The Heart of Florence tour goes into the Duomo, to admire in particular the stained glass windows and the inner part of the Dome, and also visit the Baptistery, whose bright golden mosaic dome will emotion you.

A short stroll will take us into another atmosphere, that of Piazza della Signoria, where civic buildings give room to the religious ones.

It is not as brightly colored and not as rich in marble geometries as Piazza del Duomo, but it still makes a lasting impression,  due to the multitude of imposing statues that cheerfully crowd some of its spaces.

Neptune (familiarly called ‘Il Biancone’ by the Florentines), the famous Perseus by Benvenuto Cellini, a replica of the mythical David and more, always surrounded by a crowd of adoring tourists…

We will tell you a few good old stories, as these figures have part of the cityscape for so long that they are almost family for the locals!

In the heart of Florence continues inside Palazzo Vecchio, that will help us to reconstruct the political history of Florence, with its conspiracies, murders, upheavals, and the Medici, of course, with their friends, enemies and alliances.

Palazzo Vecchio is a beautiful if severe building dating back to the end of the 13th century, still today used as City Hall.

The interior boasts an enormous room, The Hall of the 500, where your guide will tell you not only about Dan Brown’s famous scene in ‘Inferno’, but also about the tragicomic episode of Leonardo da Vinci’s disastrous attempt to dry his ‘Battle of Anghiari’ fresco !

If you are in Florence with the kids we also propose a scavenger’s hunt inside Palazzo Vecchio, enjoyable and interesting for the whole family

From Palazzo Vecchio we walk to Ponte Vecchio (vecchio = old; ponte = bridge) , the most iconic bridge in Florence, the only one that wasn’t bombed by the Germans during World War II.

We will point up, over our heads, the Vasari Corridor connecting Palazzo Vecchio to the Uffizi and then directly to Palazzo Pitti, a sort of highway used by the Medici for safety  and practical reasons. Today the Corridor,

containing  a fabulous portraits’ collection, is momentarily closed to visitors for security problems.

The bridge, rebuilt in 1345 after a disruptive flood, was once occupied by butcher shops.

It was with the construction of Palazzo Pitti and the Corridor on top that Ferdinand I Medici  decided to kick out the bad smelling butcheries  and allowed the artisan jewelers instead.

At least now you know who you have to thank for all the marvels you can see today in the sparkling windows of elegant Ponte Vecchio !

Your guide will conjure up the  memory of the terrible flood on November 4,  1966, when the Arno ravaged the city, to which Ponte Vecchio miraculously resisted.