Florence is the location of the latest in our long-established series of festivals which place music in appropriate historic settings. Universally known as the crucible of change in the field of the visual arts, ‘the cradle of the Renaissance’ was also a highly important centre for the development of music, from the end of the Middle Ages until the Age of Baroque. Throughout that period and beyond, Florence’s huge cultural and political prestige attracted musicians of the first rank from all over Europe.

The music in this festival ranges from 14th-century devotional songs to Puccini’s string quartet, from bawdy ditties of the Early Renaissance to the magnificent celebrations of a Grand Ducal wedding. Medici patronage accounts for much of the programme, among which are the extraordinary sixty part mass written in 1566 by Alessandro Striggio, the most ambitious piece of music of its time.

The performers we have selected are musicians of highest calibre, leading specialists in their genre both Italian and British.

Venues range from Brunelleschi’s Basilica of San Lorenzo to a private palace on the western periphery, from the exquisite Gothic church of Santa Trinita to the grand Villa Medicea at Artimino.

All the concerts are private, access being exclusive to those who purchase a package which includes not only all the concerts but also hotel, flights, coach travel, lectures, many meals and many other services. 

The Festival Package

Access to the concerts is exclusive to those who take the festival package, the price for which includes:

Ten concerts. These are essentially private, and tickets to individual events will not be available.

Accommodation for six nights in one of six carefully selected hotels within the historic centre of Florence.

Flights between the UK and Italy (Pisa, Florence and Bologna), from London Heathrow and Gatwick. There is a supplement for flights from London Heathrow to Pisa and a price reduction if you make your own arrangements for getting to Florence.

Coach transfers from the selected Italian airports to the hotels and vice versa. If you have booked your own flights, we can provide transfers provided your flights coincide with one of the festival flight options.

Meals: four dinners, all with wine, water and coffee, and all breakfasts. Interval drinks are provided during some concerts.

Lectures on the music by Roderick Swanston.

All tips for restaurant staff, porters.

All taxes and obligatory charges.

During the festival there will be a team of Italian-speaking staff to ensure that everything runs smoothly, and every participant is provided with comprehensive information in a printed programme.

In addition, there are extra services which can be booked:
The option of arriving a day early, with drinks reception and dinner.
An optional package of two dinners, which means each evening is spent in the company of other festival participants.
A range of visits and short walks led by art historians and appropriate experts.

If you would prefer to complete your booking off-line please download the booking form here.