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Basilica di Santa Croce
Santa Croce is where Florence buries its giants: Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli, and Rossini all have tombs along these walls, which is why people call it the city's pantheon. Behind that is the real reason to slow down, the Giotto frescoes in the chapels by the altar and Brunelleschi's serene Pazzi Chapel out in the cloister. Buy the ticket online to dodge the line, and note it opens late on Sundays because of morning Mass.
Photos: Dllu (CC BY-SA 4.0), Anna.Massini (CC BY-SA 4.0), Maurits Meulenbelt (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons
Worth it, and underrated next to the Duomo. The combination of famous tombs, real Giotto frescoes, and Brunelleschi's Pazzi Chapel makes it one of the most rewarding churches in the city. Skip it only if you are truly out of time, since the Duomo and Uffizi come first for most people.
Worth it for
- Standing at the tombs of Michelangelo, Galileo, and Machiavelli in one room
- Giotto frescoes that mark the start of modern Western painting
- Brunelleschi fans, for the cool restraint of the Pazzi Chapel
You can skip if
- You only have one day and the Duomo, Uffizi, and Accademia are still unseen
- You have already toured several Florence churches and are reaching art fatigue
Tickets & tours for Basilica di Santa Croce
Which ticket should you buy?
What it is
Santa Croce is the main Franciscan church of Florence, a huge Gothic basilica begun in the late 1200s. The plain timber ceiling and wide nave feel almost austere after the Duomo, and that is the point: this is a preaching church, built for sermons and the crowds who came to hear them.
Over the centuries it filled up with the tombs and monuments of famous Italians, which is what most visitors come to see first. The ticket covers more than the church itself: it includes the cloisters, the Pazzi Chapel, the old refectory with Cimabue's flood-damaged crucifix, and a small museum.
What to see
Walk the side aisles for the tombs: Michelangelo's near the entrance on the right, Galileo's opposite (he was only allowed a proper church burial here long after his death), plus Machiavelli and a monument to Dante, who is actually buried in Ravenna. They are worth a slow look, but do not let them eat your whole visit.
The art that lasts longer in the memory is in the chapels to the right of the high altar: Giotto's frescoes of the lives of Saint Francis and Saint John, early-1300s painting that changed how everyone after him worked. Then head out to the cloister for the Pazzi Chapel, Brunelleschi's calm exercise in gray stone and white plaster with della Robbia roundels, and the Cimabue crucifix in the refectory, badly hurt in the 1966 flood and left partly unrestored as a record of it.
Visiting and tickets
One ticket covers the church, cloisters, Pazzi Chapel, and museum. Buying online adds a tiny booking fee but lets you skip the ticket window, which is the better move at busy times. It is a working church, so admission is free if you are coming only to pray or attend Mass, though that does not give you run of the art and tombs.
Hours are roughly 9:30 to 5:30 Monday through Saturday with last entry around 5, and Sundays open in the afternoon only because the mornings are for services. Shoulders and knees should be covered, as at any Italian church. Budget about an hour to an hour and a half to do it justice.
Getting there
Santa Croce sits on its own big square in the eastern part of the historic center, about a 10 minute walk from the Duomo and 5 from Piazza della Signoria. The whole area is pedestrian-friendly and easy on foot.
Florence has no metro. If you are coming from farther out, small electric buses (the C lines) loop through the center near here, but from anywhere in the old town you are better off just walking.
Basilica di Santa Croce: FAQs
Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli, the composer Rossini, and others have tombs here. There is also a grand monument to Dante, but he is buried in Ravenna, not here, so that one is a cenotaph.
Yes, the art and tombs require a ticket that also covers the cloisters, Pazzi Chapel, and museum. Buy it online for a small fee to skip the ticket window. Entry is free only if you are coming purely to pray or attend Mass.
Sunday mornings are reserved for Mass and other services, so the basilica opens to visitors in the afternoon only. If Sunday is your day, plan it after lunch.
Yes, it is a church. Cover your shoulders and knees. Bring a light scarf or shawl in summer if you are in a tank top or shorts, or you may be turned away at the door.
Plan about an hour to an hour and a half. The tombs and Giotto chapels are quick to find, but the cloister, Pazzi Chapel, and refectory deserve a few minutes each if you came this far.
Yes, it is part of the same ticket, reached through the cloister. It is one of Brunelleschi's calmest pieces of architecture and easy to miss if you only do the church interior, so make a point of walking out to it.
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