This tour includes an English-speaking Guide (private - only for you) for the visit of 3 hours in Florence
A visit of Florence is a must for any lover of art and history. According to UNESCO estimates, the 60% of the most important artworks in Italy are in Florence. In fact, Florence is considered the birthplace of the Renaissance, the Athens of Italy. Our private tour is an opportunity to discover one of the most beautiful historical centres of the world, as it is so rich in history and art. The heart of Florence, between the Piazza del Duomo and Piazza della Signoria can be easily discovered on foot.
The visit will start with a private one-hour tour of the Accademia Gallery, one of the most famous museums in the world. Established in 1784, it includes paintings of the Florentine school of the thirteenth-sixteenth centuries, and especially some of the sculptural masterpieces by Michelangelo. In fact here one can find some of the most extraordinary examples of sculpture by Michelangelo Buonarroti, including the famous David, considered his masterpiece sculpture, which is exhibited here beneath a rotunda that was built specially for it in 1873 when it was moved here from the Piazza della Signoria (on the square one can still find a copy of it).
After that visit, our tour continues to the marvellous Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore (internal visit) located at the Piazza del Duomo. The construction of the Cathedral was decided in 1289 and the project assigned to Arnolfo. Subsequently the construction works were led by Giotto, Andrea Pisano, Brunelleschi and others. The grand Dome (today considered as symbol of Tuscany) of the church was built by Brunelleschi. The majestic interior of the Cathedral is divided into three aisles by huge pillars. On the walls inside the Cathedral there are many great works of art and sculptures.
Then You will reach the Piazza della Signoria, for over six hundred years the political symbol of Florence. This Square is the heart of Florentine political life since the end of XIII century when it began the construction of the Palazzo Vecchio. In this square some of the most important historical events of the city took place: in 1498 there Girolamo Savonarola was burned at the stake. The appearance of the square, initially called Square of Priori, changed through the centuries. In the middle of the fourteenth century, along the western side, was built the Canopy of Pisani (demolished in 1870) while at the end of the same century, this time on the south side, it was built the Loggia dei Lanzi, enriched with valuable sculptures during the sixteenth century. In Piazza della Signoria many works of art of world importance are placed such as Michelangelo’s David (a copy, the original is located in the Accademia Gallery) as well as the bronze group Judith and Holofernes by Donatello. Also located on the Piazza della Signoria is the Fountain of Neptune by Bartolomeo Ammannati, because of its white marble giant also known as Il Biancone (The big whitey), while on the side of the Piazza toward the Tribunale della Mercatanzia, it was placed the equestrian monument to Cosimo I by Giambologna.
The tour will finish by visiting the interior of the Basilica of the Holy Cross, the largest Franciscan church in Italy. Magnificent Gothic church was begun in the mid-200 and consecrated only in 1443. It is famous for its frescoes by Giotto and for the tombs of famous Italians that are buried here. The nineteenth-century facade is preceded by a churchyard on one side of which is the monument to Dante (1865). The interior is decorated with numerous memorials to the walls (which were once covered with frescoes by Giotto), including: the tomb of Michelangelo by Vasari; the monument of Vittorio Alfieri by Canova; the monument of Niccoló Machiavelli; the tomb of Gioacchino Rossini and the tomb of Ugo Foscolo on the right side; Galileo’s tomb and that of Ghiberti on the left side. Of great value are also a beautiful Annunciation by Donatello and the chapels that are located at the bottom of the church, both painted by Giotto. On the right side of the church there is a large cloister which leads to the Pazzi Chapel, that is one of the most important architectural works by Brunelleschi (1443). At the bottom of the church, on the right, there is the Grande cloister, by Brunelleschi, and the Museo dell'Opera di Santa Croce which houses the famous Crucifix by Cimabue.
