Florence Medici's Mile: walking along the path of the Medici Residences

This fascinating walk winds along an enchanting itinerary of a mile, which crosses for the whole duration a UNESCO World Heritage area: a mile with the highest concentration in the world of wonderful monuments and open-air works of art! Led by a professional local guide, it will be possible to discover the most important sights of the city, retracing the fascinating history of the Medici dynasty, the family which put its power and wealth at the service of the patronage and art, laying so the foundations of Renaissance. You will learn stories and anecdotes of intrigues, power struggles, secrets and betrayals, but also tales of incredible foresight, which made possible to leave to the city and to the whole world, a priceless artistic and cultural heritage. You will be able to admire the palaces, the monuments, the streets and the squares where the members of the Medici family lived and used their political and economic power over the city. You will walk along the same narrow streets where they walked, touch the stones used to build their residences and see the same monuments that they were used to see every day: Palazzo Medici Riccardi, their first residence in San Lorenzo district, where you can find as well their Church and mausoleum: Medici Chapels. A few steps away you will reach then, the magnificent Cathedral, with its imposing Brunelleschi’s Dome and the stunning Palazzo Vecchio, their second residence, which dominates the marvelous Piazza della Signoria. Further on you will follow from the outside the whole path of the Vasari Corridor, the spectacular elevated passageway which connects the two banks of the river Arno, passing along the enchanting Ponte Vecchio and crossing houses and Santa Felicita Church: a secret and comfortable corridor used by the Medici Grand Dukes of Tuscany, to move between the Palazzo Pitti, their third residence, and their offices located inside the Palazzo Vecchio, without being seen by the citizens. The majestic Pitti Palace, which hides the marvelous Boboli Gardens, is the last Florentine residence of the Medici and is also the last stage of your incredible journey into the art and history of a city unique in the world.