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DAY 1 – EN ROUTE - ARRIVAL - VENICE ORIENTATION
After getting your luggage, purchase a ticket for the launch inside the terminal and be taken to the main stop - San Marco . From here you catch the waterbus (purchase tickets) and stop at the closest stop to your hotel. (We will tell you where to get off). Alternatively take the water taxi (Euro 70) and be taken to your hotel's doorstop. The ride is memorable, but expensive. Ride takes 30 minutes by water bus.
If included in your package you will be met by your transfer service outside customs.
Rest and unpack and then head for the main square - San Marco and take an orientation walk. Sip a cappuccino at one of the outdoor café's, walk along the seashore and admire the view across the lagoon of St. George's Church. In the evening there is a Hungarian orchestra playing outside on San Marco at the famous Café' Florian.
DAY 2 - DOGE'S PALACE - SAN MARCO BASILICA - RIALTO BRIDGE
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Head back to San Marco Square to the Doge's Palace - (open every day).
The Palace is one of the most magnificent in Italy and well deserving of at least an hour and a half. This Gothic-Renaissance fantasy of pink-and-white marble is the majestic expression of the prosperity and power attained by Venice during its most glorious period - it was the Venetian Republic's White House, Senate, Supreme Court, and prison rolled into one.
Since it is quite extensive, you might want to purchase a good guidebook to get the most out of it. Inside are sumptuous rooms, private apartments, dungeons and great paintings/works of art to admire; it has always been a focal point in the rich history of the city.
Next-door is the Basilica of San Marco, one of the richest and greatest Byzantine churches in the world. San Marco is famous for its 43,055 sq ft of stunning mosaics, for the Cappella della Madonna di Nicopeia (Chapel of the Madonna of Nicopeia), and for the extraordinary Pala d'Oro (Golden Altarpiece), a dazzling gilded silver screen encrusted with gems.
Across from the Basilica is the Correr Museum - also worth a stop. Your entry to the Doge Palace includes the entry to the Correr Museum, so if you have time during the day, stop over. Canova's neo-classical sculptures are on display, as well as many eclectic collections, furniture, elegant rooms, artifacts etc…
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Begin to discover the various quarters of the city. San Polo, Dorsoduro, La Guidecca, Rialto, San Marco. The best thing is to just get lost actually. You can walk everywhere in Venice, and where you cannot walk you go by water. While the city has hundreds of bridges, the Grand Canal can only be crossed on foot at three points: Ponte degli Scalzi, near the train station (Ferrovia); Ponte di Rialto, at the Rialto; and at Ponte dell'Accademia. As an alternative, take the traghetti, essentially gondolas that ferry across the canal. The vaporetti (water buses) that circulate through the city on set routes are best used to cover long distances.
Away from the crowds, strolling along narrow alleys you discover the real Venice, no tourists. Magically bright squares and gardens appear.
It is a relief to get away from the people and find out how intimate this city can be. Your camera will be busy clicking away as you cross little bridges; they look like picture postcard settings.
SAN POLO - Campo S. Rocco and Campo D. Frari - Campo San Polo. The Scuola di San Rocco houses some great works by Tintoretto - one of my favorite artists. (1500's)
GREAT PLACES TO DINE IN VENICE…
Alla Madonna Don't judge the place from the outside - the rooms are actually well kept and, by Venetian standards, rather elegant, with some decent artwork: Boiled granseola and seafood salads can be followed by a hearty fish soup with croutons, or deep-fried eel for the more adventurous. Ask hotel to reserve. Calle della Madonna, 594 San Polo, Phone: 041/522-384 AE, DC, MC, V. Closed Wed. and part of Aug.
Osteria al Bacco It's worth making the effort to track down this ancient osteria where you can mingle with the locals and find refuge from the crowds. For alfresco dining, the small but charming garden has a few tables. Fondamenta Capuzine, 3054 Cannaregio, Phone: 041/717-493. AE, DC, MC, V. Closed Mon., Jan., and Aug.
Trattoria C'a d'Oro Just a small place serving authentic Venetian Food with a rough Venetian floor, old marble counter, wooden paneling, and long tables invite conviviality. Calle del Pistor, 3912 Cannaregio, Phone: 041/528-5324. No credit cards. Closed Thurs., Sun. morning, Aug., and 1st wk in Sept.
Al Graspo de Ua Opened in the 19th century as a small osteria, the "Bunch of Grapes" became the meeting point of artists and movie stars back in the dolce vita days. The wide menu offers fresh pasta tossed with fish, seasonal risotto, and meat and seafood. Calle dei Bombaseri, 5094 San Marco, Phone: 041/522-3647. AE, DC, MC, V. Closed Mon. and several wks between July and Aug.
OTHER OPTIONS
DAY 3 - RIALTO MARKET - ACCADEMIA - or - Ca' d'Oro PALACE or Ca' REZZONICO PALACE – PEGGY GUGGENHEIM COLLECTION
A stop at the Rialto market is a must. The freshest fish, vegetables and fruits are on view and worth a detour.
Then head for the Accademia and stop at the GALLERIE DELL'ACCADEMIA - Accademia Galleries - the finest painting collection in Venice. Hanging in this museum is unquestionably the most extraordinary masterpieces of Venetian art in the world, ranging from Gothic to 1800's. There is usually a line since they only allow a certain number of persons in at a time, so take some patience with you.
Once you cross the bridge (what a view!) just keep heading towards the right and wind around. Or alternatively head towards the CA’ D’ORO, known as the finest example of Gothic architecture. This exquisite palace was once literally a "Golden House," its marble traceries and ornaments embellished with pure gold. Each section has a charm all its own.
Ca' Rezzonico a truly unique Baroque mansion has some elegant rooms overlooking the Grand Canal and furniture collections. With its stucco work, colored marble fixtures, brocade tapestry, fine furniture, Murano glass chandeliers, and valuable frescoes, this Grand Canal palace shows how elegant the Venetian lifestyle was in spite of the declining times.
Many of these palaces still host some of Carnival's most elegant balls every February.
MUSIC CONCERT - there usually are concerts every evening featuring VIVALDI'S music or other similar in one of the many churches or palaces (La Pieta', the Scuola Grande di San Rocco and many more) Inquire for further information.
After stopping at one of the Palaces along the Grand Canal you may want to head for: The "Lesser Known" Venice: CASTELLO. Behind the Doge's Palace, walking along the water lies a residential quarter that has not lost any authenticity after all these years. Families live here, there is a large green Park overlooking the lagoon and further inland are some truly charming sections with bridges lovely to walk in.
PEGGY GUGGENHEIM COLLECTION. Directly on the Grand Canal, the museum, displayed in the Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, her residence for 30 years, are works representing the most important artistic movements from the early 20th century through the post-war period.
Extremely rich, provocative, and extravagant, Peggy Guggenheim (1898-1979) - wife of Max Ernst and niece of Solomon Guggenheim - was among the 20th century's greatest collectors of modern art. Calle San Cristoforo, 701 Dorsoduro.
For a special "splurge" dinner head for: HOTEL CIPRIANI - a private launch will take you across the lagoon to this island of peace and quiet and superb food and service. This is the top hotel in Venice and the garden restaurant quite memorable.
In white-peach season (July to early September), you must try the famous blossom-scented Bellini aperitif. The cuisine is rooted in Venetian tradition, prepared and presented with a star chef's hand and matched with a superb wine list. An old standard is the green tagliolini (thin fettuccine) gratin with ham and a light white sauce.
Reservations essential. Fondamenta San Giovanni 10, Giudecca, Phone: 041/520-7744 AE, DC, MC, V.
OTHER IDEAS - EXPLORE THE LAGOON
Take the traghetto or a boat tour to the charming island of MURANO, which as Venice is made up of a number of smaller islands linked by bridges. It is known for its glassworks, which moved here from Venice in the 13th century because they were a fire hazard. Many of these line the Fondamenta dei Vetrai, the canal-side walkway leading away from the Colonna landing stage, and can be visited. The Museo Vetrario (Glass Museum) details the history of Murano's glassworks; its displays range from priceless antiques to only slightly less-expensive modern pieces.
BURANO. Dotting this fishing village on an island in the lagoon are houses painted in cheerful colors and a raked bell tower in the main square, Piazza Galuppi, about 100 yards from the landing stage. Lace is to Burano what glass is to Murano, but be prepared to pay a lot - $1,000 to $2,000 for a 10" doily - for the real thing. Stalls line the way from the landing stage to Piazza Galuppi. The Museo del Merletto (Lace Museum) is the best place to learn the intricacies of Burano's lace-making traditions and the nature of the skills needed to make the more expensive lace.
MORE RESTAURANTS SUGGESTIONS:
Al Conte Pescaor Delicious risotto and hot second courses. You can eat at the bar. 597 B, Piscina San Zulian, off Marzaria San Zulian, Tel. 041.522.1483 Closed Sun. and Mon. aftnoon.
Taverna San Tomaso on Dorsoduro. Good prices (near the Accademia). Fondamenta Priuli, Dorsoduro 1016. Tel. 5203703 Cl. Mondays
Antica Besseta: Even if this old trattoria is a bit off the beaten track, don't go without booking first, because there are only a few tables and the place is well known. Try the Risi e bisi (savory rice and peas) or fettuccine verdi agli spinaci con peperoni e basilico and then, of course, fish.1395, Salizada Zusto, between San Simeon Grando and San Giacomo dall'Orio, Tel. 041.721.687 closed Tue. and Wedn.
Harry's Bar
More than just a tiny restaurant, this place is a landmark. Founder Giuseppe Cipriani, who ran it in the days when Hemingway nominated it as his favorite restaurants, has become more famous than any Venetian since the thirties. 1323, Calle Vallaresso, Tel. 041.528.5331 Closed Mon.
Linea d’Ombra
Reserve a table outside overlooking the Guidecca. Zattere ai Saloni, Dorsoduro 19. Tel. 520 47 20. Medium prices.
OPTIONAL TOUR
Full day boat tour of the Brenta Canal and Venetial Villas
Enjoy the 8 ½ hours guided tour on board the Burchiello launch to discover magnificent Palladian 17th and 18th century Villas on the Brenta River and canals between the Venetian lagoon and Padua, lunch included.
In a time span from 15th to 18th cent. Venetian nobles were used to build thousands of countryside luxury villas. They were both meant to be masters’ country houses and estate centers. Parks and gardens with plays of water particularly suit the elegant and refined social life. Many of these scenographic villas were planned by famous architects, as Palladio and Scamozzi, and fresco-painted by artists such as Veronese and Tiepolo.
Water plays an important role in the scenographic asset of the building. The most outstanding villas lie along the Brenta River, which was canalized in the 16th cent. and flows for a total of 36 Km. (22 miles), and their main façade face directly the water. Today some villas open their doors to the public: the Villa Foscari at Malcontenta, the Villa Widman-Foscari at Mira, the Villa Pisani.
DAY 4 - FLORENCE
From Venice, take the train straight to Florence. From the station we can arrange for a transfer or you can take a taxi. Distances are short. When you arrive, settle in your hotel. Just outside is the heart of the city. Florence is a city to discover on foot and all the main sites are within easy walking distance.
RESTAURANTS
A hole in the wall near the Mercato di San Lorenzo called Gozzi - but don't get there too late, the food is cooked in the morning, it is a local's hang out and when its finished, its finished. It isn't open on week-ends, it doesn't have a sign, and it isn't in any guidebook so walk behind the leather displays until you see a small door with people eating inside or ask a shop owner.
Al Cinghiale Bianco (the White Boar), your hotel can reserve and you must reserve. Tell your concierge you want the table "in the tower" if available.
Hosteria da Ganino - between the Duomo and Palazzo Vecchio on a little side street, Piazza dei Cimatori. Must reserve: Tel. 214125. Closed Sunday. Ask for a table outside.
La Vecchia Taverna di Bacco - near Piazza del Campo. Via Beccheria 9. Tel. 0577/49331. All credit cards.
Angiolino - on the Oltrearno district Via Santo Spirito - tel. 239-8976, closed Monday and Sunday dinner. Order Ribollita - the soup of Tuscany.
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Walk around and do the Duomo, Palazzo della Signoria, Piazza della Signoria and main sites with private guide. Do either the Palazzo Vecchio or the Bargello or the Santa Maria Novella Church.
PALAZZO VECCHIO is one of the symbols of Florence, which has made it through centuries of battles and rebirths, brought it through the hands of gentlemen and merchants. Its impressive figure gives the piazza a strange but beautiful perspective. In the fifteenth-century it was the seat of the Signori, the highest power figure in the Renaissance, until the Medici family moved to Palazzo Pitti: then, to distinguish it from the Grand Duke's residence, it was named Palazzo Vecchio.
The Palazzo is one of the masterpieces of fourteenth century architecture. The facade, covered with rustic stone, is divided into three levels divided by cornices on which rest the beautiful mullioned windows whose arches are covered and underlined with the same stone. The small balcony, sustained by small arched supports underneath, opens out through an arched window, providing great architectural effect. Between these supports are the different family crests and shields of the ancients.
A second patrol balcony is on the top floor and is protected by Guelf battlements.
Palazzo Vecchio, in its long history, has adapted to the times and functions in which it has found itself. Today it is not just a great museum, but it also houses various offices of the City and is often the seat of important conferences.
Continue along the Via dei Calzaiuoli, one of the main shopping streets in Florence and arrive at Piazza San Giovanni where you will find the DUOMO portrayed in every postcard, book, painting that advertises Florence, the BATTISTERO and the CAMPANILE DI GIOTTO.
It is by no doubt that the dome and its cupola is Brunelleschi's best work ever and no other architect all over Italy has been able to match his talent. No other building stands higher than the Duomo which was first designed in 1294 by Arnolfo di Cambio who died eight years later leaving the design to a number other architects who finished designing Arnolfo's dream but could not figure out how to build such a long dome (142 feet from the ground). Fillippo Brunelleschi came to the rescue and manage to construct this marvellous Dome that has become the largest Church in the Catholic world. If you stand a few metres away from any side of the dome and look up, the whole structure will seem to be falling on you. This gives an idea of how high it is.
The Museum of the Duomo (Museo dell' Opera del Duomo) is located between the baptistery and the campanile and keeps all the exteriors of the Duomo, Campanile and the Baptistery that needed to be kept away.
The BAPTISTERY is one of the oldest buildings in Florence, which was initially the city's cathedral before the Reparata. The three sets of gilded bronze doors have made the building very significant hence they are worth talking about.
So far it has been impossible to date beginnings of the Baptistery, one of the oldest architectural monuments of the city. At one time thought to have been a pagan temple dedicated to Mars, modern research tends to date its origins to the fourth century. Its geometrical decoration in green and white Prato marble results from a happy combination of Paleochristian and Romanesque architecture of the eleventh to thirteenth centuries.
Opening Hours:
Dome: 10:00 - 17:00 , Mon-Sat, 13:00-15:00 Sundays and Religious Holidays
Church: Times vary according to type of services held.
Baptistery - 13:30 - 18:30 Mon-Sat; 8:30-13:30 Sun. Closed on Easter Sunday.
On the Piazza della Signoria later on sip an aperitif at Rivoire where you can sit on the world's greatest piazza, sip a Campari or have the richest hot chocolate in Italy. “People watching” is the main sport of the day here and you really do see just about everything. The best time is to come before dinner, around 6:30 p.m.
DAY 5 - UFFIZI GALLERY – PRIVATE TOUR OF THE HANDCRAFT LABORATORIES
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We will reserve tickets to the Uffizi Gallery for you - one of the finest collections of Renaissance art in the world.
There is no way that one can see everything showed in this art galleries in one visit, since it contains many masterpieces that have been collected all over Italy; however a visit to this incredible collection is a must in Florence. Take it slowly and try to concentrate on a couple of themes you are more interested in.
The gallery building contains rooms and rooms of art collections. Some of these rooms may be closed for a variety of reasons but surely one cannot visit all of them in detailed despite the eagerness. Each has its theme and features a specific artist or a type of art.
To mention just few highlights: Room 1 houses an assembly of antique sculptures, many of which were used as a sort of source by Renaissance artists. Room 8 is dedicated to Filippo . This artist did wonders with the Madonna and Child with two Angels. Following in his footsteps, the pupil, Botticelli takes his well-deserved bows in the next room with the all-fine Madonna. Botticelli's other productions are also found in Room 10 to 14.
Leonardo da Vinci takes room 15's visitors by storm in his work appearing in the Baptism. As if there can be no other competition, Michelangelo presents his Doni Tondo in room 25 which is the only easel painting he came close to completing but it still looks magnificent.
The Doni Tondo of Michelangelo
Also found in Room 25 there is another work by Michelangelo, The Holy Family with its vibrant colours and the twisted pose of the Virgin. Room 42 has a different feel to it. It has Roman statues of Niobe and her children and the neo-Attic Medici vase.
Entry to this most historic gallery is not that easy considering that this gallery is in every tourists' 'must see' list.
The Vasari's Corridor can be found on the right end, far north of the museum. This corridor leads to the Palazzo Vecchio going over the Ponte Vecchio bridge.
Info:
Operating Hours: 8:30 - 22:00 Tues-Sat; 8:30 - 20:00 Sun.
Closed on Mondays.
Intended by Cosimo I around the middle of the 16th century, the UFFIZI PALACE was designed by Giorgio Vasari. In order to realize the project, Vasari had many houses that surrounded the area demolished. Its construction also included the church of San Pier Scheraggio, which was reserved to worshipping until 1743. The purpose of the extraordinary building was to host the thirteen Magistratures or Uffizi, where the Palace later received its name from, at the time located in different seats. When Vasari died, the building of the Uffizi Palace was entrusted to Buontalenti and Alfonso Parigi.
The building has an unusual horseshoe shape formed by two parallel buildings united by a passageway. The two floors of the building stand over a portico sustained by two pillars and decorated by niches, where the statues of Florentines who distinguished themselves from the Middle Ages until the 19th century are placed.
SAN LORENZO CHURCH - MEDICI CHAPELS – ACCADEMIA – OSPEDALE DEGLI INNOCENTI
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Consecrated by St. Ambrose in 393, the SAN LORENZO CHURCH is the oldest church in the city. It was then rebuilt along Romanesque lines in 1060. The present building dates to 1423 and was designed and built by Brunelleschi.
The simple bare facade lacks the marble revetment; Michelangelo's design was never carried out. The internal façade, which Michelangelo also designed is comprised of three doors between two pilasters with garlands of oak and laurel and a balcony on two Corinthian columns.
The interior has a nave separated from the side aisles by Corinthian columns. The ceiling has magnificent gilded rosettes in white-ground coffering.
MEDICI CHAPEL
The Medici Chapels form part of the monumental complex of San Lorenzo, whose building history lasts from the first years of the fifteenth century until the early seventeenth. The church of San Lorenzo was the official church of the Medici from their period as private residents in their palace in Via Larga (now via Cavour), becoming their mausoleum up to the time of the extinction of the line. Giovanni de' Bicci de' Medici (died 1429) was the first who wished to be buried there with his wife Piccarda in the small Sacristy of Brunelleschi. Later, his son Cosimo the Elder, was buried in the crossing of the church. The project for a family tomb was conceived in 1520 when Michelangelo began work on the New Sacristy, corresponding to the Old Sacristy by Brunelleschi on the other side of the church.
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ACCADEMIA
The ACCADEMIA MUSEUM was for a long time considered the deposit of the other Florentine galleries, notably the Uffizi and the collection has changed through the years also owing to the accession of works from the suppressed monastic houses. For many years Botticelli's Primavera was shown here.
Nowadays the gallery can take its place among the finest museums of Florence thanks to the high quality of some of its exhibits, among them Giovanni da Milano's Pieta (fourteenth century), the Annunciation by Lorenzo Monaco (fifteenth century), the beautiful front called Adimari Cassone showing a sumptuous marriage procession (c. 1450) and the Madonna of the Sea attributed to Botticelli (1445-1510).
A recent rearrangement and restoration of some of the rooms have given more space for the display of paintings from the fourteenth to the seventeenth centuries and public admittance to a spectacular room where are arranged plaster models of Lorenzo Bartolini and Luigi Pampaloni, Famous Italian sculptors of the nineteenth century.
The gallery became the focus of more attention in 1873 when Michelangelo's David was exhibited there for the first time in a specially constructed tribune. Brought there for reasons of conservation from Piazza Signoria where for almost four centuries it had represented the power and dignity of the Florentine Republic, it was joined at the beginning of this century by other Michelangelo sculptures
INFO
ACCADEMIA, via Ricasoli 68
Phone: 055-216261
OSPEDALE DEGLI INNOCENTI
Located right near the Accademia Museum, the Ospedale degli Innocenti (Foundling Hospital) and its portico (gallery) is one of the best-known and most important architectural complexes of the early fifteenth century in Florence. This was commissioned and financed by the Arte della Lana to the designs of Filippo Brunelleschi. The "hospital" aimed to raise abandoned children and teach them some useful trade enabling them to take their place in society. In the buildings of the refectory, cloisters, dormitories, infirmary, nurses’ rooms and porticoes, Brunelleschi created a perfect example of rational and harmonious hospital architecture subsequently enlarged and decorated with frescoes documenting the continuing activities of the institution and the favours of the reigning Medici family.
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PITTI PALACE - BOBOLI GARDENS - PIAZZALE MICHELANGELO – SAN MINIATO AL MONTE
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Situated in the first great square in the area that the Florentines call "Diladdarno" - beyond the Arno - PALAZZO PITTI dominates uncontested at the feet of the small hill Boboli.
Its construction was commissioned in the second half of the 15th century by the banker Luca Bonaccorso Pitti to the famous architect Filippo Brunelleschi. The palace has had a long history of works of construction and of extensions, which have lasted about four centuries.
The first version of Palazzo Pitti had smaller body dimensions compared to the present one. The architectural Renaissance style, austere and balanced, was enriched by classical elements from the Doric, Ionic and Corinthian orders. The following extensions gave the Palace its present appearance. Around 1550 the Grand-Duke Cosimo I de' Medici purchased it to become the residence of the family and in 1558 he commissioned the works of refinement to Bartolomeo Ammannati who included large windows in the façade, called inginocchiate, and created the portico and thed courtyard. The construction and the creation of the great garden, named Boboli from the homonymous hill, were commissioned to Niccolò Tribolo.
Palazzo Pitti, which through time assumed different functions, is today the seat of important museums (Silvers, Chinawares, Costumes, Carriages, Gallery of Modern Art and the Garden of Boboli) through which it is possible to visit its halls, the displays of the court and the splendour of a faraway epoch which managed to pass down faithful and unchanged through history.
Info:
Palazzo Pitti: Piazza Pitti
Closed on Mondays
The Boboli Gardens extend between Palazzo Pitti, Forte Belvedere and the Porta Romania. It's the typical Italian garden that mixes architecturalized nature and natural architecture, hosting sculptures and plastics from antiquity to the 19th century.
Info:
Piazza Pitti
Hour: from May to October 9:00 a.m.- 8:00 p.m.
Ticket L. 4.000
WALKING ITINERARY….
Complete your tour with the magnificent panorama view of Florence you will able to enjoy from PIAZZALE MICHELANGELO, looking down onto the Arno and its bridges; on the left the view includes the large 19th century Cascine Parks, lower down the districts of Santo Spirito and San Frediano, to the right the white BASILICA OF SAN MINIATO AL MONTE.
You can reach Piazzale Michelangelo on foot by taking the wonderful spectacular route that architect Giuseppe Poggi created between 1865 and 1871, during the period in which Florence was the capital city of the Kingdom of Italy.
The walk up to Piazzale Michelangelo starts out from Porta a San Niccolò (Piazza Poggi), the only gate whose original high tower of defence (1324) is still complete. The first part of the pedestrian ramp that leads up to Piazzale Michelangelo and then on to the church courtyard of San Miniato is situated in the centre.
From the Piazzale itself you can see the whole of Florence at a glance, from Forte Belvedere to Santa Croce, the Ponte Vecchio, the Duomo, the Uffizi, the Palazzo della Signoria and the Bargello, etc.
SAN MINIATO AL MONTE is one of the most significant examples of Romanesque architecture, built between the 11th and 13th centuries. The view of the city of Florence from its front steps is unsurpassed.
FURTHER SUGGESTIONS...
SANTA MARIA NOVELLA CHURCH - BARGELLO MUSEUM
Santa Maria Novella is the favorite church (and square) of the Florentines. The inside guards some of the finest early Renaissance frescos of the city. It is an Italian Gothic Cathedral. Not to be missed are Masaccio's Holy Trinity and Domenico Ghirlandaio and Lippi's chapels. Works by Brunelleschi (designed St. Peter's) and other are also to be viewed. The Cloisters (outside to your left) are open only in the mornings and beautiful.
As is the case with most other Florentine squares, Piazza Santa Maria Novella is dominated by its church. The facade is one of the earliest and most beautiful in Florence
The inside of the church, which is simply vast, has a number of important art works. The frescoes on the apse behind the main altar are, instead, Domenico Ghirlandaio's masterpiece, stories from the life of the Virgin. The Gondi Chapel, immediately to the left of the altar, contains Brunelleschi's only surviving sculpture, a crucifixion he is said to have done sometime between 1410 and 1425, to show Donatello how he thought the Savior should be rendered.
After, head to Via del Proconsolo for the BARGELLO MUSEUM, with the finest collection of Renaissance sculpture in the country.
This building was the first monumental public building of the council, which was the seat of the Podestà, (the chief magistrate) and in the sixteenth century became a prison (from which it acquired its current name, from the chief of police, the bargello, which means "sbirro"), and in 1865 a superb collection of sculpture from the Florentine Renaissance and an assembly of small renaissance bronzes was installed, including works of art by Michelangelo, Donatello and Cellini.
Opening Hours:
Museum- 8:30-14:00 daily; Closed on the 2nd and 4th Monday AND 1st and 3rd Sunday of each month.
Location: Via del Proconsolo, Phone: 055-238 8606
DAY 6 - TUSCAN COUNTRYSIDE
(With chauffeur or bus and guide tour)
This unique experience will surely be one of the most loved memories of this trip to Italy
The Chianti is a particularly beautiful area of Tuscany renowned for its wine appellation, one of the oldest in Europe. The tour could begin with a visit to Brolio Castle that today is one of the region’s finest wine producers where it is said the formula for Chianti Classico wine was developed. Then visit the medieval hill town of Radda and then in a ceramic studio where traditional throwing and coil construction methods are still used.
The tour includes the following services:
Driver/guide with car provided
Wine tasting
Lunch in a typical Tuscan trattoria or restaurant
Visits of ancient castles, villas, cellars as well as a complete experience of the countryside and medieval hill towns.
These itineraries are custom designed for us only.
STOPS
SIENA
CASTELLINA IN CHIANTI* (village of the 6th/7th centuries A.C)
RADDA IN CHIANTI*
BORGO DI VOLPAIA (visit to the vineyards, wine tasting, lunch at an inn)
BADIA A COLTIBUONO * (abbey constructed in the 11th C.)
CASTELLO DI SPALTENNA *
CASTELLO DI MELETO * (medieval castle of the 13 th C.)
CASTELLO DI BROLIO* (you can admire a very nice view of Siena)
CASTELNUOVO BERARDENGA
PIANELLA
S.SANO * (photographic itineraries)
LECCHI IN CHIANTI (wine tasting)
CASTELLO DI BROLIO *
S.GUSME’
CASTELNUOVO BERARDENGA
Duration of the tour: approximate 8 hours, including the lunch break.
At the end of the day you will be driven back to your hotel in Florence and can head back to Venice or fly out of Florence/Pisa the next day.
DAY 7 – RETURN HOME
Pricing (final price is based on time of year and available hotels)
Based on charming 3 star boutique hotels €3,995
Based on First Class, 4 star hotels €4,695
Based on Luxury 5 star hotels please inquire
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