Florence driving tour
Starting from your accommodation, this exciting day tour initiates with a short drive along the romantic Viale dei Colli, an avenue lined with trees that leads to the splendid Piazzale Michelangelo. This place is like a terrace square named for the famous artist who sculpted David, a replica of this famous statue takes pride of place in the Piazzale, gazing out over the most spectacular views of the Florence cityscape.
Nearby you can also visit the gorgeous white and green marble façade S. Miniato al Monte church, one of the purest examples of the Florentine Romanesque style. After leaving the church, in this Florence tour, we follow an uphill road, bordered by the ancient city walls, until we reach Forte Belvedere, built around 1590 by the Grand-duke Ferdinand to protect the Medici villas. Driving down from the Fort, passing the old gate to the city, the Porta Romana, we come to the imposing Pitti Palace, which hosts many galleries and museums (Gallery of Modern Art, Costume Gallery, Palatine Gallery, Royal Apartments, Coach Museum, Silver and Porcelain museums, etc) and a magnificent park called the Boboli Gardens.
Heading back into the city center, you will visit the Academy Museum which was initiated in the 16th century as a drawing school, before being extended to a general art school now known as Accademia delle Belle Arti – The Academy of Beautiful Arts. This is the home of many famous sculptures, but the real crowd pleaser is the original David by Michelangelo.
Next stop of the tour is Piazza Duomo, where you can admire the Cathedral, the Baptistery and Campanile, Gotto’s Bell Tower, which perfectly exemplifies the Gothic style of Florence. Two steps from here, we find Piazza della Repubblica, surrounded by the historical literary cafés, where long ago important intellectuals gathered together. This area, together with via Tornabuoni and via della Vigna Nuova, is also considered the best shopping place in town.
We’ll drive you to the basilica of SANTA CROCE (HOLY CROSS), this Basilica is the. Its most notable features are its sixteen chapels, many of them decorated with frescoes by Giotto and his pupils, and its tombs and cenotaphs.
The Basilica di Santa Croce (Basilica of the Holy Cross) is the largest Franciscan church in the world. It is situated on the Piazza di Santa Croce, about 800 metres south east of the Duomo. It is the burial place of some of the most illustrious Italians, such as Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli, Foscolo, Gentile, Rossini, and Marconi etc.
Just a few steps from Santa Croce, we can visit Signoria square, where the political building of Florence called Palazzo Vecchio show you the way for the most important museum in Florence called Uffizi Gallery.
The food in Florence is very good and we will be pleased to suggest you some trattorie (local restaurants) where you can taste the florentine dishes like crostini, ribollita, pappa col pomodoro, florentin steak ecc.