Discover art, culture and history in Florence.
In Florence, step into one of the most influential Italian dynasties, the Medici, through guided tours of museums, palazzos, and churches housing their commissions. Discover how the Medici family shaped the Italian city’s cultural landscape through art, architecture, and political power.
Visit the Palazzo Medici and the Basilica di San Lorenzo, hallmarks of the Medici legacy. Peruse rare antique books at the Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana, designed by Michelangelo and home to the Medici private library. Enjoy a guided tour of the Galleria degli Uffizi and the Museo Nazionale de Bargello, where you may see Italy’s largest collection of Gothic and Renaissance sculptures. Tour the Palazzo Pitti, a former Medici residence, and take a day trip to Siena for tours of the Duomo, one of Italy’s greatest cathedrals, and the Museo dell’Opera Metropolitana del Duomo.
Highlights
- Join an eminent Medici historian for a special visit through the secret passages of Palazzo Vecchio, once the Medici seat of power, and into the richly decorated apartments of Eleonora di Toledo, wife of Cosimo I
- Take in views above Ponte Vecchio during private access to the Corridoio Vasariano, an elevated walkway of the elite that has been recently refurbished and reopened
- Gain an insider’s view of art conservation at Italy’s primary art restoration laboratory, Opificio delle Pietre Dure, originally established as an artistic workshop in 1588 by Ferdinando I de’ Medici
- Enjoy a guided visit to Siena, capped off with an owner-hosted aperitif at a private palazzo
- Explore the Tuscan landscape during a day excursion to UNESCO-listed Villa di Poggio a Caiano, Lorenzo de’ Medici’s summer residence, built in 1485
- Savor a lovely meal at Villa di Artimino, Ferdinando I de’ Medici’s hunting lodge, while enjoying city views from its terraced garden
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