Tours of Florence

Wednesday Afternoon Tour

Dante’s Medieval Florence

The walking tour is designed to trace the history of Florence and how this medieval burgeoning commercial center became the cradle of the Renaissance. We walk the streets of Dante’s Florence, Florence of the 14thC, a city with medieval tower homes, small oratories for the pious and danger lurking around the corners with the rivals from the Guelph and Ghibellines parties. Today, the modern metropolis with its fashion stores feature on the buildings various verses from Dante’s Commedia - today known as the Divine Comedy - which we will use to color our walk and bring the Middle Ages to life.

Sites included but not limited to: Piazza della Repubblica, Ponte Vecchio, Straw Market, Piazza della Signoria, Piazzale degli Uffizi and Piazza del Duomo.

Tour length: 3pm - 6pm
Participants will meet in Piazza della Repubblica at 3pm.

Thursday Afternoon Tour

Michelangelo: His Life and Legacy

The Michelangelo tour is an in-depth study of the master’s incredible life, spanning nearly 89 years, and highlighting his contributions to Florentine Renaissance sculpture.

Visits include:
• The Casa Buonarroti Museum: The home of Michelangelo’s descendants featuring the two early sculptures created by Michelangelo as a teen for Lorenzo il Magnifico, original sketches, clay, wax and wood models by Michelangelo as well as a Baroque painting gallery dedicated to scenes of his life.

• The Bargello: In this museum, the National Sculpture Museum of Florence, we contextualize the life of Michelangelo by studying the sculptures from early Renaissance artists such as Donatello, Ghiberti, Brunelleschi and Verrocchio. On the ground floor there are three additional works by Michelangelo.

• Galleria dell’Accademia: This is the highlight of the tour where we see the David and several unfinished works, known as the “Prisoners”, by Michelangelo.

Tour length: 3pm - 6pm
Participants will meet in Piazza Santa Croce at 3pm.
(Entrance fees to museums are extra and are paid at the time of tour.)

Tour Guide for Wednesday and Thursday Tours

Christina Mifsud, native of San Francisco, studied Art History as an undergraduate at Santa Clara University and holds a Master's degree in Florentine Renaissance Art History from Syracuse University. Christina teaches a course in Baroque Art at Loyola University of Chicago’s John Felice Rome Center. She holds a license as an authorized tour guide and has proudly given tours for dignitaries in collaboration with the US Consulate in Florence and the US Embassy in Rome. Mifsud's informative tours and entertaining lectures stress the importance of the Florentine Renaissance and its relevance to our modern world today.