Opera magazine
2016-05-02
A visit to Florence: how to experience the Grande Museo del Duomo’s uniqueness at its best
Grande Museo del Duomo is an unique: you are in one of the most beautiful cities in the world - Florence - and you are going to visit a “museum of museums”: a space, a concept, an experience which span 16 centuries of history, include monuments that are part of the mankind heritage, enshrines hundreds of artworks.
Grande Museo del Duomo is an unique: you are in one of the most beautiful cities in the world - Florence - and you are going to visit a “museum of museums”: a space, a concept, an experience which span 16 centuries of history, include monuments that are part of the mankind heritage, enshrines hundreds of artworks.
If you come from abroad, maybe from far away, of course you want your experience of the museum and monuments to be perfect: this post wants help you to get that perfect experience.
The Florence Cathedral: how to plan the best visit
First suggestion? Let your visit begin from the website - Why? Because on our website you can buy the Cumulative Ticket to gain access to all the monuments of the Great Museum of the Cathedral - Il Grande Museo del Duomo.
The monuments that you can visit are the Cathedral (Cattedrale, Duomo di Firenze); the Dome of the Cathedral (the Cupola, designed by Brunelleschi); the Crypt of the Cathedral (Cripta di Santa Reparata); the Bell Tower (Campanile di Giotto); the Baptistry (Battistero di San Giovanni). All the monuments are in Piazza del Duomo - Cathedral Square - and the access to the completely renovated Museum is in Piazza del Duomo as well.
Second suggestion? Remember that we are talking about medieval buildings: to reach the top of the Dome you have to climb 463 steps; the count for the Bell Tower is 414 steps. No elevators are available (Giotto and Brunelleschi were smart guys, but electricity was quite beyond their reach…) and some of the passages are very narrow: so, while there are no problems with a visit to the Cathedral or the Baptistry, mind that the Bell Tower and the Dome are not recommended for people suffering from heart problems, vertigo or claustrophobia.
Remember also that the Cathedral and the Baptistry are places of cult, it is necessary to dress appropriately. For the same reason the liturgical calendar can affect the opening hours of the monuments. Meanwhile the Museum is always closed on the first Tuesday of every month.
The Florence Cathedral: how to get more with the Thematic Tours
A set of unique guided tours let you enjoy the beauty of the Grande Museo del Duomo heritage in an even more personal and detailed way: the Cathedral’s north Terrace with an extraordinary view over the city and Brunelleschi's Dome; the Restoration Workshop visit, where Michelangelo carved the David and where, nowadays, the Opera’s stonemasons restore and maintain the great heritage of decorative carving and monumental sculpture; the Women's gallery of Baptistery, to grasp a unique view of the Baptistery’s marbles and mosaics; the North Sacristy of the Cathedral, with wood intarsia showing the use of the linear perspective.
A visit to the Florence Cathedral: there are Apps for this!
While planning your visit to the Grande Museo del Duomo you can learn a lot about its masterpieces with the Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore’s Apps: Museo Duomo, Gates of Paradise, Mosaics of the Baptistery.
Photo by Michele Grimaz
