Meet your private guide near Florence’s Piazza della Signoria at your selected start time. This vibrant square has been the hub of Florentine life since the Middle Ages, and is graced with Renaissance statuary, giving you a perfect taster for your tour.
With your guide, walk to the nearby Uffizi Gallery, home to the world’s greatest collection of Florentine art. Skip the lines at the main door, and instead, use a reserved entrance, missing the main crowds on the way.
Once inside, enjoy a 2-hour guided tour of the gallery’s most prized exhibits. Admire Michelangelo’s Sacred Family, Leonardo da Vinci’s Annunciation and the luminous The Birth of Venus by Botticelli, as well as creations by Giotti, Lippi and more. As you browse, learn when and why each painting was produced and the techniques and secrets used by its creator.
Afterward, follow your guide to a nondescript door in the gallery, and step into another, hidden world ─ the Vasari Corridor. One of Florence’s best-kept secrets, this enclosed, elevated hallway is rarely open to the general public and exudes mystery, making your private access a thrilling experience.
Stroll the passageway and learn how it was built in 1564 for the Grand Duke of Tuscany, Cosimo I de' Medici, who ordered the architect Vasari to create a private walkway between his residence, the Pitti Palace (Palazzo Pitti), and the city center. Discover, too, how the corridor zigzags through Florence’s houses and a church, as well as over the Ponte Vecchio.
While you walk, admire the art-laden walls and hear how the paintings comprise one of the world’s richest portrait collections. Pause at the windows, for fascinating views of the city and the Arno River.
Leave the corridor at the Boboli Gardens near the Pitti Palace. Your tour ends here, leaving you free to continue exploring Florence as you wish.
