Abstract

We designed this immersive, privately guided tour exclusively for Sina Villa Medici so that our guests might come to know more about the Florentine dynasty that lent its name to this iconic hotel.

You will retrace the trajectory of the Medici along their rise in power and influence starting from their earliest beginnings as a prominent banking family in medieval Florence until they ultimately assumed the throne as Grand Dukes of Tuscany in the 16th Century.  During your privately guided tours of Piazza della Signoria and the Palazzo Vecchio Museum you will witness how, over the course of a few generations, the Medici’s family tree took root at the very epicenter of Florentine government while several notable members of the family simultaneously established their reputation as history’s greatest patrons of the arts.

The excursion will conclude with a visit to Master Goldsmith Paolo Penko’s workshop, where guests will have an opportunity to view Maestro Penko’s handmade reproductions of the symbols of Medicean power, such as Cosimo I’s Grand Ducal Crown and scepter.  Maestro Penko and his team will explain the traditional methods of the trade that were employed in the realization of these historical items and how he applies similar techniques to produce his sizeable collection of Renaissance-inspired jewelry that has garnered him a prominent reputation around the world.