13 Tuscany
Spring 2022 Tuscany Itinerary for COLFA Linguistics / Art History:
Thursday, March 10
| 7:00 am | Bus leaves from Borgo Mercatale for Siena |
| 10:30 am | Bus arrives in Siena |
| 11:00 am | Walk to Duomo (1136 – 1382) and Museo dell’Opera del Duomo. (If the weather is nice, we will also climb the unfinished façade) |
| 12:45 pm | Piazza del Campo, (Palio); Palazzo Pubblico, early 1300’s; Torre del Mangia, 1338 -1348 |
| 1:00 pm | Lunch |
| Free time: You might want to visit the church of St. Catherine of Siena, and her house, or her tomb at San Domenico | |
| 4:30 pm | Meet in the Campo, walk to bus |
| 5:00 pm | Bus leaves for Florence |
| 6:30 pm | Bus arrives in Florence, hotel check-in
Free evening |
Friday, March 11
| 8:00 am | Walk to Piazza del Duomo. |
| 8:30 am | Renaissance Team break-out presentations |
| 9:00 am | Visit Baptistry, Duomo, Museo dell’Opera, Sta. Reparata (the ancient church beneath the current cathedral). Climb Brunelleschi’s Cupola. (Optional: Giotto’s Campanile) |
| 1 pm | Lunch |
| 2:30 pm | Walk down Via Calzaiuoli, past Orsanmichele, through Piazza della Signoria, past the Uffizi, and across Ponte Vecchio (1345), up to Piazzale Michelangelo (20 minute climb) for a spectacular overview of the city |
| 4:30 pm | Visit nearby San Miniato al Monte (1018). Visit the crypt. |
| 6:30 pm | Vespers at San Miniato. |
| 7:00 pm | Walk back to the center or take the bus. Free evening. |
Saturday, March 12
| 8:00 am | Leave for the Accademia |
| 9:00 am | Accademia (view Michelangelo’s David and other works; view musical instruments) |
| 11:00 am | Walk to Palazzo Medici-Ricardi (4 minute walk) |
| 11:15 am | Visit the Medici Chapel, Benozzo Gozzoli’s fresco “The Procession of the Magi” |
| 11:45 am | Garden: Florentine Academy’s break-out presentations |
| 12:30 pm | San Lorenzo, Brunelleschi (1419) Medici Tombs, Michelangelo, (1520) |
| 1 pm | Lunch near San Lorenzo; Visit San Lorenzo Market in free time |
| 2:30 pm | Walk to Santa Croce (1294) (15 minute walk) Pazzi Chapel by Brunelleschi (1430)Leather-making studio |
| 4:00 pm | Return to hotel to prepare for the Opera. |
| 5:00 pm | Depart for Opera |
| 6:00 pm | Attend the opera L’amico Fritz by Pietro Mascagni |
| 7:40 pm | Rest of the evening free |
Sunday, March 13
| 7:30 am | Leave hotel |
| 8:15 am | Uffizi (we will probably finish around 2 pm) |
After the visit to the Uffizi ends, at 2 pm, Spring Break begins!
If you are staying the extra day in Florence, consider some of the following:
- Bargello (old city jail, now a fantastic sculpture museum),
- Santa Maria Novella (the great Dominican church of Florence, an artistic treasure) as well as its charming, antiquated pharmacy,
- Palazzo della Signoria (the old town hall of Florence)
- San Marco monastery, where Cosimo dei Medici went to repent his sin of usury; it has many simple but very beautiful frescoes by Fra Angelico. A very peaceful place. In the refectory is the gorgeous Cenacolo (Last Supper) by Ghirlandaio
- L’Ospedale degli Innocenti, with its beautiful arcades designed by Brunelleschi and its rondels of babies (the “Innocents”) by Andrea della Robbia. The small museum located in this former orphanage is one of my very favorites.
- Museo Galileo, which contains many artifacts from the famous scientist and others
- Santa Maria del Carmine’s Brancacci Chapel, with its wonderful frescoes by Massaccio