Firenze Trip Overview
Tour for art lovers with a special eye to contemporary developments. This tour starts where the morning Street Art & Food tour ended but attendance to the morning one is not necessary to understand and fully appreciate this visit. Please note that this tour will start with a minimum of 2 participants and a maximum of 8.
We will explore the Oltrarno neighborhood and cross to the other side of the river to end in Santa Maria Novella. Through off the beaten streets we will discover the lively and active world of local artists. The tour will end at the Street Levels Gallery, one of the key centers for all of the Street Artists living or simply passing from Florence.
Additional Info
Duration: 3 hours
Starts: Firenze, Italy
Trip Category: Cultural & Theme Tours >> Literary, Art & Music Tours
Explore Firenze Promoted Experiences
What to Expect When Visiting Firenze, Toscana, Italy
Tour for art lovers with a special eye to contemporary developments. This tour starts where the morning Street Art & Food tour ended but attendance to the morning one is not necessary to understand and fully appreciate this visit. Please note that this tour will start with a minimum of 2 participants and a maximum of 8.
We will explore the Oltrarno neighborhood and cross to the other side of the river to end in Santa Maria Novella. Through off the beaten streets we will discover the lively and active world of local artists. The tour will end at the Street Levels Gallery, one of the key centers for all of the Street Artists living or simply passing from Florence.
Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Oltrarno, Oltrarno, Florence, Tuscany
The Oltrarno district is the one located on the left bank of the Arno river opposite to the historical center, it means “over the Arno”, and it covers that part of the city that is still less known.
When we say Oltrarno we mean the Florentine neighborhoods of San Niccolò, Santo Spirito and San Frediano which are still much loved, very authentic and densely populated. The narrow streets of these neighborhoods are full of artisan workshops, historic shops, small restaurants and wine shops, as well as Street Art.
In addition, the Oltrarno is the district where Piazzale Michelangelo and the Basilica of San Miniato are located, dominating over the center of the city. Passing over one of the famous bridges, like the Ponte Vecchio, you can access the Oltrarno from the Duomo side and reach the superb Medici residence of Palazzo Pitti, which houses several museums including the wonderful Palatine Gallery. It is also possible to visit the Church of Santo Spirito, which preserves Michelangelo’s Crucifix; the Brancacci Chapel with the cycle of frescoes by Masaccio, Masolino and Filippino Lippi; and the Church of Cestello.
The Florentine Oltrarno is also very popular for its restaurants, taverns and nightclubs where you can taste Florentine specialties such as lampredotto or tripe, and spend your evenings with friends.
The Oltrarno is also the neighborhood where our Street Art Tour of Florence begins, as there are many works by many famous Street Artists who have their galleries here.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Basilica di Santo Spirito, Piazza Santo Spirito 30, 50125, Florence Italy
The Basilica of Santo Spirito overlooks the square bearing the same name and is one of the beating hearts of the Oltrarno district.
Characterized by an unadorned facade, but without doubt particular, the Basilica of Santo Spirito was built on the remains of an Augustinian convent following a project by Filippo Brunelleschi, who at the time was also engaged in the construction of the dome of the Cathedral and the remodeling of the Basilica of San Lorenzo. The great architect, however, died while the works were still in progress and the church was finished by his followers, who eventually changed part of the initial project.
The interior is richly decorated with different works of art and has 38 side altars, for the same number of chapels, plus the large main altar surmounted by an imposing seventeenth-century canopy, dominated by a perforated dome by Salvi d’Andrea. Among the works of art preserved in the Basilica of Santo Spirito there is the splendid Pala Nerli made at the end of the fifteenth century by Filippino Lippi. This painting depicts a Madonna and Child and a young Saint John Giovannino, Martino and Caterina d’Alessandria, with a particular background view of the San Frediano area of the time.
The Basilica of Santo Spirito also preserves a stunning work by a very young Michelangelo, the poignant wooden Crucifix created around the year 1493. The great artist was hosted in Santo Spirito convent when he was 17 years old and had the privilege here to study human anatomy, analyzing corpses from the convent hospital. Michelangelo then carved this crucifix in gratitude to the prior Niccolò di Lapo Bichiellini, who placed it over the main altar. Today the wooden crucifix by Michelangelo is exhibited in the sacristy of the Basilica of Santo Spirito.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Via de’ Tornabuoni, Florence, Province of Florence, Italy, Florence Italy
Via Tornabuoni is an elegant street in the historic center of Florence located between Piazza Antinori and Piazza Santa Trinita. It has been one of the most luxurious and refined streets of Florence since the Renaissance times as testified by the presence of numerous noble palaces. Today the street houses numerous boutiques of high fashion brands such as Gucci, Ferragamo, Dolce & Gabbana, Bottega Veneta, Emilio Pucci and of world renowned jewelers such as Damiani and Bulgari.
Starting from Piazza Antinori, a few minutes walk from the central station, you will find Palazzo Antinori and the Church of Santi Michele e Gaetano, one of the most important examples of the Baroque style in the city.
Not far away is Palazzo Tornabuoni for which the whole street is named. The building belonged to the Tornabuoni family, related to the Medicis and, like them, remembered for being bankers, art patrons and great collectors.
Continuing along the road, in addition to the prestigious shops, there are numerous elegant palaces such as Palazzo Strozzi, a typical example of a Renaissance residence. It was commissioned by the progenitor of the family, Filippo Strozzi, who wished to build a larger and more imposing building than the Medici’s (the Palazzo Medici Riccardi), their bitter enemies.
On the opposite side of Via Tornabuoni, there is Piazza Santa Trinita, easily recognizable by the column in the center of the square called the Colonna della Giustizia. The column is flanked on all sides by three large elegant palaces: Palazzo Spini Feroni, a fourteenth-century palace and now home to the Maison Ferragamo; Palazzo Bartolini Salimbeni, Mannerist style masterpiece by Baccio d’Agnolo; and Palazzo Buondelmonti, another example of Renaissance architecture.
The square takes its name from the Church of Santa Trinita, a small but important Florentine church which inside presents a cycle of frescoes by Domenico del Ghirlandaio, the same artist of the frescoes in the Church of Santa Maria Novella which celebrate the Tornabuoni family.
Not far from the square is the Ponte Santa Trinita bridge where you can enjoy a panorama of the Florentine Lungarni and take beautiful photos of the Ponte Vecchio. Crossing the bridge we arrive in the Oltrarno area characterized by its colorful streets and from which it is possible to reach Palazzo Pitti and the Church of Santo Spirito in just a few minutes.
Duration: 20 minutes
