My Flora Guide

09/01/2025

On 9th January 1537, Cosimo de' Medici was elected Duke of Florence.
Born on June 12th in 1519, the young Duke came from the second-born branch of the Medici dynasty and was the son of Giovanni dalle Bande Nere and Maria Salviati.
He was elected Duke just three days after the murder of Duke Alessandro, killed by his cousin Lorenzino, later known as Lorenzaccio.
He did not expect to be in succession, nevertheless Cosimo wisely ruled Florence, conquered Siena (1555) and gained the prestigious title of Grand Duke (1569).
He chose as his own personal coat-of-arms the capricorn ♑️ and the sailing turtle. 🐢⛵️
Why?
Discover it with Flora!
www.myfloraguide.com 👒

04/01/2025

Bonjour... 👒

01/01/2025

First day of 2025 🥂✨️💖🌹🍾⚜️😊
Visit Florence with Flora!!!www.myfloraguide.com 👒👒👒

31/12/2024

Thank you very much ✨Merci beaucoup ✨ Muchas gracias ✨
pour avoir choisi My Flora Guide for your holidays en Florencia.

🌸It has been a pleasure
de vous guider 🌹
🌷a través de la hermosura de esta ciudad,
entre musées et jardins, 🌼
between gastronomy, traditions, and funny facts.🌺

🏹My Flora Guide's 2024 in numbers:
- 916 guests 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦👩‍👦👨‍👦 👨‍👧‍👧👨‍👨‍👦👨‍👧‍👦👩‍👩‍👧‍👧👩‍👦‍👦
- 19 nationalities (France, United States, Italy, Spain, Canada, Belgium, Switzerland, Porto Rico, Venezuela, Mexico, Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, China, Russia, Luxemburgo, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Hungary) 🗺🌎🌏🌍🗾🗺🌎🌍🌏
- 53 garden guided tours between : Boboli Gardens, Bardini Gardens, Villa Medici in Fiesole, Villa Gamberaia, Medicean Villa La Petraia, Medicean Gardens of Castello, EdV Garden with a view, Torrigiani Gardens in Florence, Roses Garden in Florence, Villa Reale di Marlia in Lucca, Villa Torrigiani in Lucca, Villa La Foce, Castello di Brolio, Badia a Coltibuono, Horti Leonini, Palazzo Piccolomini, Parco Villa Trecci, Castello di Celsa, Villa di Geggiano, Villa di Vicobello, Villa Lante at Bagnaia, Villa Medici in Rome, Castello Ruspoli at Vignanello, Sacro Bosco di Bomarzo, Palazzo Farnese at Caprarola, Landriana Gardens, Villa Barberini at Castelgandolfo, Villa d'Este and Hadrian Villa at Tivoli 🌳⛲🌲🌿🌾🌱🐦🌷
- 41 guided tours at the Uffizi Gallery 🎨🖼🎨🖼🎨🖼🎨🖼🎨

Thank you for choosing me as your Tour Guide in Florence and Tour Leader in Italy, rain or shine, and thank you to all my reliable partners for their splendid collaboration.

✨I wish you
a todo el mundo ✨
Joyeux Noel et Bonne Année 2025!!!✨

Eleonora Tonon

25/12/2024

Buon Natale 🌟🕯☀️✨️🌟🕯
"Adoration of the shepherds", Ghirlandaio, 1485, Church of Santa Trinita, Florence.

22/12/2024

Dear travellers,
I wish you a Merry Christimas! 🤗🎅🎄☃️❄️

I have thought about two Christmas gifts for you this year:
- 📌🎁a bespoke itinerary to the Gardens of Lazio
- 📌🎁a bespoke itinerary to the Gardens of Veneto

➡️Are you a garden club, a cultural association or a group of friends with a strong passion for gardens?
My Flora Guide is a tour leader, a tour guide, and a travel designer with a diploma in “Garden History” from the Royal Botanic Garden of Edinburgh. In the last years I have been leading private tailor-made garden tours for garden clubs in Italy, especially in Tuscany, Lazio and Veneto regions.
Do not hesitate to contact me to customize your garden itinerary in Lazio and Veneto regions 🙂👒

Have a look online and contact My Flora Guide! 🙂👒
📧[email protected]

Available in 🇬🇧🇫🇷🇮🇹

🌳LAZIO: https://www.myfloraguide.com/en/lazio-gardens-tour/
🌳VENETO: https://www.myfloraguide.com/en/veneto-gardens-tours/

21/12/2024

The reopening of Vasarian Corridor, today!
Visit Florence with Flora !!!
www.myfloraguide.com 👒👒👒

17/12/2024

"Erythrea Sybil"
Unknown artist, 16th century
Fresco on tile
Copy from Michelangelo
Museo Casa Buonarroti, Florence

16/12/2024

Dear travellers,
you already know I am keen on flowers and gardens... but flora can not only be pruned and painted, but also ... waxed ;-)
🏛The Museum of Natural History of the University of Florence counts many sections, including paleontology, anthropology, ethnology, zoology, mineralogy, and... botany.
🌷In particular, the Museum of La Specola boasts the amazing Florentine Botanical Wax Collection, consisting of 184 wax models of flowers, fruits, plants, beautifully showcased in an engaging setting, known as "the wax garden".
🌺There, you can admire the series of plant-related wax models waxed between 1771 and 1893 by Clemente Susini, Francesco Calenzuoli, Luigi Calamai and Egisto Tortori. Wax plants, such as camellias and magnolias, elegantly germinate from porcelain Ginori vases.
➡️Visit Florence with Flora!!!
www.myfloraguide.com 👒👒👒

15/12/2024

Santa is coming to town🎼🎅
Enjoy Christmas in magic ☃️❄️
Visit Florence with Flora! www.myfloraguide.com 👒👒👒

14/12/2024

Florence and its hidden gems... can you recognize this place?
Clue: it is closer to Santa Croce than to Santa Maria Novella...😉☝🏻

Visit Florence with Flora! www.myfloraguide.com 👒👒👒

13/12/2024

📜The first mention of an oratory in Florence devoted to St Michael dates back to 9th century, when the oratory was located next to a kitchen garden (orto). The Florentine City Council demolished it in 1239 when the site was converted into a piazza, where the grain was traded.
Arnolfo di Cambio possibly was the architect in charge of the new Loggia for the grain market, built between 1284-1290.
🙎🏼‍♀️The Loggia became a place of devotion and worship after a painted image of the Virgin Mary on a column. It was known as Orsanmichele (the Oratory of St Michael next to the orto - kitchen garden). Damaged by fire in 1304, it was rebuilt in 1337 by Andrea Pisano, Francesco Talenti, Neri di Fioravante, Benci di Cione: the groundfloor became the place for the grain market, whereas the upper floor became the storing grain deposit.
The ceilings and the columns were decorated with biblical images of the Old and New Testament and the Guilds's holy patrons.
👨‍🎨In 1347, the holy image of the Virgin Mary was replaced with the "Madonna delle Grazie" painted by Bernardo Daddi and enshrined in the precious marble Tabernacle carved by Orcagna.
In 1360, the Loggia of Orsanmichele ceased its function as a grain market and officially became a Church, while the external arches were walled up and beautiful elegant late-Gothic style windows were opened.
The Church and Museum of Orsanmichele reopened in January 2024 after many years of restoration.
🏹Have you visited it?
Visit Florence with Flora! 🌸 Www.myfloraguide.com

06/12/2024

December 21: save the date!!!
Vasarian Corridor reopening 🥳🥳🥳

05/12/2024

https://www.uffizi.it/news/riapre-al-pubblico-il-corridoio-vasariano

The Vasarian Corridor will reopen to the public on 21st December 2024 🤩🤩🤩

Riapre al pubblico il Corridoio Vasariano

05/12/2024

Dopo 8 anni il la 'via aerea' più famosa del mondo, riapre al pubblico. Tutti i dettagli, dagli orari a come prenotare

05/12/2024

📢📢📢
December 21st, 2024: after many years, the VASARIAN CORRIDOR will reopen to the public!!!
🥁🥁🥁🎺🎺🎺🔔🔔🔔📯📯📯
Waiting for the ultimate news from the Uffizi Gallery!!!

The Vasarian Corridor was entrusted by Cosimo I de' Medici from the architect Giorgio Vasari in 1565 as a wedding gift for his son Francesco I.
It is a 780-meters long private passageway linking the Ducal Palace (Palazzo Vecchio) at Piazza della Signoria with Pitti Palace , on the other bank of Arno river.
A glorious celebration of the Medicean power and an emergency exit in case of danger and war, the Vasarian Corridor is a unique feature of the Florentine skyline, and an amazing museum and cultural heritage.

Closed to the public in 2016, we have long been waiting for its reopening and we are now so excited!!! 😃😃😃

12/11/2024

My Flora Guide will be closed for holiday from November 13th to November 25th included.
See you soon 😊 Ciao Ciao 👋

04/11/2024

4th November 1966