History

The Oltrarno Artisan Charm: San Frediano

The Florence of artisans and novels: discovering Diladdarno

Made famous by a famous novel by Vasco Pratolini (The girls of San Frediano), Borgo San Frediano is one of the most renowned places in Florence. The district, located in Diladdarno, as the Florentines say, was once home to the workshops of the Oltrarno artisans. Today the district has been elected among the trendiest places in the world. Certainly the intimate and almost magical atmosphere that reigns in the streets of San Frediano helps to accentuate its charm and beauty. With its narrow streets and small pavements overlooked by the artisan shops, San Frediano welcomes tourists and visitors who love to immerse themselves in the most authentic Florence and its history. The Borgo di San Frediano holds artistic treasures of unparalleled beauty such as the Basilica of Santa Maria del Carmine, with the Brancacci Chapel decorated by Masaccio and the Basilica of San Frediano in Cestello. In San Frediano we also find Piazza del Tiratoio, whose name derives from the wool processing plant that once stood here, and was called the tiratoio.

Pic-Nic in the Chianti Hills

Unmissable experience on an electric Vespa in the Chianti hills with a delicious Pic-Nic.

An electric Vespa experience among the Chianti hills not to be missed. An alternative itinerary in Chianti with a tasty picnic lunch to enjoy during your Chianti Tour. We will start our tour by passing through Impruneta, famous especially for its terracotta industry. Here we are in the open countryside and admire the city of Florence from above. The second stop is the Luiano farm; family-run, from generation to generation the experience and passion of a business that fills its customers with joy is passed on. At this stop you will find your basket full of treats for your journey. Then, you will move on to the third destination: Greve in Chianti; a beautiful medieval village located among the hills, it is one of the largest and most important towns in this area and is also famous for the excellent wine produced by the wineries located in the municipal area. The last stop will be Montefioralle, a small town just above Greve in Chianti. Among the stone alleys, overlooked by the characteristic houses that climb up to the village, you will discover a jewel of rare beauty and be enchanted by views you have never seen before.

The Workshops of The Master Craftsmen

Tradition, Elegance, Beauty

The master craftsmen have given prestige to the “Made in Florence” brand and are connoisseurs of ancient crafts handed down from generation to generation. Their products in leather, hide and more become real works of art, synonymous with prestige and product quality. The experience of visiting a Florentine artisan workshop and seeing a craftsman at work is certainly not to be missed for those who choose Florence as a destination for their journey. From hand-painted Florentine marbled paper, to how the famous semi-precious stone salesman is worked by the only craftsman who still produces it, the goldsmith shops, the framers, the restorers.

Biking in Florence

CAF TOUR EXPLORING CHIANTI

Green spaces, cicadas singing, breeze that breaks down hair, sun and scents of broom, rosemary and sage this is the Tuscan countryside

EXPLORING CHIANTI Duration of the experience: 8 hours approx. Stop 1: Montefioralle Journey Time from Florence to Montefioralle: approx. 1h30 with stops and time to take pictures Recommended time in Montefioralle: 45 minutes Stop 2: Macina of San Cresci Journey Time from Montefioralle to Macina of San Cresci: approx. 10 minutes Recommended time in San Cresci: 20 minutes Stop 3: Greve in Chianti Journey Time from San Cresci to Greve in Chianti: approx. 10 minutes Recommended time in Greve in Chianti with lunch break included: 2 hours / 2h30 Stop 4: Impruneta Journey Time from Greve in Chianti to Impruneta: approx. 30 minutes Recommended in Impruneta: approx. 30 minutes Journey time from Impruneta to Firenze Borgo Ognissanti: 40 minutes Thanks to this Tour, you will immerse yourself in the suggestive and relaxing atmosphere of Chianti and experience a fantastic journey driving your iconic Vespa along the countryside roads, while admiring the long rows of vines, cypress and olives trees around you! Visit first Montefioralle, a jewel of rare beauty and far from the beaten paths and walk among its small stone alleys. Few kilometers away, take the time to arrive until the Macina of San Cresci, a magical place worth to visit where each year artists from all over the worlds share their artistic vision in a unique historical rural place. Your discovery of Chianti area will continue with the unmissable Greve in Chianti, one of the most charming and most important towns of the Chianti territory. In the city center, enjoy a pleasant lunch in a typical family run restaurant, before visiting its medieval streets and handicrafts shops admiring the landscapes around it. Take your road back to Florence, this time through another countryside panoramic way, changing point of view and panoramas. On your way, we suggest you a small stop to the village of Impruneta, whose jewel is the church, a major Marian shrine that has drawn so many pilgrims over the centuries: the Basilica di Santa Maria.

Chianti Off Route

Among the itineraries in Chianti, the one that goes from San Casciano in Val di Pesa to Greve in Chianti is one of the most suggestive. San Casciano in Val di Pesa is located almost halfway between the Florence and Siena itineraries, and is an excellent starting point for an eno-cultural itinerary in the Chianti Valley area. The town, enclosed by medieval walls, is obviously one of the most renowned production centres for Chianti Classico, and has a number of sites of interest to tourists: there are numerous parish churches and villas in the vicinity, not to mention churches such as the Suffragio, which also houses the town's Museum of Sacred Art. Continuing through this unique and incomparable territory we come across the splendid Badia di Passignano, a very ancient abbey dating back to the Middle Ages, surrounded by a characteristic row of cypress trees, in whose marvellous cellars a very fine wine is produced: the Chianti Classico Badia a Passignano Riserva. Along the way, a stop in the ancient village of Montefioralle will allow you to experience the medieval atmosphere of Greve in Chianti, another town where it is impossible to separate its history from that of the wine of the same name.

Discovering Florence with eletric scooter

The Tour to discover the Italian Manhattan

From Boccaccio's birthplace, passing through the green hills of Vernaccia until reaching the Manhattan of the Middle Ages

An itinerary to discover the most important villages of the Val d'Elsa that gave birth to important people such as Boccaccio in Certaldo, one of the founding fathers of the Italian language together with Dante Alighieri or Leonardo da Vinci. A land that for years was the route to the sea of Florence, as well as crossed by the famous Via Franchigena. Hardly anywhere else in Italy is history as topical as in Val d'Elsa. And not only for the architecture that remains intact in at least three conspicuous places: Certaldo, San Gimignano and Colle. In the Val d'Elsa, history is a living book, to leaf through its pages is to reason with the people, it is to become inebriated by the scents, saturated with the flavors, enchanted by the landscapes.

Secret Gardens

Green spaces hidden between palaces and streets created by famous architects to enhance the Nature and Beauty of Florence

Have you ever heard of the Gardens of the Parnaso of Florence? It is a beautiful park that occupies the highest part of the Garden of Horticulture. You will reach through a gate located in Via Trento: past the gate you will find yourself in an almost fairytale garden, famous for the presence of a unique sculpture in the shape of a snake. In fact, many people know this garden as "Dragon Gardens" and it is easy to understand why: for some the sculpture would portray not a snake but a dragon, hence the peculiar nickname. Or... If you don't know the Bobolino Garden yet, you absolutely have to fix it! Walking along Avenue Niccolò Machiavelli, after crossing Porta Romana, head on a picturesque path that will lead you to an oasis of peace and tranquility. We arrived at the Bobolino Garden, which is inspired by the largest and most well-known Boboli Garden, located a short distance away. The Bobolino Garden, built on a sloping ground, is characterized by the presence of grassy slopes, flower beds, benches, fountains, scenic staircases, artificial caves, all in line with the taste of the era of realization. A beautiful Incense Cedar dominates the park, imposing and austere. This Tour permits to dicover the most beautiful gardens of Florence.

Barberino Val d'Elsa between Chianti and the Elsa Valley

Small village halfway between Siena and Florence, rich in history and civilization

BARBERINO VAL D’ELSA Crossroads on the border between Chianti and Val d’Elsa, is a medieval village from the “spindle shape characteristic”, the structure that is found in all the villages of the Val d’Elsa with the main road linking the port and the Roman Senese Fiorentina. production land of Chianti Classico DOCG Barberino, has a history with a glorious past because it served as a Florentine outpost, since 1054.

Prato and its history

City of wool trade, divided by the factions between Guelphs and Ghibellines, Republic in the shadow of the city of Florence that has found its strength in textile production.

Strolling through the historical center, you are struck by the Duomo or Cathedral of Santo Stefano: "I look out the window, and leaning a little to the side, I see the marble front of the Duomo, with white and green stripes, the Pergamo by Michelozzo and Donatello, hanging like a nest at the corner of the facade, and the beautiful bell tower that served as a model for Giotto's bell tower". This is how Curzio Malaparte describes with a splendid glance the Cathedral of Prato, succeeding in catching the most interesting elements: the façade, the alberese-serpentino dichromate, the external pulpit and the bell tower, and the wide use of that green marble of Prato, the typical stone of Monte Ferrato, used in the great Romanesque and Gothic buildings of the Middle Ages. Another work that reflects the historical splendor of Prato is the Emperor's Castle, the only Swabian architecture in Central and Northern Italy. The history of Prato is also very much linked to the Medici family and to Florence, Lorenzo the Magnificent had the Villa of Poggio a Caiano built in 1480, by the trusted architect Giuliano da Sangallo and it will become an example for the future in the construction of elegant country villas. The itinerary takes you to discover the major historical sites of a city always in evolution. Une autre œuvre qui reflète la splendeur historique de Prato est le château de l’empereur, la seule architecture souabe dans le centre et le nord de l’Italie. L’histoire de Prato est également très liée à la famille Médicis et à Florence, Lorenzo le Magnifique a fait construire la Villa de Poggio un Caiano en 1480, par l’architecte de confiance Giuliano da Sangallo et il deviendra un exemple pour l’avenir dans la construction d’élégantes villas de campagne. Así describe Curzio Malaparte con una espléndida mirada la Catedral de Prato, logrando captar los elementos más interesantes: la fachada, el dicromato alberese-serpentino, el púlpito externo y el campanario, y el amplio uso de ese mármol verde de Prato, la piedra típica del Monte Ferrato, utilizado en los grandes edificios románicos y góticos de la Edad Media.