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Food, Art & Culture... what could be better?
Full Day - 7 hours
 After meeting your guide at your hotel or designated meeting point, you will walk through the piazza of Santa Maria Novella where you will see one of Florence's oldest church. From the piazza you will continue onto one of the oldest pharmacies in Italy where you will have a chance to sample and purchase hand made beauty products made by the Nuns.  They utilise many different herbs, spices and various plants to create magnificent creams, perfumes and soaps which have been world renowned and are exported to many international destinations. The building itself is an experience with its high ceilings, frescoes, and many glass cabinets that proudly display these luxurious products. From here we will continue to a tucked away store selling legumes, grains, beans and other food items that have formed a staple of the Tuscan diet for centuries. Then through to the centre of Florence, the Piazza della Republica which is host to many shops, cafes and pigeons. People watching and coffee sipping is the most enjoyed past time.  Try it during your stay! This is the central shopping are of Florence and the streets surrounding this piazza are lined with wonderful stores. Next stop is a coffee shop, but not just any coffee shop! Through some of Florence's most characteristic streets to visit a 'chocolatier'. Ever heard of chocolates made with violet petals or saffron? Here you will have a chance to experience this ancient delicacy! You will then walk through the fleamarket where vendors sell everything from old photos to antique doorknockers to furniture and artwork.
 Lunch will be enjoyed sitting along the Florentines, soaking in the sights andscents of one of the most intriguing fresh food marketsin the city. After lunch wewill journey into the Piazza of santa Croce and visit the church.  Back through the Piazza della Signoria where the imposing tower of the 'Palazzo Vecchio' guards over this magical square with Neptunes fountain in the centre. Through the cafe lined piazza you will continue on alongside the Uffizzi, one of the most well known art museums in the world and down towards the 'Ponte Vecchio' now with its reputaion for the gold merchants though previously the site for many of the cities butcher shops!! A tour of Florence wouldn't be complete without a stop at the famous 'duomo' and this is where you will finish the day.
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