Weekend in Italy

Summer has just ended and with it is coming the last chance to join the so-called high-season services. If you are coming to Italy before middle Autumn, here is a list of charming services you might enjoy joining, not available in low season:

In Rome, available until the end of October: book a guided visit to the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel; another version of the tour includes also the visit to Saint Peter’s Basilica. If you prefer an open air tour, you can choose our Historical Walk to Baroque Rome, that will show you the legendary Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon and Piazza Navona, or Historical Walk to the Colosseum and the Roman Forum, (the political, military, and civic center of the Roman Empire), as well as the Arch of Titus and the Arch of Constantine.

In Florence, available until the end of November, you can experience the real Italian cuisine: Cooking hand-made fresh pasta following ancient Italian traditions, both using a rolling pin and a pasta machine,  followed by lunch with the dishes you have prepared, accompanied by a good Tuscan wine. Also for Italian food lovers, the Medieval Florence Gastronomic tour, until October 31st: discover the part of the historical center where it is still possible to imagine the life of Florence in the fourteenth century with the kiosks selling the old and tasty “street food”, like “trippa” and “lampredotto”, “panino con il Peposo”, “crostini fiorentini”, “pappa al pomodoro”,  “ribollita” and “coccoli fritti”.

And, for those of you willing to take advantage of the last warm days of the year, available until the end of October the Panoramic trekking in Florence: wear a comfortable pair of shoes and discover the city from another point of view! A local guide will take you along routes unbeaten by mass tourism among the green of the hill that is closer to the historical center. It is a walk in contact with the art, history and nature of Florence enjoying a wonderful and unforgettable view of the city.

The highlight of the tour is to visit a traditional chocolate maker and taste the different flavors (Bitterness, acidity, sweetness, astringency and saltiness) exalted by different Italian wines… to delight your palates to the fullest! Inclusions: Chocolate “carre Criollo”, chocolate with 65% of pure cocoa, dark cremino with hazelnut, vanilla and cream pralina ganache accompanied by Vin Santo di Sticciano, chocolate and hazelnut cantuccino biscuit, cane sugar biscuit, filled chocolate with giunduia cream, plain chocolate with 85% of pure cocoa accompanied by Barolo Chinato, different creams with chocolate and fruit, Panforte and Panpepato accompanied with Prosecco della Valdobbiadene. You can join here!

The exhibition, named after Ferdinando I’s personal saying (maiestate tantum), focuses on two emblematic events, both linked to the dinasty affirmation policy followed by Ferdinando: the wedding with Cristina di Lorena, belonging to the France royal family, and the precious altar-ciborium for the family mausoleum, the princes’ chapel, chosen for the exhibition.

From May 2nd 2009 to November 1st 2009 in Florence

http://en.firenze.waf.it/museo_dett/27-state-museums/121-medici-chapels.html

One of the most important art cities for Christmas and New Year Holidays is certainly Florence. The richness of artistic teasures inside its museums, the beauty of the city, and the good cuisine, attract thousands of people  for the holidays.

One of the most famous and photographed paaces in Florence is Palazzo della Signoria, also known as Palazzo Vecchio. An imponent and majestic Medicean fortress, symbol of the power of Florence rulers, starting from the Medici family.

But not everybody knows that Palazzo Vecchio is a huge museum with itineraries and visits for adults and families.

The Quartieri Monumentali of the palace, the secret passages, the visit with an exceptional guide: Vasari, the private audience with Cosimo I de’ Medici or his wife, Eleonora di Toledo, are just some of the many possibilities offered by the museums of Palazzo Vecchio.

Guided visits of about an hour, taking place also for Christmas and holidays, allow visitors to dive into ancient Florence between intrigues and secrets of the most famous court during the Renaissance.

Special itineraries for the families: guided visits to show Palazzo Vecchio to kids from 4 to 8 years old, from 8 to 10 years old, and from 10 to 18 years old.

Not to miss: the secret passages, when you can discover hidden passages and doors behind a painting, or the recent discovery of Roman Florence, where once was the Temple.

For more details about the secret passages>>