Florence - the Palazzo Vecchio, a tour of the frescoes and a hands-on lesson in creating your own fresco.

Very much a hands-on tour, this one. Design, execute and colour your very own fresco with the assistance of an experienced teacher, and then go on, armed with your new insights, to explore the magnificent frescoes of the Palazzo Vecchio

Undoubtedly one of the most photographed buildings in Florence, the Palazzo Vecchio sits in the very centre of the city, looking out onto Piazza dell Signoria and down onto the replica of Michelangelo's David.

The tour and lesson (available in English, Italian and French) last roughly 75 minutes, with an expert tour guide accompanying you (after your practical lesson in creating a fresco) to explore and explain frescoes by, amongst others, Francesco Salviati, Ghirlandaio and Bronzino.

The tour is not suitable for children under the age of 8, nor is it suitable for those in wheelchairs (although the building itself does have wheelchair access) and is available at the following times:

From 16th of June to 30th of September
All days: 10.30 AM, 04:30 PM.
Thursdays: 10.30 AM

From 1st of October to 15th of June
Mondays: 2.30 PM

You will need to arrive at the Palazzo Vecchio at least 15 minutes before the tour is due to start, but we'd recommend arriving as early as possible as all visitors are required to pass through a metal detector, and this inevitably takes some time.

We're now offering an interesting assortment of tours in and around the Palazzo Vecchio (Florence's Town Hall, although that name doesn't really do it justice in the imagination!), and this one is somewhat different; you'll have the chance to create your own small fresco, creating the design, preparing the materials and discovering the implements used, and then going on to apply the colouring. The museum has produced a short video here (external YouTube link).