This tour includes an English-speaking Guide (private - only for you) for the visit of 3 hours in Florence
THE ENTRANCE FEES ARE NOT INCLUDED
Meeting with your private English-speaking guide in the prearranged meeting-point, which can be changed according to guests’ requirements.
This walking tour will show You the Galleria dell’Accademia with some of Michelangelo’s most important sculptures and lots of marvellous paintings from the Florentine school. Then the famous Cathedral (interior visit) with its worldwide known Dome and the Piazza della Signoria, which is the heart of the political life of Florence since the XII century.
The Cathedral:
The construction was started in September 1296 and designed by Arnolfo di Cambio. It was dedicated to Virgin Mary; the flower is to symbolize both the city and the Christ. The exterior of the cathedral is completely covered with polychrome marbles forming geometric designs. The neo-Gothic facade was built between 1871 and 1887 by Emilio de Fabris. The interior has a Latin cross with three naves and it is in pure Gothic style of Florence. Many great artists worked to the construction of the Cathedral such as Giotto, Andrea Pisano and Brunelleschi. The majestic dome of the church was built by Brunelleschi in 1434. On the left side of the Cathedral is the beautiful door known as Porta della Mandorla (XV century), while on the right side one can see the door known as Porta dei Canonici (XIV century). On the walls of the aisles there are many great paintings and works of art as the Monument to Niccoló da Tolentino by Andrea del Castagno, the Monument to Giovanni Acuto by Paolo Uccello, the Crucifix by Benedetto da Majano and, inside the dome, a fresco by Vasari and Zuccari with the Last Judgement.
Piazza della Signoria
The Piazza della Signoria is one of the most famous squares, known throughout the world, rich in important monuments, masterpieces of Renaissance. In the square, as in a great museum, one can admire the remarkable masterpieces that lavishly adorn it. The Fountain of Neptune, also called Fountain of the Square, was commissioned by Cosimo I de’ Medici on a design by Baccio Bandinelli. The tank was built from 1560 to 1575, at its centre there is the giant marble statue sculpted by Bartolomeo Ammannati, reproducing the pagan god of the waters. A few meters in front of the fountain of Neptune, on the pavement of the square, there is a circular marble plaque that marks the spot where on May 23, 1498 (the eve of the Ascension) was hanged and burned Fra’ Girolamo Savonarola, who inspired a religious and social renewal. One of the sides of the square is occupied by the three large arches of the Loggia della Signoria (also known as Loggia dei Lanzi), built by Benci di Cione and Simone Talenti as a place for public ceremonies. The statue of David You can admire in the Piazza della Signoria square is a copy of Michelangelo’s original statue, which was moved to the Accademia Gallery.
Accademia Gallery (Visit of 1 hour and 30 minutes)
The Accademia Gallery was built to house the famous sculptural work The David by Michelangelo Buonarroti who was deposed there in 1873. In fact, the Accademia Gallery hosts other master’s works such as The Prisoners and The St. Matthew. The Accademia Gallery is composed of some adjacent spaces created from the integration of the two oldest monasteries. In these rooms are placed, since over two centuries, important works previously hosted at the Academy of Design and at the Academy of Fine Arts as well as works allocated at some convents in Florence. All these works are the brainchild of the greatest masters of art of Florence operating in and around Florence from the XIII century until the end of the XVI century. They are mostly paintings with clear religious subjects which constitute a veritable cultural heritage unique in the world.
