Firenze Trip Overview
Florence Walking Tour on the footsteps of Leonardo Da Vinci . Please note that this tour will start with a minimum of 2 participants and a maximum of 8 pax.
We will start our tour on the footsteps of Leonardo in front of the famous Santa Maria Nuova hospital where Leonardo performed some of his anatomy experiments.
We will then proceed by foot through the streets of Florence where we will stop at historically relevant sites to discuss, with the help of our multimedia support, important happenings and events that happened there and involved Leonardo.
We will finally enter the Palazzo Vecchio Museum and follow traces of his works and interests.
Additional Info
Duration: 3 hours
Starts: Firenze, Italy
Trip Category: Cultural & Theme Tours >> Cultural Tours
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What to Expect When Visiting Firenze, Toscana, Italy
Florence Walking Tour on the footsteps of Leonardo Da Vinci . Please note that this tour will start with a minimum of 2 participants and a maximum of 8 pax.
We will start our tour on the footsteps of Leonardo in front of the famous Santa Maria Nuova hospital where Leonardo performed some of his anatomy experiments.
We will then proceed by foot through the streets of Florence where we will stop at historically relevant sites to discuss, with the help of our multimedia support, important happenings and events that happened there and involved Leonardo.
We will finally enter the Palazzo Vecchio Museum and follow traces of his works and interests.
Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Museo di Santa Maria Nuova, Piazza di Santa Maria Nuova 1, 50122, Florence Italy
The Hospital of Santa Maria Nuova, in the heart of Florence, has a rich collection of works of art.
Santa Maria Nuova was founded in 1288 by Folco Portinari, father of Beatrice Portinari the famous inspirational muse of the great Dante Alighieri. Santa Maria Nuova Hospital is the oldest hospital in the world still in operation. Throughout these centuries of activity, many works of art were produced for this Florentine hospital. Today its large collection is grouped in a museographic itinerary counting more than 700 works including paintings, frescoes, sculptures and artifacts.
In the new entrance hall we find the reproduction of the fresco representing “The Consecration of the Church of Sant’Egidio in the Presence of Pope Martino V”, made in 1424 by Bicci di Lorenzo to celebrate the solemn moment of the consecration of the church of Sant’Egidio after the works carried out in the fifteenth century. The original fresco, detached from its original location on the facade of the church of Sant’Egidio in 1957, is kept in the executive offices, while the sinopite is visible in the Martino V hall on the first floor.
Another must-see is the “Coronation of the Virgin” a terracotta by Dello Delli dated 1424, as well as vestments and sacred objects that testify to the spirit of the place which has always placed emphasis on the care of the soul as well as the body. In the mezzanine, overlooking the entrance, we can admire the fresco by Gherardo del Fora and Francesco Brina, paintings depicting the Spedalinghi, two crucifixes and the resin copy of the tabernacle by Bernardo Rossellino (the original in marble can still be admired in the church) which held the oil for the sick people and was protected by a gilded bronze door by Lorenzo Ghiberti.
The museum tour continues with a visit to the cloister where the tombstone of Monnatessa, founder of the order of the Oblate linked to the hospital, is located. This woman had the merit of suggesting to Folco Portinari the idea to create a hospital for the sick and people in need. Inside the cloister there is also a neoclassical temple built in 1873 in honor of the hospital’s last benefactor, Count Galli Tassi. Continuing the itinerary you arrive at the matroneum where an interesting display of sacred furnishings, votive images, crucifixes and reliquaries has been created, among which a crown of flowers encircling the skull of San Gervasio stands out. Particularly striking is the view of the church of Sant’Egidio annexed to the hospital.
Among the many illustrious people who passed through the Santa Maria Nuova Hospital there is Leonardo da Vinci: the great genius came here for his anatomical dissections that allowed him to expand his scientific studies.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Museo Nazionale del Bargello, Via del Proconsolo 4, 50122, Florence Italy
The museum is located in the majestic Bargello Palace in Via del Proconsolo in the historic center of the city.
The building, inaugurated in 1255, over the centuries was the political seat of important figures such as the Podestà and subsequently the Captain of the People. Finally, in 1574, it became the seat of the “Bargello”, or the Justice Captain.
Between the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries the palace was expanded and modified while still maintaining its severe and imposing appearance which is immediately evident from the entrance courtyard. On one side of the courtyard there is a large stone staircase where, on the wall, the coat of arms of the various Podestàs are clearly visible.
On 22 June 1865, by royal decree, it was turned into the first Italian National Museum dedicated to the arts of the Middle Ages and of the Renaissance. Subsequently, the museum collections were enriched with splendid bronzes, majolicas, medals, ivories, tapestries, terracottas and armors coming for the most part from the Medici collections and private bequests.
Subsequently to the opening of the museum, some of the most important Renaissance sculptures were moved here. For instance masterpieces by Donatello which were also given a special room in which to display works such as the “Saint George” or the “David-Mercury”. Inside the same room there are also works by Luca della Robbia, Andrea del Verrocchio and the famous panels by Filippo Brunelleschi and Lorenzo Ghiberti made for the 1401 competition for the northern baptistery door which, according to scholars, decrees the beginning of the Renaissance.
The room adjacent to the entrance courtyard is dedicated to Michelangelo Buonarroti. Here you can find important works by Michelangelo such as Bacchus, the Pitti tondo and the controversial torso of the Brutus. We also find works by other great Florentine artists such as Benvenuto Cellini, whose giant bust of Cosimo I we can admire, and Giambologna whose vibrant Mercury was influenced by Michelangelo.
Among the most important legacies found at the Bargello, there is the “Carrand Collection”, a donation by Louis Carrand, an antique dealer from Lyon, who in 1888 donated his collection of over 2500 pieces to the Bargello, including numerous works of decorative arts.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Palazzo Vecchio, Piazza della Signoria, 50122, Florence Italy
Palazzo Vecchio is one of the most important monuments of the city of Florence and has been the seat of its government for more than seven hundred years.
The name Palazzo Vecchio (literally: old palace) was given to this building after 1565, when the court of Grand Duke Cosimo I moved to the “new” Palazzo Pitti. The palace changed its name through the centuries following its politics: it was originally called Palazzo dei Priori, then Palazzo della Signoria and finally Palazzo Ducale. It was also the seat of the Parliament of the Kingdom of Italy when Florence was the capital between 1865 and 1871, and today it is the seat of the Municipality of Florence.
The construction of Palazzo Vecchio was entrusted to Arnolfo di Cambio in 1299, who built it on the ruins of pre-existing buildings by incorporating the ancient Torre della Vacca, the base of the current Torre di Arnolfo. The building we see today is the result of successive constructions and expansions that took place over the following centuries, such as the construction of the Salone dei Cinquecento (=Room of 500) at the end of the 15th century commissioned by Girolamo Savonarola.
Palazzo Vecchio houses the Museum of Palazzo Vecchio which has various rooms of impressive beauty that display the history of Florence and of the Medici family who ruled the city for almost 300 years. One of the most spectacular halls is the monumental Salone dei Cinquecento: it has a length of 117 feet, a width of 75.4 feet and a height of 59 feet. The works that decorate the walls of the room are the work of Giorgio Vasari and his workshop. He received the commission from Cosimo I de’ Medici to transform the hall into a meeting room which would glorify his feats and history. At the center of the ceiling we find the Apotheosis of Cosimo I surrounded by more than 40 allegories regarding the districts of Florence and the domains of the Duchy.
In addition to Vasari’s works, the Salone dei Cinquecento boasts Michelangelo’s famous Vittoria, one of the eight sculptures that, together with the Captives, was made for the tomb of Pope Julius II.
Of particular beauty is the Studiolo of Francesco I, also created by Vasari and workshop, with walls covered with paintings, stuccos and sculptures that represent the four elements of nature (air, earth, water and fire). You can also admire the portraits of Cosimo I and his wife Eleanor of Toledo painted by Alessandro Allori.
On a sunny day, you should climb the Tower of Palazzo Vecchio which, with its 311.5 feet, rises over the roofs of the city. After climbing the 223 steps you reach the last crenellated sighting level which offers a splendid panorama of Florence.
Duration: 1 hour
