The History Of Florence: The Renaissance Era Private Tour

We thoroughly enjoyed our 3+ hours with Vincent. He has an encyclopedic understanding of Florence, covering history, culture, art and food. There was no question for which he didn’t have a comprehensive and clear explanation. We arranged to have him as our guide during our first day in Florence so that we could learn the geography and help us plan where we would spend our time. We highly recommend Vincent.

Eduardo was knowledgeable and passionate about Florence. Very glad that we booked this tour. I learned a lot about art and architecture as well as history.

We had a great tour that covered the history of Florence during the renaissance period with Dina. She was knowledgeable and interesting. The pace was perfect. We would highly recommend this tour.

We had a wonderful time with Federica! She is pleasant, very knowledgeable and responsive. Planning and communication began months before we arrived in Florence. She modified and customized the tour to what we wanted to see. She is so easy going, it was like making an instant friend who could show you around. Her knowledge of art history that she shared - so interesting and not commonly known! So glad we booked with Federica!

We had a wonderful tour with Martina. She was very knowledgeable and did a great job giving us context and antidotes about the medieval and renaissance Florence. Incredibly personable and flexible with organizing the tour for us. My kiddo really likes pedestrian bridges and Martina arranged for us to finish up at Ponte Vecchio with a discussion of it so that when we parted ways we could further explore that area. She also gave us suggestions for lunch restaurants with good vegan options. Honestly, we couldn’t have asked for a better tour or guide.

We were very happy with our decision to have a private guide for our first visit to Florence. Vesela is delightful, very knowledgeable of the era and area and focused the tour on our interests. Despite the rainy weather we managed to see a lot in our 3-hour Renaissance Tour, as Florence is a very walkable city. Having Vesela alongside to provide both an overview of the city's history and to point out small details along the way made for an excellent experience. We were late for our meeting time (we overslept!) but Vesela greeted us with a smile and made us feel like we were spending time with a friend.

Virginia was so ver knowledgeable about Florence and the Renaissance. She was easy to understand and we learned a lot about the sights!

The History of Florence Tour by Matteo exceeded our expectations! Matteo provides a wonderful balance of historical context, intriguing stories and fine details of artwork, architecture and culture. Matteo listened carefully to our interests and prior experiences and customized the tour to make the most of our time together. In addition to the tour, Matteo mixed in timely stops for a coffee, delicious gelato and various hidden shops which matched our interests. We could not more strongly recommend Matteo’s History of Florence Tour!

Matteo is a great guide with a lot of knowledge of the period and place. We toured all around the historic area and got a great overview. Extremely personable and even went over time as we lingered a bit too long in some places. Would highly recommend touring with Matteo.

We had a great tour with Zeynep who is an excellent guide. She was entertaining, knowledgable, and provided a very good introduction to Florence for our family. Highly recommended!

Matteo provided a great tour of Firenze, focusing on history, art and culture. He was super flexible and although we walked a lot, there were regular stops. He was full of details and little stories as well as several 'hidden' gems in Firenze. Highly recommended!

Andrea was an excellent tour guide! He knows Florence so well… from the history, museums, gelato, food, to even knowing where the closest pharmacy was located. (Needed medicine). Even though it was so hot outside, Andrea kept it interesting and fun! I highly recommend Andrea!

This was the best tour during our cruise. Michele was fantastic. He was knowledgeable and modified the tour based on our preferences. I would highly recommend this tour. We took the train from the cruise port to Florence and it was very easy. The meeting point was a block from the station.

Federica was a fantastic guide for our Michelangelo and David tour which was superb. She knows so much about Florence and the stories behind it. This was my second tour with her while in Florence and I will definitely schedule with her the next time. Excellent

My family and I had a really great time exploring Florence with Vesela. She patiently answered our questions (many) and warmly shared her knowledge. At the end of our tour we felt like we had made a new friend! We highly recommend Vesela!!

Matteo was prompt, patient, flexible, knowledgeable, generous, and professional. We had a wonderful time and he showed us the highlights which saved us a lot of time. I’ll definitely contact him for another tour the next time we go to Florence. Really a great guide!

My husband and I had a great tour of Florence with Chiara. We learned a lot about the history of Florence's famous families (The Medici), who they were and why they were important to Florence. We also learned a lot about the architecture from different time periods. Chiara was interesting, personable and very knowledgeable. I would highly recommend taking a tour with Chiara.

Learned a lot about the history of Florence via the Medici Chapel and the Medici Palace. Our guide (can’t remember her name) was very good and as we had seen a few places already she adjusted the tour and it worked out great.

The tour was excellent, interesting stories from history linked to the tour around the city and its main spots. We have left enriched with a lots of history and valuable tips for places to visit in more detail. Highly recommended

With only a few hours for us to spend in Florence, Martina put together a customized tour that included a mix of key sites and some incredible, lesser-known locations in Florence. Her wealth of knowledge and clear love of her city was matched by her sense of humor and cheerful, upbeat attitude. I will absolutely recommend her!

We had Marco as guide. One of the best guides we have met. Great history and art knowledge! Strongly recommend Marco.

IMe and my family did the 3-hour Renaissance tour with Marco in Florence and we had a great time. Marco was very knowledgeable and showed us all the key/major points of interest along with their history. 10/10 Go to Tripadvisor page Thanks for your help! Cheers Marco & the Withlocals Team

A great walk of Florence's streets, lots of history, architecture, lifestyles over the centuries.\nOur interest to delve deeper into Florence's history has been strengthened\nWe enjoyed every minute and would wholeheartedly recommend Maja as a guide.

Martina was so great. We took this tour our first morning in Florence. It gave us a great introduction to the city for the rest of our stay. Martina was so knowledgeable about the city, it’s history and art. She was also very fun and energetic which made the tour really great. Martina also gave us great recommendations for restaurants and gelatarias. Highly recommend Martina and this tour

We toured the Accademia Museum with Frederica. She was so knowledgeable in explaining the art in the museum. I'm not a huge fan of visiting museums, but Frederica made it interesting and fun. Of course Michelangelo’s David was the highlight of the tour. Thank you Federica!

Our Florence Tour with our guide, Zeynep was a highlight for us. She was energetic, super-knowledgeable, and so likeable. We recommend starting your Florence trip with one of her tours as it sets the stage for the rest of your stay. She taught us a ton about Florence, the Medicis, Antinori Family, and other nobility. She adjusted pace per request and gave us some of our most valuable recommendations for gelato and restaurants (Mozzarella Bar!). Thank you Zeynep!

Zeynep provided a fantastic walking tour for us covering everything from social significance of sculptures to tutorial on judging gelato! She took us to both “must see” spots as well as unique places we never would have thought to visit (oldest pharmacy…so cool!) She never made me feel gauche for asking how the Netflix series Medici tied in to the various Palazzo, churches and sculptures…instead, she added in layers of what life was truly like for the noble families…poor diets and low Vitamin D. Can’t recommend her highly enough!!

We loved how our guide shared details about his city that we never would have noticed on our own! A very in-depth look at an incredible city.

Zeynep was so professional and explicit with her dialogue explaining everything so beautifully. Took us to certain places that she would think we would love (which we did) so beautiful.

Our guide Martina was amazing! We made a slight adjustment in our pickup time due to the late booking. We were picked up at the hotel and she was there a few minutes early. From there we discussed what we wanted to get out of the day and what was important to us. Martina provided options on what we should do and we followed her recommendations. We took a stroll in front of the Duomo, and to the Baptistery of Saint John. Martina gave us plenty of fun information on both. From there we headed through some of the more reclusive streets in Florence where she detailed fun information about the history of the city, including my favorite, Dante. We grabbed some gelato and headed to a few more sites ended the tour at the river. We made a few impromptu stops along the way. Very much worth it, very flexible guide, it was a wonderful day. I would highly recommend. Thanks!

We spent three consecutive days doing tours with Martina. She was awesome. We highly recommend her. She gave us a food tour, a city tour and a tour of the highlights of the Uffizi Gallery. Each day she arrived on time and her energy and spirit are just fun and contagious. Her love and knowledge about Florence and Tuscany were immense. The food tour started in the Central Market and lasted about 4 hours. She is fun and bubbly, makes the time fly by. Her knowledge about the Renaissance and Art was great, but she didn't just throw so much info at you that it got boring. She gave you just the right amount of information. Her English is great as well. Easy to communicate. She also does tours down through Tuscany, she'd be great for any tour in the area. Highly recommend.

The architecture, history and art of Florence can be overwhelming to anyone visiting from afar. Our tour with Michele gave us a chance to stop and look at the buildings, statues and art in a new light. Michele has an amazing knowledge of the history of Florence and the Medici family. He took us through the city, and history, in an organized and interesting fashion, pointing out so many details that we would have easily overlooked if just walking around on our own. He knew that my daughter was a Latin scholar and classical musician, and he captured her interest with his knowledge of cultural history and especially the classical music of the time, best highlighted in the museum at the end of the tour. He exudes a level of enthusiasm that is contagious and made the tour so interesting. Midway through the tour we took a short coffee break and had a chance to chat with Michele about our respective lives. He is a renaissance man himself, and we found him to be most pleasant and interesting in so many ways. I believe that without Michele, and his passion for Florence, my daughters would never have been able to appreciate the history of Florence, and Italy the way that they do after this tour. I know that although I have been to Florence before, from this tour, I learned so much about the city, and the statues in it that I would never learn from a book or just strolling through. I strongly recommend both Michele and this tour for anyone traveling to Florence.

Very informative and insightful tour with a very friendly and knowledgeable tour guide. Great value for money especially considering this offers an individual tour with only your group. Though not specifically included in the tour, Zeynep had a wide range of in depth and fascinating knowledge on Florence and the Renaissance. She also took us to and recommended interesting locally known places to go to.

We couldn't expect more to discover this beautiful city than to having such a lovely and knowledgeably guide. We highly recommand it !

Beatrice was an excellent tour guide - extremely knowledgeable, passionate about the history and architecture of Florence, great communication prior to the tour with lots of tips on how to maximize our time in and around Florence, including a restaurant where we ended up going to that evening - all in all she was a delight to spend time with!

It was an absolute pleasure spending three hours with Andrea exploring the beauty of this breathtaking city. A magnificent museum, a testament to the ages, brought vividly to life with Andrea’s detailed, informed and passionate guiding and storytelling - we couldn’t recommend him more highly!

We were so fortunate to have landed Ivana for a walking tour of Florence. Her extensive knowledge enhanced our sightseeing experience immensely, and her people skills make her a most enjoyable person to be around and learn from. We will not forget the time she spent with us during our trip to Florence. David Jordan & Cynthia Bischoff

Martina was personable, smart, and extremely knowledgeable. We had a great time and saw and learned more than we could ever have done on our own. She made us super comfortable and was always accommodating. She covered lots of ground and gave us helpful hints for the remainder of our day. You can't go wrong with Martina. She is delightful!!

You go to a special entrance area. You don’t wait in the terribly long lines and waste time. The tours in Europe that you purchase through Viator are worth it.

Laura's knowledge of the city and history made this a wonderful 5 hour walking tour of Florence. How many tours point out the birth place of the true Mona Lisa, share stories of cunning silk merchant, and explain some unique architecture features such as wine doors and lots more. Thank you to Laura - she's a super local!!

This tour was fantastic as was the tour operator. We had a great day, learnt so much, it was very flexible and the service was excellent.

Frederica was a wonderful guide to our visit to the Academia and Santa Croce Church.Her approach was most friendly and flexible - allowing my husband and I to ask questions that come to us in a stream of consciousness and often have us straying from the subject somewhat.This can sometimes create a slight tension with guides as they feel they have to 'get through' a certain amount of material to succeed. Frederica was relaxed and took our straying in stride but gently guided us on the journey to completion and our tremendous satisfaction.She shared of herself appropriately allowing us to understand the history of the city but also the changes that are occurring and how the people of Florence and larger Italy live their lives.We enjoyed our time with her immensely and it ended too soon!

We spent a wonderful few hours with Zeynep seeing the sights of Florence. It was a fantastic experience and Zeynep was totally engaging, knowledgeable and a really nice person! You will not be disappointed when booking a tour with Zeynep.

Beatrice was wonderful. My wife and I wanted a guide that would help unlock the history of Florence, and Beatrice was perfect. She did a great job of not only helping us understand the city, but also the artists of the Renaissance period. She was able to talk about the life and artistic styles of Donatello, Michelangelo, and others in a way that makes sculptures come alive. She also helped us book tickets to climb to the top of the dome of the cathedral prior to our tour. I highly recommend Beatrice!

Laura took us on a magical tour in Florence. Being a native Florentine and an academic archaeologist, Laura made the perfect balance of knowledge and passion. Laura told us proudly of the stories of her city, the good and bad... she made the city bloom with colour and made us live some of the magical and exciting moments of the renaissance. It was a wonderful day. Thank you Laura.

The private Florence tour with Federica was the highlight of our trip to Italy. She was a great story teller and made the city come alive. Highly recommended.

Andrea was an outstanding tour guide when introducing me to the magic of Florence. Andrea and I had a 3 hour walking tour which focused on a detailed history of Florence commencing in 6 BC. Andrea is knowledgeable and a great person. He made me fall in love with Florence!

We spent 3 hours with Federica visiting the Accademia and Santa Croce as well as walking the streets of Florence. It was a nice pace and provided a lot of rich history about the life of Michaelangelo and many of his contemporaries. Grazie Mille, Federica.

We booked Federica at the last minute. I am very grateful because: 1) She was very fast in responding to my messages. It made planning and adjusting much easier. She was also flexible, travelling with a group of 8 people with a couple of quirks and time constraints in a foreign land, can be stressful, she was flexible enough to adjust right away. 2) She was also honest, We had to cut our tour short from 5 hours to 3, she adjusted the rates to reflect that (wow!). 3) It was unforgettable, her tour was informative and she managed to keep me wide-eyed, in awe and interested throughout the whole tour. We felt like we were being toured by a friend who cared about our interests, one who knew exactly what we wanted. 4) She showed us where the best coffee was, the most authentic gelato and which statue is rumored to be a fake Michaelangelo. It takes a genuine soul to be able to inspire a human being. I almost cried in wonder during our tour, she strengthened my belief in humanity through her words and her actions. What an unforgettable day we had at Florence with Federica.