Piazza San Marco, Florence

Private Experiences

Explore the iconic sights of Florence according to your own interests either on a full-day of half-day tailor-made sightseeing tour. A licensed guide will meet you at your hotel, or in front of the monument of Manfredo Fanti at Piazza San Marco, and take you to the attractions that you want to see. See one of the most visited landmarks in Europe at the Duomo, known for its dome by Brunelleschi. See the octagonal baptistery on Piazza del Duomo, and see the slender Campanile by Giotto. Skip the long lines to the Accademia to see Michelangelo's masterpiece statue of David. Enjoy fast track entry to the Uffizi Gallery, and admire works of art by Botticelli, Michelangelo, and Leonardo da Vinci. Discover wonderful examples of Florentine architecture on Piazza Signoria, and stroll past some of the city's most iconic landmarks, such as the Porcellino bronze fountain of a boar that is said to bring luck if you place a coin in its jaws or rub its nose. Cross the River Arno via the Ponte Vecchio, and enjoy visiting the shops and admiring the lovely view.

Join your guide on a special tour of Florence that reveals the dark history of the city. Look for esoteric symbols and discuss all things magic and alchemy. See the basilicas of Santa Croce and Santa Maria Novella, the Florence Baptistery, Piazza San Marco, the Museum of Masonic Symbols, and more. See the facades of the basilicas of Santa Croce and Santa Maria Novella for evident signs of science mixed with esoteric symbols. Spot the Latin palindrome engraved in the Florence Baptistery that remains to be a mystery. Study the deeds of Pazzino de' Pazzi, a crusader knight from 1050. Learn about the stones of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem, which are still used for lighting the famous Brindellone, during the Florentine tradition of the Explosion of the Chariot on Easter day. Furthermore, analyze the arsenic poisoning that killed Pico della Mirandola and Agnolo Poliziano in 1494, intriguing intellectuals from the circle of Lorenzo the Magnificent, who rest together in the Church of San Marco in Florence. Then, listen as your guide sheds light on the Neoplatonic Florentine Academy, founded by Cosimo de' Medici, and its impact on the literary and artistic culture of Florence. Talk about the Florentine Studio, a place that once teemed with philosophers, theologians, and magicians. Get ready for more tales of killings, crimes, and punishments. Hear of Girolamo Savonarola, a Dominican preacher, who was hanged and burnt at the stake in 1498 in Piazza della Signoria. Uncover the history of the Templars and Cathars in Florence and the city's first Masonic lodge. Get goosebumps as you learn about a dark period during which babies born crippled were rejected by families and killed in secret—never to be found— because the general belief suggested that they were children of the devil. Next, walk to Piazza Santissima Annunziata and try to count the bees on the statue of Ferdinand I. End the tour with a visit to the Museum of Masonic Symbols, the first Italian museum devoted to Masonic ideology. See a display of ritual objects with etched, embroidered, printed, and engraved symbols. 

Raffaello Sanzio from Urbino contributed to beautifying the city of Florence during his stay in the city from 1504 to 1508. He died at the age of 37 in 1520, and on the occasion of the anniversary of his death you can enjoy a special tour about this rarely-discussed painter. The Palatine Gallery, Palazzo Pitti, houses the best Raphael paintings in Florence, including a portrait of the beautiful Fornarina in the sweet face of the Madonna della Seggiola (Virgin Mary of the Chair). You will also encounter the palace where Raphael saw Leonardo’s Mona Lisa in Florence, which totally impressed him. Raphael was also an original architect of smart taste with Raphael’s style palaces in Florence very different from the Florentine Renaissance-style buildings. Raffaello was handsome, kind, and intelligent, and everybody loved him. Your guide will tell you the story of Raphael's short but intense life, full of love, women, and favors from his patrons.