Are you planning your trip to Florence and want to be guided to the discovery of the city? Would you like to visit the Florentine museums, learn about the works and artists of the Renaissance? Or do you already know Florence and would like to discover the city off the beaten track?
My name is Costanza Sessa, I was born in Florence and I have been working in the world of tourism for more than twenty years, first as a tour guide and then, since 2008, as a licensed private guide in Florence. I specialize in customizable private tours, for couples, families, as well as larger groups visiting the city.
I grew up in the Oltrarno district, near the ancient Ponte Vecchio, Palazzo Pitti and its immense Boboli Gardens, where as a child I was lucky enough to play among statues, fountains and breathtaking views of the city.
I fully experienced the ancient center, with its artisan shops, ancient streets and those majestic palaces that tell us of the wealth of Florentine families in the Renaissance.
To be able to work in tourism I studied languages at the linguistic high school and then graduated from the University of Florence in Cultural Heritage, with a historical and artistic address.
And it's the love for what you do that makes the difference: one of the thanks I receive most often and that makes me really happy is to be able to move those who listen to me, transmitting all the passion I have for my work and the topics I tell.
It is important to know that I have given the best to those who have placed their trust in me by letting me guide them to discover the city, because I will be part of that memory. That's why I love to include curiosities, anecdotes and references in my visits to entertain, enrich and facilitate the visit. Listening to your needs and understanding your expectations allows me to plan a tailor-made itinerary, always considering your interests and available time.
I have an artistic tradition in my family that I am very proud of. In 1820 my mother's ancestors founded an artistic wrought iron company, Ditta Fratelli Biondi, right where Piazza della Repubblica now stands.
The biggest customers were in the Florentine aristocracy and antiques. Many of their artefacts can still be admired in historical basilicas and palaces, such as the dragon lamp commissioned by Neuber in Piazza Strozzi (photo) and the crown of the column of San Zanobi in Piazza San Giovanni, right next to the Baptistery.
Suppliers from 1865 to 1870 of the Municipality of Florence through the Office of Fine Arts, they were in charge of the restoration and reconstruction of many gates and iron parts in medieval palaces and basilicas, such as in the Basilica of Santa Croce, Palazzo Medici Riccardi, Palazzo della Signoria and the gate in the Bargello staircase. In 1901, the Monuments Office commissioned the reconstruction of one of the four lanterns by Caparra (a 15th-century iron artist) that can be admired at the corners of Palazzo Strozzi.
