Agata began studying Italian at thirteen in Warsaw. At university she pursued dual degrees in Art History and Italian Studies, specializing in the history of Florence. In 2008 she came to Florence on a scholarship to finish her Master’s thesis — and knew immediately that the city was her true home.
After completing a PhD at Durham University on the relationship between narrative fresco cycles and religious spectacles in fifteenth-century Florence, she moved to Florence permanently in 2016. She speaks Italian with no accent.
Guide Me Florence
Agata founded Guide Me Florence, a network of expert guides — all with serious academic backgrounds — who share her philosophy of bringing scholarship into accessible, engaging experiences. She lectures in Art History at the British Institute of Florence and has published a book on the Uffizi Gallery in Polish.
“Florence should not be just visited, but listened to.”
She designs custom itineraries for each group, tailoring the focus entirely to what the guests care about.
Personal Favourites
Agata’s “painkiller” artwork is Cellini’s bronze Perseus in Piazza della Signoria — when she feels sad, she goes to look at him. Her favourite space in Florence is Michelangelo’s New Sacristy at San Lorenzo. Her favourite walk is the Rose Garden, with its views over the city.
She is passionate about street art — particularly the work of Clet on street signs — and advocates strongly against “cleaning” cities of this form of art.
Listen to the podcast
I dedicated a podcast episode to Agata’s story — how her love for Renaissance art took her from Poland to Florence, and why she felt uncomfortable showing a Florentine her own city. Listen to “People Who Inspire Me: Agata Chrzanowska” →
