Florence, Italy

The Dome Nobody Thought Could Be Built

When the Opera del Duomo in Florence opened a competition in 1418 to find someone who could vault the cathedral crossing, the hole in the roof had been sitting open for decades. The cathedral had been under construction since 1296 and nobody could work out how to close it. The eventual winner, Filippo Brunelleschi, had no formal training as an architect or engineer. He was a goldsmith. His proposal involved building two nested domes, one inside the other, using a herringbone brick pattern that allowed the structure to support itself during construction without the massive wooden scaffolding that would have been required otherwise. Between 1420 and 1436 it went up, using over four million bricks and producing the largest masonry vault in the world. It remains the largest masonry dome ever built.

The dome is the reason Florence looks the way it does, visible from almost every elevated point in the city, and the fact that it exists at all is still not entirely understood. Brunelleschi died in 1446 without writing down a clear technical account of how he did it.

The Uffizi and the Accademia: Book Very Early

The two museums that draw the largest crowds are the Uffizi Gallery and the Galleria dell’Accademia. Both operate timed entry and both sell out weeks to months in advance during peak season.

The Uffizi holds Botticelli’s Birth of Venus and Primavera, Leonardo da Vinci’s unfinished Adoration of the Magi, and one of the finest collections of Italian Renaissance painting in existence. Tickets in 2026 cost around 25 euros for walk-up entry, or 29 euros online plus a 4-euro booking fee. From 4pm onwards, a reduced rate of 16 euros applies, making a late afternoon visit good value if you are focused on specific works rather than trying to see everything. Book at least one month in advance if you want a morning slot; two months ahead for Easter or summer.

The Accademia holds Michelangelo’s David, a 5.2-metre marble sculpture carved between 1501 and 1504. From 15 March 2026, a combined ticket with the Museo Nazionale del Bargello costs 26 euros and is valid for 48 hours. Book two months in advance during high season; the combination ticket makes the Bargello, which holds Donatello’s David (the earlier, bronze version), a logical next stop.

The Duomo complex, which includes the cathedral itself, the cupola climb, Giotto’s bell tower, the Baptistery, and the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo, sells a single combined ticket. The cupola climb covers 463 steps and requires a reserved time slot; tickets are linked to your full name to prevent resale. The walk between the inner and outer domes, looking down at the fresco of the Last Judgment below you, is the detail most visitors remember most clearly. The complex opens early; a 8:15am slot for the dome is substantially less crowded than anything after 10am.

The Oltrarno Alternative

The area south of the Arno, Oltrarno, is where Florence is most liveable. The Medici moved to Palazzo Pitti (on the Oltrarno side) in 1549, and the neighbourhood accumulated artisan workshops, churches, and a density of local life that the heavily toured northern bank has partially lost. Brunelleschi’s last project, the Basilica di Santo Spirito, sits here. Inside, against one pillar, is a wooden crucifix that Michelangelo carved as a young man and gave to the Augustine friars in gratitude for access to their hospital mortuary, where he was studying human anatomy in the period after his patron Lorenzo de’ Medici died in 1492.

San Miniato al Monte, the Romanesque church on the hillside above the Piazzale Michelangelo, was built between the eleventh and thirteenth centuries. The view from its forecourt is better than the view from Piazzale Michelangelo itself, and it is always quieter. The walk up from Ponte Vecchio takes about 25 minutes.

Where to Eat

Trattoria Sostanza near the Santa Maria Novella station has been serving the same menu of old Florentine dishes since 1869. The butter pasta and the chicken with butter and artichokes are the things to order. Arrive at opening time without a reservation or book ahead; it fills immediately.

In the Oltrarno, Il Santo Bevitore on Via di Santo Spirito holds a Michelin recognition and produces carefully sourced Tuscan cooking in a canteen-style room with a serious wine list. It is worth booking. Le Volpi e l’Uva, a small wine bar in a piazza just off the south side of Ponte Vecchio, does a short selection of wines by the glass with a small plate of cheeses and cured meats; it is exactly what wine bars in Florence should be and rarely are. Gustapizza, also in Oltrarno, makes Neapolitan-style wood-fired pizza with a queue outside; it does not take reservations.

For the single best Florentine food experience per euro spent: get a lampredotto sandwich from a Nerbone stall in the Mercato Centrale. Lampredotto is the fourth stomach of the cow, braised, sliced, and served in a roll with salsa verde and hot pepper sauce. It is the working-class street food of Florence and most visitors never try it.

Where to Stay

Hotel Brunelleschi in the centro storico occupies a medieval tower with a Byzantine chapel in its basement and has one of the better rooftop positions in central Florence. It is expensive. For a mid-range option with proximity to the Oltrarno, the area around Piazza Santo Spirito has several small hotels and guesthouses at reasonable rates that put you within walking distance of both Palazzo Pitti and the river.

Apartments rented by the week through local agencies are the practical choice for anyone spending more than three nights; the city is walkable enough that neighbourhood location matters more than specific proximity to any museum.

Getting There and Around

Florence’s Santa Maria Novella station has direct high-speed rail connections to Rome (1.5 hours), Milan (1 hour 45 minutes), and Venice (2 hours). The airport, Amerigo Vespucci, is about 4 kilometres from the centre and is connected by a tram line that opened in 2019. Central Florence is easily covered on foot; the historic core is roughly 2 kilometres across.

The ZTL (Limited Traffic Zone) covers most of the centre. If you are driving, confirm with your hotel whether your registration is registered for access; fines arrive by post weeks later and are a common unpleasant surprise for rental car users.

Practical Notes

The Firenze Card, available for 85 euros for 72 hours, covers entry to most museums and skips booking queues. It makes financial and logistical sense only if you plan to visit four or more major sites in three days; for a longer, slower visit it is not necessary.

July and August are the most crowded and hottest months. Late October through November and late February through March have thinner crowds, lower hotel prices, and workable weather. The city is beautiful in rain.

One more thing about the dome: you can see the exact spot in the frescoed interior where Brunelleschi’s original brick courses shift direction as the builders adjusted the geometry during construction. It is not visible from the floor. You have to climb up and walk between the two shells to see it.