DAYS
8
TOUR CODE
RFLO-27
COST
£4125
DAYS
8
TOUR CODE
RFLO-27
COST
£4125
Our tour will view quintessential masterpieces of Renaissance art and architecture in the city of Florence, with visits to renowned and lesser-known museums, galleries and churches – from Santa Croce and the Uffizi Gallery to the Bandini Museum.
Overview
The city of Florence is rightly considered the birthplace of the Renaissance, and this tour will focus on the transformation that took place there in art and architecture during the 15th century. To tell this story, we will, of course, visit Florence’s most famous museums, galleries and churches, but also some of the city’s less well-known treasures.
We particularly look forward to viewing the individual ‘cenacoli’ (Last Suppers) by artists such as Castagno, Ghirlandaio and Andrea del Sarto, some of which were hidden for many years behind monastery walls. In addition, we will travel beyond the city to look down on Florence from the beautiful hillside town of Fiesole, and from San Miniato al Monte – its oldest surviving church, with wonderful views over the city.
The peaceful cloisters of San Marco are home to many important paintings by Fra Angelico, including the frescoes he painted in the monks’ cells. Standing in front of these works of art, Giorgio Vasari’s reflections on Fra Angelico, as having “a rare and perfect talent”, will be brought sharply into focus.
Based in the heart of Florence, a few minutes’ walk from the spectacular Duomo with Giotto’s dramatic campanile and Brunelleschi’s astonishing dome, we will take in the city’s main sights. From the Baptistery, the oldest religious site in Florence, to the churches of Santa Maria Novella and Santa Croce, we will delight in these iconic landmarks. The Palazzo Medici Riccardi, created for the leading Florentine banker and patron Cosimo de Medici, features famous Magi frescoes by Benozzo Gozzoli in the family’s private chapel.
This tour will include an opportunity to attend sung Vespers at the Badia Fiorentina, which dates back to the 10th century and is now home to the Order of Jerusalem.
“Florence is, for me, a city of wonders. Some of these are world-famous – Brunelleschi’s dome, Botticelli’s Primavera and Michelangelo’s David are all ‘must sees’ and breathtaking works of art. Some are to be found in smaller museums – Fra Angelico’s beautiful Annunciation and Benozzo Gozzoli’s magnificent Procession of the Magi. Others are less well known and consequently less visited – hidden treasures lying behind the walls of former monasteries or on the hillsides above the city. This tour will allow us to experience these wonders first hand, and I very much look forward to sharing them with you.”
- Tour Director Sarah Burles
Tour Director
Sarah Burles
Sarah is an Art Historian and experienced tour guide, whose studies focused on the Renaissance period. She lived in Florence for a time, and looks forward to welcoming travellers on a tour of this city of immeasurable artistic achievement.
This tour will be led by Sarah Burles, MA, an art historian who studied at the University of Cambridge before going on to work in a number of museums and galleries, including the Accademia Italiana in London and the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge. She is an experienced tour leader and lecturer, accredited with the Arts Society.
- ACE customer on a 2024 tour to Florence led by Sarah Burles
Our Accommodation
Our tour will be based at the four-star Grand Hotel Cavour, where medieval charm meets elegant interior design. Our accommodation not only presents a comfortable and delightful place to stay, but holds an advantageous position in the historical heart of Florence, allowing for convenient access to our visits.
Itinerary
Day 1
Depart London Heathrow 0725 on British Airways, arriving Florence 1050. Transfer to Grand Hotel Cavour for seven nights. Afternoon orientation walking tour (Badia Fiorentina and the Cloister of Oranges).
**Owing to our early departure time on February 1 (Day 1), ACE is pleased to offer a complimentary overnight stay at a Heathrow Airport hotel on the night of January 31. Please let the Sales team know if you would like to take this up when you make your booking**
Day 2
Morning lecture: The Road to the Renaissance followed by visit to Gothic Franciscan Church of Santa Croce and museum (Giotto’s early 14th century frescoes, Cimabue’s 13th century Crucifixion, Donatello’s 15th century Annunciation). Afternoon: visits to the Duomo (frescoes by Uccello and Castagno) and Museo dell’Opera del Duomo (works by Andrea Pisano, Donatello and Michelangelo).
Day 3
Morning lecture: New Concepts of Space & Form in Florentine Painting followed by visit to the Dominican Church of Santa Maria Novella (Ghirlandaio’s fresco cycles). Afternoon: Uffizi Gallery (13th to 15th century Florentine painting). Free evening.
Day 4
Morning lecture: Speaking Statues – Sculpture in 15th Century Florence followed by visit to Bargello National Museum (Donatello’s bronze David) and view of Orsanmichele (exterior with sculptures by Ghiberti, Donatello and Verrocchio commissioned by the Florentine guilds). Walk over the Ponte Vecchio to the Oltrarno area. Afternoon: Santa Maria del Carmine (Brancacci Chapel with Masaccio and Masolino’s frescoes of The Life of St Peter – visit subject to confirmation), Santo Spirito (Michelangelo’s early Crucifixion) and Santa Trinità (altarpiece of The Adoration and frescoes by Ghirlandaio, both commissioned by the Sassetti family).
Day 5
Morning: Ospedale degli Innocenti (exterior), Church of Santissima Annunziata (Chiostrino dei Voti with frescoes by Andrea del Sarto and Pontormo), Dominican Church and Convent of San Marco (including museum, Ghirlandaio’s Last Supper and works by Fra Angelico) and Convent of Sant’Apollonia (Castagno’s Last Supper). Afternoon: Palazzo Medici Riccardi (Benozzo Gozzoli’s famous Magi frescoes) and San Lorenzo (Donatello’s late pulpits and the Old Sacristy). Optional visit to the Badia Fiorentina to attend sung Vespers (subject to confirmation).
Day 6
Morning: Cencalo di San Salvi (Andrea del Sarto’s Last Supper) followed by Bandini Museum, Archeological Museum and Romanesque Duomo of St Romulus in Fiesole. Afternoon: San Miniato al Monte (Florence’s oldest surviving city church with wonderful views over the city). Free evening.
Day 7
Morning: Cappelle Medicee (Michelangelo’s New Sacristy containing Mannerist tombs of the Dukes of Urbino and Nemours) and Galleria dell’Accademia (Michelangelo’s iconic marble David and important collection of Tuscan paintings). Free afternoon.
Day 8
Transfer to Florence airport for 1140 departure, arriving Heathrow 1310.
Please note that the itinerary represents a guide to what we hope to offer, and while we will endeavour to deliver the advertised visits in full, some elements may be subject to change or confirmation nearer the time. Sites in Italy can occasionally close at short notice owing to restoration work, and we cannot guarantee the availability of all artworks listed.
Frequently Asked Questions
To read our full list of frequently asked questions please visit our general FAQs here.
What is the maximum group size of this tour?
What is the deposit cost for this tour?
What tour staff will be on this tour?
Am I fit enough to travel on this tour?
Fitness Requirements
The majority of ACE Cultural Tours are active in nature. To make the most of our time in a destination and provide excellent value for money, they are busy – there are often several visits included each day. As such, our tours require a certain minimum level of physical and mental fitness, mobility and stamina.
Many visits will involve navigating several steps, uneven ground, steep ascents and descents, and could involve embarking and disembarking aircraft, coaches, trains and cruise vessels. Plenty of walking, punctuated by lengthy periods of standing, is the norm. Some tours may involve long coach journeys.
It is essential that all customers are sufficiently fit and able enough to fully participate. Furthermore, every tour comprises a group of guests. We cannot allow the entire group to be negatively impacted by one participant, either holding up the pace we reasonably need to maintain or disproportionately requiring the attention and support of the tour staff.
We carefully consider the intensity, fitness and other requirements of each itinerary and describe them on the tour pages of our brochures and website. Please study these descriptions closely. When you call to book, we will reiterate those requirements and ask you to confirm that all group members are indeed fit enough and otherwise able to meet the criteria. It is your responsibility to answer fully and honestly. If it transpires that you are not able to keep pace with the tour and/or it reasonably appears you are negatively impacting (or are reasonably likely to negatively impact) the enjoyment of the rest of the group (including their ability to complete all scheduled visits), we may ask you to sit out certain days/visits, take a taxi at your own expense (if available in the location), or even, if we consider there is no other reasonable alternative, ask you to leave the tour and make your own way home.
Please note that most of this tour is conducted on foot, so participants must have a good level of fitness and mobility. Participants should be prepared for spending up to an hour at a time standing in galleries and churches (it is not always possible to sit in pews). Furthermore, Florentine streets can be uneven, narrow, busy with traffic and slippery underfoot when wet, so care must be taken. Please consult ACE's fitness criteria in our Booking Terms & Conditions before booking your place.
As a minimum, participants should be able to successfully complete the following self- assessment tests:
- Walk for one hour at a reasonable pace and without needing to take a break to rest
- Climb at least two flights of stairs at a reasonable pace
- Stand unaided for at least 30 minutes
- Stand up and sit down ten times in one minute
- Carry or otherwise move your own luggage
Please ensure you have read and understand our full fitness requirements as described in our terms and conditions.
UK Government Travel Advice
For additional travel information from the UK government please consult the following pages.
Flight Information
Owing to our early departure time on February 1 (Day 1), ACE is pleased to offer a complimentary overnight stay at a Heathrow Airport hotel on the night of January 31. Please let the Sales team know if you would like to take this up when you make your booking. Alternatively, for customers who wish to make their own travel arrangements, ACE is able to offer a flight reduction of £190.
Cost Details
Florence: Cradle of the Renaissance
February 1 - 8, 2027
Included: return airfare, accommodation based on sharing a classic twin or double bedded room, seven breakfasts, five dinners with wine, water & coffee, excursions & admissions, gratuities & all taxes.
Not Included: travel insurance, classic double room for single use supplement £665.
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