Your private English speaking driver will be waiting for you at the pre-arranged time, holding a sign with your name on it, as specified on your confirmation voucher.
After approx 1 hour and 15 minutes drive through the Tuscan countryside you will arrive in Florence where your visit will start from Michelangelo Square, a beautiful terrace overlooking the city center from where you can have the best view of Florence.
This is also the place where you can see one of the two copies of the famous statue of David
Nearby you can also see the withe and green marble façade of the San Miniato al Monte church - one of the purest examples of the Florentine Romanesque style. After leaving the church, we follow an uphill road, bordered by the ancient city walls, until we reach Forte Belvedere, built around 1590 by the Grand-Duke ferdinand to protect the Medici Villas.
Driving down from the Fort, passing the old gate of Costa San Giorgio, you will arrive in Santa Croce Square to visit the Santa Croce church, where many famous Italians (Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli) are buried.
Important!! If you are intersted in the Accademia Museum (David) and/or the Uffizi Gallery, please advise us at the time of the booking so we can provide you the skip the line tickets in order to avoid waiting in lines and maximize your time.
Next stop in the really heart of Florence, piazza della Repubblica, surrounded by the historical literary cafès, where long ago important intellectuals gathered together, exactly in the middle between the Piazza del Duomo (Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral, the Baptistery, Giotto's Bell Tower), Piazza della Signoria (Old Palace, Loggia dei Lanzi..) and the elegant Ponte Vecchio, meaning "old bridge", dates back to 1345, which nowadays hosts the most fancy jewellery shops:
For the shopping lovers or the hungry soul, there are also many shops and 2trattoria" to dive into, so everyone in your party can satisfy their desires whether it be a smart leather jacket, or a scrumptious plate of pasta, and your private driver will be ready to suggest you the best options according to your specific needs.
You can also see what the local craftsmen have to offer in the small local workshops on the other side of the Arno river, or practice your bargaining skills at the San Lorenzo outdoor market.
Last but no least you will admire the imposing Pitti Palace, which was formerly the residence of the grand-dukes of Tuscany and later of the king of Italy, which hosts many galleries and museums (Gallery of Modern Art, Costume Gallery, Palatine Gallery, Royal Apartments, Silver and Porcelain museums, etc) and a magnificent park called the Boboli Gardens.
At the end of your day in Florence, after a very good gelato, your driver will bring you back on perfect time to re-board your cruise ship in Livorno.
