Best of Florence & David by Michelangelo Semi Private Tour

Meet your guide in Piazza Strozzi and set off on your small-group walking tour around the streets and piazzas that comprise the city’s historical center. Often called the ‘cradle of the Renaissance,’ the city is home to some of the world’s most important Renaissance art and architecture, and your guide will show off Florence’s finest examples.

While the Ponte Vecchio – Florence’s famous bridge – wasn’t built during the Renaissance era, the Vasari Corridor, which runs inside it, was created in the mid-16th century. Hear how the corridor acted as a secret walkway through the town for the Grand Duke Cosimo I, and of the powerful Medici family who decorated its walls with expensive artwork.

Continue to Piazza della Signoria, the old neighborhood of Dante Alighieri, and admire fine examples of Renaissance architecture and statues like the Statue of Giotto outside the Uffizi Gallery. Walk around the outside of Florence Duomo and gaze at Brunelleschi’s Dome – an icon of the city – as well as landmarks like Giotto’s Bell Tower and Ghiberti’s Gates of Paradise at Florence Baptistry.

After exploring Florence’s historical center, visit the Accademia Gallery. Skip past the long wait lines with your fast-track entrance ticket, and step inside to learn about the important pieces of artwork within the gallery’s walls.

Works by the Renaissance artist Michelangelo take center stage at the museum, and so your guide’s commentary focuses on his masterpieces. Pass Michelangelo’s unfinished sculptures – San Matteo and Prigioni – and then gasp in wonder at the gallery’s undeniable centerpiece: David. Learn how the larger-than-life-sized sculpture was created using local Carrera marble, and marvel at the attention to detail that Michelangelo put into his creation.

Your tour finishes inside the Accademia Gallery after viewing David, but you can stay inside the museum to explore independently, if you wish. Rooms containing works by other Renaissance artists, like Sandro Botticelli and Andrea Orcagna, are well worth a visit.