Meet your private guide and you will head towards the striking square where the Basilica di Santa Maria Novella stands with its splendid Renaissance façade by Leon Battista Alberti covered with white and green marble. Inside the Basilica, founded by the Dominican Fathers at the beginning of 1200, you will have the chance to see masterpieces such as the "Crucifix" by Giotto the "Trinity" by Masaccio and the spectacular frescoes by Filippino Lippi and Ghirlandaio and also hear the story of the "mendicant order" of friars who have always been present in this church. Your tour ends inside the elegant "Green Cloister" so named for its beautiful murals in green earth by Paolo Uccello.
In the heart of the lively Medici quarter, bordering the Piazza del Duomo, you will find yourselves in front of the Basilica di San Lorenzo, Florence's the oldest church, consecrated in 393 by Sant'Ambrogio, rebuilt in the year 1000 and enlarged in 1400 by Brunelleschi at the behest of the Medici family who chose it as their parish church. Inside the Basilica is the “Old Sacristy”by Brunelleschi with the tombs of the founders of the Medici family and works by Donatello, Bronzino, Filippo Lippi, Rosso Fiorentino and Pontormo, to name but a few. Leaving the church, you will enter in the impressive “Cloister of the Canons” at the centre of which stands an imposing 16th-century orange tree which was dear to the Medici family and became a kind of symbol of their dynasty.
You will then pass into the Piazza del Duomo, the city's religious centre, where you will be able admire the Cathedral with its famous Dome, the Baptistery and Giotto's Campanile (bell tower).
Soon we will arrive at the famous Piazza della Signoria, a concentration of architectural and sculptural masterpieces which has no equal in the world. Here begins the fascinating story of the powerful Medici family whose history was tied to that of the city for more than three centuries.
Your tour ends at the Basilica di Santa Croce, a masterpiece of Gothic architecture with a facade clad in polychrome marble. This is the ancient church in which the Franciscan friars chose to set up and begin treating pelts and leather and meditate in peace in a place that was, at that time, located outside the city walls. We will admire, from close up, the beautiful frescoes by Giotto and Agnolo Gaddi, the “Crucifix” and “Annunciation” by Donatello and the world-famous funerary monuments and tombs of illustrious figures from the past such as Michelangelo, Galileo and Machiavelli. Next, we will enter the elegant “Brunelleschi Cloister” bordered by columns carved from pure stone, and then pass into the fourteenth-century “Ancient Cloister” at the end of which lies the beautiful “Pazzi Chapel”, a sublime example of Renaissance harmony, also the work of Brunelleschi.
Suitable for:
Solo
Couples
Students
Groups
Kids
Business
Additional information
- Duration: 3 hours
- Starting time: 10:00
- Ending time: 13:00
Experience
* Santa Croce
* Duomo
* Piazza Signoria
* Santa Maria Novella
* San Lorenzo
Included
* Private professional local guide at disposal for 3 hours
* Earphones for groups of more than 7 participants
Not included
* Basilicas Admission Ticket (to be paid on the spot)
▪ Santa Croce Basilica
Full price ticket: € 8,00
Reduced price ticket: € 6,00 for children 11 to 17 years
Free admission for: children younger than 11 years old
Family ticket: full price ticket: € 8,00 for adults and free admission for children younger than age 18
▪ Santa Maria Novella Basilica
Full price ticket: € 7,50
Reduced price ticket: € 5,00 for children 11 to 17 years
Free admission for: children younger than 11 years old
▪ San Lorenzo Basilica
Full price ticket: € 6,00
Free admission for: children younger than 11 years old
Essential Information
* It is recommended that participants wear comfortable shoes
* This tour does not operate on Sunday Morning
* CANCELLATION POLICY: there will be no penalty for cancellations of tour or service communicated in writing to Caf Tour & Travel up to 48 hours before departure time of the tour or service. Less than 48 hours before departure time of tour or service 100% of the total price will be due and no reimbursement will be granted. No reimbursement will be granted to any client who is not at the place of departure at the time established; similarly, no reimbursement will be granted to clients who lose contact with the guide or who do not complete the tour.
Essential Information
The charm of the ancient cloisters, evocative oases of peace and greenery in the heart of the city