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
ItineraryThis is a typical itinerary for this productStop At: Basilica di San Lorenzo, Florence, TuscanyThe church of the Medici family, where you visit the elegant cloister, designed by Brunelleschi, the architect of the famous Dome: a green oasis of peace in the heart of the Medici district.Duration: 15 minutesStop At: Palazzo Medici Riccardi, Florence, TuscanyDesigned by Michelozzo di Bartolomeo for Cosimo de' Medici, head of the Medici banking familyDuration: 15 minutesStop At: Piazza San Giovanni, Florence, TuscanyThe wonderful square also called Piazza del Duomo, where you can admire the impressive Cathedral with the Cupola del Brunelleschi, Giotto's bell tower and the Baptistery of S. John with the Gates of ParadiseDuration: 20 minutesStop At: Fontana del Porcellino, Florence, TuscanyOne of the most famous monuments in Florence for its tradition and superstition, located in the Mercato della Paglia (straw market) Duration: 15 minutesStop At: Piazza della Signoria, Florence, TuscanyThe famous square which can be considered an "outdoor sculpture museum", dominated by the imposing Palazzo Vecchio.Duration: 15 minutesStop At: Gallerie Degli Uffizi, Florence, TuscanyOne of the most important museums in the world, home to masterpieces of great artists like Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raffaello and many othersDuration: 15 minutesStop At: Ponte Vecchio, Florence, TuscanyThe famous "jewels bridge" , the oldest bridge in FlorenceDuration: 15 minutesStop At: Palazzo Pitti, Florence, TuscanyThe palace houses several important museums and was built in the second half of the 15th century probably on a project of Filippo Brunelleschi.Duration: 15 minutesStop At: Badia Fiorentina, Florence, TuscanyThe famous abbey and church now home to the Monastic Communities of Jerusalem situated in the centre of Florence. Dante supposedly grew up across the street in what is now called the 'Casa di Dante', in the medieval quarters. Duration: 10 minutesStop At: Museo Nazionale del Bargello, Florence, TuscanyThis austere crenellated building is the oldest public building in Florence and it served as model for the construction of the Palazzo Vecchio.Duration: 15 minutes
Florence and Pisa Tour from Rome with Lunch
ItineraryThis is a typical itinerary for this productPass By: Romaetravel, Rome, LazioOperator siteStop At: Piazzale Michelangelo, Florence, TuscanyBrief stopDuration: 15 minutesStop At: Ponte Vecchio, Florence, TuscanyBrief stopDuration: 15 minutesStop At: Duomo - Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore, Florence, TuscanyEnterDuration: 15 minutesPass By: Battistero di San Giovanni, Florence, TuscanyBrief stopPass By: Piazza della Signoria, Florence, TuscanyBrief stopPass By: Campanile di Giotto, Florence, TuscanyBrief stopPass By: Duomo di Pisa, Pisa, Province of Pisa, TuscanyBRief stopPass By: Piazza dei Miracoli, Pisa, Province of Pisa, TuscanyStopPass By: Leaning Tower of Pisa, Pisa, Province of Pisa, TuscanyBrief stop
Florence Sightseeing Walking Tour with a Local Guide
ItineraryThis is a typical itinerary for this productStop At: Piazza Santa Croce, Florence, TuscanyGet an introduction to the history of the Italian Renaissance on a walking tour of Florence city center, and discover a host of historical monuments with the help of a local guide.Go for a stroll through the cloisters of the Basilica di Santa Croce, and then make your way to Piazza dei Peruzzi and the Palazzo Bargello. Pass Porcellino market, and then listen to the story of the city's oldest bridge at the Ponte Vecchio. Wander small streets that date back to the Middle Ages to arrive at the political heart of the city at Piazza della Signoria. Get impressive views of the Uffizi Gallery and Palazzo Vecchio, historically the home of the government of Florence. Arrive at Piazza del Duomo in the oldest part of the city. Marvel at the marble engravings and the magnificent dome of the Duomo. Continue to the Basilica di San Lorenzo, from where you can explore the market district by yourself.Duration: 2 hours