Florence at New Year

Today we explore the glories of Florence on foot, walking from the Ponte Vecchio and making our way to the Piazza della Signoria, dominated by a copy of Michelangelo’s David in its original location and the Loggia della Signoria, which served as a stage for official ceremonies. From here it is a short walk to the Baptistery, the magnificent, octagonal masterpiece of the 12^th century Florentine Romanesque famed for Ghiberti’s bronze doors. We continue to the San Lorenzo and the Medici Chapel the final resting place of the Medici and home to many great works of art, notably Michelangelo’s tombs of Giuliano di Lorenzo and Lorenzo di Piero de’ Medici. We end the day with a visit to the Basilica of Santa Croce home to Donatello’s wooden Crucifix and some of Giotto’s finest works.

We spend the morning at the National Archaeological Museum, one of the oldest and most important museums in Italy, renowned for its significant Etruscan collection, which includes the Arezzo Chimera, as well as the world famous Francois Vase. This afternoon is spent in the world class Uffizzi Gallery, a visit we have pre booked, maximising your time here. Immerse yourself in the glories of Renaissance masterpieces such as Botticelli’s Birth of Venus and Spring and Raphael’s Mary, Christ and Young John the Baptist. We will regroup for our pre-booked visit to the Accademia where you can admire Michelangelo’s David and his Slaves. The entrance fee is again pre-booked to avoid the queues and you can spend as much or as little time as you would like before we meet again for our New Year’s Eve celebrations.

This morning there will be a leisurely start and a gentle walk to the Palazzo Strozzi in the heart of Florence, one of the unquestioned masterpieces of Renaissance. We continue to the Santa Maria Novella, the 13th-15^th century church which is the first of the great basilicas in Florence. The interior of the church, the first example of Gothic architecture in Florence, is a treasure trove of artwork including Masaccio’s Holy Trinity, the stained-glass windows in the Strozzi chapel and Giotto’s spectacular Crucifix, standing at a striking height of 4.5 metres. Later, we visit the Palazzo Vecchio, the symbolic monument of the city and, for over seven centuries, the seat of its government. Built on the site of the ancient Roman theatre whose ruins can be seen in the underground levels, Palazzo Vecchio bears extraordinary testimonies of all the salient phases of the history and art of Florence.

Today we visit two extraordinary museums, starting with the Palazzo Pitti, the principal residence of the Medici from the mid-16^th century and briefly used as the royal palace of the House of Savoy when Florence was the capital of Italy. Here we view masterpieces such as Raphael’s Madonna della Seggiola and Vision of Ezekiel, Titian’s Portrait of Julius II and Artemisia Gentileschi’s Judith and Holfernes. Crossing the Arno, we proceed to the Bargello National Museum, the oldest building in Florence which was originally built in the 13^th century to house the Capitano del Popolo and which is now an extraordinary museum. Here we admire such masterpieces as Michelangelo’s Bacchus, Donatello’s David, famous as the first freestanding nude male since antiquity and Verrocchio’s David, said to be modelled from his youthful student, Leonardo da Vinci. You will have time in the afternoon to explore this magnificent city on your own.

Less than 10 miles from Florence, Fiesole clings romantically to the top of a hill and it is spectacular vantage point from which to view the Renaissance city. Most tourists travel here for the vista but we will visit the excavated sanctuary in the archaeological park.  Here we will explore the 4^th century Etruscan Temple, Roman theatre and bath complex before returning to the airport for our journey home.