Destination
Type of Activity
Editors Pick
Read MoreArezzo
Arezzo, formerly a military fort on the Via Cassia, is one of the most historic cities in Italy. The illustrious collection of frescos in ancient cathedrals, the monthly antiques fair and the annual jousting match held in the main square...
Read MoreBallooning over Tuscany
There are a handful of spots on Earth where ballooning is not a gimmick but a must (Cappadoccia, East Africa and Myanmar’s Bagan also figure on this list). Indagare members can contact our Bookings Team for help organizing an early...
Read MoreBargello National Museum
Sculpture fans should definitely make time to see this museum, which has works by Michelangelo and Donatello. Visit midday to enjoy the world’s best sculpture when fewer visitors are present.
Read MoreBoboli Gardens
These mid-sixteenth-century terraced gardens, behind the Palazzo Pitti, are a nice escape from the crowds in the centro storico. The gardens contain lots of sculptures, fountains and grand allées, making them a fun place to take kids. (Make a list...
Read MoreBrancacci Chapel
This chapel in the Church of Santa Maria del Carmine, in the Oltrarno, is sometimes called the Sistine Chapel of the early Renaissance. Its magnificent fresco cycle was painted in stages by Masolino, Masaccio and Filippino Lippi, but it is...
Read MoreCastiglion del Bosco Cooking Classes
The latest from the Ferragamo family, this hideaway close to Montalcino has a golf course, stables and impeccable amenities. During the harvest, guests can sign up for a day in the vineyards, helping pick the grapes and ending with an...
Read MoreChianti
Situated between Florence and Siena, this wine-growing region is one of the world’s most famous. There are a number of attractive hilltop towns that can be visited in a day of touring, including Greve in Chianti, Castellina in Chianti, Gaiole...
Read MoreCortona
Immortalized by Frances Mayes’s novel and film adaptation Under the Tuscan Sun, Cortona has come to be a stand-in for the life-changing, picturesque hilltop Italian town. This small city in the Arezzo province offers an unparalleled vantage point for the...
Read MoreCrete Senesi
After lunch in Siena, explore the remarkable Crete Senesi, a 300-square-mile area south of Siena whose winding country roads afford breathtaking vistas of hills and woodland. It is best known for its ocher soil, made popular by Renaissance painters, as...
Read MoreCustom Wine Itineraries
Much more so than compact Napa and Sonoma, Tuscany can overwhelm with its sheer number of wineries and vineyards. Some are large businesses with set-up tasting rooms and export service. But the ones to know are those normally closed to...
Read MoreDesinare Cooking School
Riccardo Barthel's interior design shop in Florence was already a must-visit with a spectacular collection of antiques (mostly from the region) and custom pieces from entire kitchens to mosaic floors. Now the design guru has opened a terrific cooking school...
Read MoreDuomo (Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiori)
Brunelleschi’s famous cupola is touristy and not for anyone with vertigo, but the view from this Florence icon gives a first-time visitor a wonderful introduction to the city’s skyline. The steep stairs take you first to a narrow balcony, from...
Palazzo Pucci. Photo by Melissa Biggs BradleyRead MoreEmilio Pucci Heritage Hub
The new Emilio Pucci Heritage Hub, located in the Palazzo Pucci in Florence, combines the fashion brand’s archives with an innovative incubator program for special fashion projects. Our Trip Designers can arrange visits to the family archives and fashion hub...
Read MoreGabrio Staff Olimpo
Gabrio Staff Olimpo, a small spa and wellness spot on Via Tornabuoni, offers a menu of massages, manicure/pedicures, as well as detox and anti-aging treatments. It's in walking distance to many of the central hotels.
Read MoreGalleria degli Uffizi
The Uffizzi can be maddening, what with outdated galleries, uninspired audio guides, disgruntled staff, dimly lit halls and an insane timed-ticket system that puts you on a line no matter how savvy your planning. And who thought that the array...
Read MoreGalleria dell’Accademia
Before visiting the gallery, read Irving Stone’s excellent historical novel The Agony and the Ecstasy, first published in 1961, which is a vivid account of the life of Michelangelo and the Renaissance art world. Besides the original of Michelangelo’s David,...
Read MoreIl Falconiere Cooking School
The one-starred Michelin chef of Il Falconiere, a lovely retreat near Cortona, hosts an excellent cooking school, with courses offered from one day, three days or six days.
Read MoreIndagare Tours: Art Tours
Explore the best of Florence and the Uffizi with your own art historian including the Basilica di Santa Croce, known for its Florentine artwork and tombs of Michelangelo, Machiavelli and Galileo. Continue on to the artisan neighborhoods to see ironworkers,...
Read MoreIndagare Tours: Boating from Porto Ercole to Porto Giglio
Explore the Tuscan coast from the water with a full day boat trip on a chartered boat with an English-speaking captain. Make a visit to the island of Giglio, where you can explore its charming village lanes, church, medieval castle...
Read MoreIndagare Tours: Cooking Classes
Tuscan cuisine is not only fun to eat but it is a pleasure to cook. Classes in the area range from week-long courses in private villas with professional chefs to half-day classes in grand professional kitchens or casual outings where...
Read MoreIndagare Tours: Day trip to Orvieto and Civita di Bagnoregio
Take a car and driver to explore two of the most scenic spots in the area. Your English-speaking guide will guide you through the streets and history of clifftop Orvieto with its wonderful historical center, duomo and archaeological museum. After...
Read MoreIndagare Tours: Day Trips
For a field trip, families can enjoy an excursion to the Chianti region to immerse themselves in the tastes of Tuscany. Families will enjoy a full day in the countryside on the grounds of a family-owned, medieval wine estate. Parents...
Read MoreIndagare Tours: Florence for Families
Florence is full of symbols in plain sight - from the town flower to the Pazzi's dolphins and Strozzi's moons. Families will embark on a hunt to spot recognizable symbols throughout the city center as an orientation tour to the...
Read MoreIndagare Tours: Florence Workshops
Dive into the artisan nature of the city by working with the craftsmen and learning one of a number of crafts such as paper making, fresco making, woodworking or painting. And if you would rather eat your handiwork, we can...
Read MoreIndagare Tours: Historical Tours
During this in-depth tour, look closely into the complex history of the Medici family and their impact on the social, religious and political history of Florence over 400 years. You will accompany an art historian to trace the influence of...
Read MoreIndagare Tours: Pisa and Lucca Tour
Enjoy a full day tour of two of the region’s prettiest cities with an English-speaking guide. You can start with a visit to the famous leaning tower and stop at Gothic churches and scenic lookouts on the way to Lucca...
Read MoreIndagare Tours: Private Cooking Class
Want to learn the secrets of Italian cooking? Whether you fantasize about preparing pizza, pasta, risotto or osso bucco, you can do so in a fabulous school environment where a class is tailored to you and then you get to...
Read MoreIndagare Tours: Shopping Day
Have an English-speaking driver pick you up and take you to the Chianti wine region for a tour of vineyards, charming towns and a lovely lunch before taking you to the designer outlet mall for an afternoon of shopping Gucci,...
Read MoreIndagare Tours: Shopping Experiences
Florence remains one of the shopping capitals of the world where many of the most famous Italians started their crafts: Depending on your interests we can organize a private visit to the Gucci Museum and its exclusive shop or walks...
Read MoreIndagare Tours: Siena
Take a tailored tour of Siena. Whether you want to focus on history and walking or special access, which can mean being treated to tales of intrigue about the aristocratic families of the region and then being invited into the...
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Indagare Tours: Truffle Hunt and Cooking Class
Combine the fun of hunting for truffles with a truffle expert with a cooking class in an Italian kitchen, in which you will learn how to prepare the bounty you have hunted. You will hunt the truffles with a local...
Read MoreIndagare Tours: Tuscany’s Wine Region
Have an English-speaking driver pick you up in a Mercedes for a tour of top vineyards in the region. You will visit Montalcino, the capital of the Brunello wine region, tour its medieval town, head to the Sant’Antimo abbey, then...
Read MoreIndagare Tours: Unique Experiences
Celebrate romance with a candlelit dinner in a Florentine Museum that has been kept open exclusively for your use. Enjoy the surrounding masterpieces accompanied by a private live concert. Possible venues include: Galleria dell'Accademia, Orsanmichele, Palazzo Vecchio and Palazzo Pitti....
Read MoreIndagare Tours: Vespa Tour in Chianti
Does your Italian fantasy include riding on a Vespa? One of the best ways to enjoy the Chianti region is by Italian motorbike. We can arrange a tour that has you wending your past vineyards and olive groves and includes...
Read MoreIndagare Tours: Wine Trips
For wine and food wine lovers we can tailor a day trip to the Chianti region to immerse visitors in the tastes of Tuscany. You can visit prestigious, family-owned wine estates for a guided wine. Enjoy a field trip to...
Photo by Alessandro Moggi, courtesy La RoqqaRead MoreIsolotto Beach Club
Down a steep, winding forest road on the edge of the Mediterranean Sea is a lovely new beach club opened by the owners of the new hotel La Roqqa. A few white washed buildings dot the property where benches are...
Read MoreLa Specola
Founded in 1771, this little-known museum near the Pitti Palace houses one of Florence’s most bizarre collections. It was originally conceived to display natural-science curiosities gathered by generations of Medicis. Today, visitors can still view some of these royal collections...
Read MoreMercato Centrale di Firenze
One of Florence’s most beautiful and beloved covered food markets recently became even more of an attraction with the addition of restaurants, shops, a cooking school, library and artisanal vendors. Among the goodies in the iconic Renaissance building: local salami...
Read MoreMontalcino
A medieval city-on-a-hill, Montalcino affords astonishing scenery and a glimpse into a region relatively unchanged for the past 500 years. It also offers unparalleled varietals for wine enthusiasts. As home to the illustrious Brunello wine, Montalcino can safely be described...
Read MoreMontepulciano
As the highest of Tuscany’s “hill towns,” Montepulciano, with its car-free, winding streets, encapsulates the long-standing history and culture of central Italy at its finest. Montepulciano offers the same abundance of wineries endemic to the region, and the surrounding Vino...
Read MoreMonticchiello
There’s not a ton to see and do here but Monticchiello is one of Tuscany’s most ridiculously picturesque walled villages, close to the Renaissance town of Pienza. It’s also become a foodie destination thanks to restaurant La Porta, which has...
Read MoreMuseo del Opera del Duomo
It's a mystery why this museum, in the shadow of the Duomo, is somewhat ignored. Well-organized and compact, it must feature more masterpieces per square inch than any other in the city. In the first room, you’ll find original marble...
Read MoreMuseo Horne
Dark terracotta floors, leaded glass windows and coffered ceilings set the scene at this museum in the Santa Croce neighborhood. A visit to this collection is akin to stepping back in time and being invited into the home of a...
Read MoreMuseo Salvatore Ferragamo
City Secrets is a series of innovative guidebooks whose contributors, from art historians and professors to novelists and architects, choose their personal “city secrets” to share. The following is a pick from City Secrets: Florence & Venice by Judith DiMaio, an architect.
Read MorePalazzo Davanzati
Before the Palazzo Davanzati was renovated in 2022, we often recommended this museum for families, but it should now be high on the list of anyone interested in the decorative arts as well. Yes, it is still a great choice,...
