Politics and Power: An Introduction to Florence with Context

Florence is usually known as the birthplace of the Renaissance, home of incredibly talented artists such as Donatello, Botticelli, Leonardo and Michelangelo. But it’s also the home of ambitious and powerful families that patronized these artists and, ultimately, made the Renaissance possible. On this walking tour with Context Travel expert, Siro Chini, you’ll hear how families like the Medicis used their economic and political power to rule Florence and Tuscany for centuries.

The tour starts and ends at a square in the center of Florence, Piazza della Republica, where the Romans decided to build their settlement 2,000 years ago. From there, you’ll stroll down the labyrinth of narrow, medieval streets and take in the elegant buildings that make up Florence’s historical heart. As you walk, Siro will fill you in on the city’s history and the traditions that have turned Florence into one of the most beautiful cities in the world, and the cradle of the Italian Renaissance. He’ll also tell you about the city’s centuries-long transformation, until it became Italy’s capital at the end of the 1800s, after the Unification of the Country. You’ll see splendid churches like the church and museum of Orsanmichele and Basilica di San Lorenzo, built to impress pilgrims and travelers with their size and beauty. The busy streets will offer you a glimpse of life during the city’s golden age, when skilled merchants sold their expensive but unique cloth made of wool, silk and red velvet to the wealthy. Last but not least, you’ll see the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, one of the largest Catholic churches in the world where the dome reaches a height of almost 330 feet, making it the tallest building in Florence.

On this 75-minute Florence walking tour, you’ll:

• Stroll through the San Lorenzo neighborhood, one of the medieval city’s first expansions outside the Roman walls, and hear about Cosimo de’ Medici, the banker, humanist and avid collector of antiquities who is considered the patron of Renaissance artists like Donatello, Lippi and Fra Angelico
• Gaze upon Giotto’s Bell Tower, an example of Tuscan Gothic architecture with elegant mullioned windows to amplify the sound of its bronze bells
• See the Baptistery of St. John, a religious building where you’ll learn about the main features of Tuscan Romanesque architecture, with its contrasting white and green marble inlay
• Become familiar with the Corridoio Vasariano (Vasari Corridor), built in 1565 by Giorgio Vasari to allow the Medici Dukes and family members safe passage and privacy from one building to another
• Visit Piazza della Signoria (Signoria Square), Florence’s political center, to take in the imposing stone palace equipped with battlements and a 300-foot high tower called Palazzo Vecchio, built in the 1300s as the seat of the city government or Signoria
• Learn about architect Brunelleschi, who conceived of a self-supporting double-shelled dome, and then oversaw its construction
• Take in the replica of the statue of David, one of the iconic symbols of the Italian Renaissance, commissioned by 26-year-old Michelangelo
• Pass by the Medici Palace, once the family’s residence for almost 200 years
• Find out how, in 1944, retreating German troops blew up all the buildings along Por Santa Maria (opposite Ponte Vecchio, or Vecchio Bridge) but preserved the old bridge
• Admire the harmony and simplicity of Palazzo Strozzi’s proportions, and see Davanzati Palace, a 13th-century home where you can trace the architectural transitions from medieval to Renaissance
• Pop into the Porcellino Market, built in the 1500s so that traders of precious silk and wool fabrics had a covered place to sell their products
• Discover how the Medici gradually transformed offices into one of the most famous art houses, the Uffizi Gallery

From its medieval cobblestone streets to its many monumental palaces and churches built hundreds of years ago, there’s no doubt Florence has much to offer. Join Siro to discover the city that inspired so many artists.