Firenze Trip Overview
Meet Michelangelo, Brunelleschi, Donatello and Dante and listen to their stories! Legend has it that Michelangelo could hear the whisper of David trapped in marble and that Brunelleschi could build the largest Dome ever built with just a wooden structure inside. Come with us to discover the special powers of our best Renaissance artists in a fun walking tour for families with children.
The tour starts near Piazza Della Repubblica, also known as the heart of the city. We will then walk to Piazza Duomo to admire its giant Dome, built by Messer Pippo in the 15th century.
From there, we will continue to Piazza Della Signoria, one of the most famous squares in the world, passing by the Church of Orsanmichele where we will talk about the statues in the niches. In the square, we find a copy of Michelangelo’s David, a universal masterpiece, where we will discuss the grumpy genius of Michelangelo.
Our walking tour for families ends in front of the Uffizi Gallery.
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
Meet Michelangelo, Brunelleschi, Donatello and Dante and listen to their stories! Legend has it that Michelangelo could hear the whisper of David trapped in marble and that Brunelleschi could build the largest Dome ever built with just a wooden structure inside. Come with us to discover the special powers of our best Renaissance artists in a fun walking tour for families with children.
The tour starts near Piazza Della Repubblica, also known as the heart of the city. We will then walk to Piazza Duomo to admire its giant Dome, built by Messer Pippo in the 15th century.
From there, we will continue to Piazza Della Signoria, one of the most famous squares in the world, passing by the Church of Orsanmichele where we will talk about the statues in the niches. In the square, we find a copy of Michelangelo’s David, a universal masterpiece, where we will discuss the grumpy genius of Michelangelo.
Our walking tour for families ends in front of the Uffizi Gallery.
Stop At: Piazza della Repubblica, Piazza Della Repubblica, Florence Italy
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: 10 minutes
Stop At: 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.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Piazza della Signoria, 50122, Florence Italy
Political center of the city and house to the city hall, Palazzo Vecchio. 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.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Gallerie Degli Uffizi, Piazzale Degli Uffizi 6, 50122, Florence Italy
The tour will end in the Uffizi gallery square. The Uffizi Gallery is the oldest museum in the world, and it is located in the historic center of Florence, next to Palazzo Vecchio and Ponte Vecchio.
The name comes from its previous intended use. The building, commissioned by Grand Duke Cosimo I, was conceived as the seat of the administrative and judicial offices of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. Giorgio Vasari started this construction in 1560. The building was subsequently connected to the government headquarters in Palazzo Vecchio by an elevated passageway which, in 1565, was extended to the Grand Duke’s residence in Palazzo Pitti, thus creating the famous Vasari Corridor.
Duration: 30 minutes
