Firenze Trip Overview
If you are coming for the first time to Florence, let yourself be guided by us. We will make discover with your children the city’s history, how it is born, streets, palaces, churches, city walls, the river, the life and crafts.
Walking through the city you will find the Cathedral and its dome, the idea and the genius of the great architect Brunelleschi, then Piazza Della Repubblica where we will discover the ancient center of the city, the Porcellino market and its fairy tale.
We’ll see the city hall, Palazzo Vecchio, the lively Piazza Della Signoria where the legends and myths of Perseus, Neptune, David and Hercules will be told and, between a story and the other, we will reach Ponte Vecchio. Mysteries and curiosities, History characters along with the myths and legends will be ready to lead you in this journey in the Art, you will be surprised and amused!
Additional Info
Duration: 2 hours
Starts: Firenze, Italy
Trip Category: Cultural & Theme Tours >> Cultural Tours
Explore Firenze Promoted Experiences
What to Expect When Visiting Firenze, Toscana, Italy
If you are coming for the first time to Florence, let yourself be guided by us. We will make discover with your children the city’s history, how it is born, streets, palaces, churches, city walls, the river, the life and crafts.
Walking through the city you will find the Cathedral and its dome, the idea and the genius of the great architect Brunelleschi, then Piazza Della Repubblica where we will discover the ancient center of the city, the Porcellino market and its fairy tale.
We’ll see the city hall, Palazzo Vecchio, the lively Piazza Della Signoria where the legends and myths of Perseus, Neptune, David and Hercules will be told and, between a story and the other, we will reach Ponte Vecchio. Mysteries and curiosities, History characters along with the myths and legends will be ready to lead you in this journey in the Art, you will be surprised and amused!
Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Duomo – Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore, Via della Canonica, 1 Piazza del Duomo, 50122, Florence Italy
The Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore is the main cathedral in Florence and represents one of the hubs of the city. It is one of the most important churches in Europe and it was designed to be the largest in the world at the time of its construction. Its dimensions are imposing with 153 meters in length and a width of 38 meters with a difference in height from the floor to the top of the internal dome of about 90 meters.
It was consecrated on March 25, 1436 by Pope Eugene IV.
The cathedral was built over the pre-existing Church of Santa Reparata, which is still visible in the accessible crypt of the cathedral. Here you can also find Filippo Brunelleschi’s tomb. The foundation stone was laid on 8 September 1296 on a first project by Arnolfo di Cambio, which was followed by other great master craftsmen, including Giotto, who barely had time to start building the large bell tower in his lifetime. The magnificent facade of the Cathedral is a nineteenth-century work by Emilio De Fabris.
In 1418, a public competition was launched for the construction of the extensive dome which was to complete the construction of the cathedral. It was Filippo Brunelleschi’s pioneering project that was selected and construction work began in 1420.
The interior of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore appears linear and sober and holds masterpieces such as Giovanni Acuto’s equestrian monument by Paolo Uccello and the one of Niccolò da Tolentino by Andrea del Castagno. The frescoes of the dome are spectacular and depict the Last Judgment by Federico Zuccari and Giorgio Vasari. Other masterpieces, such as the Singing Choirs (Cantoria) by Donatello and Della Robbia made for the Cathedral, are now preserved in the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Ponte Vecchio, 50125, Florence Italy
The Ponte Vecchio is one of the most famous monuments in Florence and is certainly one of its major attractions. Vecchio means “old” in Italian and the name comes from the fact that the bridge is built in the narrowest point of the Arno river, where there has always been a bridge since the Etruscan times. The current bridge was built in 1345, after the previous one was swept away by the terrible flood of 1333. This is also the only bridge that survived the Second World War. On the night between the 3rd and 4th August 1944 the Nazis blew up all the bridges in the city, saving only the Ponte Vecchio.
On the Ponte Vecchio today we can admire the famous and dazzling shop windows of Florentine jewelers and goldsmiths, whose shops have been there since 1593 when Ferdinand I ordered the goldsmiths to replace the beccai (the ancient butchers) established on the bridge since 1442. A legend narrates that Cosimo I while walking over the bridge exclaimed: pecunia non olet “money does not smell” thus suggesting the use of metallic materials for the products sold on the bridge.
Halfway across the bridge there is the bronze bust of Benvenuto Cellini, a Florentine goldsmith and sculptor of the sixteenth century, inventor of the famous technique of chiseled gold, also known as “Florentine gold”.
Above the shops of Ponte Vecchio there is the Vasari Corridor, a famous passage built by Giorgio Vasari in 1565 at the behest of Cosimo I. The corridor was built to allow the future Grand Duke to move undisturbed and safely between the center of the political and administrative power, in Palazzo Vecchio, and his private residence in the Oltrarno area, the Pitti Palace.
Duration: 15 minutes
Stop At: Campanile di Giotto, Piazza del Duomo Historical Center, 50122, Florence Italy
Giotto’s bell tower stands proudly beside the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. It is 27,789 feet high and about 50 feet wide and it is considered by many to be one of the most beautiful bell towers in Italy.
The bell tower takes its name from Giotto, who began its construction in 1334, after succeeding Arnolfo di Cambio who had laid the foundations in 1298. Like the other monuments in Duomo square it is covered with red, white and green marble slabs to create a dense fabric of geometries and symbols.
At the base you can admire splendid decorations that recount the evolution of man from his creation up to his maximum realization. The cycle begins with the birth of man represented with the Creation of Adam and Eve, followed by the discoveries of the various arts that have marked mankind. The tiles were made by Andrea Pisano, designed by Giotto and subsequently completed by Luca Della Robbia. Above the two levels of decorations there are sixteen niches that house statues depicting Kings, Sibyls, Patriarchs and Prophets made by great masters of the fifteenth century such as Nanni di Banco and Donatello.
The majestic bell tower was completed in 1359 by Francesco Talenti, who succeeded Andrea Pisano and finally completed the top three floors with windows. Going up 414 steps you can reach the large panoramic terrace, which acts as a roof for Giotto’s bell tower.
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
Stop At: Piazza della Repubblica, Piazza della Repubblica, Florence, Tuscany
Piazza della Repubblica is the beating heart of the center of Florence, where the old city meets the modern one, and teems with life at any time of day or night.
Piazza della Repubblica has been the center of the city since the Roman times, when the cardo and decumanus (the two axial streets of all towns built by the Romans) intersected marking the location of the large Roman forum. The exact point is marked by a Column called Colonna dell’Abbondanza.
In medieval times, the area was very populated and the square was used as a market area from the year 1000. In the Renaissance it became the area of the “old market”, since the Loggia of the New Market, or Loggia del Porcellino, was built close-by near Palazzo Vecchio and Ponte Vecchio. Not far from the old market there was also the Jewish ghetto, established in 1570 by Cosimo I, which had two synagogues.
The current appearance of Piazza della Repubblica dates to the late 1800s, when major renovations were made in Florence when it became the capital of Italy. The ring road, Piazzale Michelangelo and the Rampe date back to the same period. During the renovation works, the square was enlarged and many medieval buildings were demolished including towers, churches and noble palaces; the old Florence made way to modernity.
On the square elegant palaces and cafes were built transforming the area into the parlor of Florence. Here you can find places such as the Caffè delle Giubbe Rosse, where Italian artists and writers met, or the Caffè Gilli or the nearby Giacosa cafè where the Negroni cocktail was invented.
Today Piazza della Repubblica is still the center of the city, a meeting point halfway between the Duomo and Signoria squares, in the heart of Florentine shopping. Do not miss the beautiful, large carousel, fun for youngsters of any age.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Fontana del Porcellino, Via Val di Lamona Piazza del Mercato Nuovo, 50122, Florence Italy
The Porcellino statue, or rather the Fontana del Porcellino, is located on the edge of the Loggia del Mercato Nuovo, not far from the Ponte Vecchio and Palazzo Vecchio, in the historic center of Florence.
The bronze statue is a copy of Pietro Tacca’s original work, dating back to 1633 which, in turn, is a copy of a Roman marble sculpture from the Hellenistic period that Pope Pius IV gave to Cosimo I in 1560. The original bronze statue is in the Bardini Museum, while the Roman marble statue is in the Uffizi Gallery.
Porcellino in Italian means piglet so this should be a statue of a piglet, even if it is clear that the represented animal is actually a wild boar. The naming of this statue is lost in the mists of time. Even the famous writer Hans Christian Andersen, called it a piglet when describing it:
“In front of a sort of market in this street, where vegetables are sold, stands an artificial but beautifully fashioned bronze piglet. A fountain of fresh clear water gushes out of the animal’s mouth. Age has turned it dark green; only its snout shines as if it had been polished […] “
The words of the Danish writer remind us how the Fontana del Porcellino has always been linked to popular superstition. According to tradition, if you rub the nose of the piglet you will have good luck. Actually the complete procedure would be to rub its snout and then put a coin in its mouth: the coin must fall through the grate and then into the water, only then will you be granted good luck.
Duration: 10 minutes
