Florence & Fiesole Tour 2019
April 7 – 16, 2019
Itinerary
Day 1 Sunday, April 7 – Arrivals
I will meet you at the airport, bring you back to the apartment, and head back to the airport for the next group.
Settle into rooms Rest/Relax – below is a very long link that will show you your apartment which is in the Santo Spirito neighborhood of the Oltrarno.
Walk through Boboli Gardens or Stroll through Piazza Trinita into city center and back over Ponte Vecchio
**6:30 Early Dinner at Angiolino’s,traditional Tuscan cooking in a warm atmosphere.
Day 2 Monday, April 8 – Downtown
10am Museo dell’ Opera del Duomo (Work originally in the Duomo and Baptistery)
Museo Dell’Opera -This newly renovated museum contains many of the original works from the Duomo and Baptistery, including the magnificent “Gates of Paradise” and Michelangelo’s last Pieta. The new space is airy and beautifully lit and there are well designed interactive videos strategically placed.
1:00 The Baptistery is the still beating heart of Florence, and perhaps its oldest building, begun in the 5th century on top of a Roman temple. Brunelleschi’s Dome may dwarf the little black and white Baptistery but cannot compare with its powerful and strange geometry. My personal favorite.
2:00 Light lunch at Robiglio’s
Break
4pm Tea at Osteria Toscanella, Brunelleschi Conversation
4:00Meet at Osteria Toscanella for tea with Fabrizio Gori, who has Florence’s history in his genes and is an artist, restauranteur and philosopher.
Stroll through the Santo Spirito neighborhood with Fabrizio Gori. this church is Brunelleschi’s final and finest architectural achievement and is a distillation of his purist aesthetic.
7:30 Dinner at Osteria Toscanella
Day 3 Tuesday, April 9 – The Accademia
10:00 The Academia (Michelangelo”s David)
1:00 By taxi to Manuela Brofferrio’s Castelvecchio My friend Manuela has invited us to her beautiful 14th century villa for lunch in her garden surrounded by olive orchards. I have known Manuela since our children were in school together in Florence, and she has always been a strong supporter of my non profit, the AACDP. These idyllic luncheons are a gift to the non profit and a beautiful enhancement for this tour.
4:00 Walk (or be driven) through the panoramic Pian Jiulari to San Miniato– one of the oldest and most elaborately planned gothic basilicas in Florence, with every measurement made according to ancient aesthetic and ritual formulas, on a splendid hilltop overlooking all of Florence.
6:30 Plainsong service at San Miniato
**8:00 Dinner at La Giusta Osteria
Day 4 Wednesday, April 10 – Bargello
10:00 Bargello Museum One of my favorite museums and one of the oldest buildings in Florence dating from 1250 and filled with renaissance and post renaissance sculpture on the ground floor while the second level has a comprehensive collection of articles from daily life in the early middle ages through the renaissance.
http://www.museumsinflorence.com/musei/museum_of_bargello.html
1:30 Lunch at La Divina Pizza
3:00 I TattiHere is a unique opportunity to see Bernard Berenson’s personal collection within his home, a beautiful villa outside of Florence. In 1959 the renaissance art expert bequeathed I Tatti to Harvard for Renaissance studies.
Break
7:30 Dinner at I Raddi
Day 5 Thursday , April 11 – Multiple Choice
Free Morning for shopping stroll or Horne Museum or Santa Croce
Mercato Centrale
12:00 Open market of San Lorenzo and the Mercato Centrale – the largest food market in Florence with hundreds of stalls purveying prosciutto, cheeses, breads, vegetables and fruits of extraordinary quality and variety. And we get to eat lunch at the famous Nerbone’s. Here’s what my husband, Paul, has to say about Nerbone’s:
“The Market is, of course, one of the most remarkable spots in Florence. I recommend that you get there early and spend some time strolling and looking. Then at around 11:00, before the crowds descend, go to Nerboni’s and have a porcetta panino. Tell them to put it in the “bath”, the juices it was cooked in, and ask for the green sauce. Delectable.”
Break
4:00 Giardino Torrigianni A tour of florence’s largest private garden given by a family member Vieri Torrigiani-Malaspina followed by tea.
7:30 Dinner at Al Tranvai
Day 6 Friday, April 11 – The Uffizi
10:00 The Uffizi Museum of Art where some of the most important works of western are found under one roof in the magnificent 16th office complex built for Cosimo de Medici.
2:00 Lunch at Vini e Vecchi Sapori
Break
7:30 Dinner at Osteria Toscanella
Day 7 Saturday, April 13 – Head for the Hills
9:00 Taxis to airport to pick up rental cars
10:00 Drive to Fiesole
10:30 Roman/Etruscan Ruins Founded in the 9th century BE by the Etruscans whose origins are unknown and conquered by the Romans in 238 BE.
1:00 Lunch at Vinandro or Fiesolana
2:00 Archeological Museum
The small museum has a wonderful collection of Roman and Etruscan artifacts.
4:00 Check in at Il Trebbiohttp://www.castellodeltrebbio.com/
7:30 Wine tasting and Dinner at Santa Brigida (at Il Trebbio)
Day 8 Sunday, April 14 TBD
Il Trebbio has a vineyard tour, wine tasting, a tour of the castle and trails for hiking.
Dinner at Home
Day 9 Monday, April 15 Two Monasteries
10:00 Drive to Montesenario
This imposing monastery on top of a mountain was founded by seven devout friars from Florence in 1233. Expamsive views and cool breezes make it a traditional Italian day trip.
12:00 Picnic Lunch or eat at Dino’s
2:00 Drive to Il Santuario di Madonna al Sasso
This small sanctuary is situated high up in the rugged hills above Pontesieve and is the site where Santa Maria appeared to three young shepherdesses. It is a place of profound peace.
Break
Dinner at Home
Day 10 Tuesday, April 16 Departures
AM Drive back to Florence, some to the airport, and others to their lodgings
