The Eternal Florence
7 Days / 6 Nights
Day 1
Arrival in Florence. Accomodation to the Hotel.
Dinner and overnight.
Day 2: Academy of Fine Arts, with Cathedral, Piazza Signoria, Ponte Vecchio
and Santa Croce.
Breakfast to the Hotel. departure to the visit with our special guide. This
tour takes you to the most famous monuments in the city. We start from the Florence
eternal masterpiece: Michelangelo's David and visit a few of his other works
in the Academy of Fine Arts Museum. Onward to the Cathedral with the famous
Dome by Brunelleschi and the gold Paradise door of the Baptistry. Lunch in restaurant.
In the afternoon we continue to Piazza Signoria, the political heart of Florence
since the 1300's when Florence was considered the richest city in Europe. We
are beckoned to Ponte Vecchio, the bridge which attracts so much curiosity not
only to its unique charming appearance but also to the fabulous jewelry shops
lining the bridge. We finish at Santa Croce Church, one of the most important
in Florence containing the tombs of the most famous Florentine citizens. We
will also go to Piazzale Michelangelo Panoramic Square which gives a breathtaking
view of our whole city. Return to the Hotel. dinner and overnight.
Day 3: Uffizi Museum, Monumental Rooms Palazzo Vecchio and S. Lorenzo
Church.
Breakfast to the Hotel. departure to the visit with our special guide. How
did the Renaissance signal the end of the "Dark Ages"? Florence alone
became the cradle of this magnificent philosophical, cultural and artistic movement
that affected the entire world. So many geniuses such as Michelangelo, Raffaello,
Leonardo Da Vinci, Brunelleschi were all born here and produced some of the
most amazing pieces of art forever regarded by mankind with great awe. This
tour, this aesthetic experience, will visit the greatest masterpieces of the
Renaissance currently residing in the Uffizi Museum. Lunch in restaurant. In
the afternoon we continue to S. Lorenzo Church by Brunelleschi, an enduring
symbol of Florentine architectural excellence. In the Palazzo Vecchio you will
be able to see the Monumental Quarters where the Medici Family, the great rulers
of Florence, conceived this revolutionary cultural change. Return to the Hotel.
dinner and overnight.
4’ Day: Palazzo Pitti (Palatina Gallery) and Boboli Garden, and
Medici's Chapels
Breakfast to the Hotel. departure to the visit with our special guide. The
Medici Family, aside from being brilliant bankers and rulers, can also be considered
the greatest patrons of all times and in fact, left Florence with the legacy
of an incredible amount of beauty While the heart of the Florentine Renaissance
can be considered the period included in between the 1470 and the 1540, covered
in the above tour, since 1569 when Cosimo De' Medici was entitled "1st
Grand Duke of Tuscany" by pope Pius the V, at their court the necessity
of competing with the other European courts as far as artistic development is
concerned was felt very strongly and Ferdinand the II founded the Palatina Picture-Gallery
as his private collection in Palazzo Pitti, the palace which became the residence
of the Medici when in the 1500's Palazzo Vecchio had become "inappropriate"
for their needs. Behind the palace you will enjoy another sign of the Medici
Grandeur: the Boboli Garden designed during the 16th 17th century and the Forte
Belvedere, by Buontalenti, from which you can enjoy the most spectacular view
over the city. The last stop will be at the Medici's Chapels, containing their
monumental tombs with walls and floors entirely decorated with outstanding materials,
(marble and semi-precious stone). and Michelangelo's statues. Return to the
Hotel. dinner and overnight.
Day 5: Piazzale Michelangelo, San Miniato Church, Villa La Petraia. Fiesole
and Villa Gamberaia Garden
Breakfast to the Hotel. departure to the visit with our special guide. One
could not truthfully boast of knowing Florence unless he has enjoyed some of
the breathtaking vistas only possible from the hills around it, which are not
just spectacular for the views but also for the masterpieces that exist on them.
These masterpieces rival in beauty what you have viewed in the center of town.
This itinerary will bring you 360° around the hills of Florence give you
the opportunity to enjoy the most important sights in a logical sequence, starting
from San Miniato al Monte Church, the jewel of the Romanesque style which sits
above it. We then head north towards Villa Petraia one of the most significant
summer residences of the Medici Family featuring enchanting gardens and interiors,
and then to Fiesole, a little town just outside of Florence used as first settlement
in the areas by the Etruscans and then Romans featuring the ruins of the theater
and Etruscan Museum. We will end up at Villa Gamberaia located in Settignano
the most exclusive residential area of the outskirts of the city, as it is a
XVII century villa whose garden is considered the masterpiece of Italian style
baroque gardening, its parterres are sculpted so perfectly that they seem to
have come out of a fairy tale. Return to the Hotel. Dinner and overnight.
Day 6: Carmine Church (with Brancacci Chapel) Cestello and S. Spirito Churches,
Cenacolo di Ognissanti
Breakfast to the Hotel. departure to the visit with our special guide. Visiting
and describing the importance of some of these "unknown" churches
and sights which have been unjustly kept hidden from tourist for centuries is
our way of correcting this injustice. Highlights of this tour are the Carmine
Church with the recently restored Branacci Chapel by Masaccio, considered the
father of the Renaissance and prospective painting. Cestello Baroque Church,
one of the "younger" important churches of Florence dating back to
1628, S. Spirito Church one of Brunelleschi's masterpieces, Cenacolo di Ognissanti
commissioned to the Ghirlandaio by the Vespucci Family of whom Amerigo the "real"
discoverer of The Americas was part. Lunch in restaurant. In the afternoon time
at leisure for the last shopping or continue privat visit. Dinner and overnight.
Day 7: Departure
Breakfast to the Hotel. departure. End of our services.
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