Florence
Florence is the seat of Renaissance Art and this tour will provide a first class perspective of this uniquely creative period. We will stay in a delightful hotel Pensione Bencista, with its origins in the 14C, it is full of character and set in picturesque gardens on a hill above Florence and below Fiesole, it has sweeping views of the city. Each day of the tour is arranged to allow time on your own to explore, sketch or visit some of the sites not included on the tour. The arrangement with the hotel is on a half board basis so dinner in the hotel is included in the price.
Booking & Information
To book and for more information,
send us an e-mail - info@blurgroup.com
Itinerary
Day 1 The tour starts at 2 pm from the hotel.
The beginnings of renaissance architecture: BRUNELLESCHI
The afternoon is dedicated to Filippo Brunelleschi. We will visit his Innocenti Hospital, the Church of San Lorenzo with both sacristies and the Cathedral - its Dome and the Museum. In these buildings where the greatest architecture in Florence was created by a single genius, Brunelleschi, we will be able to understand what a setting was being prepared between 1420 and 1450 to place the most sublime palaces and convents, porticoes and cloisters, frescoes and paintings, statues and altarpieces which grace Florence throughout the Renaissance.
Day 2 9.30 am.
Renaissance painters and scluptors:
from masaccio to Michelangelo
During this tour we will visit the Church of Santa Maria del Carmine to see Masaccio’s Brancacci Chapel and Santa Maria Novella where he left his famous fresco of the Tribute Money. In Piazza del Duomo we will look at the famous Baptistry Doors of Ghiberti, whose North Door in gilt bronze, was named by Michelangelo the “Door of Paradise”. We will then concentrate on Michelangelo, and we will see his statue of David and the four slaves in the Accademia Gallery.
Day 3 9.30 am
The Medici and florence: A great act of patronage
In this tour we will see the influence of the Medici in Palazzo Medici Riccardi, their town dwelling built in 1447 with Benozzo Gozzoli’s Chapel of the Magi, and, their patronage in the Convent of San Marco divinely decorated by Fra Beato Angelico. Lorenzo the Magnificent’s greatest artists however can only be seen in our next stop at the Uffizi Gallery where we suggest it is best visited on your own although the accompanying guide will be there if required.
Day 4 9.30 am
Santa croce and the medieval district
We start from the Church of Santa Croce, a treasure trove of works of art including frescoes by Giotto, a Crucifix by Donatello, and Cimabue’s famous Crucifix damaged in the floods of 1966. From there we will visit Casa Buonarroti, a delightful small museum dedicated to Michelangelo’s early works. Lunch can be taken in one of the characteristic trattorias among the warren of small streets in this medieval area. Afterwards, those with the stamina, can go to the Bargello Museum. Famous for its superb collection of Florentine Renaissance sculpture you will be left on your own to study, sketch or photograph.
Price: £895 Single supplement £100.
The price includes 3 nights’ accommodation on a bed and breakfast basis, dinner on Day 1, all entrance fees and transport between hotel and Rome. The price does not include flights or airport transfers. Clients are strongly advised to take out travel insurance to cover such items as medical treatment, loss of property and cancellation charges.
