Florence for the Family
Fresco workshops with a real restorer, a gelato-making session in an artisan dairy, the Uffizi with a scholar who explains the Medici as a family drama, and a villa with a pool for the afternoons. A private, tailored journey of 8 Days · 7 Nights in Florence, Italy, designed end to end by a Forest Travel advisor — with Virtuoso privileges at the finest luxury hotels, from US$18,500 per traveler.
- Ideal length: 8 Days · 7 Nights
- Best time: From May to June and from September to October, the best window for Florence.
- Private guiding, access and transfers throughout
- From US$18,500 per traveler — a starting point, tailored to you
- Designed one-to-one by a Forest Travel advisor
- Virtuoso privileges at the finest luxury hotels
Fresco workshops with a real restorer, a gelato-making session in an artisan dairy, the Uffizi with a scholar who explains the Medici as a family drama, and a villa with a pool for the afternoons. A private, tailored journey of 8 Days · 7 Nights in Florence, Italy, designed end to end by a Forest Travel advisor — with Virtuoso privileges at the finest luxury hotels, from US$18,500 per traveler.
Few countries reward a well-planned trip as generously as Italy, where art, coastline and the pleasures of the table meet at every turn.
When to go
From May to June and from September to October is the best window for Florence. Your advisor times it to the light, the crowds and your own calendar.
The experiences
A sense of what this journey can hold — each one arranged privately and shaped to you:
- A private fresco workshop led by a working conservator in his Oltrarno studio, where children grind pigments, mix lime plaster, and leave with a small panel they made themselves.
- A morning at an artisan dairy outside the city where a gelato master teaches the family the chemistry of cold — from selecting milk to spinning the first batch.
- A scholar-guided visit to the Uffizi framed entirely as a Medici family drama, tracing rivalry, ambition and portraiture across the galleries so children follow it like a story.
- An afternoon session with a Florentine leather artisan in the Santa Croce quarter, where each family member hand-stitches a small keepsake to bring home.
A sense of the rhythm
Mornings belong to the city — workshops, markets and guided visits timed before the midday crowds. Afternoons pull back to a villa with a pool in the Florentine hills, giving children space to decompress while parents absorb the view over cypress and terracotta. Evenings are unhurried: a table at a neighbourhood trattoria or a kitchen supper prepared together.
Whether to base the family in the city centre or at a hillside villa and commute in
Families who stay within the centro storico wake up inside the history — the Duomo at breakfast, the Arno on a pre-dinner walk — but space is limited and street noise carries. A hillside villa in Fiesole or the Chianti foothills offers a pool, a garden and the breathing room that children genuinely need after a morning of structured culture. Our advisors typically recommend the villa for families with children under fourteen, building in a private transfer each morning so the city is still fully accessible without the urban friction at the end of the day.
How to do it well
The counsel our advisors give travelers planning this journey:
- Book the conservator-led fresco workshop at least three months ahead; the most sought-after restorers in the Oltrarno work on institutional commissions and hold very few private dates each season.
- Plan the Uffizi scholar visit for a Tuesday or Wednesday morning in May or October, when crowds are thinnest and the galleries' natural light is at its best for looking at paintings with children.
- The artisan dairy gelato session is best scheduled for late June through August when the dairy's summer milk programme is running, but confirm availability by April as local school groups fill the calendar quickly.
- If your children are between eight and fourteen, request a copy of the Medici family tree from your Forest Travel advisor before departure — arriving with that context makes the scholar's gallery narrative land far more powerfully.
What only your advisor can open
The difference between a good trip and an unrepeatable one is access — and access is a relationship, not a booking. Every guide, room and moment is chosen and sequenced for you.
Who it's for
Travelers who value privacy, time and doing it once — beautifully — and who would rather have one trusted advisor orchestrate every detail than assemble it themselves.
Estimated investment
From US$18,500 per traveler, based on double occupancy — scaled to your dates, party size and level of privacy. A starting point, not a final quote; confirmed once your advisor tailors the itinerary.
Designed entirely around you
Nothing here is a package. A Forest Travel advisor shapes the whole journey and stays one message away before and throughout your trip.
Your Virtuoso privileges
As a Virtuoso member, Forest Travel includes benefits reserved for Virtuoso guests at the finest luxury hotels, at no added cost: a room upgrade on arrival when available, daily breakfast for two, a property credit toward dining or spa, and early check-in with late check-out when the hotel allows.
Continue exploring Florence
Part of our Florence travel guide. Related private journeys:
Begin the conversation
Tell a Forest Travel advisor how you like to travel and they will design Florence for the Family around you — privately, every Virtuoso privilege included. Request your private consultation →
Questions, answered.
Families who stay within the centro storico wake up inside the history — the Duomo at breakfast, the Arno on a pre-dinner walk — but space is limited and street noise carries. A hillside villa in Fiesole or the Chianti foothills offers a pool, a garden and the breathing room that children genuinely need after a morning of structured culture. Our advisors typically recommend the villa for families with children under fourteen, building in a private transfer each morning so the city is still fully accessible without the urban friction at the end of the day.
Book it at least three months ahead. The most sought-after restorers in the Oltrarno work on institutional commissions and hold very few private dates each season. The workshop is led by a working conservator in his studio, where children grind pigments, mix lime plaster and leave with a small panel they made themselves, so it is worth securing early.
Late June through August is best, when the dairy's summer milk programme is running. Confirm availability by April, because local school groups fill the calendar quickly. The morning takes place at an artisan dairy outside the city, where a gelato master teaches the family the chemistry of cold, from selecting milk to spinning the first batch.
If your children are between eight and fourteen, request a copy of the Medici family tree from your Forest Travel advisor before departure. Arriving with that context makes the scholar's gallery narrative, which traces rivalry, ambition and portraiture, land far more powerfully. Plan the visit for a Tuesday or Wednesday morning in May or October, when crowds are thinnest and the natural light suits looking at paintings with children.
Florence for the Family is designed as 8 Days · 7 Nights. Mornings belong to the city: a fresco workshop with a conservator in the Oltrarno, a gelato session at an artisan dairy, the Uffizi told as a Medici family drama, and leather stitching in Santa Croce, all timed before the midday crowds. Afternoons pull back to a villa with a pool in the Florentine hills, and evenings stay unhurried, at a neighbourhood trattoria or a kitchen supper prepared together. Your advisor tunes the length to your calendar and pace.
As a private, tailored journey it starts from roughly US$18,500 per traveler (double occupancy) and scales with your dates, party and level of privacy — a starting point, never a fixed package price. Your advisor confirms the figure once the itinerary is tailored.
May through June and September into October, when the light is golden and the crowds thin. For this journey, a Tuesday or Wednesday morning in May or October is ideal for the Uffizi scholar visit, when galleries are quietest and the natural light is at its best for looking at paintings with children. The artisan dairy gelato session runs best from late June through August, so confirm it by April, and book the fresco workshop at least three months ahead.
In Florence's Santa Croce quarter, the family spends an afternoon session with a Florentine leather artisan, and each family member hand-stitches a small keepsake to bring home. Like every experience on Florence for the Family, it is arranged privately and shaped to you, sitting alongside the fresco workshop in the Oltrarno and the gelato morning at an artisan dairy as one of the hands-on moments of the journey.
On Florence for the Family, the two moments favour different months. The scholar-guided Uffizi visit is best on a Tuesday or Wednesday morning in May or October, when crowds are thinnest and the light suits looking at paintings with children. The artisan dairy gelato session is best from late June through August, when the summer milk programme runs, confirmed by April. Your advisor times the journey to the light, the crowds and your own calendar.
On Florence for the Family, mornings belong to the city: workshops, markets and guided visits are timed before the midday crowds. Afternoons then pull back to a villa with a pool in the Florentine hills, giving children space to decompress while parents take in the view over cypress and terracotta. Evenings stay unhurried, at a neighbourhood trattoria or over a kitchen supper prepared together.
A hands-on fresco workshop with a working conservator in the Oltrarno, where children grind pigments and leave with a panel they made themselves. Add a gelato-making morning at an artisan dairy outside the city, the Uffizi told by a scholar as a Medici family drama, and an afternoon with a leather artisan in Santa Croce, where each family member stitches a keepsake. Mornings belong to the city; afternoons pull back to a villa with a pool.
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