Our AGT guides will lead you through the halls of the ancient Palace in search of better or lesser known treasures.
It is a tour that is particularly suited to families, as Palazzo della Signoria contains secrets and details that few surviving buildings can exhibit. Your guide will illustrate some of the secrets of the Florentine Republic and of the Medici Dynasty, pointing out symbols and recounting intriguing episodes, There are many animals to be discovered in the frescoes and this can be amusing for children, as they learn about painting and sculpture, as well as the Medici history and alchemic symbolism. An amusing and dynamic learning process for the whole family.
The Bargello Museum offers unique and rare beauty. The first aspect one will be aware of is the history of this Medieval building, that was founded as the Palace of the Parliament of the Free Republic of Florence, later used as the Palace of the Podestà ( an official appointed for a year who had to be non Florentine) in charge of judicial matters, later still used as a prison and as the headquarters of the Bargello or head of the police. The palace now contains a collection of masterpieces, most of which are less commonly known, such as the sculptures of Donatello, Michelangelo and Cellini, and also includes Giambologna’s life-like bird statues. Young visitors will be interested in discovering the ancient frescoes, found in the Palace, thanks to which one can see what the fresco technique implied.
After the visit one can relax in the impressive courtyard, where you can examine emblems, family crests and a series of sculptures.
The Boboli Gardens are the largest historical gardens in Italy. They cover the whole hill rising behind Palazzo Pitti and stretching southwestwards towards Porta Romana. There is a formal, sixteenth century part, a wood and a baroque area. The vegetation is trained into architectural shapes, surrounding statues, fountains, lakes and grottoes: a veritable imaginative triumph, designed by some of the most ingenious artists employed by the Medici grand-dukes. The unusual eighteenth century Kaffeehaus, with its Turkish tent-shaped roof affords lovely views and refreshment. This tour is strongly recommended for families and enables one to appreciate the grand scale of the garden as well as the beauty of the views, of the botanical species, flowering plants, ancient trees and hidden grottoes.
It is never easy to fathom scientific subjects, but thanks to the competence of your AGT guide, you will find it surprisingly easy for you and your children to grasp many of them.
The Galileo Museum contains scientific items from the Medici and Lorraine collections, including some of the instruments which were made by and belonged to Galileo himself, like the two original telescopes and the lens through which he observed Jupiter’s four satellites. Among the more significant objects, one can also see a number of Arabic and Renaissance astrolabes, the enormous armillary sphere by Antonio Santucci, the blown glass thermometers of the Cimento Academy and the spectacular electrostatic machines, made during the Lorraine ducal period.
The building, which was the fourteeenth century home of the Davizzi merchant and banking family, overlooks the square named after the Davanzati family, which used to be studded with ancient tower-houses. The building was built by combining a number of tower-houses and other Davizzi properties, towards the middle of the fourteenth century. The Davanzati family bought the property in 1578, adding their large family crest to the façade and thereafter the building bore their name. The Davanzati family lived in the place until 1838, when Carlo, the last heir, tragically committed suicide.
The Museum contains a variety of interesting collections: sculpture, paintings, furniture, majolica, lace and much more. The courtyard providing access to the upper floors is very interesting.
There are a succession of chambers on each floor: the domestic rooms – the “places of easement” (toilets) on each floor and the kitchen on the third floor illustrate the considerable comfort enjoyed by the prosperous family living in Palazzo Davanzati: a truly magnificent example of a Medieval dwelling in Florence.
This is the place in which children will feel most at home, as it is totally new, modern and inter-active. The museum shows how infants were received and illustrates the history of the Institute throughout six centuries of activity, integrating its documentary heritage with its archival material and historical and artistic resources, linking everything together in a narrative, summing up the history of the Institute. In the basement, one finds the history and evolution of the Innocents Institute, revealed by means of the biographies and personal memoirs of the “nocentini” as the foundlings were called. The tour ends on the spectacular terrace, from which one enjoys a breathtaking view.
Agt Firenze proposes solutions targeted at various types of tourist, that require specific care, both as regards planning the contents of the itineraries, such as, for instance, school excursions, as well as regards disabled visitors. If you require this kind of itinerary, we suggest you contact us directly so as to let us know exactly what kind of provisions you require, so that we can jointly plan your Florentine experience in the most advantageous manner.
