Walking tour of Florence and a visit to the Synagogue. The tour starts at the Colonna dell’Abbondanza in Piazza della Repubblica where the ancient Jewish ghetto and Renaissance market once stood. It was demolished when Florence became the capital city of Italy. As we travel through the city center, we reach the Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral and the Baptistery where we can admire the Eastern door, better known as the Door of Paradise. We continue along via dell Oche. Two Synagogues once stood on this road – one of Italian extraction and one Spanish – before the Synagogue was built where we find it today. The tour now takes us to the Synagogue of Florence: the construction of this beautiful structure is the symbol of the Emancipation of the Jewish community in Italy. It was constructed between  1874 and 1882, and is, not surprisingly given the artistic context in which it was conceived, considered one of the most beautiful Synagogues in the world.

The tour ends with a visit inside the Synagogue and the adjacent Jewish Museum.

Basilica di S. Croce

The tour includes guided visit to Santa Croce Church, one of the most beautiful Gothic churches in Florence. Inside we find the exceptional frescoes in the chapels, and the tombs of numerous Italian authors and artists, for example Michelangelo and Galileo. You can also admire the gigantic star of David found on the façade.

Duration: roughly 6 hours – no Saturday, no Sunday morning

• DRESS CODE

  In summer, in the Synagogues and in all the churches, it is obligatory to wear clothes that respect the venue, and therefore covered shoulders, skirts and dresses that fall below the knee, and long trousers are a must. Additional apparel may be found inside (free inside the Synagogues and at a cost inside the churches).

  The churches found on the tours are considered a cultural heritage of the country, not just a religious one.