Essential Florence Walking Tour with an Expert Local Guide

The church of Orsanmichele is a historic building in the center of Florence. It was originally a loggia built for the storage and market of grain, later transformed into a church of the Arts, the ancient Florentine guilds. Today on the upper floors it houses a museum, with the originals of the sculptural cycle of its external niches and the famous statues of Donatello and Ghiberti.

We will pass Dante’s house and discover his life, his work and his city.

The metropolitan cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, commonly known as the cathedral of Florence, is the main Florentine church, symbol of the city and one of the most famous in Italy; when it was completed, in the 15th century, it was the largest church in the world, and can still boast the absolute primacy of the largest masonry dome today. It stands on the foundations of the ancient cathedral of Florence, the church of Santa Reparata, in the place that has hosted buildings of worship since Roman times.

The baptistery of San Giovanni Battista is a famous religious building in Florence, located in the Piazza San Giovanni of the same name, in front of the cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. Dedicated to the patron saint of the city, it was for centuries the place where Florentines obtained baptism and was the place of investiture of knights and poets (Dante was also baptized here).

Giotto's bell tower is the bell tower of Santa Maria del Fiore, the cathedral of Florence, and is located in Piazza del Duomo.

The basilica of Santa Maria Novella is one of the most important churches in Florence and stands on the square of the same name. Santa Maria Novella was the point of reference for an important mendicant order, the Dominicans.

Palazzo Rucellai is a palace from the 15th century, believed by most scholars to have been designed for Giovanni di Paolo Rucellai by Leon Battista Alberti between 1446 and 1451 and executed, at least in part, by Bernardo Rossellino. Its splendid facade was one of the first to proclaim the new ideas of Renaissance architecture based on the use of pilasters and entablatures in proportional relationship to each other. The Rucellai Palace demonstrates the impact of the ancient revival but does so in a manner which is full of Renaissance originality.

Palazzo Strozzi is one of the best-known Italian Renaissance palaces. Of imposing size (15 buildings were destroyed to make room for it), it is located between the homonymous Via Strozzi and Piazza Strozzi, and Via Tornabuoni, with three identical portals on every side.

The Basilica of Santa Trinita is one of the most important basilicas in the historical-artistic evolution of the city of Florence; according to Florentine usage, which reflects the Latin pronunciation of the nominative, it has the characteristic sdrucciola pronunciation (Trìnita). It overlooks the homonymous Piazza Santa Trinita and also gives its name to the nearby Santa Trinita bridge. We will enter inside to see the impressive frescoes by Ghirlandaio.

Palazzo Pitti is an imposing Renaissance palace in Florence. It is located in the Oltrarno area, a short distance from Ponte Vecchio. The original nucleus of the building dates back to 1458, as the urban residence of the banker Luca Pitti. The palace was then purchased by the Medici family in 1549 and became the main residence of the grand dukes of Tuscany, first Medici and from 1737 Habsburg-Lorraine. Following the unification of Italy, it played the role of royal palace for the House of Savoy in the five years in which Florence was the capital of the Kingdom of Italy (1865-70).

The church of Santa Felìcita is a Catholic place of worship in Florence, located in the Oltrarno district, between Ponte Vecchio and Palazzo Pitti. It is one of the oldest churches in Florence.

The Vasari corridor is an elevated path that connects Palazzo Vecchio with Palazzo Pitti, passing through the Uffizi and over Ponte Vecchio. The idea of ​​the elevated route was born to give the grand dukes the opportunity to move freely and without danger from their residence to the government palace, given the still uncertain support of the population towards the new duke and the new government system, after the ancient Florentine Republic.