Prato: Guided tour of the city centre, beer tasting and visit to the old and famous Antonio Mattei’s bakery

Our tour starts with a visit to the Duomo, whose pulpit was designed by Donatello and Michelozzo, and having outside a green and white striped marble structure, a feature of many Tuscan monuments and religious buildings. Inside is the important relic of the Holy Girdle of the Virgin Mary and frescoes by Filippo Lippi. This is followed by a visit to the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo, located to the left of the cathedral and built in 1967. Among the works kept inside, the prestigious reliefs of the pulpit by Donatello are noteworthy. From here we proceed to Piazza del Comune, where in addition to the Palazzo Comunale and the Fontana del Bacchino, we can admire the Palazzo Pretorio, an imposing medieval building that houses the Museum inside, which displays works by Bernardo Daddi, Giovanni da Milano, Donatello, Filippo and Filippino Lippi, Santi di Tito, Alessandro Allori, Batistello Caracciolo, Lorenzo Bartolini and many other artists.

An unmissable stop on our tour will be the Castello dell’Imperatore, the only example of Swabian architecture in central-northern Italy. During the 14th century the Florentine government transformed the building into a military district and prison, connecting it to the 14th-century walls through a covered walkway: the Cassero.

For lunch we will visit a craft brewery for a guided tour to discover the production process of beer; a tale of how beer is born and what transformations it undergoes before arriving in our glasses. The visit will end with a beer tasting and a tasty accompanying lunch.

After the gourmand stop, it’s time to set off again for a visit to the Metastasio Theatre and visit it right behind the scenes, where an exceptional guide will show us its secrets. At the end of the tour, we will stop at the famous bakery Biscottificio Mattei for a tasting of biscuits and vin santo.

Start: Saturday 28 October 10.00 a.m.

Duration: 6h

Price per person: €95.00

Minimum participants: 20

Maximum participants: 25

Prato: Visit to the Medici Villas and wine tasting in the cellar

A bus tour that will lead us to visit two Medici villas that have become part of the Unesco World Heritage List since 2013: The Villa di Poggio a Caiano and the Villa di Artimino, known as Villa la Ferdinanda. The provinces of Carmignano and Poggio a Caiano were among the favourite possessions of Lorenzo the Magnificent, Francesco I and Grand Duke Ferdinand, each of them lovers of nature, hunting and garden parties. Our guide will take us along an itinerary evoking the splendours of the De Medici family.

The first stop is Villa Ambra in Poggio a Caiano, designed by Giuliano da Sangallo and an example of Renaissance architecture that is a synthesis of the ‘lesson of the classics’ and elements of Tuscan rural architecture. The villa complex also includes the park and the Scuderie (Stables), which we will have the opportunity to visit as it houses the Soffici Museum and library, a true centre of knowledge of this protagonist of 20th-century culture.

From Poggio a Caiano we move to Villa la Ferdinanda, also known as Villa dei Cento Camini and built by Grand Duke Ferdinando I on the hill of Artimino at the end of the 16th century. This imposing building is linked to the territory, as it is located in the centre of the Barco Reale, a grandiose hunting reserve, cared for with great interest by the Grand Duke himself. The villa will also be an exceptional location for a tasting where it will be possible to taste the wines of the estate; an expert Sommelier will guide us through the tasting

Start: Saturday 28 October 10.00 a.m.

Duration: 4h

Price per person: €110.00

Minimum participants: 20

Maximum participants: 25