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Sex, Drugs & the Renaissance in Florence

Florence, Italy
Florence Walking Tour Renaissance Secrets and Scandals
  • 2 hours 15 minutes (approx.)
  • Mobile ticket
  • Offered in: English

Overview

Dig deeper into the secret history of Florence on this walking tour through the city's meandering alleys. Listen to your expert guide tell stories from the Renaissance capital's scandalous past, including stops in the Piazza del Duomo, Piazza della Repubblica, and Medici palace. A small group size of no more than 18 people ensures plenty of personal attention from your guide.
  • Stroll through central Florence and discover the city’s hidden secrets
  • See the Baptistery, the Bargello (Bargello Palace), the Duomo cathedral and Palazzo Medici Riccardi
  • Hear shocking tales about scandalous lives of the Renaissance from your knowledgeable guide
  • Small-group tour limited to 18 ensures a more personalized experience

What's Included

  • Local guide
  • Headsets to hear the guide clearly
  • Welcome drink
  • Gratuities

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

  • Via Roma, 1r, 50123 Firenze FI, Italy

    Corner of Piazza Della Repubblica and Via Roma outside the entrance to the Bar/Restaurant called Gilli. We meet just outside the Main Street door entry of Cafe Gilli at number 1 via Roma. Please wait near the door. Please do not wait in the square or near the column.

End point

  • Florence, Metropolitan City of Florence, Italy

What To Expect

Your tour begins in Florence's historic center by Piazza Davanzati. Following your knowledgeable guide, explore hidden side streets and hear stories of this illustrious city's shadowy past, when the world's oldest profession was the backbone of Florence's economy.

Learn how certain street addresses in Florence once distinguished lower-class from upper-class courtesans. Hear about how some of the city's most revered citizens were involved in some of the most sordid events of the Renaissance era. Find out what's behind the seemingly odd names of various streets in the historic center.

Along the way, you'll visit the Piazza del Duomo with its famous bapitstery and bell tower, the Piazza della Repubblica, a palace that was home to the ruling Medici family, and the Bargello. Today, the Bargello is an art museum, but its dark history is that it was once a jail.

You'll find out what strange concoctions Renaissance citizens believed had healing properties and see a well where they once dumped the deceased — a place locals still prefer to avoid!

Piazza della Repubblica

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Museo Nazionale del Bargello

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Duomo - Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Battistero di San Giovanni

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Palazzo Medici Riccardi

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Museo di Palazzo Davanzati

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Via Cavour Firenze

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
  • Not wheelchair accessible
  • Minimum age is 18 years
  • Comfortable shoes are recommended
  • Near public transportation
  • Most travelers can participate
  • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 14 travelers

Cancellation Policy

This experience is non-refundable and cannot be changed for any reason. If you cancel or ask for an amendment, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

  • This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

    Traveler Photos

    Reviews

    4.5
    16 reviews
    Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews
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    Reviews by Viator travelers.
    Showing 1-10 of 16 reviews
    I took this tour 2 years ago and I...
    Wilfred_M, Apr 2017
    I took this tour 2 years ago and I still remember it like yesterday. The guide was fantastic, it was tiring but well worth the effort. The highlights for me were seeing the markers of where Da Vinci had his atelier, where Michelangelo grew up, and where Dante Aligheri use to hear mass! - it still exists! Then there were the gossips of Da Vinci's jealousy over Michelangelo and other hi lights about the Medici's.
    It was terrible. The description of...
    Yvonne R, Nov 2015
    It was terrible. The description of the tour was grossly inaccurate. Instead of shocking tales about scandalous lives it should have state sexual exploits. The entire tour revolved around the sexual life of Florence. There was very little other than the wine/vino doors information given in the tour that I could share with family and friends.
    We were fortuned to have a private...
    Marianne S, Nov 2015
    We were fortuned to have a private tour as there was a little miss up in booking. The staff quickly fix the situation and it all worked out. Very Funny Scandals, you will never look at art quite the same way.
    Interesting and scandalous. Very...
    Jen, Oct 2015
    Interesting and scandalous. Very impressed that although I was the only one who booked, the tour went ahead - so I had a personal tour through Florence. Angelo presented the history with knowledge and enthusiasm, making the tour enjoyable. If you want a diversion to the usual historical tours, I recommend this. Not sure I swallowed all the information, but amusing diversion to the more factual tours.
    Klas was fabulous! He was everything...
    Sarah M, Jun 2015
    Klas was fabulous! He was everything you would want in a tour guide: informed, enthusiastic, and a great storyteller. If you are looking for a tour that takes you a bit off the beaten track, with a guide that will keep you thoroughly entertained, you've come to the right place. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this tour, or to take another with Klas. Fabulous, fabulous, fabulous.
    Out of the five tours we booked...
    Pam K, May 2015
    Out of the five tours we booked through Viator during our two week stay in Italy, this was perhaps our least favorite. The subject matter was interesting and we were fully prepared and fine with its R-rated nature. But we felt it could have been presented in a more organized fashion. Overall, a bit confusing and exhausting. By the way, we were the only attendees of this tour, so perhaps it needs to be retooled a bit.
    This tour was the reason we would...
    Theo D, Apr 2015
    This tour was the reason we would come back to Florence. We were introduced to a fuller sense of history and parts of the city we would otherwise never have seen. Our guide was highly knowledgable, insightful and enthusiastic. We should have done this tour on our first day!
    This tour is absolutely fantastic...
    Jenna K, Oct 2014
    This tour is absolutely fantastic - would 100% recommend to all visiting Florence!!! I took the tour in October 2014 with my mum - a bit of an alternative tour choice for a mother/daughter holiday, but I wanted do to something that would tell us about the "real Florence" and this certainly didn't disappoint. Our tour guide (whose name I sadly don't have) was absolutely brilliant - incredibly enthusiastic, friendly and knowledgeable on the history of Florence, the Renaissance period and was able to answer any and every question guests on the tour asked. The facts were fascinating and you explore loads of places you wouldn't normally come across on standard tours/in guide books. The tour was one of the best days of our trip to Florence!
    I really recommend this tour to all...
    Karl S., Sep 2014
    I really recommend this tour to all visitors when in Florence (18+ONLY, Given the Sensitivity of the Tour Content)... The guide (Antonia) gets into the unknown and intimate details of the city as well as the true stories of the most powerful families and icons at that time. The Medici Family, The Riccardi Family, and the one and only: Leonardo Da Vinci. This tour gives you an insight that only an Italian-Historian can offer and NO Visitor could ever know about all these stories, unless he/she is able to take this kind of tour. Without a doubt, this tour is very enhancing and informative....Job Well-Done :)
    Beware!!!! This tour is really about...
    Leanne G A, Jul 2014
    Beware!!!! This tour is really about Renaissance SEX AND DRUGS once you get on site. The write up on Viator does not tell you any of this and the your can be quite inappropriate if you have younger teens with you or sensitives in your group. They should be honest about the topic!!!!!!
    Book this walking tour if you are a...
    Erik_L, Jul 2014
    Book this walking tour if you are a history lover. Corinna is an exceptional guide. My wife and I are frequent visitors to the city. We just can't get enough of the fabulous art collections in the Florence museums. But this walking tour is really something else. Corinna makes Renaissance people, artists, noblemen and ordinary folk, come alive in historically accurate anecdotes and cool petty facts. It was a real privilege to have you as our personal guide, Corinna.

    From $465.99

    Price varies by group size

    -You will not receive a refund if you cancel.

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