The Trove Edit: a free self-guided walking tour of Florence
The cathedral that bankrupted a city's pride — crowned by a dome everyone said was impossible.
Florence, narrated as you walk it
Self-guided audio walks through Florence — hand-crafted stop by stop, told in your ear as you reach each one. Start free, in your browser.
Florence is small enough to walk end to end in an afternoon, and dense enough to spend a lifetime on. Half the Renaissance happened within a few hundred metres of the Duomo, which means you're never far from something extraordinary, and never sure which extraordinary thing you're looking at. Trove fixes that. Put your earphones in and walk the route, and at each stop the narrator tells you what you're standing in front of: who paid for this, who painted that, why this doorway mattered. When a stop hooks you, ask for more and it goes deeper. When it doesn't, walk on. No guilt either way.
The free walk is the place to start: eight stops over about 1.7 kilometres of the city's heart. The walking itself takes barely twenty minutes, but plan on a couple of hours, because Florence is where the gap between "walking time" and "actual time" gets embarrassing. It's completely free, full narration included, no card needed. When you're ready for more, Florence's museums and great sites each have their own dedicated tours from €2.99, and the City Pass at €12.99 opens everything. Whatever you've already bought comes off the price of a pass, so you can start small without ever paying twice.
Walks in Florence
Inside Orsanmichele: a free mini tour
Four short stories inside Orsanmichele — included free in the Trove app, no unlock needed.
The Granary That Became a Church
A medieval grain market that a miracle turned into a church — with its market bones still showing.
The Grain Chutes Hidden in the Pillars
Run your eye up the pillars and find the holes where wheat once poured down into the market.
Orcagna's Tabernacle
The plague made this confraternity rich — and they spent it on the most dazzling shrine in Italy.
The Guilds in Stone
Step back outside and you're surrounded by a sculpture contest the great guilds fought in marble and bronze.
What it costs
The Florence walk above is free — it's how Trove introduces itself. Beyond that, tours are from €2.99 (quick sites €0.99), and the City Pass at €12.99 unlocks everything in Florence. No subscription — unlock once in the app, yours to keep.
Florence questions, answered
Is the Florence walking tour really free?
Yes. All eight stops with complete narration, no catch and no tip expected. Paid tours cover the individual museums and sites (from €2.99), but the free walk is the full product, not a sample.
Do I need to book anything?
No. It's self-guided, so there's no meeting point and no departure time. Start it over breakfast or save it for the evening when the day-trippers thin out.
Do I need mobile data?
Only to load the tour the first time. Once it's downloaded, the audio and text work offline, so the smart move is to grab it over hotel wifi and head out with roaming off. Trove isn't a navigation app though, so if you want Google Maps between stops, that part may still use data.
How long does the walk take?
About 1.7 km of flat, compact city centre. The walking is around twenty minutes; with the stories and the stopping, budget one to two hours.
Does Trove cover the museums as well as the walk?
It does. Florence's museums and major sites have their own dedicated tours in Trove, with quick versions for smaller spots from €0.99. Buy one for €2.99 and that money comes off any pass you upgrade to later. No double paying, no need to commit on day one.