Extraordinary Tour in Florence

Florence's cultural section differs from the rest in having many programmes where something is made by hand rather than looked at. A fresco workshop lasts four hours at 412 dollars: the work goes onto wet plaster and what is applied cannot be redone, so the session is built around preparation. A sculpture class in Michelangelo's manner is two hours at 223 dollars, and clay modelling by the Italian method three hours at 182.

Standing apart is a session on Leonardo's drawings: three hours at 141 dollars, analysing the technique and copying it. Florence is the right place for this — Leonardo trained here in Verrocchio's workshop, and part of his work is held in the city's collections.

The viewing part consists of galleries and family history. The Pitti Palace with the Palatine Gallery fits into 110 minutes and 75 dollars, the Uffizi-plus-Accademia combination seven hours at 259. A private walk in the footsteps of the Medici costs 470 dollars, the upper bound of the section. The wine line lands here too: a tasting with a sommelier at 71 dollars and a day in Chianti at 241. GetExperience lists 15 cultural programmes in Florence, from 71 to 470 dollars.