Since the Renaissance, Florence has been one of the most important destinations for discerning travellers with an appreciation of art, but it was the Grand Tourists of the 18th century who made Florence an essential component in a cultural education. During our tour to Florence we will not only explore the glorious collections at the great galleries: the Uffizi, Bargello and Accademia, but we shall also enjoy a lecture at the British Institute in its 16th century palazzo on the banks of the Arno. Furthermore, we shall visit a remarkable private art collection which is only rarely open to the public, and see the wonderful interiors of churches including Santa Croce, Santa Maria Novella and San Lorenzo, the family church of the Medici.

The British Institute of Florence

Since its foundation in 1917, the British Institute of Florence has remained a beacon of the city’s cultural community, and a place to seek out the legacy of the Grand Tour. Formed by writers and poets who were members of the then “British Colony at Florence”, the Institute had as its goal, the development and cultivation of links between Italian and British culture. Today, the 16th century Palazzo Lanfredini, overlooking the river from the Oltrano district, is the main home of the Institute, and it is here that you will find their extraordinary English-language library – one of the most extensive in Europe. The wonderful piano nobile of the Palazzo was provided by the wealthy scholar Sir Harold Acton, after whom the library is now named, and it offers a wonderful collection of elegant rooms, lined from floor to beamed-ceiling with books covering English and Italian literature, history, and history of art.