Embark on a captivating journey through Florence with a private guide. Start at the Basilica di Santa Maria Novella, where you’ll admire its stunning Renaissance façade and masterpieces like Giotto’s "Crucifix." Explore the rich history of the Dominican Fathers and relax in the serene "Green Cloister."
Next, visit the Basilica di San Lorenzo, Florence's oldest church, to see the "Old Sacristy" and works by renowned artists like Donatello and Bronzino. Stroll through the beautiful "Cloister of the Canons."
Continue to Piazza del Duomo to marvel at the Cathedral, Dome, and Giotto’s bell tower, then head to Piazza della Signoria, an open-air gallery showcasing the Medici family's legacy.
Conclude your tour at the Basilica di Santa Croce, featuring Giotto’s frescoes and the tombs of legends like Michelangelo and Galileo. Discover the peaceful "Brunelleschi Cloister" and the harmonious "Pazzi Chapel."
Inclusions & Exclusions
✔ Earphones for groups of more than 7 participants
✔ Local professional Guide at your side
✖ Santa Croce Basilica (to be paid on the spot): Adult: € 8,00; Ages 11-16: € 6,00; 10 and under are free
✖ Santa Maria Novella Basilica: Adult: € 7,50; Ages 11-16: € 5,00; 10 and under are free
✖ San Lorenzo Basilica: Full price ticket: € 6,00. Free admission for: children younger than 11 years old
✖ Hotel pickup and drop-off
✖ Everything not mentioned as Included
Departure & Return
Departure:
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Starting Time: at 10:00 am
Meeting with the guide at the entrance of Santa Maria Novella
Itinerary
1
Basilica of Santa Maria Novella
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.
Duration: 60 minutes
2
Basilica di San Lorenzo
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.
Duration: 50 minutes
3
Piazza del Duomo
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).
Duration: 10 minutes
4
Piazza della Signoria
Soon you 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.
Duration: 10 minutes
5
Basilica of Santa Croce
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, you 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.
Duration: 50 minutes
Additional info
• Public transportation options are available nearby
• Suitable for all physical fitness levels
• This tour does not operate on major holidays
