Fiesole and Medici Villas Half-Day Tour From Florence

No trip to Florence is complete without seeing some of the breathtaking Medici Villas for which the city is famous, and we can help you see two of the best examples in existence on our half-day guided tour. Having picked you up from your hotel, the first stop your driver will make on this tour is Fiesole, in the hills of Florence. Fiesole was originally built in the fifth century BC by the Etruscans, and later became the main Roman town of the area. Now, you can still see the Roman Theatre and several other museums, as well as take in the stunning views of Florence. After that it’s on to Castello, an area north of Florence where you can visit two of the many Medici Villas around Florence. The members of the Medici family commissioned these beautiful Renaissance Villas between the 15th and 17th centuries as a way of showing their wealth. The gardens are fundamental elements of the villa, as proven by the Medici complex of Castello. Commissioned by Cosimo I, Niccolò Tribolo designed it on the basis of the canons and descriptions of Leon Battista Alberti, and it is considered by Vasari as one of the "richest gardens in Europe."