The Duomo Museum in Florence: what you need to know to organize your visit

The Duomo Museum in Florence is one of the most interesting that can be visited along the banks of the Arno. In a city with an extraordinary artistic heritage, this museum remains unique because it is incredibly rich in works of enormous importance that retrace the hisotry of the magnificent Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral, over a period of about seven centuries.

A large exhibition divided into twenty-eight rooms and three floors will take you on an unforgettable journey to discover a heritage with very few rivals in the world. Furthermore, the Duomo Museum in Florence was completely renovated in 2015, so to make the visit even more enjoyable, there are the architectural spaces, modern and functional as the rest of the exhibition. An experience that is truly not to be missed!

The Uffizi, the Duomo itself with the Brunelleschi's dome and countless other wonderful works of art. Among the many incredible places in Florence, is the Duomo museum worth visiting? The answer, of course, is absolutely yes. The reason is easy to explain.

Visiting this museum you will experience the unique emotion of direct contact with some of the greatest artists of the Renaissance. Brunelleschi came here while working on the famous dome, here Michelangelo sculpted one of his most famous masterpieces, the Pietà.

In the place that for centuries hosted the Opera del Duomo, which was responsible for the construction and maintenance of the cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, priceless finds have accumulated, such as woodden models by Brunelleschi himself, architectural projects, marbles by great artists. Today all these masterpieces can be admired and learned about thanks to installations and interactive tours that are also fun for children.

A place that can make the heart of all art lovers beat, which also helps to understand the immense impact that a fundamental work like the Florence Cathedral has had and still has in the world of culture. Not to be missed if you really want to know the city.

Given the length of the route and the richness of the collections, a complete list of everything that can be seen in the Duomo  Museum in Florence is impossible. Still, we can find out what the highlights of this incredible museum are.

The visit begins with the Sculpture Gallery, with works by Tino di Camaino, Donatello and Nanni di Banco. Then there is the Sala del Paradiso, where two works of enormous beauty and importance are kept: the famous bronze doors of the Baptistery of San Giovanni, made by Andrea Pisano and Lorenzo Ghiberti.

Don't miss the replica of the unfinished facade of the Duomo with sculptures by Arnolfo di Cambio, and among the sculptures of inestimable value there are also the Mary Magdalene by Donatello and the Pietà Bandini by Michelangelo.

On the first floor there are the sculptures of Giotto's Bell Tower, including masterpieces by Donatello, plus a section dedicated entirely to Brunelleschi and one to the treasures of the Baptistery.

Finally, there are some rooms where you can admire the nineteenth-century projects for the facade of the Cathedral and a series of interesting wooden models of the cathedral from different eras.

The Florence Cathedral Museum is located in the heart of the city, in Piazza del Duomo, about a ten-minute walk from the Florence Santa Maria Novella station. Accessible to disabledople, the museum is located in a restricted traffic zone, so it must be reached by public transport or on foot.

Opening hours of the museum are from 9:00 to 19:00 every day, except Sundays and the first Tuesday of the month, when the museum is closed.

Tickets can be purchased in various solutions that include, in addition to the museum, the other sites that are part of the same monumental complex: the Dome, the Bell Tower, the Baptistery and the ancient basilica of Santa Reparata. The opening hours of the individual sites are different, so always check them in advance.

 Discounts are available for students and children under seven years of age. Access to the cathedral is free. Guided tours are also possible.

In any case, since the Florence Cathedral Museum and the entire complex are among the most visited monuments in absolute terms, it is always highly recommended to purchase online.

As extraordinary as the Duomo Museum in Florence is, the monumental complex of which it is part is even more unique.

In fact, some of the most important monuments in Italy are gathered in a single site and are all to be included in your holiday in Florence. The epicenter of this incredible place is of course the Duomo itself, the cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore.

Inside, however, there is another church, older, the first nucleus of the cathedral we know today. The finds from what was once the church of Santa Reparata are accessible from the right nave.

Giotto's Bell Tower and Brunelleschi's Dome need no introduction. Both are definitely worth a visit, and even a climb of a few hundred steps! The first, with its polychrome marbles is one of the greatest expressions of Tuscan Gothic, the second, at the time a revolutionary masterpiece both in size and technique, is still considered a masterpiece of engineering. In both cases, a view that will make your heart beat is guaranteed from the top.

Last but not least, the Baptistery of San Giovanni, a few steps from the cathedral, is famous for its bronze doors, the work of Ghiberti, but also for the splendid mosaics inside, where Donatello's Magdalene once stood, now kept in the Duomo Museum.