Italy
The Hidden Treasures of Florence
Program No. 18647RJ
See a side of Florence rarely shown to outsiders as you enjoy inside access to the Museo del Duomo, explore palaces and aristocratic mansions and attend lectures at private galleries.
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Protecting the Environment
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10 days
9 nights
16 meals
8B 5L 3D
1
In Transit to Program
In Flight
6
Uffizi Gallery, Lecture, Free Time
Florence
10
Program Concludes
In Flight
At a Glance
This is a special opportunity to experience Florence at its absolute best — beyond the throngs of tourists in quiet neighborhoods where artisans and patricians live side by side amid colorful window boxes, cobblestone streets and churches with many hidden stories waiting to be told. View works by Michelangelo, Donatello and the great Renaissance masters.
Activity Level
Keep the Pace
Walking up to 3 miles over the course of a day, uneven terrain; standing up to one hour at a time during on-site lectures.
Small Group
Love to learn and explore in a small-group setting? These adventures offer small, personal experiences with groups of 13 to 24 participants.
Best of all, you’ll…
- Learn from top historians about lesser-known works of art in galleries and private collections not open to the public.
- Visit the Scuola del Restauro and discover what it takes to preserve and repair invaluable masterpieces.
- Enjoy Roman, Baroque, Renaissance and Gothic architecture over cocktails and apéritifs.
Featured Expert
All trip experts
Mario Carniani
A native of Fiesole, Italy, Mario Carniani graduated with honors from the University of Florence with a focus on foreign languages and literature. After pursuing studies on Elizabethan drama in England, he moved on to teach Italian at the British Institute of Florence and English in Italian State schools. He has conducted courses on Italian literature and history for numerous international institutes based in Florence, including Georgetown University and Dartmouth University.
Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.
Mario Carniani
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A native of Fiesole, Italy, Mario Carniani graduated with honors from the University of Florence with a focus on foreign languages and literature. After pursuing studies on Elizabethan drama in England, he moved on to teach Italian at the British Institute of Florence and English in Italian State schools. He has conducted courses on Italian literature and history for numerous international institutes based in Florence, including Georgetown University and Dartmouth University.
Giovanni Guidetti
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Giovanni Guidetti is an expert in travel with decades of experience. He specializes in Renaissance and Baroque Florentine art as an art historian with a Master’s in Art History from the University of Florence. Giovanni loves to share the beauty of the Tuscan landscape as a professional leader in Florence, Fiesole, and Prato. Currently, he is the Scientific Director at the Museum of Sacred Art of San Donnino. Giovanni has also led lectures and presentations on Renaissance, Baroque, and Neoclassical artists and monuments.
Giulia Zanobini
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Giulia Zanobini was born and lives in Florence, Italy. She loves to be in contact with people and has developed very good interpersonal skills through her work experience. Her curiosity for foreign cultures and languages has strongly influenced her educational and career choices. She studied tourism, art, language teaching (English, Italian). Giulia is a Group Guide and Group Leader. She has extensive experience in the tourism industry, which includes having worked as a secretary in 5-star hotels and as a group leader for Road Scholar.
Patrizia Vigiani
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Patrizia Vigiani is a native Florentine who grew up with an authentic love for her city, being passionate about art, history, and culture. She attended the Technical Institute for Tourism in Florence and has worked in travel since 2001 when she started traveling through Italy and Europe as a group leader, finally coming back to her city after many years. In 2008, she became an officially licensed guide for Florence. Patrizia has been with Road Scholar since 2017.
Alessandra Sarappa
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Alessandra Sarappa was born and raised in Rome. She studied English at Rice University in Texas before spending seven years in the UK. She was part of the cabin crew at British Airways for 25 years, and worked with English customers in Sorrento as a customer resort helper for Jet2Holidays for one summer. She then became a group leader for companies including AG Boutique in Rome, Laser Jet in Riccione, and the Aloschi Bros cruise agency. Her interests range from art to nature and gastronomy.
Caterina Zanobetti
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Caterina Zanobetti is a licensed group leader because she loves arts, history, and visitors' curiosity. She likes telling stories, legends, and sharing the emotion of discovering the towns and beautiful places of her country. She was born in Rome, but has lived in Florence since she was a teenager. After working several years in an import-export, she decided to turn her passion into a job, and studied to become a group leader.

Alma Lizia Vasquez
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Alma Lizia Vasquez was born in Mexico, and moved to Florence over two decades ago. Alma is a licensed group leader who is also a sommelier, photographer, and paper artworks restorer. Alma is curious and restless by nature; she is passionate about history, art history, languages, and travel. Since 2015, she has been working in the tourism sector for several national and international agencies. She began working with Road Scholar in 2022, initially as an assistant and later as a group leader.
Eleonora Tartarini
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Eleonora Tartarini was born in northern Tuscany between the Mediterranean Sea and the Apuan Alps famous for the white marble of Carrara. After researching as a cultural anthropologist in the U.S.A., Eleonora has been living and working in Florence as a local guide, hiking guide, and tour manager since 2012.
The focus of her work is to narrate the mechanisms of Italian and European culture through art, history, and daily life. Eleonora loves animals, the woods and the Mediterranean, singing, and creating ceramic pieces.
Suggested Reading List
(9 books)
Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop
You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
The Hidden Treasures of Florence
Program Number: 18647
Florence: The biography of a City
Santa Maria del Carmine and the Brancacci Chapel
Renaissance Florence
Daily life in Florence in the time of the Medici
The Palazzi of Florence: their history and art
The Companion Guide to Florence
The House of Medici: its rise and fall
Palaces of Florence
Magnifico: The brilliant life and violent times of Lorenzo de Medici