This guided tour is completely dedicated to the Duomo – Santa Maria del Fiore, the florentine Cathedral.
Over the centuries the most important artists of Florence and Tuscany worked at the Cathedral of Florence, such as Giotto, Brunelleschi, Donatello, Ghiberti, Arnolfo di Cambio, Paolo Uccello and Michlenagelo, leaving behind some of the world’s greatest masterpieces.
Who has never wondered at the gigantic cupola that dominates the city skyline and countryside surounding it? Who has never stopped in front of the Doors of Paradise? Incidentally, it was Michelangelo who gave Ghiberti’s guilded broze doors the name by which they are now known.
In this tour we will see the Cathedral and Santa Reparata – the crypt, paying attention to its history and interior. We will visit the Baptistery – an older, octagonal structure that incorporates Roman parts, whith its main decorations – beautiful mosaics inside its dome and three sets of bronze doors, one by Nicola Pisano and two by Lorenzo Ghiberti. One of these, of guilded bronze, was pronounced by Michelangelo to be the doors of Paradise.
The Museum of the Opera del Duomo is an important stop: there we find not only major works which have over the centuries been removed from the Cathedral, Bell Tower and Baptistery, as well as the originals of some of the works that have been substituted in situ by copies. Here we can find sculptures by Michelangelo, Donalello, Luca della Robbia.
We finish the guided tour going on the top of Brunelleschi’s Cupola or/and Giotto’s Bell Tower, where to admire wonderful view of Florence.
Some useful tips:
- The tickets to the Grand Museum of the Duomo: I recommend to get the tickets in advance, considering the mandatory reservation for the Cupola.
- Usually this is half-day guided tour – 4 hours, standard rate is 210.00 euros. The tour can be tailored to fit your needs, timing and price migh vary due to your requests and due the monuments which are available.
- Dress-code to visit the church: just covered shoulders and knees. Visitors wearing mini-skirts or shorts are not admitted, but it is not necessary to cover your head.
Or see other guided tours I offer:
