SCULPTING DEVOTION

Discover how spiritual devotion, exquisite craftsmanship and creative genius have secured for us priceless works of art on this half-day tour of Florence. Your guide will take you along a carefully planned route to make sure you experience the very best of the city’s sights and iconic monuments while filling you in on their history and recounting lively anecdotes about the places you pass.

Make your way to Piazza del Duomo, the city’s religious heart, graced by three striking monuments: the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, Florence’s best-known landmark and an astonishing feat of engineering; Giotto’s Bell Tower, a fine example of Gothic architecture; the Baptistery, the oldest sacred site in Florence. The Museo dell’Opera del Duomo, which includes over 750 works of art spanning seven hundred years, stands on the same square. Step inside to admire the world’s richest and most extensive collection of Florentine monumental sculptures. Statues and reliefs skilfully modelled from marble, bronze, wood and silver by the best-known medieval and Renaissance artists are solicitously preserved here and attest to the unparalleled artistic heights reached by yesteryear’s masters. Most of the works on display were originally created to adorn the exteriors and interiors of the buildings that stand in Piazza del Duomo. The museum’s latest renovation recreates the setting designed by architect Arnolfo di Cambio in the 13th century, lost after the Medicis’ intervention in the 1500s. A resin model of the Duomo’s ancient Gothic facade, showcasing original statues inside niches, lends a perfect backdrop to the masterpieces, allowing us to gain a better understanding of how the square must have looked in the Middle Ages. Among the treasures you will see are Ghiberti’s 15th century gleaming Doors of Paradise, Luca della Robbia’s splendid marble choir lofts, Donatello’s desperate Mary Magdalene in wood and Michelangelo’s Pietà, sculpted when he was almost 80 years old and originally intended for his own tomb. Your guide will lead you through the halls of this remarkable museum and throw light on the history of the Duomo, from the laying of the first stone in 1296, through Brunelleschi’s astounding achievements, to the construction of the present 19th century facade.

A visit to the Baptistery of San Giovanni will follow. Originally erected in the 5th century, probably over the ruins of a long-lost Roman temple, the building you can admire today is the result of successive reworkings carried out in the Middle Ages. Outside the octagonal construction is covered in typically Romanesque white and green geometrical patterns. Inside its dome is decorated with dazzling 13th century golden mosaics by Jacopo Torriti, representing Jesus Christ as Judge and Scenes of the Last Judgement. Listen as your guide recounts fascinating stories about those who once frequented this sacred space – Dante himself was baptized on this very spot – and discover how a competition for the creation of its northern doors sparked the beginning of the Renaissance era in 1401.

Gripping tales of capture, conspiracy and coups await you in Piazza della Signoria. The square is dominated by the towering Palazzo Vecchio, the seat of political power and intrigue for over seven hundred years. Here, in the out-door sculpture gallery of the Loggia dei Lanzi, you will come face to face with the Greek heroes Hercules and Perseus, brought vividly to life on the cusp of their triumphs by Giambologna and Benvenuto Cellini.

Your quest for Florentine attractions will also include the Uffizi courtyard, with twenty-eight statues featuring Tuscany’s great and good, and the 14th century Ponte Vecchio, world-famous for its goldsmiths and jewellery shops. And one last tip… don’t forget to rub the boar’s snout in the Porcellino market for good luck as well as to ensure your return trip to Florence!