Sunday 5 October 2025
Human history in the region of Florence, Italy dates back to at least 800 BC but the city itself, Firenze, was founded in 59 BC along the Arno River as a retirement community for retired Roman soldiers . After the decline of the Roman Empire it emerged as the financial and banking hub of Europe. We arrived Saturday late morning to a warm welcome at Hotel Rapallo and an opportunity for a wonderful if late Tuscany breakfast. Having already booked The Best tour in Florence: Renaissance & Medici Tales – guided by a STORYTELLER for later in the afternoon we headed to the historic district to scope out where we’d meet our tour later. Along the way to Piazza di San Lorenzo we discovered what has to be the world’s best gelato, and stumbled upon a hidden gem, the Palazzo Medici Ricardi, the first palace of the powerful financial and political Medici dynasty, so influential in the artistic, cultural, economic, and political growth of Florence. Then after a delicious repast at Canto de Nelli we joined our tour group on the steps of the Basilica di San Lorenzo and headed out to hear Sylvia tell us tales of the development of this amazing place and to wander through the historic center. We heard tales of the Roman temples being scavenged for materials to build fabulous Renaissance churches, of an agrarian culture concentrating on wool production leading to Florence becoming a fashion capital especially for men, and of the development of the city as a financial capital. We learned of the competition between Lorenzo Ghiberti and Filippo Brunelleschi that began with the Florence Baptistry Doors and the Gates of Paradise as well as the triumph of construction of Brunelleschi’s Dome and the fact that before his death he destroyed all his notes and drawings of the project. Another fun story was of Bartolomeo Cristofori, the musical instrument keeper for the Medicis who invented the piano in the early 1700’s. Toward the end of our tour we passed the renowned Uffizi Gallery, just one of seventy-five museums in the heart of Florence. As we approached Ponte Vecchio, the only surviving Medieval bridge in Florence, Sophia told us the story of the last surviving member of the Medici family, Anna Maria Luisa de’ Medici who in 1737 signed a pact with the new rulers of Florence to keep all the artistic heritage collected by her family in Florence. Then this morning we chose to just wander this UNESCO World Heritage Site on our own, doing some window shopping, enjoying street performances, lingering on the Ponte Vecchi, stopping for cappuccino here and a gelato there We capped it all off with a wander outside the center and dined at Trattoria Pizzeria da Nasone for a fabulous meal topping off this adventure with and amazing tiramisu and a classic Florentine cocktail, the Negroni. Tomorrow we make our way to Venice as the adventure continues!
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