Exploring Florence with kids in tow is a great opportunity to discover things we wouldn’t have noticed in an adults-only traveling party.
Palazzo Vechhio
The Palazzo Vecchio Family Museum offers a number of attractions for children of all ages.
One such tour is Life at Court: An itinerary through the rooms – and through centuries – to discover the history of the Palazzo’s many masterpieces.
Today Palazzo Vecchio is a museum but during the sixteenth century it was the residence of Duke Cosimo I de Medici, his wife Eleonora de Toledo and their eleven sons.
At the end of the guided visit you can wear a cape or an overcoat, shoes and hats of the sixteenth century and even enjoy playing with some of the princes’ toys.
Children’s tour at Palazzo Vecchio – Florence by Jane Black
Whilst staying at La Novellina in Chianti with our young children aged 4 and 7, we were highly impressed with the number of fantastic children’s activities available to us in the surrounding area.
One of the highlights was our trip to Palazzo Vecchio in the center of Florence, where the
children were able to dress up in traditional Renaissance costumes. My daughter loved the dresses and shoes of a true Renaissance lady, whilst my son could not choose which sword he liked best as a knight.
The first room we entered was full of costumes and the kids could pick and choose which ones they liked best. There were also some original and very old costumes (antiques) that they could look at and ask about, but not touch! The children were able to spend plenty of time trying on several different costumes, which was such fun.
After we had finished dressing up, the friendly English-speaking guide then organized a tour around the palazzo for the children, which was very interesting and interactive. They explained what used to happen in each room to the kids and how the people used to behave. They also showed the kids where the wives used to spy on their husbands through little holes in the walls and also where they used to eaves drop on conversations so they thought they had an idea of what was going on around them.
The children learned a lot about history and to this day (12 months later) still talk about the experience. It was not expensive and a wonderful way to spend a few hours in Florence with children. We highly recommend this to families staying around Tuscany.
-Jane Black, Italian Villa Vacations
The Palazzo tour was created for adults and families with children from 6 to 10 years of age. It’s available in English, French, Spanish and Italian.
Maximum number of participants: 25
Duration: 75 minutes
Where: Palazzo Vecchio, Piazza della Signoria, Florence
Price: (2014):
€12,00 (25-65 years)
€10,00 (18-25 and >65 years)
€2,00 (<18 years)
Duration: 70 min.
Schedules: Everyday at 3.00pm; on Saturdays and Sundays at 11.30am and 3.00pm
For private individuals Tel. +39 055 2768224 – +39 055 2768558
Monday to Saturday 9:30am – 1pm and 2:30pm – 5pm.
Sundays and Bank Holidays 9:30am – 12:30am
Written by Luisa Castiglioni
Edited by Amay Smith
All Rights Reserved