PRIVATE COMBO TOUR : CUPOLA TOUR & DUOMO SQUARE TOUR

Tour Highlights

• Enjoy a spectacular view of the city
• Climb to the top of the Cupola, the highest point in Florence
• See an admirable creation of art by Filippo Brunelleschi
• Experience Florence's Duomo Square, the city's most iconic landmark
• Visit the UNESCO World Heritage Sites: The Cathedral, Baptistery and the Opera del Duomo Museum
• Benefit from a small-group walking tour around the Duomo Complex

Description

An amazing guided tour of Florence' Duomo Square where you will be partnered with the best local guides in town to get to know all the secrets of several significant sites in detail. Then, enjoy the entire city from a single point by climbing to the top of Florence's Dome by Joining a guided tour with local expert guides to discover the structure's full history.

Itinerary

Piazza del Duomo is located in the heart of the historic center of Florence. It is one of the most visited places in the world and in Florence is the most visited area of the city. From the point of the meeting, the guide will give an insight into the history of this marvelous piece of art standing right in front of you.

Initially, the guide will talk your way to the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, which commits to the conservation of the dome and other artworks of great masterpieces of Michelangelo, Donatello, Lorenzo Ghiberti, Luca Della Robbia, Arnolfo di Cambio, and many others.

Afterward, as you walk through the Piazza, you'll catch glimpses of the red dome that was completed in 1436 by Filippo Brunelleschi and was once known as the largest building in Medieval Europe. After an interesting explanation of this showstopper, your next stop will be the showpieces of the Florentine Gothic architecture, Giotto's Bell Tower standing adjacent to the Basilica of Santa Maria del Fiore.

The guide will also walk you around the exterior of the Loggia del Bigallo, a late Gothic building in Florence with an interesting historical fact. Finally, you’ll enter through the “Gates of Paradise” to the Baptistery of Saint John which stands across from the Duomo Cathedral. You will be guided on the technical and artistic point of view of architecture before the tour concludes.

After seeing the Duomo from all sides and visiting the inside of the cathedral, all you need to do to complete the experience is a climb to the top of the cupola!

The exterior view of the Cupola is a showstopper but the only way to see the inside of the dome up close and enjoy the extraordinary view of Florence is to climb its 463 steps (there is no elevator).

Your guide will talk you through all about how the Cupola was designed and built by Filippo Brunelleschi who won the competition for its commission in 1418.
The way up (and down) are basically tight corridors as the workmen who built the cathedral for maintenance, they were never thought of as being open to the public. On the interior of the dome, you can admire the Giorgio Vasari's frescoes of the Last Judgment (1572-9) up close with an interesting explanation of the frescoes from your guide on your way up to the top.

Look down and on the base, just above the drum, you'll see that Baccio d'Agnolo began adding a balcony in 1507 and how one of the eight sides were unfinished, there's a story behind it, your guide will reveal it to you on your way as to why the work was immediately halted, and to this day the other seven sides remain rough brick!
Once you climb to the top of the Cupola, you will be enchanted from the panoramic view of the Florence city in front of your eyes. Your guide will talk about the history and art of this Duomo Square and answer to any of your questions regarding Duomo.

Meeting Point

Porta della Mandorla (Piazza del Duomo - Front of Arnold Coffee)