The Original & Best Tours
Maurizio Seracini
Maurizio Seracini, a world-renowned art expert, is working with Artviva to provide exceptional experiences for travelers to Italy.
Dr. Seracini is known worldwide as the leading expert in search- and on the verge of discovering- the lost DaVinci masterpiece, The Battle of Anghiari.
The story begins in Florence at the height of the Renaissance. Da Vinci was asked to fresco the walls of Palazzo Vecchio in 1505 and painted the astounding Battle of Anghiari. Eyewitnesses described the painting as ‘miraculous’. 50 years later, what may be the world’s greatest masterpiece vanished under Vasari’s brush strokes as he frescoed the very same wall.
Maurizio Seracini, engineer and passionate art conservationist began his search for the painting in 1975. Some 25 years later, he discovered a tiny cavity in the wall on which the Vasari fresco was painted.
Could it be that instead of destroying da Vinci’s masterpiece, Vasari simply built a dummy wall on which to paint his own fresco? Seracini says yes, and so do many of those who’d originally dismissed his quest as a fool’s errand. Now, with financial support from the Guinness family and the all-important green light from Florence’s ministry of culture, Seracini is preparing to prove to the world that the Battle of Anghiari does indeed exist.
ArtViva not only offers private and exclusive tours with Dr.Seracini, but will also be showcasing him weekly at our Festival Evenings.
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Here what the media has to say about our expert!
The DaVinci Code Tour
The Times article
The Today Show interviews Dr.Seracini
Discovery News Article
The Guardian Article
The Daily Telegraph
Elayne Jay article on Dr.Seracini
CBS News 60 Minutes Video
See more information about Maurizio Seracini here
What people say about us:
Michael Palin
Actor/Presenter (Monty Python and a list of fabulous films too long to list here)
Lou Reed
Rockstar
Richard Kind
Actor (Mad about You, Spin City)
Alex Rodriguez
Baseball Star (In December of 2000 Rodriguez became the best-paid ballplayer of all time when he signed a $252 million contract with the Texas Rangers)
Mike Munro
One of Australia's finest investigative journalists and well known media personalities.
Bill Kurtis
Acclaimed documentary host and producer, network news anchor and multimedia production company .
Nat Young
World Surfing Champion
As recommended by:
Customers Reviews
On
2013/03/23
Elaine Lam said:
I took the Florence tour of Florence Artisans. It was amazing. It was the best tour !!!! Our Guide, Helen was fantastic. She took us to places we'd NEVER have been able to find on our own. She was friendly and very informative. In fact, local people were greeting us with such a warm reception which I can only attribute to the fact that she is a well known and liked friend to the city.
On
2013/02/24
Ingrid Rebelson said:
On
2013/01/22
Helen Campbell said:
Excellent
Nice size for a tour group – not too big. Excellent coverage of the main issues in Renaissance history. Wonderful details – really enjoyed it. Thanks so much.
On
2013/01/22
Ann Gregory said:
On
2013/01/22
Paul Edward Cook said:
Great tour
I just wanted to write and thank you and your staff for our wonderful and informative walking tour of Florence. The tour helped us fall even more in love with your wonderful city. Thanks again and we hope to return in the near future for some more tours. Paul
On
2012/12/30
Joyce Won Ha said:
Helen, The Florence Walking Tour & David
Great Tour! Had Helen as our guide for the tour. Lots of great spots shown throughout florence, things/places only a insider would know. Family loved the info & perspective she gave; as well considerate of breaks, walking speed, time, etc. Would recommend Helen and the tour for any first timers. - the ha family
On
2012/12/30
Joyce Won Ha said:
Elisabetta, Uffizi Private Tour
Elisabetta was great! She is so knowledgeable, honest and quite hilarious. She tailored the tour to exactly the amount we needed as any gallery can get overwhelming. We walked with a better understanding of art/influences. In addition, we had some spare time, so she showed a few spots nearby, recommendations on places to eat, etc. Would definitely consider Art Viva and Elisabetta again. - the ha family
On
2012/10/03
Michelle Purchase said:
Original Florence Walk & Uffizi Tour
Joined the Original Florence Walk (29 Sept 2012) and the Uffizi Tour (30 Sept 2012) after seeing reviews on Trip Advisor. Didn't disappoint. Learnt so much from enthusiastic and knowledgeable guides (sorry, can't remember names but english lady and american guy). Worth every penny. Thank you guys.
On
2012/10/01
Jackie Callahan Parente said:
Florence and The David
We took two tours with Brenda and she was terrific! We would definitely use Artviva again. Brenda was personable, very knowledgeable, and made the tours as fun as they were informative.Jackie and Bob in Glastonbury, Connecticut
On
2012/07/23
Pavla Jurikova said:
Firenze
Yesterday we joined a 3 hours tour in Firenze with a guide named Klaas (I am sorry if I misspelled his name). He was fantastic, we really enjoyed and learned a lot new facts. Great, great, great! I highly recommend to everybody!Thank you : )Sergio and Pavla
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