Florence is the cradle of Italian culture: the best way to discover the traces of its different historical eras is on foot, walking through the streets and admiring the monuments and palaces. Immerse yourself in beauty at every step. Accompanied by your private guide, visit the area around the Mercato Centrale and its multicoloured shops and stalls. Continue to Piazza del Duomo, where you can admire the Cathedral, topped with the Brunelleschi Dome, a world-renowned symbol of the Renaissance; Giotto's Campanile; and the Baptistery of San Giovanni with the Gates of Paradise, a gilded masterpiece by Ghiberti. Visit the mediaeval quarters where Dante Alighieri and his muse Beatrice lived, where the typical "tower homes" still remain. Next, admire the Bargello, the Uffizi Gallery and Piazza della Signoria, a large open-air sculpture museum, home to the imposing Palazzo Vecchio, the symbol of the city's political and civic power. Keep walking towards the Mercato Nuovo, the Porcellino Fountain and the Ponte Vecchio, with its goldsmiths' and jewellers' workshops. On the other side of the Arno, head for the Pitti Palace: once the residence of the Grand Dukes of Tuscany, it is now a museum housing works by Raphael and Titian.