The Medici, Masters of Florence - Private Walking Tour

As an Art Historian and proud Florentine myself, I am well aware that there would've been no Renaissance without the Medici. This tour offers a deep dive into the history of one of the most important and powerful families of Florence and the Italian Renaissance. Merchants, bankers, Popes, Grandukes. . . and patrons of the greatest artists of the 15th and 16th centuries such as Michelangelo, Donatello, Botticelli, Brunelleschi and many others. Let yourself be transported and fascinated by the story of the family that transformed Florence into the cradle of the Renaissance, a centre of power and prestige thanks to the political ability of figures such as Lorenzo the Magnificent and Cosimo the Elder. On this tour, you'll learn about the intrigues and alliances that made them the undisputed Lords of the 1400s. Together we will retrace the tragic and glorious events of the history of Florence and the Medici's rise to power, from cloth merchants then bankers to Popes, until they became Grand Dukes of Tuscany.

·The tour will start with a visit to San Lorenzo Church, burial place of the Medici family and masterpiece of Renaissance architecture. Here I'll address the family's rise to power. ·We'll then look at Donatello's Pulpits, Brunelleschi's Old Sacristy & Verrocchio's tomb of Piero de' Medici, as well as the tombs of Cosimo "the Elder" and Donatello, Cosimo's favourite sculptor. ·Next stop will be the Medici Palace, built in the 1400s, a modern residence and symbol of prestige & arrogance. ·On arrival we'll admire the Chapel of the Magi by Gozzoli, first one ever built in a private residence. ·Later we'll discuss the Medici's patronage & strong influence on the artists that worked for them and where did special guests stay in the Palace, like Michelangelo, Botticelli & Donatello. ·We'll then proceed to Piazza Signoria to see Palazzo Vecchio & the Uffizi (both from outside) and talk about the Medici Dukes of Florence. The tour will end right by Pitti Palace, the Royal Residence of the Medici Grand Dukes.