Florence Social Agenda

6:00pm to 6:45pm - Welcome Drinks at Enoteca Alessi

Meet and greet your speakers, fellow delegates and CPE team over canapés, wine and beer. You will receive your delegate pack with final information at this event so please advise us if you cannot attend so we can arrange for you to receive your pack at an alternative time/place. Enotecca Alessi is just 50 metres from the conference hotel.

Cost: Complimentary
Venue: Enotecca Alessi, 31 Via Della Oche
Inclusions: Red and white wine, sparkling water, Bruschetta and cheese

7:00pm to 10:00pm - Welcome Dinner at the Osteria dell’Oca

Following the Welcome Drinks, join your fellow delegates to enjoy a traditional 3 course dinner at the atmospheric Osteria dell’Oca restaurant; an absolute gem in the heart of Florence!

Cost: $70 per person
Venue: Osteria dell'Oca, Via delle Oche, 21/r, 50122 Firenze FI, Italy
Inclusions: 3 course typical Tuscan menu, wine, water and coffee

9:30am to 10:30am - Academic Session: Dr Eike Schmidt, Director of the Uffizi Galleries Florence
Meet in the foyer of Hotel Brunelleschi at 8:30am to walk to the Pitti Palace, for a strict 8.45am departure time. This will allow time for the group to get through the entry and security of the venue.

On 2 January 2019 the New York Times released an article stating: "The Uffizi Galleries in Florence, Italy is calling on the German Government to step into a dispute over a baroque painting that German soldiers took 75 years ago". View the full New York Times article here. We are fortunate enough to be speaking with Dr Eike Schmidt, Director of the Uffizi Galleries Florence to discuss this article, adding a very exciting session to our academic agenda for the conference.

Due to availability, this session is for delegates only. Although this activity is of no cost to delegates, please indicate on the Activity Registration Form if you will be attending the session so that we can organise entry tickets to the museum.

Cost: No cost to delegates as this is an academic session.
Venue: Piazza de' Pitti, 1, 50125 Firenze FI, Italy
Inclusions: Entry ticket and session with Dr Eike Schmidt

10:00am to 1:30pm - Guided Walking Tour with a Florentine Academic
Meet in the foyer of Hotel Brunelleschi at 8:30am to walk to the Pitti Palace, for a strict 8.45am departure time. This will allow time for the group to get through the entry and security of the venue.

Together with our local Guide, Dr Elise Camporaele, we will visit some of the highlights of Florence. These will include; Davazanti Museum, Strozzi Palace, Piazza Signoria, Uffizi Courtyard, Medici Chapel, & Basilica San Lorenzo. We will finish at Central Food Market where you are able to stay for lunch (lunch will be at your own expense). It is a short walk back to the Hotel Brunelleschi from the market.

Cost: $125 per person
Venue: Various sights around Florence
Inclusions: 4 hours of private guide & entry costs to Pitti Palace, Davazanti, Bascillia San Lorenzo and Medici Chapel. Lunch is at your own expense.

NEW* 8:30am - Entry to Galleria dell'Accademia
Please meet at the front of the Galleria dell'Accademia at 8:20am
Due to high demand, additional tickets are now available for this activity at an earlier start time of 8:30am. The 9:00am tickets have been completely sold out.

SOLD OUT* 9:00am - Entry to Galleria dell'Accademia
Please meet at the front of the Galleria dell'Accademia at 8:50am

Galleria dell'Accademia or "Gallery of the Academy of Florence", best known as the home of Michelangelo's sculpture David, is a must do when in Florence. As this day is a public holiday in Florence, the CPE Team have organised a very limited amount of tickets for entry into the museum at 9:00am to avoid long queues.

Cost: $30 per person
Venue: Galleria dell'Accademia, Via Ricasoli, 58/60, 50122 Firenze FI, Italy
Inclusions: Entry ticket only.
Important Note: This is a not a guided tour.

9:30am to 1:30pm - Academic Session: Walking Tour of Florence
Meet in the foyer of Hotel Brunelleschi at 9:20am for a 9:30am departure

Starting with a 20 minute walk to meet our guide at La Specola at 9.50am, the academic field activity will follow the below itinerary:

Stop 1. Misericordia Museum (Red Cross Museum) – This newly opened museum documents the history of charitable works through the last 8 centuries in Florence.

Stop 2. Santa Maria Novella Pharmacy – Established by the Dominican monks in 1221, this is the oldest operating pharmacy in the world. They still even use some of the original recipe created by the monks!

Stop 3. Ospedal degli Innocenti (Hospital of the Innocents) – Designed by Brunelleschi in 1419, this founding hospital, paid for by the Silk Guild of Florence, was responsible for the welfare of abandoned children. It represented social & humanistic values in Renaissance Florence.

Cost: As this is an academic activity, there is no cost to delegates. Accompanying persons are welcome to attend for a cost of $60 per person
Venue: Starting at La Specola, Via Romana, 17, 50125 Firenze FI, Italy, then proceed to the above locations
Inclusions: Private Guide and entry into La Specola & Ospedale Innocenti.
Note: Please keep in mind at time of booking that this is a walking tour. You will need to wear comfortable walking shoes.

9:30am to 4:45pm - Tuscan Vineyard Wine Tasting Tour and visit to a typical Tuscan town for a Market Day event
Meet in the foyer of the Hotel Brunelleschi at 9:15am for a 9:30am bus departure, returning to the hotel at approximately 4:45pm

Enjoy a tour of the Tuscan winery Verrazzano where we will taste 3 of their best wines with a small taste of local cheese. This tour will then travel to the typical Tuscan town of Greve in Chianti, where we are lucky enough to have experience the special Organic Farmers Market held in the picturesque piazza on the 4th Sunday of every month.

Spend your time wandering around the many market stalls from which you can purchase small samples of local produce at your own expense. Tables are set out in the piazza to sit and enjoy your purchases. This is a very typical festival which celebrates locally made organic produce, and this particular date is also a celebration of items made from locally grown wool. This will be a vignette of Tuscan life and the celebration of authentic local produce.

Cost: $175 per adult (18+), $195 per child (from ages 6 to 18). Children under 6 years are free of charge.
Inclusions: Return charter bus travel, wine tour and tasting at Verrazzano vineyard, glass and plate for the product tastings in Greve in Chianti (no plastic is allowed at this organic market).

10:00am to 1:30pm - Private tour of Brancacci Chapel and 4 Master Artisan Workshops visit
Meet in the foyer of the Hotel Brunelleschi at 9:05am for a strict 9:15am departure

The Magnificent Brancacci Chapel in the Church of Santa Maria della Carmine is a pre booked timed event. Our guide Dr Elisa Camporeale will give us insight into the paintings of this small masterpiece. Following this, we will visit the small Artisan workshops in the areas of Sculpture, Marbled Paper, Gilt Metal & Etching.  

This tour will conclude near Santo Spirito church nearby multiple options for lunch (at own expense).

Cost: $95 per person
Venue: Brancacci Chapel
Inclusions: Private guide and entry costs to the chapel
Note: This tour is not one you can do by yourself as Artisans are hard to gain access to and this small chapel books out well in advance. Very limited spots available for this tour and tickets will be on a first come first served basis.