What you can expect
Walk with me across the streets of Pistoia, a little city close to Florence that still shows today its genuine distinctive features in its architecture and preserves the local traditions and simple living. Submerge yourself in the authentic local vibes of Pistoia and capture its essence with its many picture perfect spots and places to visit.
It's narrow streets with unbelievable names, offer you the perfect spots for original pictures and views, and I will gladly introduce them to you through their fantastic stories.
Smell the scent of fresh fruit and vegetables in the picturesque Piazza della Sala, where the local market has been held since the Middle Age. Here, every day the locals can buy fresh products from the countryside, from morning until sunset. Take a look and be amazed by its local vibes!
I'll show you how to read the city as a book, thanks to the signs and layers that time has left behind so clearly. Most of the churches have the typical Roman style with green and white stone designs, creating the effect of a mosaic in the city. It surely is breathtaking!
I'll take you to the Cathedral and the Townhall and we'll have a stop in the oldest café in town where you can see the path of the very first city wall, also have a look at the typical Italian shops and the authentic products they offer. And for a perfect ending, admire the decorated facade of the Spedale del Ceppo, once a real hospital, one of the oldest of Europe. It has been in use for almost 800 years, from 1277 to 2012!
You will fall in love with this beautiful little town and I will gladly tell you more about it on our way back. Also, let me know if you wish to change something in the itinerary, I can modify anything to make it perfect for you!
Reviews from guests
Our tour of Pistoia was fantastic, Beatrice our guide was very knowledgeable and very personable. Since my grandparents came from this city it made for a very satisfying day. We learn about the history, great pastry shops and had a delicious lunch in one of the squares.Great trip tp Pistoia
Beatrice was an efficient, capable, personable and pleasant tour guide before, during, and after our trip. She helped us navigate by train from Florence to Pistoia, where she met us. Beatrice shared with us in a knowledgeable way the information she had about Pistoia’s history and culture, and took us to really interesting spots there including the Duomo, Baptistery, and a local bar/cafe with lots of history, where we enjoyed delicious coffee and pastries. Being a Saturday, we also walked through the local open-air Saturday market, which was very colorful and enjoyable. After a satisfying tour, Beatrice took us to a little place to get a local focaccia to-go, and then helped us get tickets to Lucca, our next destination.
We were very pleased with our tour of Pistoia, and our choice of Beatrice as a tour guide, and highly recommend both!
Laura
Wonderful day trip to Pistoia
We are on a short visit to Italy. This was Karen’s first visit. I wanted for Karen and myself a more personal visit to a smaller city. Our guide was Beatrice. Our visit certainly met optimistic expectations and more. Beatrice is a lovely person, knowledgeable (she is a archeologist), attentive to needs and it was easy to feel comfortable during 2 hour trip. Pistoia is a lovely town with much history that Beatrice related well. This is less tourist centric but people we encountered were all friendly. Beatrice loves her city and shares her positive feelings as we toured. Beatrice is very engaging, communicated city history and travel logistics well and would strongly recommend to all. We had the added treat of seeing Beatrice’s 3 month daughter sleeping peacefully in stroller push by grandmother. We had a lovely and easy trip from Florence to Pistoia by train. WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE IN PISTOIA
We had a fantastic time in Pistoia with our guide Beatrice. She was extremely knowledgeable, interesting and spoke very good English. She was so accommodating in getting us to and from Florence and letting us extend our time in Pistoia to have lunch. This was our first time to Pistoia and we were pleasantly surprised with the town and all there was to see. We would not have discovered many of the historical areas or local restaurants without Beatrice’s help. Generally we are not big fans of tours, but this one was great and I would highly recommend it. A good way to take a break from Florence. Definately go to Pistoia with Beatrice!
I had a wonderful time with Beatrice. She was on time to meet me, she was warm and friendly and very knowledgeable about our destination. I learned alot and felt like a local!Wonderful sights of pistoia
Wonderfully warm personality, extremely knowledgeable, very good English, first class guide. The Picture Perfect Town of Pistoia with a Local
This tour was a little more strenuous than I had pictured, but the temperature was also higher than normal on this June afternoon. We had a great time seeing a different side of Florence with the absolutely delightful Beatrice. If you've seen the tourist highlights already, I highly recommend getting away from it all on a hike with her up the Oltrarno to the top of the hill and down through Piazza Michelangelo.Great excursion away from the crowds
I've been to Florence many times, but this time decided to to treat myself to a tour with a private guide. I could not have been happier than with Beatrice as a guide. She's of course a professional and very knowledgeable guide, but she's also just great fun to spend time with. Also, she perfectly customised the tour to show me some stuff off the beaten track, and even included a little local food tasting experience. I had a great time and can't recommend her enough! A great day in Florence!
Beatrice was an excellent tour guide - extremely knowledgeable, passionate about the history and architecture of Florence, great communication prior to the tour with lots of tips on how to maximize our time in and around Florence, including a restaurant where we ended up going to that evening - all in all she was a delight to spend time with!Wonderful tour!
Beatrice guided us through the Palazzo Medici and Palazzo Vecchio with a small break in between. She definitely knows her Medici and taught us a lot about them. On the way she also told us a bunch of small little facts that one might be oblivious to if just strolling around for yourself. She was kind and could answer most of our questions right away. We think the price was fair for a private tour. Thanks again!Custom tour through medici history
Beatrice was a fantastic guide. Great knowledge of the city and kept my boys engaged all morning. We did a trek outside of the city and had such a great time. If you are in Florence, Beatrice is a go-to guide. Treat yourself to a once in a lifetime experience!Fantastic Tour!
Beatrice loves her city and she is very knowledgeable about not only the main spots, but also the hidden ones. The tour was a great experience. I highly recommend her. Beatrice is very knowlegable
Bea was amazing so funny and kind. You could tell she had a true love for what she does and where she lives. Our tour went by unbelievably quick would recommend Bea in a heartbeat.History of Florence
My husband and I were guided by Beatrice for a really interesting morning in Florence. I can't say enough good things about the experience. I think this is a brilliant concept -- to tour around a city with a local guide -- and I'll definitely look into it again when we plan another trip. Beatrice was kind and a lot of fun!
My wife and I had an amazing time with Beatrice! She showed us lots of great sights of Florence, explaining the history and significance of all them. She has a great personality and made excellent conversation during our tour. She also proved to be very accommodating when we wanted to adjust the tour to see a beautiful medieval church, which was at the top of a hill that required a long and steep climb. Can’t recommend her enough!Amazing guide!!
Beatrice was wonderful. My wife and I wanted a guide that would help unlock the history of Florence, and Beatrice was perfect. She did a great job of not only helping us understand the city, but also the artists of the Renaissance period. She was able to talk about the life and artistic styles of Donatello, Michaelangelo, and others in a way that makes sculptures come alive. I highly recommend Beatrice!Great give for history and art lovers
Amazing knowledge of Florence and beyond! She will tailor your tour to your specific interests. Very pleased. And she sends a list of recommendations as follow up. You will be delighted!Beatrice is the best!
My wife and I engaged Beatrice to design an all day tour highlighting Florence’s art, architecture and history. Her experience in history and archaeology in addition to the art was a major advantage. She was incredibly knowledgeable about Florence and was able to customize a tour around our desires that could reveal a lot in a relatively short time. Beatrice arranged the schedule and destinations so that we could quickly move from one location to another.
Beatrice covered a huge amount, starting at the Baptistery, then moving to the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo, where we could see in a virtual copy of the Duomo facade, revealing how some of the sculptures and ornament would have looked at eye level. There was a lot of extant art in this thoroughly enjoyable new museum. Next, we headed towards Piazza della Signoria and stopped at the Chiesa e Museo di Orsanmichele (which was a combination of a church, granary and office building for the Medici.) This is a one of a kind structure that really must be seen to be believed; the pillars are actually silos to collect and distribute grain through trap doors. Next we explored the Palazzo Vecchio, including the Studiolo, Cinquecento Hall and the Madonna del UFO. Before leaving, we went underground into the Roman theater beneath the building. Still doing more, we walked along what was left of the Roman perimeter walls under a store and on the street before walking to the remnants of the Roman amphitheater outside the ancient walls close to piazza Santa Croce. The arena’s foundation was used for the medieval structures, which were built curved in the same shape as the former Roman building. Lastly, we walked across the Ponte Vecchio to the Pitti Palace, where Beatrice led us on a tour of the late Medici palace which is positively dripping with art, including some either from and/or depicting the many royal families that they married into. All in all, it was a thorough, enjoyable historical, artistic and learning experience. Also, since we could not fit everything into a single tour (although we tried) Beatrice gave us some hints to see the blooming wisteria at the Bardini gardens and the zodiac in the church San Miniato al Monte.
Overall, we highly recommend Beatrice as a guide so that you can get the most out of your time in Florence. She could really bring the immensity of the history, art, culture and personalities into an easily-understood agenda and give us more ideas to explore on our own.
Outstanding Day in Florence
Beatrice was one of the best guides I have had the pleasure of seeing a historic place like Florence. She was knowledgeable, kind, friendly and warm. Made you feel welcome and made sure I got to see maximum in 2 days. Absolutely wonderful
The tour was very informative and Beatrice was a great touring guide. She guided me through the city ensuring that I see all the most important tourism sights (buildings, museums, churches, art) while giving me all the information and telling me about the history of the city.
I can definitely recommend Beatrice especially if you have limited time and want to get the most out of a day in Florence. It was a great introduction to Florence and I will definitely be back to further explore the city.Guided tour of Florence
We really enjoyed the tour with Bea as she is very knowledgeable and had a lot of stories to tell about the different places. We learned a lot and spent a wonderful time with her. Highly recommended! Great experience
three friends and I did a walking tour with her over the renaissance... and it was absolutely perfect. She had incredible knowledge, and then some, on everything we walked passed... every art piece we saw... and every artist she spoke up. I learned a lot from this tour with her! Beatrice’s outstanding job!
The renaissance tour and Beatrice took us back in time to this amazing period of the history. Florence is the best place for art lovers and our host is one of them. The museum of Duomo was definitely the highlight of our day and the view from the top breath taking.Renaissance Tour With Duomo
I must say that Beatrice was so knowledgeable and enthusiastic! You can feel the love she has for all of the beauty around her. She really seemed to enjoy showing us all of the fabulous art. A most wonderful tour.Renaissance Tour With Duomo
Beatrice was very knowledgeable and kept us moving through the city ensuring we had a good view of the highlights. My 9 and 7 year old daughters also enjoyed the tour and I appreciated that Beatrice ensured they had a good view of the artwork around and explained things in detail to them. Her recommendation for great gelato was also spot-on!Renaissance Tour With Duomo