Like our traditional Highlights of Florence Tour, this Women of Florence tour begins at Piazza delle Signoria. You’ll visit some of the city’s most famous monuments, like the Loggia dei Lanzi and the spectacular Duomo but the stories you hear will be less traditional.
The Medici Women
The powerful Medici family dominated politics in Florence for centuries. They changed the city and sponsored a generation of artists, but we rarely hear about the Medici women. But this tour is designed to change that! You’ll learn about the strategic marriages the Medici made with the royal families of Europe. You’ll hear stories of the women who came to Florence as brides and see Palazzo Vecchio where they lived. Some won the respect of the citizens and made an impact on their new city; others were less successful. Did you know that the decline of the Duchy of Tuscany is often blamed on the regency of two Medici women? Or that the amazing Medici art collection will never leave Florence, thanks to the last of the Medici daughters?
Women in Art
While the famous artists of Florence were mostly men, women, real and fictional, were the subjects that inspired them. At the beautiful Loggia dei Lanzi, your guide will tell you about the mythical women depicted here and the political meanings behind the statues. From the helpless Sabines, taken against their will to ensure the survival of the newly founded city of Rome, to Donatello’s powerful depiction of Judith about to decapitate Holofernes, the famous sculptures capture different aspects of femininity.
The Women of Florence tour ends with a visit to the Medici Chapel, one of the loveliest buildings in Florence. This mausoleum for prominent members of the Medici is also home to Michelangelo’s last works in Florence. Learn why his statues of Night and Dawn have such a masculine quality and which ancient sculpture they were based on.