Florence tourist information offices can provide interested teachers with an updated list of accommodating facilities of various types (from four to one star hotels, but also holiday homes as well as hostels and holiday farms, both in the city and in the surroundings) which can accommodate school parties at special prices. This list also provides supplementary useful information about each accommodating facility (concerning, for example, the availability of parking for coaches, the possibility to usean internet connection).

The section devoted to restaurants  includes an updated list of selected restaurants, trattorie, pizzerie, self-service restaurants and coffee bars which can meet a wide range of needs, both as for their location and as for the variety of the menus at special prices. For those school parties which, for various reasons, want to arrange their own " lunch boxes" there are some public gardens like the garden of piazza D'Azeglio (with public toilets), the gardens of Parco dell'Albereta (Lungarno del Tempio), Lungarno S. Rosa, Fortezza da Basso (viale Strozzi) and and the Parco delle Cascine (from piazza Vittorio Veneto to the Ponte all'Indiano). Remember: the Garden of Boboli is a museum and " lunch boxes" are forbidden.  

The section devoted to museums represents a valid way of finding out about admission hours and tickets to the various museums and monuments, with a special concern for special conditions offered to parties, young visitors and students, as well as for a supply of guided tours.

You can also find an updated listof selected tour guides and tour liders who will be happy to show school parties all the historical-artistic actractions and both natural and landscape resources at spaciel prices, and to work out "tailored" itineraries.

It is also enrich your visit taking part in one of the several venues, parades, events and exhibitions organised in the cit and in the area of Florence

The itineraries suggested have been conceived according to the length of the stay (between one, two or more days) and in chronological order, from the Romanesque period to Contemporary Art and Architecture. They are also arranged by thematic fields of interest (such as, the cycles of frescoes, sculpture, and architecture) and monographs, as in the case of Brunelleschi and Michelangelo. Each itinerary can be covered on foot, given the small dimensions of the historical centre, and includes the most varied attractions, from churches and chapels to museums and as far as those religious and civic buildings which best represent Florentine History and Art, without aiming at being either complete or exhaustive. Other suggestions are described in the APT website in the section itineraries in Florence and around Florence.

The last section includes information which will help you organize and optimize your visit, providing details about public and private means of transport and about how to reach the city by train or coach, with a page devoted to the young disabled in addition to those already existing in this website. 

Florence APT Tourist Information Offices apologize for any accidental mistakes or omissions, concerning which they will be happy to receive reports or even suggestions aimed at improving their service as a working instrument offered to teachers, young travellers and tour operators.

CULTURAL ACTIVITIES

Science
Archaeology
Museums
Craftwork

SPORTS ACTIVITIES
MANUFACTURE
ENVIRONMENTAL-EDUCATIONAL WORKSHOPS

Science

• Science and Technology Foundatio and Planetarium -(Fondazione Scienza e tecnica e Planetario) - The Science and Technology Foundation has a collection – which is unique in Italy - of over fifty thousand objects ranging from natural collections to scientific instruments, models of machines and manufacturing products. Through the development of the potential of such a precious heritage, science workshops have been achieved where historical equipment is used as well as modern technology.
The Florence Planetarium is the right place for those who want to expand their understanding of the universe and its phenomena. Its projector (Zeiss Zkp2) makes it possible to reproduce the movement of the various celestial bodies and to simulate a sky for any latitude on earth.

• The Garden of Archimedes or Museum of Mathematics (Giardino di Archimede o Museo della Matematica):
This is the first museum ever devoted entirely to Mathematics and its applications: an interactive environment where to stop being afraid and start having fun with the most ancient of sciences..

• Museum of Natural History (Museo di Storia Naturale) – it includes the various sections of the University of Florence :
Botany, Mineralogy and Lithology, Geology and Palaeontology, Anthropology and Ethnology, Zoology “La Specola”, Botanical Gardens and offers a wide range of attività didattico-divulgative..

• Museum of Science History (Museo di Storia della Scienza), a unique collection of ancient scientific instruments, from the astronomical instruments used for navigation to the topographic-military ones, to Galileo’s spyglasses to the thermometers of the Accademia del Cimento, to the first machines producing static electricity.

Archaeology

FLORENCE
• Archaeological Museum – Museum of Ancient Egypt – (Museo Archeologico – Museo Egizio) – this is of great interest thanks to its section devoted to Etruscan urns and bronzes, as well as to Attic vases. The ancient Egyptian section is the third most important one in the world and contains above all finds discovered by the French-Italian Rosellini-Champollion archaeological expedition. In the gardens there are also reconstructions of Etruscan tombs dating back to different periods.

• Florentine Museum of Prehistory - (Museo Fiorentino di Preistoria "Paolo Graziosi") - The Museum is rich in both original finds and reproductions which illustrate the history of our ancestors between the early Stone Age and the Metal Age. They come from excavations and searches which have taken place ever since the beginning of prehistoric studies in the last century, and have been carried on until today in several Italian, European, Asian and African sites by the Museum itself and by the Italian Institute for Prehistory and Proto-history (Istituto Italiano di Preistoria e Protostoria).

AROUND FLORENCE
• The Mugello Region-wide Museum Network (Museo diffuso del Mugello) (see: archaeological heritage network) – The Mugello Museum is a collection of reminders and artefacts evoking traditional trades connected with the exploitation of natural resources, the sharecropping world, traces of ancient settlement, religious beliefs, creation of works of art. The museum was also conceived as a permanent workshop for the protection and upgrading of the landscape, in order to actuate a system of constant preservation of the territory and highlight certain characteristics of the area on which it acts. Nowadays, the Mugello Museum takes the form of a network of relationships between qualitatively-differentiated elements which can be identified with single Museums, Workshops and Itineraries; these are all arranged into Networks: a natural network, a demo-ethno-anthropological one, an art heritage one and that of the architecture heritage.
The museum network involves the Municipalities of Barberino di Mugello, Borgo San Lorenzo, Dicomano, Firenzuola, Londa, Marradi, Palazzuolo, Pelago, Pontassieve, Reggello, Rufina, San Godenzo, San Piero a Sieve, Scarperia, Vaglia, Vicchio.

• The Lands of Renaissance (Terre del Rinascimento) – The educational itineraries available in museums thanks to guided tours and reduced fares offer both an expansion on specific themes and practical experiences for schools of all levels. Besides a tour of the museum, also natural excursions are possible in the protected areas of the territory (the Montalbano area and Fucecchio’s Padule), as well as visits to artisan workshops (pottery and glass), visits to the renowned areas of wine production farms – Chianti – and of extra virgin olive oil.
for details see: Montelupo, Archaeological Museum (Museo Archeologico) and special programmes for schools and Fucecchio, (itineraries no. 2 and 3).

Museums

FLORENCE
• The Polo Museale Fiorentino: it includes the most famous museums in Florence, such as the Uffizi, renowned for its extraordinary collections of paintings and ancient statues. Its collections of 14th-century and Renaissance paintings include some absolute masterpieces of art of all times. Just think of names such as Giotto, Simone Martini, Piero della Francesca, Beato Angelico, Filippo Lippi, Botticelli, Mantegna, Correggio, Leonardo, Raffaello, Michelangelo, and Caravaggio. The Academy Gallery (Galleria dell’Accademia), which owes its widespread popularity to some sculptures by Michelangelo: the Slaves (i Prigioni), Saint Matthew (il San Matteo) and in particular the famous David, which was transferred here in 1873, and for which the spectacular gallery was achieved. Palazzo Pitti, once the residence of the grand dukes of Tuscany and then of the Kings of Italy, is home to various important collections of paintings and sculptures, art objects, china and a gallery of costumes, as well as offering a perfectly-preserved historical environment extending as far as the Gardens of Boboli, one of the firs and most famous gardens in Italy. The Educational Department (Sezione Didattica) plans, organizes and coordinates educational services for the museums of the Polo Museale Fiorentino.

• Children’s Museum (Museo dei Ragazzi) (Civic Museums - Musei Comunali) – It consists of various museums: Palazzo Vecchio, the ancient seat of the Government of the Arts (governo delle Arti), then transformed in the 16th century into the sumptuous palace of Grand Duke Cosimo I°, the Brancacci Chapel, in the church of S. Maria del Carmine, with the wonderful frescoes by Masaccio and Masolino, later completed by Filippino Lippi, Florence Museum of Topography (Museo Topografico Firenze) as it used to be, in order to better understand the development of Florence over the centuries, the Stibbert Museum, with its noteworthy collection of ancient weapons, and the Leonardiano Museum in Vinci (near Florence), with its display of machinery and instruments achieved following Leonardo’s drawings.

• ‘Alinari’ MNAF Museum – The MNAF. (Alinari National Museum of Photography (Museo Nazionale Alinari della Fotografia) is situated inside the 15th-century building called ‘delle Leopoldine’ . The MNAF is set out in two different areas: an exhibition area, where temporary exhibitions organized by the Museum itself will take place, as well as exhibitions organized thanks to co-operation arrangements with the most important and prestigious international Institutes for historical and contemporary photography, and a permanent museum area, dedicated to the history and techniques of photography, which displays original period photographic materials showing the history of the invention of photography and its development through the various techniques and its main authors. The educational department of the MNAF, thanks to the creation of workshops for school age, makes it possible to go on various tours of the museum according to the different ages, trying to maintain constant and accurate links with the life and photographic interests of the youth world and taking cues and suggestions from it.

• MUDI Children’s Workshop (Bottega dei Ragazzi) – it is inside the Children’s Institute (Istituto degli Innocenti). Ever since its foundation, the Institute’s social and educational work has always had strong cultural value. Its activity of protection of childhood, the beautiful monumental premises and their importance in the History of Art, together with the participation of artists, painters, sculptors who have been called over the centuries to make this reception ‘place’ beautiful, have contributed to the creation of a cultural centre which is open towards the city and the world. The MUDI was created in order to enhance the historical-artistic heritage of the ancient Spedale degli Innocenti and better divulge this extraordinary "children’s place".
The MUDI currently consists of 3 sections:
The GALLERY (GALLERIA DELLO SPEDALE)
It is a collection of about fifty works of art, mainly paintings, accomplished between the 14th and the 18th century.
The HISTORICAL ARCHIVES (ARCHIVIO STORICO)
It has preserved a large collection of records gathered uninterruptedly between the 14th and the 20th century which is unique in its genre thanks to its chronological completeness and variety of contents.
THE CHILDREN’S WORKSHOP (LA BOTTEGA DEI RAGAZZI)
It is an area devoted to the youngest, which has renovated and updated the tradition of reception of the ancient "Spedale degli Innocenti". In the Workshop children up to 11 years old can take part in workshops inspired by the "learn by doing" philosophy, typical of Renaissance art workshops, and experience cultural contents which are relevant to their growth.

• Horne Museum - Situated in the very heart of Florence, the Horne Museum is the symbol-place of Renaissance culture and Art and aims at being a space in which people may re-live the past and discover the city’s use, customs and art between the 15th and the 16th century.

• Marino Marini Museum – The museum has preserved 182 works by Marino Marini (1901-1980): sculptures, paintings, drawings and etchings. The museum contains only works by Marino Marini achieved between 1916 and 1977, all on display on the four floors of San Pancrazio’s building. The educational facilities of the Marino Marini Museum offer educational activities suitable for schools of all levels and grades. The educational activities are carried out by specialist operators and require booking with the Museum educational department.

• Casa di Dante Museum - Rebuilt at the beginning of the 20th century on the site of the Alighieri home, the house contains exhibits illustrating life in Florence at the time of the great poet Dante. The museum charts the life of the poet and his exile, which lasted over 20 years. There are also sections on the iconography of Dante in art from the 14th century to the present day. Click here for the link.
Elementary Schools:
1. Spotting the places where Dante stayed
The workshop is suited to elementary schools and lasts approximately 1 hour per group (max 25 - min 20 children).
Objective: The workshop is designed as a sort of match (timed competition) between teams, during which the children, with the aid of a map of Italy, must spot the places where Dante stayed. The winning team will receive a prize at the end of their visit to Dante’s house.
Price: € 12.00 per child. Price includes admission and visit to Dante’s house with museum guide + didactic workshop.
2. Florence during Dante’s times
The workshop is suited to elementary schools and lasts approximately 1 hour per group (max 25 - min 20 children).
Objective: The workshop is designed as a sort of match (timed competition) between teams, during which the children, with the aid of a map of Florence, the places where Dante stayed. The winning team will receive a prize at the end of their visit to Dante’s house.
Price: € 12.00 per child. Price includes admission and visit to Dante’s house with museum guide + didactic workshop.
Middle Schools:
Dante and the Middle Ages
Objective: The workshop is designed as a sort of match between teams during which the children must answer some questions on Dante’s life, on Florence during Dante’s times, on the museum, and on the Divine Comedy. The game is set up like Snakes and Ladders, with questions on Dante and relevant images. The winning team will receive a prize at the end of their visit to Dante’s house.
Price: € 12.00 per child. Price includes admission and visit to Dante’s house with museum guide + didactic workshop.
It is also possible to visit the museum and exclude the workshop (admission and guided visit € 6.00 per child) or only attend the workshop (€6.00 per child). The schools which request the workshop material prior to the visit will receive it via email

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  AROUND FLORENCE
  • Museum of Peasant Civilization in Gaville (Museo della civiltà contadina di Gaville) (Figline Valdarno) – The Museum in Gaville is not simply an exhibition, but it is a centre for historical documentation, for cultural meditation, intended for the old generations, to whom the visit will bring back memories and provoke nostalgic feelings, and above all for the new generations, in order for them to acquire thorough knowledge about their own roots and to appreciate those simplicity values which have exaggeratedly been swept away nowadays.
• Museo Casa del Boccaccio (Certaldo) - The museum hosts the house of the Italian medieval writer Boccaccio; this museum offers some workshops concerning the history of the book, supported by the vision of the ancient documents kept in the library and by multimedia.

• Badia di Settimo (Scandicci) - La "Piana di Settimo", ovvero il territorio alla sinistra dell'Arno, fra il fiume e il tracciato dell'antica via Pisana, ha una propria evoluzione intimamente connessa, pur senza mai perdere le proprie caratteristiche né, almeno in certi periodi, una relativa autonomia, a quella di Firenze. Sicuramente la presenza di massima importanza (storica, culturale, politica, economica ecc.) dell'area fu per secoli costituita dall'abbazia di Settimo le cui memorie rispecchiano vari secoli di storia fiorentina, nel cui ambito essa e i suoi monaci giocarono a lungo un ruolo fondamentale. Vengono qui offerti, dall'Associazione "Amici della Badia di Settimo", percorsi guidati agli ambienti dell'abbazia, con la possibilità di approfondire alcuni temi fondamentali, quali la vita quotidiana nei monasteri, lo scriptorium medievale, il culto delle reliquie...

• Erci’s Home (Casa d’Erci) (Borgo San Lorenzo) – The Museum is housed inside a perfectly-restored farm house on the banks of the Erci brook. The exhibition is set out in 24 sections and includes over 2,000 tools, objects and documents illustrating rural life of peasant civilization in Alto Mugello, characterized by farming, wood-related activities and coal production.
Outside the Museum, an interesting Naturalistic-Historical Trail illustrates cultural and landscape transformations, and enables a reconstruction of the stages in wood-processing, including the charcoal pile, which was the common system used for transforming wood into coal.
There is also a botanical garden with both long-stemmed and shrubby pants, which characterize the woods of the Apennine between Tuscany and Romagna.

• The Mugello Region-wide Museum Network (Museo diffuso del Mugello)– The Museum contains reminders and artefacts evoking traditional trades connected with the exploitation of natural resources, the sharecropping world, traces of ancient settlement, religious beliefs, creation of works of art. The museum was also conceived as a permanent workshop for the protection and upgrading of the landscape, in order to actuate a system of constant preservation of the territory and highlight certain characteristics of the area on which it acts. Nowadays, the … Museum takes the form of a network of relationships between qualitatively-differentiated elements which can be identified with single Museums, Workshops and Itineraries; these are all arranged into Networks: a natural network, a demo-ethno-anthropological one, an art heritage one and that of the architecture heritage.
The museum network involves the Municipalities of Barberino di Mugello, Borgo San Lorenzo, Dicomano, Firenzuola, Londa, Marradi, Palazzuolo, Pelago, Pontassieve, Reggello, Rufina, San Godenzo, San Piero a Sieve, Scarperia, Vaglia, Vicchio.

• The Lands of Renaissance (Terre del Rinascimento) – The educational itineraries available in museums thanks to guided tours and reduced fares, offer both thematic widening and practical experiences for schools of all levels. Besides a tour of the museum, also natural excursions are possible in the protected areas of the territory (the Montalbano area and Fucecchio’s Padule), as well as visits to artisan workshops (pottery and glass), visits to the renowned areas of wine production farms – Chianti – and of extra virgin olive oil.

SPORT ACTIVITIES

FLORENCE
• Renaissance Loop (Anello del Rinascimento) – This is an over 105-mile-long (170-kilometre-long) "walk" around the city with Filippo Brunelleschi’s masterpiece, i.e. the dome of Florence Cathedral, as its ideal centre. Across woods and cultivated land, the Loop touches monasteries, castles, and ancient parish churches, but also reaches the heart of Florence, Fiesole and other towns in Florence surroundings. Each section of the trail can be covered separately and it is possible to reach Florence thanks to public transport connections.
While walking on hills, through woods, along cultivated fields, one crosses particularly important areas from the point of view of landscape, comes across monasteries, castles, guest houses to welcome pilgrims, ancient walled centres, country parishes, stretches of paved roads dating back to the Roman or Medieval period.
In Florence there also exists an interesting Museum of Soccer, a centre for the historical documentation of soccer, as an expression of cultural and sports heritage created by the Italian Soccer Federation (Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio) and other adhering organizations.
Cycling lovers may be interested in the Gino Bartali Cycling Museum (Ciclomuseo Gino Bartali), in Ponte a Ema, very close to Florence, run by the Association Friends of “Gino Bartal”i Cycling Museum (Associazione Amici del Museo del Ciclismo "Gino Bartali").
Besides, right in the centre of the city there is a small private museum dedicated to sport: Walter Rontani ‘s Art Athletic Centre in via Maggio 39, which shows period sports pieces of apparatus for the most diverse specializations. For information and/or reservations phone 055 217294.

AROUND FLORENCE
• Sailing, Canoeing, Windsurfing - Mugello/Lake of Bilancino

• Horse riding
• Cycling
• Parco Avventura Vincigliata (Fiesole, FI)

• Trekking and walks in the Mugello, in the Montagna Fiorentina and in the area of the Empolese Valdelsa

• The Lands of Renaissance (Terre del Rinascimento) – The educational itineraries available in museums thanks to guided tours and reduced fares/, offer both thematic widening and practical experiences for schools of all levels. Besides a tour of the museum, also natural excursions are possible in the protected areas of the territory (the Montalbano area and Fucecchio’s Padule), as well as visits to artisan workshops (pottery and glass), visits to the renowned areas of wine production farms – Chianti – and of extra virgin olive oil.

MANUFACTURE

AROUND FLORENCE

• Richard Ginori Museum of Doccia Manufacture (Museo Richard Ginori della Manifattura di Doccia) – Doccia (FLORENCE) -

• Montelupo Pottery Museum (Museo della Ceramica di Montelupo) (FLORENCE)

LENVIRONMENTAL-EDUCATIONAL WORKSHOPS

AROUND FLORENCE

• Fattoria Biodinamica - Il progetto ha previsto l'elaborazione di percorsi didattici e laboratori all'aperto per attività di educazione all'ecologia, alla bioagricoltura e alla sana alimentazione. L'area, confinante con gli abitati fiorentini, si trova immersa nel verde per un'estensione di circa 4 ettari e si sviluppa in un terreno che è stato incolto per 25 anni, libero di svilupparsi senza alcun intervento modificatore dell'uomo. Oltre ad una rigogliosa vegetazione tipica delle campagne fiorentine il terreno ospita animali selvatici indisturbati quali lepri, fagiani, e numerose specie di altri uccelli.


• LEA Network (Rete LEA) – the Province environmental educational workshops and centres (laboratori e centri di educazione ambientale della provincia). At a time when environmental and sustainable development education in schools has become crucial in forming the students’ firm awareness of preservation, our offer of itineraries for environmental education within school trips represents a meaningful choice. As a matter of fact,tourism for school parties is an essential segment in tourism and requires a promotion of sustainable forms in pursuing environmental situations and contexts which may be less known, but because of this
precious. Moreover, the students’ maximum enjoyment of them in the best possible conditions may contribute to avoiding a concentration of school trips at times of the year and in places which have traditionally been very popular. It is in this very context that we offer the Province of Florence Environmental Education Workshops: six points within a unique educational network which takes the form of a fun, motivating and non-conventional learning place.
• Oasis of Gabbianello (Lake of Bilancino, Mugello) where various activities for schools are organized

• Fucecchio’s Padule (Padule di Fucecchio)

•Stagni di Focognano -L'Oasi Stagni di Focognano è stata realizzata nelle immediate vicinanze dell'Autostrada A1, della discarica di Case Passerini e del relativo impianto di compostaggio e si trova in una zona a vocazione industriale. L'Oasi con i suoi cinque bacini lacustri, (laghi Calvana, Morello, Calice, Acqualunga e Focognano) costituisce una delle ultime testimonianze del tipico paesaggio storico della Piana Fiorentina, territorio che appare oggi in gran parte urbanizzato dopo le grandi opere di bonifica della prima metà di questo secolo. Sono centinaia le scuole che partecipano ai progetti didattici dell'Oasi che si svolgono con lezioni teoriche e dimostrative (con proiezione di diapositive) e con l'osservazione su campo. L'oasi dispone di un Centro visite, aula didattica, Sentieri natura e Osservatori ed è gestita dal WWF.

• The Lands of Renaissance (Terre del Rinascimento)

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OTHER PRACTICAL INFORMATION:
Complaining about poor tourist service
Medical facilities
Lost and Found office
Toilet facilities and Courtesy Point

Informazioni

Alloggio
In questo sito una sezione apposita è dedicata alla ricettività; una maschera di ricerca permette di interrogare un database aggiornato in tempo reale. La maschera di selezione RICERCA AVANZATA prevede per esempio di selezionare gli hotel che fanno accettazione di gruppi, oppure le attività didattiche svolte in agriturismo; i gruppi scolastici infatti possono essere ospitati, oltre che dagli alberghi anche da case per ferie, ostelli e agriturismi, sia in città che ne territorio provinciale.

Dove mangiare con la classe
La sezione dedicata alle strutture di ristorazione comprende un elenco selezionato e aggiornato di ristoranti, trattorie, pizzerie, self-service e bar-caffè in grado di soddisfare le più diverse esigenze, sia come localizzazione sia come varietà di menù, a prezzi speciali.

Per consumare il pranzo a sacco possono esserci i grandi spazi pubblici, come i giardini. Abbastanza centrale è  il giardino di piazza D'Azeglio (con bagno pubblico); inoltre ci sono  i giardini lungo l'Arno come  il Parco dell'Albereta (Lungarno Colombo), i giardini del Lungarno S. Rosa,  il Parco delle Cascine (da piazzale Vittorio Veneto fino al Ponte all'Indiano), il giardino della Fortezza da Basso. Una lista completa dei giardini pubblici e delle attrezzature presenti è su questa pagina del Comune di Firenze.  
Ricorda: il Giardino di Boboli è un museo, non si può fare il pic nic.

Regole di accesso ai musei per scolaresche

In tutti i musei statali i giovani sotto i 18 anni entrano gratuitamente. In particolare per le scolaresche italiane è richiesta una lettera su carta intestata delle scuola che riporti i nomi dei ragazzi e degli insegnanti accompagnatori.

Nei musei gestiti dal Comune di Firenze è previsto l'ingresso gratuito per gruppi di studenti e rispettivi insegnanti.

Per altri musei (gestiti da privati o Fondazioni) si rimanda alla sezione Musei di questo sito.

Le guide turistiche

Per una visita accompagnata da un professionista, ovvero una guida turistica autorizzata, si può consultare l'apposita pagina del sito con nominativi e tariffe di quelle che operano su questo territorio.