Welcome to San Lorenzo & San Marco
This part of the city fuses a gutsy market precinct – a covered produce market and noisy street stalls surrounding the Basilica di San Lorenzo – with capacious Piazza San Marco, home to Florence University and a much-loved museum. Between the two is the world’s most famous sculpture, David. The result is a sensory experience jam-packed with urban grit, uplifting art and some fabulously authentic, local-loved addresses to eat, drink and shop.
Top experiences in San Lorenzo & San Marco
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San Lorenzo & San Marco activities
Tuscany Cooking Class, Market Tour, and Lunch from Florence
Meet your guide in central Florence and take a short walk to Mercato Centrale, a historical food market in the San Lorenzo area, to see where the locals shop. En route, stop by a local bakery for some tastings and to buy fresh bread. Then follow your friendly guide around the market stalls, and meet butchers and farmers selling vegetables from their fields in Tuscany. The market teems with fresh fruit and quality local produce including cheese, cured meat, balsamic vinegar, sun-dried tomatoes, olives and many other Italian specialties. Select some of the finest ingredients to use later in your cooking class, and enjoy samples of some of the food and wine. Hop aboard your minibus and travel to a farmhouse, tucked away in the Tuscan hills, where your cooking class takes place. Don your apron, which you can keep as a souvenir, and help your chef prepare a full Tuscan meal, starting with a selection of appetizers. Learn how to make proper Italian pasta using freshly laid eggs, and discover the secrets behind traditional meat sauces, using ingredients from right outside the door! A pasta dish, pizza and classic bruschetta are all on the menu, so help your chef prepare them with fresh bread, tomatoes and extra virgin olive oil — each produced on site. When the dishes are ready, take a break to eat and enjoy your creations with a glass of the region’s full-bodied Chianti wine. Then, head back to the kitchen to prepare traditional Tuscan arista (succulent roast pork) with roast potatoes, seasoned with fresh herbs from the farm. As the pork cooks, prepare a classic tiramisu, layering delicately flavored mascarpone with liquor- and coffee-soaked sponge biscuits, and learn about strong and rich Italian coffee. The highlight of your tour comes next: sitting down to eat your 4-course meal! Savor your main course and desserts along with a carefully selected Tuscan wine while chatting to your chef and fellow lovers about your day of food. Then, return to your minibus and relax on the journey to the start point in Florence where your tour finishes.
Florence Cheese and Wine Tasting
Make your own way to the venue for your small-group experience: a traditional enoteca in Florence’s historical San Lorenzo quarter.Head inside and meet the friendly and knowledgeable owner-come-sommelier, Livio. A winner of the prestigious ‘Best Sommelier Fisar Italia’ award, Livio will guide your tastings and introduce you to the world of Tuscan wine and cuisine so you can get the best from the experience.Take a seat and learn how the bar opened in 1895, first as a delicatessen and then a fish shop, and has stayed in the hands of the same family since. See the beautiful marble basins, complete with sculpted marble spouts, that were once used to wash the fish sold here.Then, set about sampling the wines and snacks prepared for your tasting: a selection of three classic Tuscan wines and a luscious spread of locally sourced produce. Although the wines and foods may vary, you can typically expect to sample wines such as a Chianti Colli Senesi DOCG red and Super Tuscan Noir red accompanied by local cheeses, fresh fruit, cold cuts and some of the region’s finest olive oils (See the Itinerary for a sample menu).As you sip and nibble, swap notes with your fellow tasters and get the benefit of Livio’s exhaustive knowledge of Tuscan wine. Discover how the wines are made, the vineyards they hail from, and hear about the culinary delicacies on offer and how they complement each wine. After around an hour of enjoying the tastings and convivial atmosphere, your wine and cheese sampling session then comes to an end.
Milan Bike Tour
Meet your guide and after a short safety briefing, set out to explore Milan! Stop for photos in front of glitzy monuments and hear Milanese history from your guide. Simply choose from a morning, afternoon or evening tour.Morning or Afternoon Tour (3.5 hours):Pedal through the downtown streets, discovering Milan’s glamorous neighborhoods and their countless delights. See the lavish gardens that border the streets of Palestro, and soak up the palazzo chic of the Manzoni district, where ornate buildings showcase the world’s premier fashion houses. As you meander to Piazza della Scala, look out for Milan’s famous theater – Teatro La Scala. Explore the chic streets of Brera, with its narrow church-lined streets and upmarket houses, and then admire the exterior of Castello Sforzesco in all its Renaissance glory. Hear how this impressive castle was built for the first duke of Milan in the 14th century and is now a popular museum complex.Other highlights include the Piazza Gae Aulenti, and Colonne di San Lorenzo – Milan’s oldest Roman ruins. Before returning to Porto Venezia, head to the neighboring square to see Milan Duomo.Evening Tour (3 hours):However captivating Milan is by day, it’s somehow even more so by night, when the city’s monuments are bathed in a soft evening glow and the glamorous Milanese sit outside enjoying their aperitivos (pre-dinner drinks). Soak up the ambiance on a route around the city center, taking in several sites seen in the morning and afternoon tours such as the Palestro neighborhood.Admire the fountains under Castello Sforzesco’ lit-up ramparts and Parco Sempione, the vast park just behind Castello Sforzesco. See Ponte delle Sirenetta – a pretty bridge with cast iron statues and then continue to Colonne di San Lorenzo.Pass further top city attractions like Milan Duomo, Piazza Mercanti and the famous Teatro La Scala, while hearing tales and trivia about the city. Finish back at Porta Venezia, and after returning your bike, your guide will point you in the right direction to get back to your hotel.
Florence Walking Tour
Meet your guide near Piazza della Stazione in central Florence, and then set off on your 2.5-hour walking tour of the town. Head through the San Lorenzo neighborhood, an area known for its colorful markets and artist workshops. As you walk, listen to snippets of history and stories about the Tuscan capital. Florence’s heyday is widely recognized as the Renaissance era when the notorious Medici dynasty ruled the roost. Being lovers of fine art as well as powerful and prosperous people, the Medici family nurtured some of the most eminent Italian artists, who left their artistic legacy firmly stamped on the city. Wander past the Medici Chapels that were designed by Renaissance artists Michelangelo and Matteo Nigetti, and then gaze in admiration at the colossal Basilica of San Lorenzo, where prominent members of the Medici family are buried. Continue to Florence Duomo, topped by the distinctive Brunelleschi's Dome. Learn about the cathedral while you walk around it, then visit Giotto’s Bell Tower and see Florence Baptistry. Stroll through the city’s medieval center to Palazzo del Bargello, an imposing-looking art gallery that once was a prison, and then explore Piazza della Signoria – Florence’s busy central square. Admire the array of sculptures strewn about the piazza, such as the Rape of the Sabine Women by Giambologna, an impressive statue outside the Uffizi Gallery. Pass Palazzo Vecchio, the city hall, and continue past the New Market (Mercato Nuovo) to see Il Porcellino, the city’s much-loved bronze piglet statue. Stop to rub the statue’s nose for luck, and then wander back toward the river, cross the magnificent Ponte Vecchio, and finish your tour by Pitti Palace. Click on the 'View Additional Info' button below to see the location of the start point.
Florence and Pisa Tour from Rome with Lunch
Depart from Rome and drive through the beautiful Tuscan countryside. Once you arrive in Florence, the city tour will start at Piazzale Michelangelo where you can enjoy the amazing view over all of central Florence.Then you will reach the Ponte Vecchio for some of the best views in Florence. You will walk through the lovely streets of the city and you will visit the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, with its beautiful Brunelleschi's Dome. Before reaching Piazza della Signoria, you can also admire the Baptistery and Giotto's Bell Tower. After lunch (included), you can relax and have a walk in the San Lorenzo outdoor market, where you can find very high-quality leather jackets and other leather goods at very reasonable prices. You will leave Florence around 2:30pm and head to Pisa, where your guide will show you the famous Leaning Tower, Piazza dei Miracoli, the Cathedral, and the Baptistery. After exploring the area, you'll depart from Pisa at 5pm and head back to Rome.
Florence Sightseeing Walking Tour with a Local Guide
Take a fun and informative 2 hour walking tour through the streets and squares of Florence with a local expert guide, who will explain you the history of the city and the wonders of the Renaissance in a journey through the key masterpieces of the Florentine architecture.This tour is a great introduction to the city and takes you to all the highlights, monuments, squares, markets. Stop at the Church of Santa Croce, then go ahead to Bargello Palace, a great example of Medieval architecture not often included in guided tours. You’ll reach Ponte Vecchio, the most ancient bridge in Florence ,dating back to the fourteenth century. Feast your eyes on the heart-stopping view over the hills that circle Florence, and then listen to a detailed description of the bridge’s history and the Vasari Corridor, which radically modified the shops (botteghe) placed on the bridge. Later on, the tour reaches the political heart of Florence, Piazza della Signoria. On one side, you will enjoy the renowned Uffizi Gallery, once the Great Duke’s headquarters, then admire Palazzo Vecchio, the historic seat of the Florentine Government, on the other side of the square. After an enjoyable diversion that will let you admire the medieval tower houses of the oldest part of Florence, you will reach to the stunning Piazza Duomo, with breath-taking views of the Florence Cathedral and its perfectly preserved, unique marble engravings, and the Brunelleschi’s Dome above all, a miracle of architecture, symbol of the Renaissance movement in Florence due its daring design and even more challenging realization. Here you will see also Giotto’s bell tower, a perfect prototype of the 1300’s architecture, and the Baptistery, to admire its magnificent Porta del Paradiso. The tour will end in front of the church of San Lorenzo so you will be able to explore on your own the surrounding market.