Cinque Terre Walking Tour

Olive Harvest Time...

Cinque Terre Walking Tour

Views past the olive trees to the wine dark sea...

A Sunday Afternoon Walk on the Ligurian Coast

A Walking Tour on the ligurian coast. Snow on the distant alps...

Private Venice Tours

If you're visiting Venice over the holidays, why not make it more memorable with a breathtaking tour into the heart of Venice? ArtViva Original & Best Walking Tours presents: My Exclusive- The Original and Best Gondola Tour.

Take the Original Gondola Tour with your own private tour guide! Learn about the real Venice, and the secrets she holds, through the eyes and ears of a Venetian Gondolier. He travels through the archipelago of this amazing city and enthrals with tales of ancient rites, secret symbols, high drama, and colourful characters. This is no ordinary tour.

For more information email us at: staff@artviva.com, or click here to book online!

Venice Glimpses Venice Tours

Having a coffee in St Marks Square.....

See St Marks on our one of our original and best Venice Tours

Olive Harvest Glimpse

November is time for the olive harvest...which means wonderful fresh oil!
Here is a little glimpse of olive pickers we spied on route on a recent The Best of Tuscany Tour...
To sample wonderful Tuscan olive oil you can visit producers and walk through olive groves on our tours. Try our Best of Tuscany Tour, our Mornings in Tuscany Tour, our Taste of Tuscany Tour, our Bike Tuscany Tour, and Chianti Wine Castle Tour to taste and buy wonderful olive oils produced on the estates we visit.

Original Best Gondola Tours Venice

Why not try our Original Gondola Tour

The only tour of its kind in Venice! Experience quintessential Venice as we unlock the ancient world of the Gondola

Enter another world and leave the tourist hordes behind while we discover quintessential Venice at its most sensual best. We provide the keys to understanding the world’s most fascinating and unique city. To unlock the secrets of mysterious Venice you have to experience it as Venetians have for over a millennia. No one knows Venice like the Gondoliers that have plied the waters of this marvelous archipelago for centuries. What better way to learn about Venice than through the masters of the archetypal gondola guilds who will bring their world to life through our talented storytellers. Our weavers of Venice’s magic will enthrall you with tales of ancient rites, secret symbols, high drama and colorful characters- all amid stunning surroundings. What’s more we’ll gain the secrets of the fascinating and ancient gondola craft whilst plying iridescent canals. We will glide through history, experiencing achingly beautiful classic Venetian water scenes, where we chase the merry tinkling of Venetian accents disappearing around corners before we even catch a glimpse. We’ll be enveloped by history while we learn the traditional greeting of the gondoliers and sweeten to their merry sing-songy cadences as we see the water faintly lapping on moss covered facades, the colours’ seeping century by century, drip by drip into Venice’s mysterious lagoons. We’ll then continue on foot to explore the labyrinth maze of hidden tiny picturesque canals, tantalizingly mysterious byways, charming squares and magnificent palaces while seeing Venice’s own ‘Leaning Tower’, the ‘street of the assassins’, alleries, and Venice’s trendiest celebrity hang out. The Grand Finale-we’ll experience one of the world’s most famous views, a stunning vista of St Marks …Camera essential!

Book here for the Gondola Tour

The Original and Best Gondola Tour

September and October in Italy are busy months, as all the hotspots are packed with fall-time travelers. If you are tired of being pushed and pulled around town in a large group, following your guide with his umbrella up in the air, then we may have the perfect alternative for you: Why not experience Italy as an Italian- Or better yet, as a Venetian? Become part of an intimate group, no larger than 11. Prepare to be amazed as you step into the gondola, and escape into a beautiful mysterious past that will engulf your senses and imagination, as you leave all the tourists behind.

ArtViva Walking Tours, based in Florence, Italy, is now opening up the tour world to a new amazing experience: TheOriginal and Best Gondola Tour. Learn about the real Venice, and the secrets she holds, through the eyes and ears of a Venetian Gondolier as he travels through the archipelago of this amazing city and enthrals you with tales of ancient rites, secret symbols, high drama, and colourful characters. This is no ordinary tour.

Undoubtedly on of the most famous cities in the world, Venice is known by many names. From La Serenissima (the most serene) Queen of the Adriatic, to City of Bridges, Light and Water, everyone agrees that there is a magnetic pull which brings millions of tourists every year to discover the magic of this misty city. Although there are certainly an abundance of walking tours around Venice, ArtViva provides a truly original and breathtaking experience so you can experience, sense and feel Venice like a true Venetian.

The Original and Best of Gondola Tour takes you through the mysterious, dauntingly beautiful archipelago, unlocking the city’s secrets as your personal gondolier navigates the canals and your own personal storyteller regales you with the city’s secrets. Leave the hordes of tourists and step into the enchanting world of narrow canals, beautiful ancient bridges and a history that will envelope and fascinate you. Learn about Venice’s ancient rites, secret symbols, history, and drama. Afterwords, we will take you by foot through the narrow canal streets, through the charming squares and finally show you a grand finale of St.Mark’s square. Bring your camera, and take photos, because friends back home will never believe what an amazing, sensory experience you’ve had.

The Original David

Arguably one of the most famous pieces of artwork in the world, The David-sculpted by Michelangelo-is proudly housed in the Accademia museum in Florence. The millions of tourists who visit Florence each year can see a copy of the David outside of Palazzo Vecchio, but ask anyone who’s seen the real David, and they’ll tell you the exact copy and the original are nothing alike. The Original David is an experience in and of itself, and will leave you in awe after experiencing it firsthand.

ArtViva Walking Tours offers a one-hour tour that takes you to the Original David inside the Accademia museum. And as Walking Tours knows all too well, half the beauty of the artwork is knowing the story behind it. Listen to stories about the amazing creation of The David. Learn the truth behind the rumors about its creator, Michelangelo, the “Bill Gates of Florence”.You will also see other works of art by Michelangelo before the grand finale of The David, which we guarantee will leave you breathless. The tour ends in the Accademia museum, so you will time after the tour ends to browse the famous sculptures on your own.

Artviva is well known throughout Italy for offering high-quality, smaller group scheduled tours. Our tours are only conducted in English and entertain as much as they inform. We have been featured on BBC World, The History Channel, Time Magazine, as well as recommended and praised by our clients- and celebrities- from all around the globe.From Rick Steve's to Lonely Planet, to internet sites such as TripAdvisor, our tours are constantly being talked about. We pride ourselves on providing excellent customer service, entertaining, informative and fun tours, that leave a lasting impression on all of our clients and create memories that last a lifetime.
For more information on our Original David tour and others, please visit us at:
www.italy.artviva.com or email us at: staff@artviva.com

Masterpieces of the Uffizi

The Uffizi Gallery is a must-see stop in Florence. The world-famous museum houses masterpieces of the some of the greatest artists the Renaissance and Primitive period produced. Masterpieces by genius painters such as: Botticelli, Giotto, Piero della Francesca, Correggio, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo and Caravaggio will leave you breathless. As you walk from room to room our guide will explain the painting, background and techniques of select works of art. You will be transfixed and fascinated hearing the real stories of paintings that changed art forever: who the real Venus was in Botticelli’s Birth of Venus, how DaVinci genius was cultivated, why the artworks and the gallery were created. Booking Masterpieces of the Uffizi with Walking Tours allows you to skip the lines and enjoy the artwork immediately. The tour ends in the Uffizi Museum so clients are encouraged to take time afterwards to browse paintings on their own. For bookings and more information, please visit us on our website or email us at: staff@artviva.com