Private Guided Tour of Florence Basilicas and Their Cloisters
Description
Embark on a captivating journey through Florence with a private guide. Start at the Basilica di Santa Maria Novella, where you’ll admire its stunning Renaissance façade and masterpieces like Giotto’s "Crucifix." Explore the rich history of the Dominican Fathers and relax in the serene "Green Cloister." Next, visit the Basilica di San Lorenzo, Florence's oldest church, to see the "Old Sacristy" and works by renowned artists like Donatello and Bronzino. Stroll through the beautiful "Cloister of the Canons." Continue to Piazza del Duomo to marvel at the Cathedral, Dome, and Giotto’s bell tower, then head to Piazza della Signoria, an open-air gallery showcasing the Medici family's legacy. Conclude your tour at the Basilica di Santa Croce, featuring Giotto’s frescoes and the tombs of legends like Michelangelo and Galileo. Discover the peaceful "Brunelleschi Cloister" and the harmonious "Pazzi Chapel."
Tour Options
Itinerary
Meet your private guide and you will head towards the striking square where the Basilica di Santa Maria Novella stands with its splendid Renaissance façade by Leon Battista Alberti covered with white and green marble. Inside the Basilica, founded by the Dominican Fathers at the beginning of 1200, you will have the chance to see masterpieces such as the "Crucifix" by Giotto the "Trinity" by Masaccio and the spectacular frescoes by Filippino Lippi and Ghirlandaio and also hear the story of the "mendicant order" of friars who have always been present in this church. Your tour ends inside the elegant "Green Cloister" so named for its beautiful murals in green earth by Paolo Uccello.
In the heart of the lively Medici quarter, bordering the Piazza del Duomo, you will find yourselves in front of the Basilica di San Lorenzo, Florence's the oldest church, consecrated in 393 by Sant'Ambrogio, rebuilt in the year 1000 and enlarged in 1400 by Brunelleschi at the behest of the Medici family who chose it as their parish church. Inside the Basilica is the “Old Sacristy”by Brunelleschi with the tombs of the founders of the Medici family and works by Donatello, Bronzino, Filippo Lippi, Rosso Fiorentino and Pontormo, to name but a few. Leaving the church, you will enter in the impressive “Cloister of the Canons” at the centre of which stands an imposing 16th-century orange tree which was dear to the Medici family and became a kind of symbol of their dynasty.
You will then pass into the Piazza del Duomo, the city's religious centre, where you will be able admire the Cathedral with its famous Dome, the Baptistery and Giotto's Campanile (bell tower).
Soon you will arrive at the famous Piazza della Signoria, a concentration of architectural and sculptural masterpieces which has no equal in the world. Here begins the fascinating story of the powerful Medici family whose history was tied to that of the city for more than three centuries.
Your tour ends at the Basilica di Santa Croce, a masterpiece of Gothic architecture with a facade clad in polychrome marble. This is the ancient church in which the Franciscan friars chose to set up and begin treating pelts and leather and meditate in peace in a place that was, at that time, located outside the city walls. We will admire, from close up, the beautiful frescoes by Giotto and Agnolo Gaddi, the “Crucifix” and “Annunciation” by Donatello and the world-famous funerary monuments and tombs of illustrious figures from the past such as Michelangelo, Galileo and Machiavelli. Next, you will enter the elegant “Brunelleschi Cloister” bordered by columns carved from pure stone, and then pass into the fourteenth-century “Ancient Cloister” at the end of which lies the beautiful “Pazzi Chapel”, a sublime example of Renaissance harmony, also the work of Brunelleschi.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- This tour does not operate on major holidays
Reviews(7)
Highlights is an accurate description of the activity. May want to return to some of the churches for more "in depth" visit
Good morning from Caf Tour & Travel, Dear Joseph, Thank you for sharing your kind review with us! We're delighted to hear that you enjoyed the tour and that it provided a great overview of Florence’s beautiful basilicas. We agree—there’s so much history and art to explore that a deeper visit is always a great idea! We’d love to welcome you back for another experience. Safe travels! Our best regards
Our guide was extremely informative and made sure that —since we are all in our 70s— we moved at a comfortable pace.
We had a wonderful experience with our guide. With two children in our family, she navigated conversation for all ages and a variety of interests. An incredible subject matter expert, we spent a wonderful morning walking and discovering the history and art not just within the churches, but in-between to provide context. Highly recommend!
This tour was awesome. Stefania was very knowledgeable and informative. We saw the highlights of all 3 basilicas. All within short walking distances. She answered all our other questions about Florence and the Medici as well. The only thing I would note is that the tour page does not say anything about dress code. When I looked on each basilica's website, the dress codes simply noted no shorts, or to cover shoulders. I wore a dress with sleeves, but my knees were not covered. I had to purchase a (1 Euro) mesh kimono thing and tie it around my waist for each basilica, which was really very embarrassing. At one basilica, the bouncer still didn't want to let me in because the kimono was still showing the backs of my knees! The tour company really should update the trip description with this information. Once I got over this embarrassment, I had a good time on the tour.
Dear brittmcdonald, first of all we want to thank you for having joined one of our private tours and having shared your experience with us and our common readers. We are really happy to know that you appreciated your Private Guided Tour of Florence Basilicas and Their Cloisters with our Professional guide Stefania. With reference to the dress code, it is written on the voucher that the customers receive after having booked an experience. We hope to have the chance to meet you again in the future to let you see other wonders of our amazing Country! Best regards
Our tour guide walked with us through three breathtaking basilicas and talked to us about the history in the neighborhoods between them. We started with the tombs of Galileo, Michelangelo, and Machiavelli (among many other renouned artists/ innovators). Our guide talked to us about their political significance and the symbolism of their tombs. She also talked about the surrounding art in the basilica. On the second part of the trip, a funeral was being held in the church, so our guide utilized the time we had to wait by talking about the street monuments and the architecture. She seemed to know the answer to any question I could pose about random statues we passed between the our sites. In the last part of the tour, she gave us a crash course on the Medici family that was so interesting I later bought a book about the family's influence on the city. Our guide was so understanding of how sore our feet were from two weeks of touring Italy and gave us breaks when we needed. She also gave some good advice on buying leather in Florence. I forgot to write down our guide's name, but our tour was on Mon, Oct 7th, at 9:30am.
<p>Really nice tour. Young gentleman tour guide born and raised and educated right in Florence. Three really magnificent churches. To be honest we liked all three of these churches better than the Duomo. Our guide, Gabrielle knew about and told us so much about all of the works of art, paintings, sculptures, crosses in these churches. Simply amazing!</p>
<p>An absolutely amazing experience made possible by Alessandra, our guide. She gave us an in-depth explanation of the art, buildings, and the history behind all that we saw. Couldn't recommend this highly enough.</p>
