Perhaps the best way to get the pulse of a city is to explore it by night, when most Italians take part in the collective pre- or post-dinner walk called la passeggiata. This rite is the inspiration for our early evening orientation walk which transects the heart of the historical center of town and is aimed at giving a broad, yet comprehensive, view of Florence's past and present.

Our walk begins in Piazza SS. Annunziata, an integral public space in the Florence city center. Here we look at one of the most important architectural spaces in Florence, the Ospedale degli Innocenti, designed by Filippo Brunelleschi, and the cityscape context that surrounds it. After a 10-minute stroll down the shop- and cafe-filled Via dei Servi, we will arrive at Brunelleschi's later masterpiece, the Duomo. We will make a circuit of the exterior (as the church itself is closed at this hour) and discuss the importance of the cathedral and nearby Baptistery in Florentine art and civic history.

From here, our course will depend on the whim of the group and the interests of the docent. We will surely move deeper into the center, perhaps to Piazza Signoria, the government center of Renaissance Florence, or to Piazza Repubblica, lined with some of the most famous cafes in Florence. Perhaps we'll take our time, stopping for a glass of wine or gelato and enjoying the atmosphere of the city.