Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The city was severely damaged during WWII and was ravaged by floods in 1966. In
1993 the Mafia exploded a massive car bomb, destroying part of the Uffizi Gallery. A
much-anticipated renovation and expansion of the gallery is currently underway.
Sights
Florence's major sights lie in the geographic, historic and cultural heart of the city - the
tight grid of streets between Piazza del Duomo and Piazza della Signoria.
MUSEUM PASSES
The
Firenze Card
(
www.firenzecard.it
;
€72) is valid for 72 hours and covers admission to 72 mu-
seums, villas and gardens in Florence as well as unlimited use of public transport. Buy it online (and
collect upon arrival in Florence) or in Florence at tourist offices, the ticketing desks of the Uffizi (En-
trance 2), Palazzo Pitti, Palazzo Vecchio, Museo del Bargello, Cappella Brancacci, Basilica e Chiostri
Monumentali di Santa Maria Novella and Giardini Bardini. If you're an EU citizen your card also
covers under-18s travelling with you.
A
combined ticket
to the
duomo
's dome, campanile, crypt, the Battistero di San Giovanni and the
Museo dell'Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore costs €10.
TOP OF CHAPTER
1
Piazza del Duomo
Duomo
CATHEDRAL
(Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore or St Mary of the Flower;
www.operaduomo.firenze.it
; Piazza del
Duomo; Duomo free admission, combined ticket to dome, baptistry, campanile, crypt and museum adult/
child under 14 €10/free; 10am-5pm Mon-Wed & Fri, to 4pm Thu, to 4.45pm Sat, 1.30-4.45pm Sun;
dome 8.30am-6.20pm Mon-Fri, to 5pm Sat; crypt 10am-5pm Mon-Fri, to 4pm Thu, to 4.45pm Sat; campan-
ile 8.30am-6.50pm)
The city's most iconic landmark is among Italy's 'Big Three' (with Pisa's
Leaning Tower and Rome's Colosseum). Its red-tiled dome, graceful
campanile
(bell
tower) and breathtaking pink, white and green marble facade have the wow factor in
spades.
Begun in 1296 to a design by Sienese architect Arnolfo di Cambio, the
duomo
's con-
struction took almost 150 years. Its neo-Gothic facade was designed in the 19th century
