Your route starts in Via Faenza, once called "Via di Porta a Faenza" because it started from Via nazionale and reached the gate with the same name . Both the gate and the street derive their name from the old convent of the nuns from Faenza. By continuing towards Via Nazionale you will note (on your left) a building with an inscription: it is the old Convento di Fuligno, later become a boarding school.

You are at the entrance to the famous Cenacolo: we advise you to visit it. The magnificent fresco depicting the Last Supper was at first attributed to Raffaello, but was probably realized by Pietro Perugino. After admiring this jewel of the XV-century painting continue on Via Faenza and turn right at the junction to Via Nazionale: you will so reach Largo Alinari (opposite the railway station Santa Maria Novella). Use the subway to cross Piazza della Stazione and take care to leave by the side of tourist information. Enter Via degli Avelli, which you will recognize by the series of marble graves (avelli) of Florentine nobles. You will reach Piazza Santa Maria Novella.

The square is characterized by the presence of the imposing Basilica and by the XV-century portico of the old Ospedale di San Paolo. Here the Dominicans founded an oratory, which was later enlarged and converted into a church with a belfry. The façade was realized in 1470 by Leon Battista Alberti, who covered it with white and green marbles on an elegant geometric design. The inside keeps several works of art, such as Masaccio's Trinity and two magnificent Crucifixes: the first has been painted on wood and attributed to Giotto; the second was sculpted by Brunelleschi. On the left of the Basilica is the entrance to the Cappellone degli Spagnoli .

Here Eleonora from Toledo, Cosimo I de' Medici's wife, used to attend Mass with her retinue of Spanish nobles. The hall is decorated with Andrea di Bonaiuto's frescoes representing "the triumph of wisdom". Continue towards Via delle Belle Donne and reach the small square Croce del Trebbio: a granite column surmounted by a small medieval canopy with a marble cross overlooks the square. The column was raised in 1338 on an old well to commemorate the victory of the Cavalieri di Santa Maria against the heretics. By continuing on Via del Trebbio you will reach Piazza degli Antinori, which derives its name from the Renaissance Palazzo was raised in 1338 on an old well to commemorate the victory of the Cavalieri di Santa Maria against the heretics. By continuing on Via del Trebbio you will reach Piazza degli Antinori, which derives its name from the Renaissance Palazzo.

whose elegant courtyard (surrounded by a portico with rounded arches and cross vaults) holds the plastic models of the properties of the prestigious Antinori wine firm. Opposite the building you can admire one of the best examples of baroque art in Florence: the Chiesa di San Gaetano . whose inside is covered with marble and decorated with XVII-century bas-relieves, statues, stuccos and frescoes. From Piazza degli Antinori start following Via dei Tornabuoni lways considered the most exclusive area in Florence because of the elegance of its shops and the prestige of its designs, which make it famous all over the world. The imposing Palazzo Strozzi , rises almost halfway. It was begun in 1489 on Benedetto da Maiano's plan at the request of the merchant Filippo Strozzi il Vecchio.

The façade still shows the links which held up the flags and the wrought-iron lanterns, realized by such talented masters as Caparra. Inside you can admire the spacious courtyard realized by Cronaca; the Gabinetto scientifico letterario Gian Pietro Viesseux looks onto it; the rooms on the upper floor often hold exhibitions. Continue on Via dei Tornabuoni till you get to Piazza Santa Trìnita: you will recognize it from a distance by the presence of the Colonna della Giustizia and of the XIV-century Palazzo Spini Feroni , which once held the town council and today belongs to the fashion company Ferragamo .

The Museum with the same name (placed inside the Palazzo) documents the history of the firm founded by Salvatore Ferragamo and its shoes production between 1927 and 1960: Marilyn Monroe's crocodile-skin shoes, the famous cork-platform shoes patented in 1936 and the raffia, cellophane, paper and nylon models are among the most interesting articles. Opposite the Colonna della Giustizia there is the Basilica di Santa Trìnita, founded by the monks from Vallombrosa in XI century and rebuilt in the gothic style between 1250 and 1258. Its façade was reshaped by Buontalenti at the end of XVI century: Giovanni Caccini's sculptures were added to leave the mark of the Florentine baroque style on the church.

Inside you can admire the Cappella Strozzi, planned by Lorenzo Ghiberti and Filippo Brunelleschi, and the Cappella Sassetti, painted by the Ghirlandaio between 1483 and 1486. Go towards Ponte Santa Trinita and turn left into Lungarno Acciaiuoli: admire the elegant profile of the bridge, which was built in 1252, but fell down several times. In 1557 its reconstruction was planned by Bartolomeo Ammannati by order of Cosimo I; it stayed up until 1944, when it was mined by Germans. It was rebuilt ten years later through the use of the materials salvaged in the Arno (among which the statues representing the four seasons); the original structure was fortunately regained. Continue on Lungarno Acciaiuoli and admire the magnificent Ponte Vecchio whose arches are dominated by the goldsmiths' shops and by the windows of the Corridoio vasariano.

The first construction of the bridge dates back to the Roman time, but it was repeatedly damaged by the floods of the Arno until it was rebuilt on a plan attributed to Taddeo Gaddi in 1345. In 1442 the butchers were forced to move to the shops on Ponte Vecchio in order to isolate their malodorous and unhealthy activity from the built-up area. They later became the owners of the shops and tried to enlarge them by adding rooms looking onto the river and shored up by wood poles. In 1565 by order of Cosimo I the architect Vasari realized the famous Corridoio vasariano , an elevation which linked Palazzo Vecchio (representing the political and administrative centre) with Palazzo Pitti, the new Grand Duke's residence. Butchers' shops were replaced with the more profitable goldsmiths' ones. This alteration had the purpose of increasing the dignity of Florence under the dynasty Medici. Keep straight on: you will reach the small square called Piazza del Pesce (once Piazza dei Pescatori), not far from the old Florentine port which held the fish market.

The Arno was rich in fish in the past, as the old Florentine recipe books (quoting several fish-based dishes) show. Enter Via dei Gerolami and turn left into Via dei Georgofili, a short alley notorious for the mafia attack on the Accademia dei Georgofili on 27th May 1993. This prestigious institution, the first one in Europe, was founded in 1753 to promote research on agriculture. The "Olivo della pace" (an olive tree with inscriptions about peace in several languages) has been placed there to recall the massacre. Turn left into Via Lambertesca, an early medieval street which underwent several modifications in the course of time especially because of the German attacks. At number 28 you will note the magnificent Torre dei Gherardini (deriving its name from a noble family which owned several buildings in the surrounding area). You have so reached Via Porta Santa Maria, one of the oldest streets in Florence, dating back to the Roman time. Continue to the right. A gate in the city walls (Porta Santa Maria) was once situated almost at the junction to Via Vacchereccia; people could enter the city from Ponte Vecchio through it.

For this reason a flourishing commerce developed in this area during the Middle Ages. The street was greatly damaged by the German attacks with the exception of the early medieval Torre degli Amidei (on the left hand), which partly held out against the massacre. Two white-marble leonine heads stick out over the doors (hence the name Torre dei Leoni), but only one of them is original and seems to date back to the Etruscan time. Turn into Via Vacchereccia now: you will reach Piazza della Signoria, realized in the second half of XIII century by the government of the Guelfi, who had razed the properties of the hated family Uberti to the ground. In 1299 the Palazzo della Signoria was built; it was later enlarged through the realization of the Salone del Cinquecento (the XVI-century Hall), magnificently decorated with Vasari's frescoes and used by the Consiglio Generale del Popolo (People's General Council).

When the building became the residence of Grand Duke Cosimo I (1540), the Quartieri Nuovi were realized and decorated with frescoes by the Bronzino, the Ghirlandaio and other talented artists of the time. When the Grand Duke moved to the more prestigious Palazzo Pitti, Palazzo della Signoria was renamed Palazzo Vecchio. Since 1872 it holds the town council. The façade is attributed to Arnolfo di Cambio and dominated by an asymmetrical tower. On the right of the building there is the Loggia della Signoria , built between 1372 and 1382 to hold the frequent people's meetings and the official ceremonies of the Republic Florence. It was later renamed Loggia dei Lanzi, because the Lanzichenecchi pitched camp there in 1527 on their way towards Rome. Continue towards Via dei Calzaiuoli: you will note the original quadrangular building holding the church Orsanmichele .It was once a convent with gardens and an oratory. In the VII century the oratory was replaced with a small church dedicated to Archangel Michael (later named San Michele in Orto or Orsanmichele).

In 1240 the church was replaced with a loggia for the corn market; on the outer pillars the town guilds raised 14 tabernacles holding the statues of the patron saints. In 1380 the ground-floor arches were closed to create a religious building again dedicated to Saint Michael, which later held the Confraternita della Madonna di San Michele in Orto. The sculptures were removed from outside for preservation and replaced with copies. Turn left into Via Orsanmichele: you will note that the church is linked with the Palazzo dell'Arte della Lana through an arch, which creates a picturesque glimpse of the city. From Via Orsanmichele reach Via Calimala and turn right into Piazza della Repubblica which was originally a Roman Forum and later held the Mercato Vecchio. The square was altered when the capital of the Kingdom of Italy was transferred to Florence (1865-1871). It is surrounded by historical cafès, among which the one of the Giubbe Rosse, where artists and scholars (the Florentine Futurists in particular) met. Cross the square and reach the Florentine Portici decorated in the liberty style. Enter Via Brunelleschi (on your right), turn left into Via del Campidoglio and then right into Via dei Vecchietti and reach Piazza Santa Maria Maggiore. The Church with the same name overlooks the square; in its belfry a late Roman feminine head (called the Berta) is oddly sculpted in the wall. Legend has it that this mysterious sculpture is the petrified head of a woman who teased a passing-by prisoner and was therefore cursed by him. Cross Via dei Cerretani, continue towards the Duomo and turn left into Via dei Conti. You will reach Via Zanetti and then (by turning left) Piazza Madonna degli Aldobrandini. Here is the entrance to the Medici Chapels, which were conceived by Cosimo I and realized by his successor Ferdinando.

The monumental tomb of the family Medici was magnificently decorated with semiprecious stones by the Opificio delle Pietre Dure (Semiprecious Stones Factory). From the square enter Via Faenza and keep straight on: your Hotel is just past the junction to Via Nazionale.