Friends of Lorenzo de Medici called him “Il Magnifico” (the Magnificent) for gathering together the world’s finest artists, musicians, and poets in Florence. It was a fitting nickname for Lorenzo, and for the city itself: there is little here that isn’t “magnifico.” The Renaissance will come alive as we explore Michelangelo’s treasures in the Galleria dell’Accademia and the Museo di San Marco.

More delights await in Florence’s centro storico, where the Duomo, the Uffizi gallery, and the Baptistry compete for your student’s attention with masterworks by Giotto, Brunelleschi, and Botticelli. When we need a rest from the Renaissance, an engaging, hands-on cooking experience, a stroll along the peaceful Arno River, a hike through the Tuscan country side or a wander through the famed Florentine markets should do the trick.