Florence Cathedral Hosted Entry with Audio Guide

Florence Cathedral, Santa Maria del Fiore

Florence Cathedral was begun in 1296 on the site of the older church of Santa Reparata and consecrated in 1436, once its dome was finished. It is one of the largest churches in Europe, about 153 metres long, and its official name, Santa Maria del Fiore, refers to the lily, the flower of Florence. The facade you see today is younger than the building: it was completed only in 1887 in white Carrara, green Prato and pink Maremma marble, matching the patterned sides of the church.

Is Florence Cathedral worth visiting inside? Yes, because the interior feels completely different from the busy square: wide, calm and almost bare, built to hold the whole city. Our hosted entry is a simple way to visit without organising the procedure yourself, and the audio app explains what you are looking at.

Inside the nave: the dome fresco, the clock and the stained glass

Walk to the centre of the church and look up into the dome. Its inner surface is covered by the Last Judgement, a fresco of about 3,600 square metres painted between 1572 and 1579 by Giorgio Vasari and Federico Zuccari, with tiers of angels, saints and the torments of the damned. On the inside of the entrance wall, a liturgical clock from 1443 still marks time with one hand that turns anticlockwise, following the old Italian way of counting the day from sunset.

High in the drum, round stained-glass windows were designed in the 1440s by Renaissance masters such as Donatello, Lorenzo Ghiberti and Paolo Uccello. Along the left aisle, two large painted equestrian monuments to mercenary captains show the early mastery of perspective in Florence.

The marble floor and the practical visit

The polychrome marble floor, laid in the 16th century, forms labyrinth-like patterns in red, white and green, and the side chapels hold carved altars, terracotta works and tombs of the cathedral's builders. With the audio app you choose which details to follow, so a full visit usually takes 45 minutes to an hour.

Florence Cathedral opening hours are shorter than those of the city's museums: visits normally run from late morning to mid-afternoon, and the cathedral can close at short notice for services and religious celebrations. A strict dress code applies, with shoulders and knees covered for everyone, and there is a security check at the door. Waiting times depend on crowds, as this is not a priority entrance, so morning slots are the best time to visit Florence Cathedral.

Piazza del Duomo: the dome, the bell tower and the Baptistery

Outside, Piazza del Duomo is the religious heart of Florence. Brunelleschi's dome, built between 1420 and 1436 without a full wooden scaffold, is still the largest brick dome ever constructed, and its red tiles dominate every view of the city. Beside the church rises Giotto's Bell Tower, about 85 metres tall and clad in the same coloured marble, and opposite stands the octagonal Baptistery of San Giovanni with its gilded bronze doors.

These monuments, the climb to the top of the dome, the crypt of Santa Reparata and the cathedral museum need separate tickets and are not part of this visit. Many travellers combine their cathedral entry with a walk around the square, where the east doors of the Baptistery, known as the Gates of Paradise, are a favourite photo stop.