Top of the Line Florentine - Grand City Tour

Extended Description

If any city in Italy deserves time and appreciation, it’s Florence. Few places have had as much of an effect on the politics, history, and art of Europe—and on the entire western world—as this small city, home to just 360,000 people today.

Give Florence four hours… and, with your expert guide, unlock the secret to how this city went from its 1st-century founding as a soldiers’ settlement to one of the most important cities in the world.

Take the Duomo, that shining example of what the Renaissance’s best minds could accomplish. Even without a guide, we bet your reaction to this beautiful, iconic building would be “wow.” But when you know the full story behind this masterpiece—how Brunelleschi had to rediscover knowledge lost for more than a millennium to build it, how the dome remained the world’s largest until the 19th century, how the result marked the real birth of Italian Renaissance architecture—we guarantee you’ll say “Wow!” We’ll also take a look at the magnificent sculptures by Donatello and Verocchio at the Church of Orsanmichele and discover the Baptistery's “Gates of Paradise”, see the doors that took 21-year-old Ghiberti—who won the commission in a contest over Brunelleschi himself!—his lifetime to complete. (He was 42 when he finally finished!)

If the Duomo symbolizes Florence’s claim as the birthplace of Renaissance architecture, the Piazza della Signoria represents the city’s political dominance from the 14th to the 16th century. The Florentine government ruled here from Palazzo Vecchio…and here is where the famed Medicis ruled Florence! Your guide will regale you with tales of Florence’s power—and the Medici family’s intrigue and treachery. And, because your group size is a maximum of 12 (and an average, for this tour, of six!), you can get all of your questions answered. We want to make sure that you come away from this tour truly understanding what made Florence so great.

But you won’t just see the major highlights on your tour. Because this is the complete and elite package, you’ll also get to see everything from the famous Ponte Vecchio to the lesser-visited home of Dante, who wrote the Inferno (and, with it, “set” standard Italian) in the 13th century; as well as the off-the-beaten-path medieval tower houses inhabited by Florence’s most powerful families; from Michelangelo’s awe-inspiring David in the Accademia to the open-air sculpture gallery the Loggia dei Lanzi. (Oh, and we’ve arranged all of the reservations and tickets for you—so not only do you not have to worry about a thing, but you get privilege entrance to the famed Accademia Museum!) Want to do some shopping? You’ll even get to check out the Florentine leather market and Florence’s answer to Fifth Avenue!