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Florence's museums, palaces and churches are some of the greatest artistic treasures in the world. The most popular and important sites for a Florence vacation include the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, the Baptistery of St. John, the Uffizi Gallery, the Bargello Museum, the Pitti Palace and the Accademia.
The Basilicas of Santa Maria Novella and Santa Croce are veritable art galleries and the library of San Lorenzo is a magnificent exhibition of Michelangelo's architectural genius.

When you are churched out ... or want to do something outdoor after having seen a dozen of museums and hundreds of shops in Florence, especially those located on Via dei Calzaiuoli and Ponte Vecchio, head outdoors towards the Boboli Gardens or climb the hill to the church of San Miniato al Monte, right overlooking the city of Florence to experience an enchanting view of the city of Dante Alighieri, Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci.

Although there are hundreds of web sites saying many things on many sites of Florence, we thought to include here below a brief description of the major tourist & cultural attractions of Florence, the six main museums of Florence.

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The UFFIZI GALLERY

It is one of the gratiest museums in Italy and the world. In the Uffizi were housed the offices of the famous Medici family (Uffizi stands for "offices"). From the beginning, however, the Medici set aside certain rooms to house the finest works from their collections.

Today the Uffizi contains some of the greatest Italian masterpieces from the 13th to the 18th cent., such as Cimabue, Giotto, Masaccio, Beato Angelico, Leonardo da Vinci, Botticelli, Michelangelo, Piero della Francesca, Raphael, Caravaggio, along with Rubens, Rembrandt, Dürer, Goya and many others.

The ACADEMY GALLERY ("Galleria dell'Accademia")

In 1873, the David formerly standing in front of Palazzo Vecchio, in Piazza della Signoria, was moved to the Gallery. Exposure to atmospheric pollutants had caused considerable damage to Michelangelo's masterpiece. Coupled with this, the Academy houses also the "Four Prisoners" by Michelangelo, veritable artwork supposed to ornate the Mausoleum of Pope Julis II in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.
The Pietà rediscovered in the Barberini Chapel of Palestrina was acquired in 1939 although many modern experts now cast doubts upon its attribution to Michelangelo.

The Accademia is one of the best known museums in Florence, and, frankly, you can't leave Florence without having seen the Accademia.

The NATIONAL MUSEUM "IL BARGELLO"

It has its setting in one of the oldest buildings in Florence and one of the most beautiful in Italy, which was begun in 1255. Initially the residence of the "Bargello" or head of police spies, from which it took its name, the building's use as a National Museum began in the mid-nineteenth century.

What the Uffizi offers in painting, the Bargello offers in sculpture and its courtyard and interiors contain some of the masterpieces of the Tuscan Renaissance. It contains masterpieces by Brunelleschi, Michelangelo, Cellini, Giambologna and Donatello's David along with priceless ivories, enamels, jewels, tapestries and weapons.

THE MUSEUM OF "SAN MARCO"

It is worth visiting the setting of the Museum of San Marco for its architecture alone. This consists of the former Dominican convent. This building was the scene of fervent religious activity, highlighted by personalities such as Beato Angelico (1400-1450) and, later, Gerolamo Savonarola.

The museum offers to the visitor an example of a perfectly preserved XVth century convent, its rational and harmonious plan based on Brunelleschi's innovations. Everything is designed to coordinate and simplify the monastic life within its walls as much in its calm cloister as in the light-filled library, one of the finest interiors of the Renaissance. On the other hand, the the museum also contains the works of Fra' Angelico in the form of frescoed interiors.

THE MUSEUM OF THE "CATHEDRAL"

The Museo dell'Opera del Duomo houses artworks of the Gothic Cathedral, the Baptisty of St. John and the Tower of Giotto (Campanile - Giotto's BellTower).

The most important works in the museum are the very famous Michelangelo's Pietà, Donatello (Mary Magdalene), Arnolfo di Cambio (Pope Boniface VIII) and Luca della Robbia (The Cantoria). After the terrible flooding of Florence on 11/04/1966, are housed also the original gilded bronze gates of the Baptistery of St. John, first example of the Italian Renaissance art.

The MEDICI's CHAPELS

A corridor joins the Chapel of the Princes to the New Sacristy, so-called to distinguish it from the Brunelleschi Sacristy. Unlike the latter, however, the New Sacristy was conceived from the very beginning as a funerary chapel for the Medici family. It was commissioned to Michelangelo by Cardinal Giulio de' Medici and Pope Leo X.

In 1534 Michelangelo left Florence for the last time causing the project to be left incomplete; the artist had only managed to finish two of the tombs, the Tomb of Lorenzo, Duke of Urbino, and the Tomb of Giuliano de' Nemours.

OR,    You  may   Call   Our      On   Line   Number   in   US :  + (201) 204 - 9020  

Rome Travels customizes your Florence vacation providing you a Florence Guide. Ours are licensed, professional, entertaining, fun and experienced Florence Tour Guides.

As mentioned in our page dedicated to Tuscany, in Florence there is also the added value of the co-founder of Rome Travels s.r.l., Dr. Federico Pellegrini, professional Florence Travel Guide, a veritable Florence travel resource, who will help you in designing a veritable Florence & Tuscany tour package, including :

• Rental of villas in Tuscany
  

• Hotel in Florence
  

• Transportation with a private limo/minivan in Florence & Tuscany
  

• Florence Tours with a combination of outdoor sites, churches and museums of Florence
  

• Personal assitiance throughout your Florence experience
  

• Further choice of restaurants and wine tasting in Florence
  

Dr. Federico Pellegrini is the expert in and of Florence: should you have any queries regarding Tuscany and Florence, please ask us and we will make your Florence vacation come true before you leave home to Italy.

Should he not be available to take care of you, we have our great local team of expert and licensed tour guides of Florence who are working with us since many years, providing excellent and fun insight vacations of Florence & Tuscany and any sort of tip & tricks related to your Florence Travel.

Restaurants in Florence that we recommend are:

• Bucamario
  

• La Spada
  

• Dante
  

• Badìa a Passignano Antinori
  

• Acquacotta
  

• Buca Lapi
  

• Le Mossacce
  

• Cantinetta Antinori
  

• I' Cche' c'è c'è
  

• Sabatini
  

• Giannino
  

• I 13 Gobbi
  

• Dell'agnolo
  

Florence Tour 1 - Walking tour of Florence
Basic Florence
Duration: 4 hours

For those who don't want to see the Museums of Florence, but just any other Florence attraction: Churches, Renaiisance architecture, streets, little leey road, square, Florence Palaces, and the Renaissance atmosphere of Florence.

• 1-2 pax: EUR 380,00
  

• 3-7 pax: EUR 400,00
  

• 8-20 pax: EUR 50,00 per person
  

• 21-40 pax: EUR 35,00 per person
  

Florence Tour 2 - Walking tour of Florence
Best of Florence
Duration: 4 hours

For those who want to experience some of the best of Florence in one half day with some of the main Florence attractions: Museums (Uffizi and the Academy) & Outdoor sites (Ponte Vecchio, Piazza della Signorìa, etc.)

• 1-2 pax: EUR 380,00
  

• 3-7 pax: EUR 400,00
  

• 8-20 pax: EUR 500,00 per person
  

• 21-40 pax: EUR 30,00 per person
  

Note: entrance fees are not included. We can reserve with no supplement the Museums of Florence in order to skip the lines.

Florence Tour 3 - Walking tour of Florence
Best of Florence
Duration: 8 hours

For those who want to experience the best of Florence in one day with the main Florence attractions: Churches (Santa Croce, Santa Maria Novella), Museums (Uffizi and the Academy) & Outdoor sites (Ponte Vecchio, Piazza della Signorìa, etc.)

• 1-2 pax: EUR 750,00
  

• 3-7 pax: EUR 800,00
  

• 8-20 pax: EUR 100,00 per person
  

• 21-40 pax: EUR 70,00 per person
  

Note: entrance fees are not included. We can reserve with no supplement the Museums of Florence in order to skip the lines.

Florence Tour 4 - Florence & Tuscany Tour
Best of Florence & Tuscany
Duration: 10 hours

The Uffizi Gallery, the Gallery of Academy, San Croce + San Casciano Val di Pesa, Tavernelle Val di Pesa, Barberino Val d'Elsa & Pieve Sant'Appiano, Greve in Chianti.

Costs, including private guide for 10 hours and transportation for 5 hours (Sedan-Minivan-Minibus-Bus), full day guided tour:

• 1-2 people: EUR 1.250,00
  

• 3-6 people: EUR 1.700,00
  

• 8-17 people: EUR 190,00 per person
  

• 20-40 people: EUR 140,00 per person.
  

Note: entrance fees and lunch, not included.

Florence Rome via Tuscany - Chianti Tour
An excellent idea
Duration: appx. 10 hours

Our Professional Guide will meet you at the Hotel along with our reliable driver. Unless you are in hurry, and want to take the fast way to reach Rome (train), an unforgettable experience is to reach Rome from Florence having a Tuscany Tour. Florence Rome: it's a full day excursion through hills, landscapes, abbeys, Medieval Castles and burgs. Once you will leave Tuscany for Rome, after our Tuscany Tour, you will understand why the Italian Renaissance could not be located anywhere else than Tuscany.
In our opinion of expert travel planner, this tour is amongst the most memorable that people can have  throughout an entire Italian vacation.

Costs, including private Florence guide and private transportation for 10 hours:

• 1-2 people: EUR 1.500,00
  

• 3-6 people: EUR 1.700,00
  

• 8-17 people: EUR 200,00 per person
  

• 20-40 people: EUR 150,00 per person.