Florence and Pisa Epic Day Trip: Art, History, and Tuscan Flavors

Admire the most famous bell tower in the world from the outside, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, known worldwide for its nearly four-degree lean, the result of an unstable foundation. The tower is situated behind the Pisa Cathedral and is the third oldest structure in the city's Cathedral Square (Piazza del Duomo), after the cathedral and the Pisa Baptistry.

The visit includes the Accademy Gallery where inside is the David, Michelangelo's famous sculpture. Michelangelo’s David at the “Accademia in addition to the work of David, there are also other sculptures and a large collection of paintings by Florentine artists.

The cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore (Visit from outside), with its beautiful dome projected by Brunelleschi, is the cathedral of Florence. Construction began in 1296, Gothic style to a design of Arnolfo di Cambio and was structurally completed by 1436, with the dome designed by Filippo Brunelleschi. The exterior of the basilica is faced with polychrome marble panels in various shades of green and pink, bordered by white, and has an elaborate 19th-century Gothic Revival façade by Emilio De Fabris.

The Baptistery of San Giovanni stands in front of the Cathedral and is the ancient religious and civil center of the city, as well as a masterpiece of Italian Romanesque. It is one of the oldest buildings in the city: it probably dates back to the 5th century, and took on its current appearance in the 11th-12th century. With an octagonal plan, it is covered on the outside with white and green Prato marble with geometric motifs and has an eight-section roof; the decoration was enriched in the 16th century with statues and bas-reliefs. The three gilded bronze doors are the work of Andrea Pisano (south door, built around 1330), and Lorenzo Ghiberti (north, 1402/25 and east, 1425/52). The east door, with Stories from the Old Testament, opens towards the Cathedral and was defined by Michelangelo as the Gates of Paradise; all the doors are copies, the originals are kept in the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo.

Adjacent to the cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore is the Bell Tower designed by Giotto (visit outside). Giotto's Bell Tower is the majestic bell tower of the Cathedral and one of the masterpieces of Italian Gothic. The Bell Tower has a square base of approximately 15 meters per side with corner reinforcements that rise up to the horizontal cantilevered crown located at a height of 84.7 metres.