Private Tour of the Duomo Complex and its museum
Book your guided tour of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore complex. Discover the wonders of Florence's Duomo, the Baptistery, and the Opera del Duomo Museum.
TOUR OF THE DUOMO COMPLEX IN FLORENCE WITH PRIVATE GUIDE
Book your private guided tour of Florence's Duomo Complex, the religious heart of the cradle of the Renaissance. An expert guide will tell you the backstories of the construction of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, the result of an expansion of the Church of Santa Reparata, the Baptistery, and Giotto's Bell Tower. A key part of the tour is the Opera del Duomo museum, which holds the original parts of the religious center, including the Gates of Paradise and major Florentine masterpieces, such as Donatello's Mary Magdalene, Michelangelo's Bandini Pietà and St. John's silver altar.
PRIVATE TOUR OF THE DUOMO COMPLEX
Details
Duration: Approx. 3 hours
Availability: Every day except special dates.
Price includes: Private single-language guide service English, admission ticket with reservation (no line), Baptistery and the Opera del Duomo Museum, headsets for groups of more than 15. Entrance to the Cathedral is always free and cannot be booked. The wait time to enter the Cathedral is not predictable and admission can never be booked.
Itinerary of private tour of Florence's Duomo Complex
The tour lasts three hours and includes the major monuments of Florence's religious center. We'll start from the Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral — better known as the Duomo — which, in the 15th century, was the largest church in the world in terms of size. It was built, with none too few difficulties, on the ruins of the Church of Santa Reparata, based on Arnolfo di Cambio's design.
The Dome's construction, the work of Filippo Brunelleschi, is still quite the architectural miracle to this day. Even top experts have trouble explaining it. Our guide will tell you about the Cathedral, which was the site of historical events of enormous import. From the front door, looking at the Baptistery, Brunelleschi developed his studies on perspective. And it was in the Duomo that Giuliano de ' Medici, brother of Lorenzo Il Magnifico, lost his life. As we come into the Baptistery, you will be dazzled by the splendor of the mosaics adorning the ceiling. The octagonal space feels like an embrace, surrounding you in the stories of the Old and New Testaments told through small colored and gold mosaic tiles.
The most significant works, once in the Baptistery, have been moved to the Opera del Duomo Museum. Touring inside the museum with your guide, you'll appreciate a close-up view of the Cathedral's original facade, designed by Arnolfo di Cambio, and the awe-inspiring Baptistery doors, the most famous of which is the Gates of Paradise by Lorenzo Ghiberti. Your guided tour comes to an end in the museum where you can stay as long as you like. The ticket your guide will give you includes climbing up Giotto's Bell Tower and the Dome on your own within 24 hours.
Our guides
All Italy Travels guides are licensed by the Province of Florence, have extensive experience, and work at the highest levels of professionalism, skill, and excellence. Our staff is constantly committed to providing top-notch service to our clients. We provide the best guides working in Florence, most of whom are art historians and teachers in the humanities.
Private tours with admission to Florentine museums always include tickets with bookings that let you skip waiting in line at the ticket offices.
For the cancellation policy for this tour, click here
