I have always been impressed by people in love with their work. Whether it’s a baker or a marketer, you always feel whether a person likes what he does. And here it is not so important that it is he who tells you about his work, but rather how. Intonation, enthusiasm, gestures, some small subtle nuances that at first glance seem absolutely unimportant, but it turns out to be of great importance ... You can talk for hours about what you really like. It is doubly pleasant to listen to an enthusiastic person, and if what he is doing is an excursion in Florence, then even more so.
Excursions in Florence: the story of one acquaintance
Acquaintance with Natalia began at the Santa Maria Novella train station. I inaccurately jumped from the steps of the carriage, splashed the rest of the coffee on some bourgeois tourist and scattered in apology when she called me Natalia - Florence Guide, which we agreed to meet the night before. By a happy coincidence, she found a wet towel, and the incident was over.
In the Cradle of the Renaissance, I specially rushed to the morning express train from Rome to listen to her tour of Florence. My friend’s guide to Rome, Lela, with whom we walked along Trastevere the day before (article and review about her here), Natalia painted so that I quickly changed plans, lost 2 hours in line at the station and survived an unusually early the climb just to be in Florence in the morning.
Ponte Vecchio - the oldest of the seven Florentine bridges
Over the past few years, I have been to Florence 4 times. All the time passing and somehow messy. Rushing around the sights in a hurry, I always preferred paper guides and audio guides. It somehow did not work out with excursions.
This time, the presence of a return ticket did not allow changing traditions, and therefore, there was a little more than 8 hours for everything about everything in Florence. Following Lela’s advice, I signed up for a 6-hour city tour with the expectation of returning to Rome in the evening.
Guide in Florence Natalia
Although due to the early rise for excursions in Florence, I arrived in the city a little “rumpled”, stopped regretting it in the first minutes of my acquaintance. Natalya turned out to be a nice middle-aged woman with blond hair and the literary Russian who distinguishes classics lovers.
Giving me a little rest from the road, she carried me to the streets of Florence, plunging into the turbulent and eventful history of the capital of Tuscany.
It makes no sense to retell the entire tour as a whole - if you want about its contents, it is better to ask Natalya herself. I can only say that no matter how deeply you know the history of Italy in general and Tuscany, in particular, Natalia will be found, than to surprise.
It’s hard for me to imagine how much literature you need to re-read and how to love your job so that you can talk all day long in such a relaxed, informative and exciting way.
The dome of the Duomo, towering above the roofs, is one of the visiting cards of the capital of Tuscany
Signoria and Duomo squares, the magnificent cathedral and the Baptistery, the Golden Bridge, the Medici Chapel and Santa Croce are far from a complete list of what you managed to get around in a day.
By evening, my head was torn from the amount of information received, but thanks to the ease with which Natalya talked about her city and the frequent stops to get to know one or another attraction, 7 hours of excursion flew by in an instant.
During dinner, it was no less interesting to listen to the story of Natalia herself, with whom we found a lot in common. She is a certified philologist and has been living in Florence for almost 20 years. She left immediately after graduation and does not regret a single drop about her choice. Being in love with art and Florence, she found herself. And this love for what she does is reflected in her every word.
Florence Cathedral (Duomo) - the fourth largest in the world
Among the excursions of Natalia, which are most popular with travelers, tours around Florence itself prevail. Moreover, these are not only sightseeing walks around the city, but also more specialized ones - dedicated to the Medici, Dante, Michelangelo, the temples and churches of Florence, Dan Brown's book “Inferno” and many others.
In recent years, the excursion “Florence for Children” has become especially popular among family travelers. After all, children perceive the information in a different way, and Natalya created a separate tour for young travelers so that they would remember their trip to the Tuscan capital for life.
But Natalia’s specialization is not limited toexcursions in Florence. For curious travelers, she often organizes individual individual excursions to the most interesting places in the vicinity of the city: to Siena, Pisa, Lucca, Fiesole, San Gimignano, Montalcino, Val d'Orcia, Pienza and Montepulciano. She can talk about each of these places for hours.
The leaning tower made Pisa one of Italy's most famous cities
Our tour ends where it started. Natalya herself volunteered to take me to the station and put me on the train, while advising me on the wine, which I certainly needed to bring from Tuscany. In the end, as with Lela, I wonder if she would mind if I write about her on BlogoItaliano and agree that she will send a description of her excursions for a separate article.
The pleasant end of a busy day ends on the train: I wave her hand for a long time and thank you for the emotions I have given. In the morning the plane will take me home, but there is still another 1.5 hours ahead of me to Rome. Looking around my wagon neighbors and easily distinguishing tourists among them, I feel a slight "gloating": how many of them spent the same eventful day or were satisfied with a paper guide? ...
How to sign up for an excursion
As promised to Natalya, I am laying out her coordinates for anyone who wants to repeat our review with her tour of Florence or make your own. You can contact Natalia by writing to her by e-mail email protected or by sending a request / wishes through the feedback form under this article.
The Siena Republic was one of the most prosperous states of medieval Italy.
Take into account that Florence is one of the most popular destinations in Italy. This is facilitated by the convenient location of the city exactly in the middle between Rome, Milan and Venice, as well as thoughtful transport links.
As a result, the tourist season in Florence is almost not subject to seasonal fluctuations, and some museums are in the TOP most popular in Europe (for example, the Uffizi Gallery is considered the most visited museum in Italy).
When planning a trip to Florence, write to Natalia in advance, because it will allow you to know in advance the free dates from the guide and probably organize a tour of one of the richest masterpiece cities in the world.
Due to the massive interest in the cradle of the Renaissance, many travelers reserve time for excursions in Florence even a few months before the actual trip, and there are cases when popular guides do not have a free “window” for a whole week. Therefore, write to Natalia right now, without delay.
Mail for Natalia
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Useful Florence Articles on BlogoItaliano
For planning a trip to Florence, I also recommend our articles on how to get to the Cradle of the Renaissance:
Well, the best selection of hotels in Florence with photos, map and guest reviews is here.
Other Traveler Reviews
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Title photo by Artur Staszewski
