Florence Cathedral

Florence Cathedral: Brunelleschi’s Dome and the Complicated Ticketing

The Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore is the fourth-largest Christian church in the world and has the largest brick dome ever constructed. Filippo Brunelleschi built that dome between 1420 and 1436, and he did it without centring (the wooden framework normally used to support an arch during construction), because the dome was too large for the available timber. The engineering he invented to solve that problem was genuinely novel and remains studied today.

The cathedral complex covers the Duomo itself, Brunelleschi’s Dome, Giotto’s Bell Tower, the Baptistery of St. John, and the Opera del Duomo Museum. A combined ticket covers everything except the Dome climb, which is separate. This distinction matters: the free entry to the cathedral interior doesn’t get you up the dome or the bell tower, both of which are worth the extra money.

Ticketing

Combined entrance to the bell tower, baptistery, crypt, and museum costs €18. Climbing the dome costs €20 and requires a separate, pre-booked timed entry ticket from the official website (museumflorence.com). Book the dome at least a week ahead in summer; the 8am slots sell out first and offer the best light. The climb involves 463 steps with no lift; 30-40 minutes up, 15 down.

The cathedral interior itself is free to enter but requires modest dress and a time slot from the website. The queue for walk-up entry stretches around the building in peak season.

The Dome Climb

You climb between the inner and outer shells of the dome on a narrow spiraling walkway. At the base of the drum (the circular structure the dome sits on), you can see Vasari and Zuccari’s enormous Last Judgement fresco from about 2 metres away; close enough to see the individual brushwork. At the top, the lantern gives a full 360-degree view over Florence and the Arno valley. On clear days, Fiesole is visible in the hills to the northeast.

Giotto’s Bell Tower

The campanile is 414 steps to the top and offers a different view from the dome: you can see the dome itself from outside, which the dome climb doesn’t allow. Less popular than the dome and easier to book. Costs €20 with the combined ticket. The reliefs on the lower sections by Pisano and Luca della Robbia are excellent; worth studying on your way up before the stairs become all-consuming.

Baptistery of St. John

The bronze doors facing the cathedral’s west facade are Lorenzo Ghiberti’s “Gates of Paradise,” cast between 1425 and 1452. What you see is a high-quality replica; the originals are in the Opera del Duomo Museum 200 metres away. The museum is the less-visited part of the complex and has the best collection, including the original doors, Michelangelo’s Pieta Bandini, and Donatello’s wooden Mary Magdalene. Budget 90 minutes there.

Where to Eat

The area within 200 metres of the cathedral is tourist-priced and largely mediocre. Walk 10 minutes northwest to the Mercato Centrale on Via dell’Ariento for better food at honest prices: Nerbone, on the ground floor since 1872, does a lampredotto sandwich (tripe, the Florentine working lunch) for €4.50. The top-floor market hall has more varied options at €8-15 per plate.

For gelato, ignore the shops with Instagram-high piled cones near the cathedral. Gelateria dei Neri on Via dei Neri, 10 minutes’ walk, does small portions with real ingredients and charges €2.50 for a cone.