Private Florence Opera del Duomo Guided Visit

Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product

Stop At: Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, Piazza del Duomo 9, 50122, Florence Italy

The “Opera del Duomo “Museum (Museum of the Works of the Cathedral) is home to an immense collection of 750 sublime works of art created over the centuries to decorate both the inside and outside of the Cathedral, Baptistery and Bell Tower, all housed at the “Opera del Duomo” and set in an enormous, brand new, breathtaking setting. A thrilling experience awaits as you gaze upon the works of Michelangelo, Donatello, Lorenzo Ghiberti, Luca della Robbia, Andrea Pisano, Antonio Pollaiuolo, Andrea Verrocchio, Arnolfo di Cambio, Ghirlandaio and many others.

Your private tour begins in the great exhibition halls of a former theatre, home to the Sala dell’Antica Facciata. The installation here is a reproduction of Piazza del Duomo as it was in the 1300s, with the ancient life-sized façade of Santa Maria del Fiore on one side and, on the other, the three original gates of the Baptistery dominated by groups of sculptures, with the legendary glittering golden gates by Lorenzo Ghiberti, which Michelangelo called the "Gates of Paradise", in the middle. On the monumental Gothic façade are 40 magnificent sculptures, including the one of St. John the Evangelist by Donatello, St. Luke the Evangelist by Nanni di Banco and the Madonna of the Glass Eyes by Arnolfo di Cambio, all set at their original medieval height: a fascinating space that recalls ancient places imbued with powerful spirituality.

You will then proceed to some halls that host two of the Museum's most important masterpieces: the sublime and deeply moving Pietà del Duomo by Michelangelo - in which the face of Nicodemo who holds Christ is thought to be a self-portrait of the artist - and the heart-rending Penitent Magdalene by Donatello.

On the first floor, you will be able to admire, along a lovely illuminated gallery, a surprising series of high-reliefs and 16 statues from Giotto’s Bell Tower, including the famous prophets Jeremy and Abacuc by Donatello.

You will reach then the amazing Sala della Cupola, home to wooden models of the dome dating to the 1400s and the Lanterna by Filippo Brunelleschi and then the Galleria delle Cantorie, amazing sculptures by Donatello and Luca della Robbia.

The last stop of the visit is the Gallery of the Silver Altar, home to the Altar of St. John and the Cross, which contains a fragment of the Christ Cross. Those who desire to do so may go up to the panoramic terrace to get a close-up look at the magnificent Brunelleschi’s Dome, keeping the unforgettable memory of an exceptional emotional experience in the heart of one of the most beautiful cities in the world!


Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes

Stop At: Piazza del Duomo, 50122, Florence Italy

Your visit experience will be further enriched with an unforgettable comprehensive exterior guided tour of the whole Cathedral complex, useful to admire and discover all the monuments making part of the religious center of the city.

Duration: 30 minutes