The Free Tram Stop Tours of ‘Tram-e-d’Arte’

The Russian Orthodox church, which is located on the T2 tram line

Florence is known for its historical significance, but the modern and contemporary art and architecture of the city is often overlooked.  The new Tram-e-d’Arte project is looking to provide a new way for locals and visitors alike to discover all Florence has to offer, all for the cost of two tram tickets (€3).

Tram-e-d’Arte is offering free guided tours (participants must bring two tram tickets) where participants discover contemporary Florence along the route of the Leonardo and Vespucci tram lines.  Places of interest are within 1.5 km (20 minutes walking) from various stops of the tramway, and the tours are offered in both Italian and English.

The first visits are organized on weekends of November and December, and new series have already been scheduled for January and February 2023.  The tours are held from 10 am – noon on Saturdays and Sundays and can be booked through https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSffd4v8_Huqd2Auxqy6DCP5_K74fz3I5k6xDK71dAE4cIsqQg/viewform.  Three itineraries are available – Novoli: Precious Treasures between Past and Present, Isolotto: The Soul of a Neighborhood, and Music, Fairs, and Painters along the Mugnone.

For the Novoli itinerary, English tours are offered on Saturday, December 10 and Sunday, January 8.  For the Isolotto itinerary, an English tour is offered Sunday, December 11.  For the Music itinerary, an English tour is offered on Saturday, January 7.

Tram-e-d’Arte offers accessibility to 200 places of interest, which are divided into five categories – Top Attractions, Museums and Churches, Parks and Sports, Shows and Culture, and Shops and Markets.  The tram is used to easily connect participants to well-known and little-known places of interest outside the busy historical center, whilst providing a new way of experiencing the city for both Florentines and tourists.

Many interesting places are included in the itineraries, varying from historical artworks to modern architecture.  The Nuovo Centro Civico in Scandicci, designed by famed British architect Richard Rogers and completed in 2013, acts as an architecturally modern public urban center for the city of Scandicci.  The Russian Orthodox Church of the Nativity of Christ, finished in 1903, is the first Russian orthodox church on Italian soil.  Constantine I of Greece, his mother Queen Olga Constantinovna of Russia, and his widow Sophia of Prussia are all buried there. 

The Medicean Villa of Careggi, UNESCO World Heritage site, is one of the oldest villas belonging to the Medici family.  It is the birthplace, home, and place of death of Lorenzo the Magnificent (1448 – 1492), and where he organized the Neoplatonic Academy, which acted as the cultural and artistic center of the early Renaissance.  The 11th century Church of Sant’Angelo a Legnaia was restored several times throughout its history, but in 1983 a new modern church building was inaugurated as the new active place of worship.  Valuable artworks are housed in the old church, including San Michele slaying the devil by Francesco Curradi and Glory of Saint Augustine by Giandomenico Ferretti.  For anyone interested in architecture, street art, parks, museums, and other unexpected places and curiosities, the Tram-e-d’Arte tours are for you!

The project was conceived and curated by Caterina Paolucci in addition to Olivia Turchi for Associazione Via Maggio and created by Gruppo Editoriale, with the support of the municipality of Florence and the Fondazione CR Firenze.

More information can be found at www.tramedarte firenze.it. (Molly Mulvihill)