Santa Croce - the Temple of Italic Glories

The most important Franciscan church in Florence is Santa Croce. Inside its impressive walls, this basilica houses a variety of monumental tombs, some of which are masterpieces of Italian Sculpture. They range from the Renaissance to the XIX century and remind us of those commemorated in the "Temple of Italic Glories" (Tempio delle Itale Glorie). Here are the sepulchres of Galileo Galilei, Michelangelo Buonarroti, Niccolò Machiavelli and Gioacchino Rossini.

More famous still are the fresco cycles by Giotto and his school that tell the stories of St. Francis, of the Virgin, and the Legend of the True Cross. For Mediaeval people, often illiterate, this was one of the ways they could learn about the Faith and even if now we can read and write, these are still relevant today.

A great variety of works of art are situated in the church and museum of Santa Croce, making the visit even more interesting, since most of the pieces are still in loco - in the places for which they were created.

The tour lasts 3 hours, the tickets are not included. The church is not so crowded, the line usually is not longer that 5-10 minutes, so it is not necessary to book the tickets in advance. Being the private visit, the tour can be customized accordingly to your wishes. Please advise the time you prefer to start, and the pick-up point, when reserve the tour.