Palaces and Piazzas: The Highlights of Florence

(394 reviews)

Florence audio tour: Palaces and Piazzas: The Highlights of Florence

This is a 1.4mi walking tour

It takes an average of 90 mins to complete.

Florence

Italy

$11.99

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About the Tour

Florence showcases the highest concentration of monuments within a limited area in all of Italy. On this walking tour, you'll explore the artistic and architectural wonders that embody the city's wealth and cultural significance, from magnificent cathedrals and palaces to ancient bridges and hidden courtyards. Follow in the footsteps of the powerful Medici family and discover how they transformed Florence into the cradle of the Renaissance.

The tour begins at the magnificent Duomo, Florence's most important church and one of its iconic symbols. You'll weave your way through the city's historic center, passing Orsanmichele with its guild sculptures, the political heart of Florence at Palazzo Vecchio, and along the Uffizi Gallery with its precious art collection. As you walk, you'll learn how the wool and silk trades, along with banking, fueled the city's prosperity.

You'll cross the famous Ponte Vecchio with its glittering jewelry shops and discover the Vasari Corridor, a secret elevated walkway built for the Medici family. Along the way, you'll explore the Oltrarno district with its antique shops and artisan workshops, and admire the imposing Pitti Palace, the last residence of the Medici dynasty. The tour ends at Palazzo Antinori, owned by a family that has been producing wine since 1385.

On this 90-minute tour, you'll have a chance to:

Stand in Piazza della Repubblica, the site of Florence's Roman forum and the original center of the ancient city
Admire the Gates of Paradise on the Baptistery, with their spectacular bronze reliefs depicting scenes from the Old Testament
See the unique three-story church of Orsanmichele, originally built as a grain market and decorated with guild patron saint sculptures
Explore the first and second courtyards of Palazzo Vecchio, where the Medici established their power base
Walk across the Ponte Vecchio, the only bridge spared from destruction during WWII
Visit Piazza Pitti and marvel at the impressive palace that housed the Medici Grand Dukes
Stroll down Via Maggio, once the fashionable residential street for Florence's elite families

Take this tour to discover the Renaissance city that gave birth to some of history's greatest artistic achievements while experiencing the austere yet passionate character of Florence and its people.

Tour Producer

Elisabetta Marchi

5 tours

My name is Elisabetta Marchi and I am a professional tour guide born and raised in Tuscany, Italy. I have been working in various capacities in the tourism industry for decades and have been a guide since 2002. During this time I have developed an exceptional knowledge of my wonderful region of Toscana. My background is in foreign languages, art history and history, but I am also passionate about wine, food, culture, and above all sharing my region with visitors from around the world.

I like travelling myself and whenever I can, I will look for fellow colleagues to be guided and offered a personal touch on their culture and traditions.

In 2015 my self guided tour on Florence was published, Siena followed and I am looking for other inspirational places across Tuscany.

Preview Location

Location 15

Ponte Vecchio

As we are about to reach the oldest bridge of Florence, the famed Ponte Vecchio, allow me to give you some information. If you are listening to this tour in the morning, the light is perfect to take some photographs from this end and get the whole exterior of the bridge, if yo... As we are about to reach the oldest bridge of Florence, the famed Ponte Vecchio, allow me to give you some information. If you are listening to this tour in the morning, the light is perfect to take some photographs from this end and get the whole exterior of the bridge, if you are visiting at later hours, I would advise you to walk a few steps downstream, take some shots and go back. Even if I must admit, halfway over the bridge, the views are pretty amazing! So let's start walking across it when you're ready.

The Ponte Vecchio, one of Florence’s hallmarks today is located not far from where the only Roman bridge once stood: it would have been slightly upstream and nothing is left of it today.

The present Ponte Vecchio was rebuilt after a dramatic flood in 1333 that swept the old bridge away. The Arno is the eighth longest river of Italy (about 240 km), and it’s been crucial to the development of the region's medieval economy, which was based on the water-intensive wool and silk industries. In the past it was completely navigable, allowing marble blocks to be transported from its mouth on the west near Pisa or timber logs used for construction, floated down from the forests of northeastern Tuscany.

The river also caused devastation, and since the first recorded flood in the Middle Ages, the Arno has overflowed its banks 57 times. As a matter of fact, walking through the streets, you might have noticed little marble plaques showing the level the water reached during some of these inundations. The last flood occurred on November 4th 1966, when dozens of artisans’ workshops and a number of important artworks were severely damaged.

During WWII, the Ponte Vecchio’s fame saved it from damage. The other bridges were all destroyed by Germans when pulling out as the Allies were approaching.

By now you might have reached the centre of the bridge.

Only gold, silver or precious stones can be sold here, and today Ponte Vecchio shops selling fine jewellery make it unique. When you look back at the history of Florence, you discover that many Renaissance artists were trained as goldsmiths at a young age, including Donatello and Filippo Brunelleschi. But the law restricting trade on the bridge goes back, once again, to the Medici.

Do you remember the aerial walkway stemming out from the city hall we mentioned some minutes ago?
Look at the windows on the side overlooking the downstream of the Arno, right in the centre of the bridge.

The skywalk did not just allow the Medici family to enter the Uffizi but it would have enabled them to continue their walk through Florence without being seen or ever mingling with the crowds. One kilometre long, the so-called Vasari corridor – taking its name from the same architect designing the Uffizi - spans from Palazzo Vecchio, through the Uffizi itself and above Ponte Vecchio allowing them finally to reach their new residence on the other side of the river, the Pitti Palace.

Keep going straight when you come off the bridge, onto Via Guicciardini. Read More

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Major Landmarks

Piazza del Duomo
Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore
Church and Museum of Orsanmichele
Piazza della Repubblica
Ponte Vecchio
Piazza Pitti Palace
Palazzo Vecchio
Uffizi Galleries

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Getting There

Route Overview

VoiceMap tours follow a route from a set starting point. It’s how we give turn-by-turn directions and tell a story greater than the sum of its parts.

Start location
Piazza del Duomo, 50122 Firenze FI, Italy
Total distance

2km
Final location
Piazza degli Antinori, 3, 50123 Firenze FI, Italy
Distance back to start location

321.02m

Directions to Starting Point

Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, Piazza del Duomo, 50122 Firenze FI, Italy

The route starts in front of the Cathedral on Piazza del Duomo.

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Tips

Places to stop along the way

Cathedral Santa Maria del Fiore, Orsanmichele, Piazza Santa Felicita, Ponte Vecchio, Palazzo Vecchio, The Uffizi Gallery, fashion outlets like Gucci, Emilio Pucci, Salvatore Ferragamo, Pitti Palace, Galleria Palatina, and many more.

Best time of day

During daylight hours.

Precautions

Keep an eye on your belongings, and make sure you check the opening hours of the attractions before you go.

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