will also have time to admire the majestic cupola of the Cathedral, an architectonic marvel designed by Brunelleschi in the 15th century. 

We will leave the square and walk down via dei Calzaioli towards the Church of Orsanmichele, a striking building born as a grain market and later transformed into a holy site filled with masterpieces: among the many sculptures we must mention the Saint George by Donatello, which inspired Michelangelo to create his famous David.

Our walk will then continue towards Piazza della Signoria, dominated by Palazzo Vecchio, the political heart of the city and still today the headquarters of the Town Hall. Here, we will talk about the complex events which led Florence from being an independent Republic to the Medici dominion, while admiring artworks created during those tormented centuries, including a copy of the David by Michelangelo, the extraordinary Cellini bronze sculpture representing Perseus holding Medusa’s head and Bartolomeo Ammannati’s Fountain of Neptune, jokingly dubbed “il Biancone” (lit. “The Big White One”) by the Florentines.

Our tour will end on the most iconic of bridges: Ponte Vecchio. As we stop on this ancient passage above the Arno, we will understand why jewellery shops have curiously concentrated here and shall look upwards at the Vasari Corridor, the private route created for the Medici family.