ORIENTATION TOUR FOR FIRST VISITORS AND THE DAVID MUSEUM Our walking tour combines lecture-style input with amusing anecdotes and interesting insights to offer you an enjoyable and relaxed approach to the city. Our meeting point, Palazzo Medici Riccardi, will give us the opportunity to start the exploration of the city by talking about the Medici family, the great rulers of Florence during the Renaissance. We will walk to the Galleria dell'Accademia where you will admire some of Michelangelo’s masterpieces, such as the Prisoners, the sculptures he made for Pope Julius II. These fascinating works will give us the chance to discuss his unfinished technique, the so-called “non-finito”. Our attention will then turn to Michelangelo’s gigantic David, the unquestionable symbol of the Florentine Renaissance, which was completed in 1504 when Michelangelo was only 29 years old. The Galleria dell'Accademia is often very crowded, but don't worry, we will make the reservations for you! Our walk will then continue to Santa Maria del Fiore's Cathedral, better known as the Duomo, which will stun you with its coating of polychrome marble slabs. The church was begun on September 9, 1296 and it is the third largest church in the world. We will focus on the church's most important architectural features, especially the Dome, the greatest achievement of 15th century architecture. Made out of bricks, the Dome was built by the great engineer and architect Filippo Brunelleschi. The guided tour then continues with the Baptistery, one of the city's most ancient religious buildings. The beauty of its doors moved Michelangelo to call them the "Gates of Paradise"! Ghiberti, the goldsmith who created these oustanding doors, spent 27 years of his life casting them in gilt-bronze.Our walk then moves on to Piazza della Signoria, the political heart of the city. We will reach the square strolling around the Medieval streets of Florence, discovering local shops, small trattorias, viewing ancient towers and dwellings, breathing history at every step! Piazza della Signoria is truly an open-ait sculpture gallery including Neptune’s Fountain, the imposing Hercules and Cacus, and the unparalleled bronze Perseus by Benvenuto Cellini. The Signoria Palace, the fortress-like Medieval seat of the Florentine Republic, is still used as Florence's city hall. Its inner courtyard is decorated with Late Renaissance frescoes and many other works of art. EXTENDED TOUR (4-HOUR OPTION) If you feel like touring one of the most amazing churches in the world, then you might want to extend the tour and come to Santa Croce's Church with us! The church dates back from 1284 and it's one of the fines examples of Italian Gothic in the whole country. The Franciscan community has always been part of the history of the church, supporting artists such as Giotto, Donatello and Cimabue. The church is also known as the "Pantheon of Italian glory", because it houses the tombs of great Italians of the past such as Michelangelo, Machiavelli, Galileo Galilei and Gioacchino Rossini. Among the many highlights of this incredible sanctuary, you will find the oldest wooden crucifx in the world painted by Cimabue; Giotto's frescoes depicting the Life of St. Francis; Brunelleschi's Pazzi Chapel and Donatello's Cavalcanti Annunciation. You wil also find out many anectdoes and funny stories that lie beneath the surface of this monumental basilica!