Once upon a time a church as important, as grand, as treasure-filled and as visited as Santa Croce in Florence survived on the bequests and donations of wealthy and notable local families and merchants. No longer. The maintenance of sixteen frescoed chapels (works by Giotto and his pupils), the resting places of Michelangelo, Galileo, Rossini and Machiavelli - this has forced on the authorities a requirement to charge entrance fees. You may read more about the church of Santa Croce on our information page, with images and a layout plan.
The church is located in Piazza Santa Croce, a short walk from Piazza dell Signoria, home to the Palazzo Vecchio. Construction work began in the late 13th century but both the neo-gothic facade and the clock-tower were added much later, in the 19th century. Interestingly, given proximity to the Palazzo Vecchio, the church was originally outside the city walls, built on marshland, and this low-level situation meant that Santa Croce was badly damaged by the 1966 floods.
The buttons below will give greater detail on the tickets available throughout the year, and do use our calendar above to check availability!
Opening times:
Opening hours are from 09.30 until 17.30 (with last entrance at 17.00) from Monday to Saturday, and from 14.00 to 17.00 on Sundays and certain holidays.
You may view a location map showing Santa Croce as well as other Florence landmarks on our page here.
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