The neighbourhood where Dante grew up, married and lost everything: a little girl at a May Day party, a handsome and dangerous neighbour, a tower where the priors were locked in, a book with nails in its covers, and the city that burnt two years later.
Within a hundred metres of narrow streets lived the Portinari, the Donati, the Cerchi and the Alighieri. You start in front of the palazzo that, according to a nineteenth-century identification, contains the houses of the Portinari, Beatrice's family, and which also has a legend about a little boy and a window. Then you come to the courtyard the Donati could shut up like a fortress. You'll meet Corso, the neighbour they called the Baron; Gemma, Dante's wife, whom we know through her documents; and the tower where the priors slept under lock and key during their two-month term, the office Dante would later blame for all his misfortunes. You'll see how two families from the same neighbourhood split the city into Whites and Blacks, how a poet ended up sentenced to be burnt at the stake, and how the centre where it all happened burnt in 1304 and was demolished six centuries later.
An outline of the walk. The full stories are in the app.
Open a marker to see its page. Use two fingers to move the map on mobile.
Walking directions are based on mapped pedestrian routes. Check local access and signs; the route is not an accessibility guarantee. Times are approximate.
Florence fits into short walks that grow longer as you keep looking. The centre is compact; crossing the Arno changes the perspective without changing the city.
You start where Dante was baptised and walk round the Baptistery: the carpenter who, according to a novella of the time, was talked into believing he was another man; the elm that, tradition says, flowered in January; and the 1401 contest that every contender told his own way.
You start in front of David and find out why the original needed a guard on its very first night.
You start on a street called the "island" because of a prison, where today there is a theatre named after Verdi.
An app for self-guided audio walks. Choose a city and a route, then listen to the stories behind its streets. You decide when to start and when to stop.
Podtour is coming to iOS and Android. There is no confirmed launch date yet. Join the waitlist and we will let you know when it is ready.
No. Street walks and monument audio tours do not include admission tickets, transport or a guide accompanying you.
Download the audio in the app before heading out, then listen offline. Loading the online base map and calculating a new route from your location require a connection.
Every route includes Spanish and British English. The English version is adapted for English-speaking travellers, rather than translated word for word.
Join the waitlist, choose a city and confirm your email address. When the app launches, we will email you with access details. No card is required. You can also try one free route in every city.
Yes. Your own access is included and you can choose 0–5 guests: up to 6 people including you. Each guest saves up to €0.50 on a walk, €1 on a pack or €2 on a whole city compared with buying separately. The counter shows the total before you confirm one payment.
After paying, share your purchase’s invitation link. Each guest opens it in Podtour and accepts their place on their own iPhone or Android phone. They must redeem it within 30 days of purchase. Unclaimed places then expire and cannot be recovered or renewed. Access accepted in time is kept. Opening the link does not use a place; one account takes just one place, and no more people can join once all places are taken.
No. Choose all your guests before confirming the first purchase. Afterwards you can share the places you paid for, but you cannot increase their number or restart the 30-day deadline.
Join the waitlist. When we launch, your chosen city is yours to explore.
Join the waitlist and get one whole city free when Podtour launches. You choose where.
Podtour manages your launch request with your consent. You can withdraw it and exercise your rights as explained in our privacy policy. Privacy details.
One city per person. All its Podtour routes in Spanish and English. Available at launch. Offer details.
podtour