Castles · Tour
Three Centuries of Medici, from Their Tombs at San Lorenzo to Their Offices
Ratings collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
FlorenceA walking tour that works as an introduction to Florence whether it is your first visit or your fourth. It covers the buildings everyone knows and a number that nobody stops at, and it points out things you would walk straight past on your own.
The frame is the Medici: three centuries of them, told in order across the route, so the Renaissance stops being a period on a label and starts being a sequence of decisions taken by people with names.
It is a walk through the centre rather than a lecture delivered at it, and the tone stays that way throughout.
What's included
- Licensed Guide
Itinerary
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Piazza di San Lorenzo, 35R, Firenze
The meeting point is in front of the facade of the church of San Lorenzo, at the main entrance and not the entrance to the Medici Chapels, next to the marble statue of Giovanni de' Medici seated on a small throne. Look for a small red flag.
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Basilica di San Lorenzo
The Basilica di San Lorenzo is one of the largest churches in Florence, standing at the centre of the main market district. Every principal member of the Medici family from Cosimo il Vecchio to Cosimo III is buried here.
Extra fee
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Palazzo Medici Riccardi
The Palazzo Medici Riccardi was designed for Cosimo de' Medici, head of the family's bank, and built between 1444 and 1484.
Extra fee
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Battistero Di San Giovanni
The Florence Baptistery, the Baptistery of Saint John, stands in both the Piazza del Duomo and the Piazza San Giovanni, opposite the cathedral and Giotto's Campanile. It is one of the oldest buildings in the city, built between 1059 and 1128 in the Florentine Romanesque style.
Extra fee
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Duomo
Florence Cathedral, formally the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore and known as the Duomo, was begun in 1296 in the Gothic style to a design by Arnolfo di Cambio. The complex in Piazza del Duomo takes in the Baptistery and Giotto's Campanile. All three belong to the UNESCO World Heritage Site covering the historic centre of Florence.
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Campanile di Giotto
Giotto's Campanile stands next to the Basilica of Santa Maria del Fiore and the Baptistery of St John. It is one of the great pieces of Florentine Gothic, designed by Giotto, with dense sculptural decoration and polychrome marble facing.
Extra fee
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Cupola Del Brunelleschi
The dome is one of the standing mysteries of art and architecture. It was the largest in the world when it was built, and it is still the largest brick dome ever constructed.
Extra fee
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Museo Casa di Dante
Dante Alighieri wrote the Divine Comedy, generally held to be the most important poem of the Middle Ages and the greatest literary work in the Italian language.
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Piazza della Signoria
Piazza della Signoria is the L-shaped square in front of the Palazzo Vecchio. It is where Florentines meet, and where visitors end up, between the Palazzo Vecchio, the Piazza del Duomo and the entrance to the Uffizi.
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Palazzo Vecchio
The Palazzo Vecchio, the Old Palace, is the town hall of Florence and the most imposing in Tuscany. It looks over the square, with the copy of Michelangelo's David outside it and the statues of the Loggia dei Lanzi alongside. It is still one of the most important public buildings in Italy, and it holds museums and cultural spaces.
Extra fee
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Le Gallerie Degli Uffizi
The Uffizi Gallery stands next to the Piazza della Signoria and is the most visited museum in Italy, with one of the best known collections in the world, particularly of the Italian Renaissance. Giorgio Vasari began the building in 1560 for Cosimo I de' Medici, to house the offices of the Florentine magistrates, which is where the name comes from: uffizi, offices.
Extra fee
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P.za della Signoria, Firenze
The end point is indicative and can vary slightly within the area shown.
Not included
- Gratuities
- Audio devices are REQUIRED by city regulations.
Good to know
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
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- 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.
- Up to 15 travelers per booking.
- Mobile or paper ticket accepted
- Guiding available in: en, it, es.
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Ratings collected by Viator, Tripadvisor and Civitatis