Firenze
Elaine Ruffolo
Art History Encounters

The best Art History tours of

Florence, Tuscany and Beyond.

Here I am on a walking tour of Assisi.  It was Christmas 2019 and a group of about 15 of us were in Assisi to see the Basilica of St. Francis and enjoy the life-size Nativity creche (presepe) on the lawn in front of it.  Assisi is a gorgeous, spiritual-feeling place.  I highly recommend it. Elaine Ruffolo organized the holiday adventure, fed us at a stellar trattoria, and then gave us a rundown of the frescoes in the crypts painted by Giotto, Cimabue, Simone Martini, and more.  Five years later, I still carry around in my pocketbook a card the Franciscan monk gave me on that trip, which  reminds, "Il signore ti dia pace!" It was magical. 

Elaine Ruffolo specializes in this kind of magic and uncovers it in Florence, Venice, Ravenna, Siena, Rome, Arezzo, and elsewhere in Italy in her art history walking tours and special art history trips, which are a revelation to anyone who loves Italian art.

In fact, on Valentine's Day in 2020, I was in Venice for a private tour of the duomo in Piazza San Marco with Elaine Ruffolo, just as Covid was stirring and we were still oblivious.  After we were confined to our Florentine homes or scattered to our original homes around the world , Elaine brilliantly kept all of us art lovers sane through the pandemic by providing art history lectures weekly on Zoom.  These lectures and the art-loving community they continued to nurture kept my interest in the Renaissance alive.  Elaine still gives those weekly lectures and I still tune in on occasion.  They transport me right back to Florence and the wonderful Florentine and ex-pat community there.  Check out Elaine's offerings and by all means, if you want an entertaining, educational, and in-depth look at the Renaissance and all of Florence's artistic gems, do not hesitate to set something up with Elaine.  She is the best of the best in Florence.  www.elaineruffolo.com