Guide me Florence

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Guide me Florence

Dr Agata Chrzanowska - art historian and licensed tour guide based in Florence Let me guide through art and history of Tuscany! Don’t worry! I am here for you!
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Planning your holiday in Tuscany gives you a headache? You cannot decide what to see and where to go? You don’t know where to book your museum tickets and you are afraid of frauds? Are you looking for quality tours off the beaten track? My name is Agata Chrzanowska, I am art historian and professional tour guide, and I will be happy to organize your private tours and cultural visits in Florence an

d in Tuscany! I will guide you with a smile on my face, curiosity and generosity. Being a tour guide is a sort of addiction for me as I love sharing my love and passion for Florence and Tuscany with a wider public. I moved to Florence in 2010 and in 2016 I concluded my PhD in Italian Studies at the Durham University in UK. Since then I dedicated my carrier to popularization of art history among a wider public. I work as lecturer in art history in Florence and in 2017 I launched my personal project Guide me Florence aimed at promotion of quality tourism in Tuscany. Let me organize your tours and allow me to show you how fascinating the history of this place is. We will talk about art, architecture, engineering, politics, power and religion. We will discover many fascinating personal stories and we will discuss great cultural changes originated in Florence and Tuscany. You will meet many new friends: Filippo Brunelleschi, Michelangelo and Donatello may be among them. Let me show you around! We will have a lot of fun together and we will learn many fascinating and curious facts about this special place! Agata

28/08/2024

🔸️What to do in Florence when the sun sets, but you still want to enjoy the town?

🔸️Yes, you can always go to a bar for a drink, but isn't it boring? There are so many better ways to spend your evenings in Florence!

🔸️A museum visit, an evening boat tour on the Arno, or a walk to see the panoramic view on Florence by night: all these are great ideas for what you can do after the sunset!

🔸️If you're curious to learn more, visit my blog! In my recent article, I described various ideas on how to spend an unforgettable evening in Florence.

🇬🇧
https://www.guidemeflorence.com/2024/07/25/night-in-florence/

🇮🇹
https://www.guidemeflorence.com/it/2024/07/17/cosa-fare-a-firenze-la-sera/

14/06/2024

🔸 The most difficult decision you have to take when you plan your holidays in any European city, is the location of your accommodation.

🔸 Where should I stay, if I want to be close to all the sights? Where will I find more peace? Which neighbourhood is the closest to the train station? Probably you have all these questions in mind, when you try choosing your hotel in Florence.

🔸 If you’re planning your trip to Florence and you feel lost, I prepared for you a guide to the Florentine neighbourhoods. I described the four areas within the historical centre of Florence, where you might want to stay.

🔸Discover San Lorenzo, Santa Maria Novella, Santa Croce and the Oltrarno! I also gave you some tips about the neighbourhoods outside of the centre, that are well connected with the rest of the city.

🔸 This is the best moment for you to start planning your next holiday in Florence!

👉 https://www.guidemeflorence.com/2024/05/21/where-to-stay-florence/

09/06/2024

It is so easy to tell the story of Florence narrating the achievements of the great men.

Yet, Florence has been shaped by generations of important and powerful women, whose projects, ideas, and plans tend to remain in shadow.

We wouldn't have the Boboli Gardens without Eleonora di Toledo, the Duchess of Florence, who could easily put in shade the achievements of her husband, Cosimo I.

We can easily say that Cosimo managed to reinforce the power of his dynasty in Florence, thanks to Eleonora. Thanks to the family ties and the relationship between Eleonora's father and Charles V, Cosimo gained the favour of the Emperor.

Eleonora was much richer than Cosimo, and he even had debts with her.

Eleonora allowed the continuation of the family line, guaranteeing the succession thanks to the 9 children she mothered and that survived infancy.

Boboli Gardens are until today a public garden freely accessible for the Florentine residents. I love enjoying its greenery and shade.

30/05/2024

🔥 Parę dni temu spotkałam się na pogaduchy z kolegą ze studiów, Jarkiem Ganczarenko. Wyszedł z tej rozmowy nowy odcinek podcastu Jarka, Włoskie Historie.

🔥 Porozmawialiśmy o życiu we Florencji, o mojej pracy, o Florenckiej kuchni i lokalnych przysmakach.

🎧 Zapraszam serdecznie do słuchania na Spotify i na YouTubie!

➡️ https://open.spotify.com/episode/3u0oMdNOO9W91Mv6EHiYsd

➡️ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DQrttKeTLM&t=2577s

20/04/2024

❗ Big change at the Uffizi and the Accademia Galleries!

🔸 Starting from yesterday after you booked your timed entrance for the two museums, you will receive your ticket directly on your email.

🔸 It’s a big change, as until now they used to send you your booking number only. All the visitors had to pick up their tickets at the ticket office before they could enter.

🔸 This change simplifies the booking process and accelerates the entrance procedure! Big step for two of the most important museums in Europe, considering we are in 2024!

10/04/2024

🔶 The touristic season in Florence has started! We are ready to meet with all our guests and to show you the marvelous artistic treasures of the city.

🔶 Most of you will come to Florence by train, but for those who choose to arrive to the city by car, I've prepared a useful guide on the most convenient parking solutions.

🔶 If you're planning to come to Florence with your car, this is a must read for you!

🇬🇧 https://www.guidemeflorence.com/2024/04/08/parking-in-florence/

🇮🇹
https://.guidemeflorence.com/it/2024/04/02/firenze-dove-parcheggiare/

24/01/2024

Until February 18 at the Palazzo Vecchio you can visit the exhibition dedicated to Giovanni Stradano.

Jan van der Straet was a Flemish artist active at the court of Cosimo I. As a member of Giorgio Vasari's workshop he decorated the rooms of the Palazzo Vecchio, transformed by the Duke into the first Ducal Palace for the Medici family.

At the exhibition you can see Stradano's sketches for the decorative panels at the Palazzo Vecchio and his other works, such as his drawings for a series of tapestries made for the Ducal family.

Don't miss this show if you're in Florence this winter!

06/12/2023

🔶 Who are our guides? Meet Isabella!

🔶 Isabella Tronconi Expert Florence Guide - Isabella Tronconi is an art historian and a passionate guide in English and Italian.

🔶 Isabella graduated in art history at the University of Florence. She has then published her research in a volume on painting in Campi Bisenzio from the 14th and the 15th century.

🔶 Isabella has never stopped developing her professional skills and she is currently studying for a specialisation degree in art history.

🔶 Isabella's passion for art goes together with her need to share her knowledge with a wider public. If you happen to visit Florence with Isabella, you will be captured by her smile and passionate tales about the Florentine art and history.

🔶 Isabella will be particularly happy to guide you through the rooms of the Galileo Museum, a little-known treasure that displays a collection of scientific instruments. For Isabella this museum manages to unite beauty and science and allows the visitors to discover the fascinating history of scientific discovery and investigation.

🔶 Visit Florence with the best expert guides! Book your private tour today!

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Looking for a guide in Florence? Contact us! We will be happy to organize your private tours and museum visits.

www.guidemeflorence.com
[email protected]

29/11/2023

🔸 One of the most satisfying parts of my job is when I can work with students, and with art history students in particular.

🔸 Sharing art history with passionate young people, who look at art with wonder and curiosity gives me joy! Last April I had a chance to collaborate with a group of A-level students from London. We toured Florence for 4 days discovering together the history and art of the Renaissance.

🔸 As you can see, the students loved this experience and I was more than happy to see their understanding of Renaissance art grow.

🔸 Art stimulates immagination and empathy! Art makes you feel good! Next time, when you travel, make yourself a gift: visit a museum with a passionate art historian!

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Looking for a guide in Florence? Contact us! We will be happy to organize your private tours and museum visits!

www.guidemeflorence.com
[email protected]

25/11/2023

🔸 Who are our guides? Let's meet Michele CamminarTe in Toscana

🔸 I am so happy Michele is part of our team! Michele is not only a tour guide. He also is an art historial full of passion for the discipline. The kind of person that cannot pass next to an art history bookshop without buying 5 more books on a topic interests him most. A real bookworm.

🔸 Michele specialised in medieval art through a postgraduate degree at the University of Siena, where he carried out his research on the iconography of the figure of King in Europe from the late Roman era to the 11th century.

🔸 As tour guide, he always wants to share with the visitors his passion and enthusiasm for history and art. With his engaging storytelling he shares with you the fascinating narratives hidden behind every sculpture and painting.

🔸 His favourite museum in Florence is the Bargello, a shrine of art that captures the visitors by its enchanting atmosphere of the 19th century, when Bargello first became a museum.

🔸Michele is also our expert in Siena, its art and its rich territory!

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Looking for a guide in Florence? Contact us! We will be happy to organize your private tours and museum visits!

www.guidemeflorence.com
[email protected]

16/11/2023

🔸 Who are our guides?

🔸 Already this last season many of you met with Francesca! You had a chance to appreciate her knowledge and excellent storytelling skills.

🔸 Francesca is an archaeologist and a true expert both in Etruscan and Roman history. She got her PhD in Roman history from the Ca' Foscari University in Venice and her study investigated the political communication during the Roman Republican era.

🔸 As a tour guide she brings history back to life. Her favourite museum in Florence? The Cathedral Museum, which with its modern display takes you on a real trip through the centuries of history of the Cathedral complex!

🔸 I would definitely advice you to visit also the Archaeological Museum of Florence in her company! Together with Francesca you can discover many fascinating stories about the Etruscan civilisation. Who are our guides?

🔸 Already this last season many of you met with Francesca! You had a chance to appreciate her knowledge and excellent storytelling skills.

🔸 Francesca is an archaeologist and a true expert both in Etruscan and Roman history. She got her PhD in Roman history from the Ca' Foscari University in Venice and her study investigated the political communication during the Roman Republican era.

🔸 As a tour guide she brings history back to life. Her favourite museum in Florence? The Cathedral Museum, which with its modern display takes you on a real trip through the centuries of history of the Cathedral complex!

🔸 I would definitely advice you to visit also the Archaeological Museum of Florence in her company! Together with Francesca you can discover many fascinating stories about the Etruscan civilisation.

03/11/2023

🔸 In 2017 I was still fresh from my PhD graduation. It was already 7 years that I have been living in Florence using the vast resources of its libraries and archives.

🔸 My post-PhD life was all to be built. I knew that I wanted to teach. I wanted to share the understanding of Medieval and Renaissance art with others.

🔸 But is learning only for students? I passed the exam for a tour guide license to be able to speak to very diverse publics: students, adults, kids and families.

🔸 In June 2017 I inaugurated Guide me Florence: a space where to share and spread what I love the most: art and history. I wanted to stimulate your curiosity and facilitate your contact with art.

🔸Year after year my activity kept growing. I met many incredible guests: art history students, curious travelers and families. These were 6 years filled with satisfaction and joy.

🔸 Already this year the number of the requests for my tours was higher than my possibilities to satisfy them all. This is why I started creating a network of art historians, historians and archaeologists who take care of your tours sharing their passion and knowledge.

🔸 This year Guide me Florence got reacher thanks to Olga Karwala Przewodnik Florencja and her expertise in music history, Laura FlorentiArt who knows every secret of Medieval Florence, Francesca and her deep knowledge of Roman culture, Isabella Expert Florence Guide - Isabella Tronconi who has no equals in the field of Tuscan Renaissance and Michele CamminarTe in Toscana whoes passion for the Sienese painters is contagious.

🔸 Working together with such a dream team makes me happy! You can be certain that whoever guides your tour you will meet an expert, who won't only provide you with a set of information about a given artwork, but who will try to build a bridge between you and the past making art and history accessibile and fascinating.

🔸 After six years I can share my mission with other cultural heritage professionals and I am thankful for it!

🔸 You will soon learn more about each member of this dream team! May the art be with you!

27/10/2023

🔸 One thing is certain: Florence IS an open air museum.

🔸 By simply walking through the streets you can admire some of the major masterpieces of European art.

🔸 The Loggia dei Lanzi in Piazza della Signoria is a particularly rich in precious artworks.

🔸 This structure was built during the 14th century as a representative space for the rulers of the Republic of Florence. Here their power was performed and displayed.

🔸 When the Medici family established their Duchy in the region, they started using the loggia as a sort of a sculpture gallery.

🔸 They placed here some Roman sculptures from their collection and they enriched the Loggia with the works of the contemporary artists: Benvenuto Cellini and Jean de Boulogne.

🔸 The 'R**e of the Sabine Women' by de Boulogne is one of my favourite sculptures displayed in the urban space of Florence. Here you can see it in the background, behind the ancient figure of the guarding lion.

🔸 Torsion, dynamics, drama - this is what this sculpture represents. With its complex, almost impossibile composition, the artist wanted to surprise the public. He tried to challenge the limits of sculpture.

🔸 I would love to have endless time with you during our tours. In fact, we could dedicate an entire tour to Loggia dei Lanzi and Piazza della Signoria only, without going anywhere else.

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Looking for a private guide in Florence? Contact us! We will be happy to organize your private tours and museum visits!

www.guidemeflorence.com
[email protected]

06/10/2023

🔸 When is the best time for a visit in Florence?

🔸 This is a question you ask me most often! You all want to enjoy good weather but avoid the crowds. It seems impossible, because, as you can imagine, the period with the best climate also attracts the most tourists.

🔸 This is why, to make the right choice, you need to ask yourself what kind of a trip interests you, what activities you are looking for, and what weather conditions you expect.

🔸 I prepared for you a guide with tips and suggestions for each season in Florence.

👉 ENG: https://www.guidemeflorence.com/2023/10/06/when-to-visit-florence/
👉 IT: https://www.guidemeflorence.com/it/2023/09/14/periodo-migliore-per-visitare-firenze/

❓ When will you visit Florence next time?

22/09/2023

🔸 We continue our discovery of the female artists whose self-portaits are now on display at the Uffizi Gallery.

🔸 Our next heroine is Elisabeth Chaplin, a French artist active in France and in Tuscany staring from the first decades of the 20th century.

🔸 Chaplin was born in Fontainebleau in 1890 and soon after she moved with her family to Italy. She came from a family of artists.

🔸 She started to paint very early without receiving any formal training. When her family moved to Fiesole in 1905, Elisabeth started to move in the artistic circles of Florence improving her skills through extensive copying of the Renaissance masterpieces preserved at the Uffizi Gallery.

🔸 She travelled a lot during her life working also in Paris. She built a truly successful career winning a gold medal at the International Exhibition in Paris in 1937 and in 1938 she was awarded the French Legion of Honour.

🔸 She returned permanently to Fiesole in the 1950s and became an important protagonist of the cultural life in Florence. She donated her entire body of works to Florence. Pitty that most of them are today kept in the deposit of the Gallery of Modern Art at the Pitti Palace. Only few of her works can be seen on display.

🔸 Chaplin died in 1982.

🔸 Have you ever heard of Elisabeth Chaplin before? Did you know her work?

20/09/2023

🔸 You're planning your holidays in Florence and you're looking for some interesting sights to visit close to the city?

🔸 What to see near Florence? On my blog you will find a new guide that will help you explore interesting places outside the city.

🔸 The Medici villas, parks, little towns and monasteries: the area around Florence has a lot to offer!

👉 Read more:

🇬🇧 https://www.guidemeflorence.com/2023/09/13/florence-and-surrounding-area-places-towns-to-visit-near-florence/

🇮🇹 https://www.guidemeflorence.com/it/2023/07/24/firenze-e-dintorni-posti-paesi-e-luoghi-vicino-firenze-da-visitare/

13/09/2023

❗ IMPORTANT NEWS❗

❗ NEW CHECK-IN PROCEDURE FOR DIGITAL REGIONAL TRAIN TICKETS❗

❗ Last month Trenitalia introduced a new check-in service for the passangers using regional trains who bought their tickets online.
Until now a digital ticket was valid only and exclusively on the train selected during the purchase process.

❗ Now you can change the journey date and time an unlimited number of times before 11:59 PM the day before your scheduled departure.

❗ Moreover, you can change your departure time an unlimited number of times on the day of your journey if you haven't yet checked in.

❗ You have to remember to check-in before your scheduled train departure time to validate your ticket. The check-in is COMPULSORY!

The check-in is very easy and it can be done with the Trenitalia app. Downloading this app is a great idea before your trip to Italy! You can use it to buy your tickets and to follow the information about the delays of the trains. Now, you can also use it if you want to change the departure time for your trip on a regional train. This is also where you do the check-in!

❗ Remember that the regular "paper" tickets for the regional trains that you can buy at the ticket office at the train stations and using the self-service machines, have to validated before you board the train. You can do it using the validating green-white-red machines at the platforms!

Let me know if you have any questions or doubts about these new rules!

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Looking for a tour guide in Florence?
Contact us!
We will be happy to organize your private tours and museum visits!

www.guidemeflorence.com
[email protected]

11/09/2023

🔸 The facade of the Florentine Cathedral Santa Maria del Fiore amazes all the visitors who come to Florence.

🔸 Did you know, however, that this facade is one of the most recent works of art in Florence?

🔸 The first medieval facade of the church, designed by Arnolfo di Cambio together with the first project for the Cathedral building, has never been finished. In 1587, considered already old-fashioned, the medieval facade was demolished.

🔸 First the death of Grand Duke Francesco I and then the conflicts between the local artistic environments blocked the projects for the construction of a new facade in late Renaissance style.

🔸 Florence had to wait until the 19th century to see a new decoration on the front wall of the most important church in the city. The works on the new facade started in 1876 according to the project by Emilio de Fabris.

🔸 Many different sculptors contributed to the ex*****on of the statues for the facade, such as Tito Sarrochi and Augusto Passaglia. Among them we have to remember Amalia Dupré, who designed the figure of Santa Reparata, located on the left side of the central door.

👉 Do you want to learn more about the history of the Florentine Cathedral? Book your private tour of the Cathedral Complex!

👉 https://www.guidemeflorence.com/visite-guidate/duomo-complex-florence-private-tour/

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Looking for a guide in Florence? Contact me! I will be happy to organize your private tours and museum visits!

www.guidemeflorence.com
[email protected]

04/09/2023

🔸 Let's meet another female painter whose self-portrait is displayed in the collection of the artistic self-portraits at the Uffizi Gallery.

🔸 Emma Gaggiotti Richards was an Italian painter active in the 19th-century England.

🔸 She was born in 1825 in Rome and she grew up in the Marche region. As a daughter of the Ministery of War of the Papal State, she had the possibility to study painting with a private teacher, Nicola Consorti.

🔸 In 1849 she married an English journalist and author, Alfred Bate Richards, and the couple moved to London.

🔸 In England Gaggiotti became a highly appreciated portrait painter and her work became popular in the aristocratic circles. Her fame reached the royal court.

🔸 In 1850 Prince Albert commissioned Gaggiotti for three paintings: Faith, Hope and Charity (today displayed at the Osborne House on the Isle of Wight). The paintings were gifts for Albert's wife, Queen Victoria.

🔸 Gaggiotti retuned to Italy in 1854 and died in Velletri in 1912.

🔸 Her style was strongly influenced by the aesthetics of the Pre-Raphaelite painting. Her figures tended towards the sweet manner and idealisation of the Italian Renaissance.

🔸 Have you ever heard of her before?

21/08/2023

🔸 Who are they?

🔸 In the new rooms recently opened at the Uffizi Gallery and dedicated to the artistic self-portraits, one can find many portraits of female artists.

🔸 Besides few better-known names of Rosalba Carriera, Angelika Kauffmann or Sofonisba Anguissola, we can discover many other artists, whoes biographies are very little-known to the general public.

🔸 It's time to shed some light on these personalities! Have you ever heard of Giulia Lama?

🔸 Lama was born in 1681in Venice as a daughter of a painter. Her career began late, when Giulia was in her thirties. Moreover, she never became a professional artist, as her income came from her work as embroiderer.

🔸 Her success was made possibile also thanks to her friendship with Giovanni Battista Piazzetta, one of the most important painters in early 18th-century Venice. Important commissioned she received from the ecclesiastic circles, confirm her notoriety and fame.

🔸 Despite important commissions, such as the one for the altarpiece for Santa Maria Formosa representing Virgin and Child with Saints, her work has been appreciated and studied only during the 20th century. Crucial were the studies by Ugo Ruggeri, who reconstructed her career.

🔸 You should not be surprised but only thanks to his research many paintings previously considered by Tiepolo or Piazzetta (the two male giants of Venetian baroque painting) has been recognized as painted by Lama.

🔸 Lama died in 1747 and she was burried at Santi Giovanni e Paolo in Venice.

🔸 In the post you can see her self-portrait displayed today at the Uffizi and part of her 'Death of Saint Anne'.

🔸 Stay tuned, more female artistic biographies will follow!

17/08/2023

🔸 3 days in Florence: how to visit the city while avoiding the crowds? 🔸

🔸 Every year Florence attracts a large number of tourists, crowding its streets and its most famous museums, the Uffizi Gallery and the Academy. For many, these crowds can be a deterrent for visiting the city.

🔸 But did you know that it was possible to visit Florence, avoid the crowds and at the same time discover its artistic masterpieces? The rich cultural heritage of this city allows you to learn about its history without necessarily standing in long lines in museums.

🔸 On my blog you will find a ready itinerary for your 3 days in Florence while avoiding the crowds!

🇬🇧 ENG https://www.guidemeflorence.com/3-days-in-florence/

🇮🇹 IT https://www.guidemeflorence.com/it/firenze-in-3-giorni/

15/08/2023

Happy Ferragosto!

Today all Italy is on holiday celebrating the Ferragosto. The origin of this feast dates back to 18 BC when Augustus decided to gather together all the festivities at the end of the period of hard field works.

The Feriae Augusti together with the Vinalia rustica, the Nemoralia and the Consualia offered an extended break to the peasants after weeks of hard work in the fields.

At the same time it was another opportunity for Augustus to promote his image and his rule over the territories governed by Rome.

This feast, strongly related to the agricultural world, was then moved from the 1st to the 15th August, when the Catholic church decided to overlap it with the festivity dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.

Today, the Ferragosto is a Marian feast for the Catholics, but it still preserves its rural origin. The various local traditions of Ferragosto may include the blessing of the herbs or parades with oxen decorated with flowers.

For Italians Ferragosto is a day off passed with the friends far from the city, the day for a "gita fuori porta" with a picnic, a barbecue or a day on the beach!

Happy Ferragosto, folks! How will you celebrate?

18/07/2023

Last week the Uffizi Gallery has inaugurated new rooms dedicated to the rich collection of artistic self-portraits.

It was Cardinal Leopoldo de' Medici who during the 17th century started gathering the self-portraits sent to him by the most important artists of his time.

For the artisits such as Bernini, Luca Giordano or Carlo Dolci having their own self-portrait in one of the most important artistic collections of his time was a sign of recognition and prestige.

For the Medici family, it was a way how to increase proper collections.

The collection of artistic self-portraits is an open part of the Uffizi's collections. Until today artists donate the images, expression of self-fashioning and self-representation to the Gallery.

The new rooms feature only small part of this very vast gathering. The portraits are displayed in cronological order, from the 14th until the 21st century.

On the walls you can admire also the effigies of many female artists active during the centuries: Sofonisba Anguissola, Angelika Kauffmann, Rosalba Carriera and many others.

It's a pity that then, the works by the same female artists are not represented on the walls of the gallery... There is still a lot to do to before we can tell that the museums promote gender equity.

Do you want to learn more about the artists whoes portraits are part of this collection? Book an Uffizi Gallery tour with me!

03/07/2023

Until 5 September you can visit the exhibition on Luca Giordano on display at in Florence.

Luca Giordano (1634-1705) was one of the greatest masters of the Italian Baroque. He was born in Naples and he trained with his father, Antonio Giordano, also a painter.

His style was strongly influenced by the naturalism of Caravaggio and Diego de Ribera but he would also study the art by Pietro da Cortona and the Venetian masters.

He worked for the most important Italian dynasties, including the Florentine families of Riccardi, Corsini, del Rosso.

His brilliant career concluded in Spain in service of King of Spain Charles II.

On the exhibition in Florence you can see Giordano's mythological paintings and the Biblical scenes. Moreover, in the beautiful mirror gallery decorated for the Riccardi family, you can admire his studies and copies of the magnificent compositions decorating the ceiling.

Don't miss it, if you're in Florence this summer!

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Looking for a guide in Florence? Contact me! I will be happy to organise your private tours and museum visits?

[email protected]
www.guidemeflorence.com

07/06/2023

It's a busy season here in Florence!

I meet many new guests every week. It's a pure joy to show you the Florentine monuments and to share with you the endless stories that they tell.

When I read your reviews of our tours, I know that I am in the right place, doing the right thing!

Thank you all for entrusting me your cultural visits in Florence!

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Looking for a guide in Florence? Contact me! I will be happy to organize your cultural tours and museum visits!

www.guidemeflorence.com
[email protected]

17/05/2023

You're dreaming about a longer stay in Florence, but you don't know how to plan your cultural visits?

Here it is: a ready itinerary for your 4 days in Florence discovering the history of the Medici family!

Discover the city learning more about the family who ruled Florence for more than 200 years!

👉 ENG: https://www.guidemeflorence.com/4-days-in-florence/

👉 IT: https://www.guidemeflorence.com/it/cosa-vedere-a-firenze-in-4-giorni/

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Looking for a private guide in Florence?
Contact me! I will be happy to organize your private tours and museum visits!

[email protected]
www.guidemeflorence.com

03/04/2023

📜 To this day, the way we learn European history is still male-centred. It is not surprising then, that the history of the Medici family focuses mostly on the male members of the family: Cosimo the Elder, Lorenzo the Magnificent, Cosimo I and his two sons, Francesco and
Ferdinand.

👸 Yet, the story of the female members of the Medici family isn’t less interesting or less relevant. Lorenzo the Magnificent wouldn’t have become such a successful strategist without his mother Lucrezia Tornabuoni. The importance of the Medici family in Europe wouldn’t be the same without Caterina and Maria, the two Medici Queens of France. Florence would definitely not be the same without Eleonora di Toledo; the wife of Cosimo I de’ Medici, the Duchess of Florence.

👸 Thanks to the temporary exhibition at Palazzo Pitti “Eleonora di Toledo and the Invention of the Medici Court in Florence” curated by Bruce Edelstein and open until 14 May 2023, we can better understand the importance of Eleonora for Florence, for the Medici dynasty and for the Florentine art of the mid-16th century.

👸The exhibition is an intimate encounter with the Duchess. During your visit you learn about everything dear to her: her family, her ambitions and plans. You can admire some of the objects that belonged to her and you better understand her impact on Florence.

👉 If you want to learn more about Eleonora, read my latest article on the blog:

🇬🇧 https://www.guidemeflorence.com/2023/04/02/eleonora-di-toledo-life-of-a-duchess/

🇮🇹 https://www.guidemeflorence.com/it/2023/03/31/eleonora-di-toledo/

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Looking for a guide in Florence? Contact me! I will be happy to organize your private tours and museum visits!
www.guidemeflorence.com
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22/03/2023

🖼️ Until 13 September at Museo del Novecento you can visit the exhibition "L'origine du monde" dedicated to Lucio Fontana.

🖼️ Fontana is most famous for his monochrome cut canvases, but the Florentine show explains the origin of the artistic research that brought to the invention of the cuts.

🖼️ In fact, Fontana was the founder of an artistic movement of 'spatial art', which investigated the relationship between matter and space, presence and absence, spectator and its environment.

🖼️ If you're in Florence this spring or summer, don't miss this show and if you want to learn more about Fontana, contact me for a guided tour!

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🔸 Last Tuesday, 29 August, I was waiting for Stefano's guests Outoftheboxflorence in Piazza della Signoria, when I noticed that they were about to reassemble the horse monument dedicated to Cosimo I! I was so lucky as to register the whole process! 🔸 The horse statue of the Duke Cosimo was designed by the Belgian artist Jean de Boulogne, known in Florence as Giambologna. The artist worked on it many years, between 1587 and 1594 satisfying the commission of Cosimo's son, Ferdinando de' Medici. 🔸 The statue was cast in two separate pieces: the figure of the Duke on one side and the gigantic horse on the other. In order to execute such huge casts, the Duke provided Giambologna with a special space for his workshop, big enough for a work on such big moulds. 🔸 The statue was placed in Piazza della Signoria in 1594. It survived both World Wars and after so many centuries a deep restoration was necessary. 🔸 The statue was disassembled and its two parts were restored separately. For almost a year Cosimo I sat next to his horse. On 29 August the restorers put the two parts together. 🔸 We cannot wait to see the restored statue from close-by and without any scaffolding! 🔸 Welcome back, Cosimo!

What to do in FLORENCE in 1 DAY?

🔸 What to see in FLORENCE in 1 DAY? 🔸You're planning your trip to Florence but you will have very little time? 🔸 Florence is one of the most important art cities in Italy and to visit it properly you need time! 🔸 However, even in one day, if you make wise choices, you can be captured by the beauty of the city you can visit the most important sites and pass a wonderful day. 🔸This is a complete guide for your one day in Florence! -- Are you looking for a guide in Florence? Contact me! I will be happy to organize your private tours and museum visits! 👉 www.guidemeflorence.com 📧 [email protected]

What to see in Florence? A complete guide to the city!

What to see in Florence? For those, who decide to visit Florence for the first time, it is not easy to understand what to do and where to go! I wanted to help you plan your stay in the town with a series of video-guides! From this video you can learn about the most important sights and monuments in the city! Have you already started planning your trip to Florence for 2023?

How to book the tickets to the Uffizi Gallery?

🎟️ How to book the tickets to the Uffizi Gallery? 🎟️ This is the question you ask me most often. 🎟️ If you put 'Uffizi Gallery tickets' in Google, the first results you get are the big reselling services, where you find the tickets on a higher price. 🎟️ How to avoid them? 🎟️ You have to go on the official website of the museum : www.uffizi.it You can also go directly to the official ticket office of the Florentine state museums: www.b-ticket.com/b-ticket/uffizi 🎟️ Once there you choose the museum, the date of your visit and the time slot. You add the number of tickets and you pay. 🎟️ You will receive a confirmation of your booking on your email. With this confirmation you have to pick up your tickets at the museum. 🎟️ At the Uffizi you do it at the door no 3, on the right side of Piazzale degli Uffizi (keeping Piazza della Signoria behind you). 🎟️ The entrance to the museum is on the opposite side of the Piazzale. 🎟️ Is that helpful? Let me know in the comments!

Clet Abraham and the street art in Florence

Who is my favourite street artist in Florence? Easy! It's Clet Abraham! His intelligent, funny and witty street signs became part of the Florentine cultural heritage! His activity showed that the urban space is open to artistic activity! There wouldn't be any Blub, Exit.enter or Lediesis without Clet! Do you love street art as much as I do? -- Looking for a guide in Florence? Contact me! I will be happy to organize your private tours and museum visits! www.guidemeflorence.com [email protected]

Legends and stories of Florence - Bartolini-Salimbeni family and their coat-of-arms

Do you know that almost every important family in Florence used to tell a story about its own origins? Some of these stories were talking about courageous battles won by their ancestors. Some others were explaining the economic success of their commercial activities. The story narrated by the Bartolini-Salimbeni family is particularly curious. Curious to hear this legend? Watch my new video! -- Looking for a private guide in Florence? Contact me! I will be happy to organize your private tours and museum visits! www.guidemeflorence.com [email protected]

Do you want to discover a secret garden in Florence? Visit the Iris Garden!

Do you want to visit a secret garden in Florence? If so, you have to come here in May and you have to discover the Iris Garden! The Garden is open every year between the 25 April and the 20 May. Do you know why we have an Iris Garden in town? Discover the history of this unique place in my new video! -- Looking for a private tour guide for your Tuscan holidays? Contact me! I will be happy to organize your private tours and museum visits! www.guidemeflorence.com [email protected]

First visit in Florence? Things you cannot miss!

Coming to Florence for the first time? Five things you cannot miss! -- Looking for a guide in Florence? Contact me! I will be happy to organize your private tours and museum visits! www.guidemeflorence.com [email protected]

Renaissance residences in Florence

Did you know that in Florence you can still admire the palaces built during the fifteenth century for the wealthiest Florentine families? One of these palaces is the Palazzo Strozzi! Discover the history of this magnificent residence! -- Looking for a tour guide in Florence? Contact me! I will be happy to organize your private tours! www.guidemeflorence.com [email protected]

Three little-known sights in Florence

You've been to Florence many times and you think you've seen it all? Check if you know these three little-known museums in Florence! --- Are you looking for a tour guide in Florence? Contact me! I will be happy to organize your private tours and museum visits! www.guidemeflorence.com [email protected]

Have you ever noticed the turtles in Piazza Santa Maria Novella?

Have you ever noticed the turtles supporting the two obelisks in Piazza Santa Maria Novella in Florence? They refer to Cosimo I de' Medici and to his impresa! Discover the meaning of these funny animals! -- Looking for a guide in Florence and in Tuscany? Contact me! I will be happy to organize your museum visits and tours! www.guidemeflorence.com [email protected]

What are the Renaissance "imprese"?

Do you know what are the Renaissance "imprese"? In Florence you can find many strange symbols on the facades of the Florentine palaces and buildings. Some of them are the so-called "imprese" of the illustrious Florentines. Discover the meaning of the sail used by Giovanni di Paolo Rucellai as his personal sign. -- Do you want to visit Florence with a private guide? Contact me! www.guidemeflorence.com Write me an email at [email protected] so we can start planning your museum visits and private tours in Florence and in Tuscany!

Private tours in Florence with Agata Chrzanowska, art historian and professional tour guide.

❗ It has been a while since I've presented myself. Many of you arrived here later. 🔸 So here we are! This is who I am: an art history freak who talks, reads and thinks about the Italian Renaissance all day long. 🔸 I just need share my passion with the others! This is why I work as art history teacher and professional tour guide. 🔸 My tours in Florence and in Tuscany are fully tailored and prepared according to your interests and needs. ➡️ If you want, we can discover Florence and Tuscany together! Just drop me a line and we can start planning your tours and cultural visits in this unique territory! Contact me! 💻 www.guidemeflorence.com 📧 [email protected]

Did you know that the famous Porcellino we pet in Florence is copy of a copy?

Did you know that the famous Porcellino we pet at the Mercato Nuovo in Florence is actually a copy of a copy? The first Porcellino in Florence was a Roman marble statue representing a wild boar. It already was a Roman copy of a Greek, probably bronze, original. During the 17th century Pietro Tacca made a bronze copy of this Roman work and later it was placed at the Mercato Nuovo as a fountain. Discover the history of this famous statue in my latest video! Do you like this new format?

Ricciarelli - Christmas cookies from Siena

🎄 Christmas in Tuscany tastes of Ricciarelli! ❄️ Ricciarelli are soft almond cookies from Siena. According to the legend, the recipe for this delicacy was brought to Siena by a Sienese knight, Ricciardetto della Gherardesca, on his return from a crusade. 🍪In fact, the almond pastries were very popular in the Middle East, and their arrival to Medieval Europe testify an intense cultural exchange between the West and the East during the Middle Ages. 🍪Ricciarellli aren't difficult to bake! I am leaving here a recipe from Pellegrino Artusi's ""Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well"", first published in 1891!

Gli sbandieratori

Happy St John's day!

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Let me guide through art and history of Tuscany!

My name is Agata Chrzanowska, I am art historian and professional tour guide, and I will be happy to organize your private tours and cultural visits in Florence and in Tuscany! I will guide you with a smile on my face, curiosity and generosity.

Being a tour guide is a sort of addiction for me as I love sharing my love and passion for Florence and Tuscany with a wider public. I moved to Florence in 2010 and in 2016 I concluded my PhD in Italian Studies at the Durham University in UK. Since then I dedicated my carrier to popularization of art history among a wider public. I work as lecturer in art history in Florence and in 2017 I launched my personal project Guide me Florence aimed at promotion of quality tourism in Tuscany.

Let me organize your tours and allow me to show you how fascinating the history of this place is. We will talk about art, architecture, engineering, politics, power and religion. We will discover many fascinating personal stories and we will discuss great cultural changes originated in Florence and Tuscany. You will meet many new friends: Filippo Brunelleschi, Michelangelo and Donatello may be among them.