With your private guide you will visit the intimate cobblestone streets and Piazzas of enchanting Florence as the artistic and architectural highlights of the city unfold before you. You can choose to visit either the Uffizi or the Accademia where your guide's vast knowledge of Florentine art and history will insure a memorable visit. All the while your guide will also be giving you a thorough background on the fascinating and influential Medici merchant family who not only created the first medieval mercantile fortune, but whose patronage of the arts led directly to the birth of the Renaissance, out of which came such great artists as Botticelli and Michelangelo. Your guide will bring the city's history alive from its greatest achievements to its darkest moment with the rise of the mad priest Savanarola and his Bonfire of the Vanities in which countless great works of art were lost to the flames.

Our full day tour gives an in-depth experience of the city of Florence and includes both the Uffizi and the Accademia. In addition we take you on a visit to Florence's well-known leather and food markets together with a stop for lunch at a delightful Florentine restaurant hand-picked by your expert guide. You can be sure to sample the best that Florence has to offer. Hailed as the Athens of the Middle Ages, Florence was the beacon that led Europe out of centuries of darkness and into the light of the Renaissance. Led by a series of enlightened noble merchants with the lead of the Medici Family, Florence emerged in the 14th century as a beacon of artistic and mercantile endeavor. Fostering and nurturing the work of a new crop of visionary artists such as Botticelli, Leonardo Da Vinci and Michelangelo its return to the works of the ancients led Europe towards a new dawn. With your private guide you will visit the intimate cobblestone streets and Piazzas of enchanting Florence as the artistic and architectural highlights of the city unfold before you.

You will visit both the Uffizi and the Accademia where your guide's vast knowledge of Florentine art and history will insure a memorable encounter with the lively masterpieces in the collections from Michelangelo's David to Botticelli's Birth of Venus. All the while your guide will also be giving you a thorough background on the fascinating and influential Medici merchant family who not only created the first medieval mercantile fortune, but whose patronage of the arts led directly to the birth of the Renaissance, out of which came such great artists as Botticelli and Michelangelo. Your guide will bring the city's history alive from its greatest achievements to its darkest moment with the rise of the mad priest Savanarola and his Bonfire of the Vanities in which countless great works of art were lost to the flames.

Introduce yourself to the vibrant history of Florence's medieval center as we wind through the piazzas and pretty small streets, past palaces, courtyards, churches and bridges. Each corner of Florence holds a secret of a famous nobleman, powerful woman or artist! During this tour your guide will point out the best museums, cafés, restaurants, markets and shops so that you will be able to best take advantage of the rest of your stay. Your guide will give you recommendations based on your interests. Get to know the city as the Florentine's do, learning as we go. Florence is a city which holds many secrets and her charms are not all apparent right off the bat. Like a coquettish lover she reveals them little by little if you show some interest! Many fascinating sites are unmarked and you need to be with a true local that knows the ins and out of the city to make it come alive. When you have finished this tour you will know everything you need in order to get around, order coffee or lunch, and where the most beautiful parts of the city are.

For those who have been in Florence before or who want something off the beaten path, this Secret Door tour takes you to some of the marvelous small museums nestled throughout the town that hold hidden jewels. Florence is a city that was once completely walled and at the ready to defend itself against invaders. Florentines remained outside of Papal control and had a large military fortress within their walls to defend it. The city is tightly packed and behind austere medieval and Renaissance walls there are an enormous amount of hidden secrets. Depending on the day of the week the tour takes place, it can include an incredibly preserved Medieval tower home from the 1300's, an early Medici palazzo with stunning Renaissance decorations, a Renaissance Last Supper, a rare grisaille fresco cycle, a miraculous Madonna, an intriguing Michelangelo vestibule, a soaring granary, or Brunelleschi’s poetic architecture. Since we customize all our tours if you have a special request we can certainly put the perfect itinerary together for you!

The illustrious Medici family’s patronage was instrumental in supporting what came to be known as Renaissance art and Humanistic thought in Florence. These ideas blossomed and ended the Dark Ages. We can admire their artistic imprint and learn about the family on our visit to their first palazzo, their library, their parish church, and their tombs. With a visit to the stone masonry Medici Palace, we will see the surprising sites behind the great facade- including a charming and graceful internal colonnaded courtyard. Another very important and beautiful space is the Laurenziana Biblioteca Library. It holds 11,000 manuscripts and 4500 rare books from the early days of printing. This library came about as the Medici developed from a successful and wealthy Merchant family into a family obsessed with knowledge and learning who actively gathered important manuscripts from around the mediterranean and opened schools to teach Latin, Greek and Hebrew. The architecture of this library is a very fascinating creation of Michelangelo. The Medici Chapel celebrates the family's power and influence and its role as the Grand Dukes of Tuscany. The relationship between its outside appearance and inner chapel are fascinating. This was Michelangelo's first architectural venture.

Another treasure not to be missed is the Chapel of the Princes, featuring incredible marble work with semi precious stones and colored marbles. The Basilica of San Lorenzo constructed from 1419 until 1490 was largely designed by the great Renaissance architect Brunelleschi and is known for its new style. Michelangelo's New Sacristy full of 'suspense and tension' combines seemingly impossible architectural elements and contains his sculptures. It is one of the largest in Florence. Many important members of the Medici family are buried here thus opening up a great opportunity to speak about the individual people of the family and their contributions in terms of any thing from pure genius to scandal.

Florence, the city of arts, with the most densely packed amount of artistic treasures in the world, is alive with the creations of its artists and craftsmen, great writers and thinkers. The history of Florence is illustrated in the precious frescoes that decorate so many of the walls of family homes, chapels, and churches. Following these great works of art, the history of this city, its artists, great families, trials and tribulations come alive in a dramatic way. Fresco painting was handed down from the Ancient Romans and examples can still be seen in Pompeii and the great museums of Rome. Here we will look at how the artists of the Renaissance used these frescoes to tell the story of this dramatic city. Depending on the time and day of the week, our visit can include: Oratorio of San Martino, monks cells at San Marco, two Last Suppers, chapels at SS Annuziata, Santa Trinita’, Santa Maria Novella, Palazzo Davanzati, Palazzo Medici Riccardi, the Capponi chapel at St. Felicita and the Silver Museum at the Pitti Palace, Masaccio's Brancacci Chapel at the Carmine church.

Florence has always held an important place in the history of fashion from the important wool and silk trade of the 1300’s on through the designers of today. We will visit the remarkable shoes at the Ferragamo museum, touch luscious silk and linen handwoven on antique looms at the Antico Setificio Silk Factory, view the amazing designer Cappucci's innovative 1960's designs at his Villa Bardini, and admire intricate historical pieces at the Pitti Palace Costume museum. This tour pays homage to the great artisans and craftsmen of Florence who for centuries have been created some of the most desired goods on the planet. It is also a great way to see some off the beaten path neighborhoods of Florence and witness how ancient traditions are still alive and well but have kept up with the modern world. You will witness first hand how some Florentine families made their fortunes by creating luxury goods that were irresistible!

Famous for its handicraft and artisan production for centuries, Florence is the place to visit not only shops featuring these products, but behind the scenes workshops where you can meet the people making their beautiful products. This tour visits shops in the Oltra-arno distict located on the other side of the Arno River. A very traditional area, its secrets are well hidden, and off the beaten path from the touristed areas of Florence. Workshops that can be visited include goldsmiths, bronzesmiths, silversmiths, Fine Jewelers, Shoemakers, Works of the Medici Commisariat and Scagliola, Paper and Parchment, Leather workers, Wood Carving and antiques restorers, Sculpture and Fresco, as well as marble inlay. We can tailor make this itinerary to your wishes.

Florence is set in a naturally beautiful setting in a valley on the Arno River, yet there has been much done to curate and cultivate the lands around it. Beautiful vistas are everywhere, including tall graceful cypress trees, small country roads and palaces and villas on every hilltop. The gardens in and around Florence are rightly famous for their wondrous beauty, finely manicured by beautiful Villas. On this tour we will visit two splendid formal gardens within the hills of the city of Florence: the Boboli Gardens and the Bardini Gardens. Learn the language and symbolism of the garden structure and plants, and see the villa’s relationship to its surroundings. Admire the sculptures along with fountain design and the architecture of the grottos within these “outdoor” museums. Understand the importance, as well as the transformation of these gardens over the centuries while we explore vast areas at a leisurely place. Enjoy the breathtaking panoramic views of the historic city center while sipping a caffe’ at the Kaffehaus.



Depending on the time of year, you’ll have the opportunity to see the botanical collections of citrus, roses, camellias, azaleas and irises in their full splendor.

Italy is known for its incredible food and the Tuscan region is understandably famous for its traditional culinary specialties - from the special DOC Lard of Colonata, to cheeses aged in Etruscan caves, from special salamis such as Finocchiona to bread and tomato soup, from wild boar ragu to roasted porcini mushrooms, and from truffles shaved over home-made pasta to wild grilled asparagus; there is no end to this regions mouth watering specialties! Regarding wine, there is an incredible variation between traditional and designer wines - from the earthy terroire wines of small vineyards, to the Super Tuscans and everything in between. Begin your day in Florence with a local chef at the San Lorenzo Florence Food Market to pick out the best seasonal ingredients for your private cooking lesson, to meet the sellers and producers and learn about what makes Tuscan foods and Florentine recipes unique. From here you will go to your cooking class in a Florentine home or at a local restaurant, for either a hands on lesson or demonstration- as you prefer.

Here you will learn recipes for a four course meal with wines matched to each dish. Recipes will be prepared for you to take home so you can impress your friends and family with your new skills! When in season, we will propose specialty dishes such as the Schiacciata d'uva, artichokes, truffles or porcini for instance. You will have earned the fruits of your labor in a memorable sit down meal, complete with wine, grappa and espresso.

Every successful food artist has a secret and we want to let you in on it with this tour of the best in artisan food production. Florence has the benefit of a combination of the most traditional culinary producers of breads and pizza, pastries, fine chocolates, coffee and gelato. With this tour we go behind the scenes in order to see what lies behind the production and how age old recipes have met with modern creative interpretation to produce a delightful culinary treat. In each place you will sample the best of these key Florentine products and have an insiders look at the work behind the scenes, meeting these people that devote their lives to realizing the perfect recipes and delectable taste. You will have the opportunity to make purchases and your culinary guide will point out historic sites of interest along the way relating to the food history of Florence. This tour is designed so that you will have the opportunity to taste a wide variety of specialties so plan on making a meal of this tour!

Florence holds a unique charm due its strong ties visually and economically to the surrounding countryside. Florentines, sophisticated, yet down to earth, cultivate this relationship in order to bring out the best in artisan production of food and wine. They take their gastronomy seriously, as shown by the incredible amount of great restaurants, cafes, wine bars and osteria that offer traditional Tuscan cuisine with a modern sophistication. We have designed this tour so you can meet the producers in the market as well as the chefs who create their magic with these ingredients. We open up the secret door for you in order to highlight the special relationship between artisan producers of fine traditional products and chefs, learning about their kitchen. We start your day with our culinary guide visiting a special food market to meet individual producers, and learn about the vast wealth and variety of products ranging from the traditional to the gourmet. We will take a look at everything from the fish market and what seafood is prized in Florence, to the butchers and how meat cuts vary from what we have at home, and about traditional breeds such as the Chianina that produces the famous Fiorentina steak.

In the market you will have a tasting of artisan cured meats and cheeses, seasonal fruits and vegetables and olive oils. Then for those more adventurous, we are off to the famous tripe stand where there is always a line, to try one of the most traditional foods in Florence. We will swing by the beautiful Loggia del Pesce fish market of Vasari to see how a market looked 500 years ago. From here we will go inside a restaurant to where artistry comes in to transform the products we have seen into unforgettable specialty dishes. We will talk with the chef to find out the secrets of the kitchen. Next we will have a wine and food pairing featuring an array of dishes and the wines that go well with them.

Want to experience the wines of Tuscany, and some cultural highlights without leaving the city? Join us for a half day walking tour as we discover the importance of wine in Florentine culture throughout the centuries, from the middle ages to modern day times. Wine, religion and culture go hand in hand, so we’ll visit places of religious importance to view famous works of art that offer keys to understanding wine’s place in Floretine life. Learn about the ideal conditions for grape growing, the past and present blends used to make Chianti and the prestigious recognition it has received in recent years. As we make our way across town we’ll see the palaces of the Florentine noble families that have been producing wine for centuries, learn about these fascinating producers, and stop to taste the fruits of their labor at a local wine bar. All this and more without ever stepping out of the historic city center!

Florence is set in a naturally beautiful setting in a valley on the Arno River, yet there has been much done to curate and cultivate the lands around it. Beautiful vistas are everywhere, including tall graceful cypress trees, small country roads and palaces and villas on every hilltop. The gardens around Florence are rightly famous for their wondrous beauty, finely manicured by beautiful Villas. On this tour we will visit three splendid formal gardens in the hills surrounding Florence: two in Fiesole and one in nearby Settignano. Learn the language and symbolism of the garden structure and plants, and see the villa’s relationship to the surrounding countryside and small towns. Depending on the day of the week we can add a lunch stop and the gardens of Medici villas of Castello and Petraia in the afternoon.

Immagine being picked up from your cruiseship in a Mercedes and whisked off to a luxury spa in Tuscany! Famous for its many spas for relaxation and physical well-being, as well as healing waters, Tuscany is the perfect place to spoil yourself. Spoil yourselves with massages, beauty treatments and let yourself be cradled by the gentle rhythms of luxury. If you prefer sports, you can go horseback riding in the Tuscan countryside, trekking, cycling, see Tuscany from a hot air balloon or riding through the woods on a quadrocycle while learning about the local herbs and flora used in Tuscany cuisine. We have a selection of spas chosen by us for their beauty, service and incredible settings. Combine this with a wonderful lunch at a fantastic restaurant and you will be on top of the world!