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Battistero di San Giovanni (Baptistery)
The octagonal Baptistery is the oldest building on the Duomo square and, for a long stretch, the one with the most dazzling ceiling in Florence: a dome lined with glittering gold mosaics. Heads up for 2026, that dome is wrapped in a major multi-year restoration, so the famous gold ceiling is largely hidden behind scaffolding. The flip side is unusual: you can sometimes climb that scaffolding to see the mosaics up close, an access you will never get again once the work is done.
Photos: Didier Descouens (CC BY-SA 4.0), Jebulon (CC0), Ingo Mehling (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons
Mixed right now, and be honest with yourself about why you are going. The gold dome that made this place is behind scaffolding through the current restoration, so the usual wow is gone. Worth it only if you grab the scaffolding climb for a once-ever close look, otherwise admire the doors from the free square and put your indoor time into the museum where the originals live.
Worth it for
- Catching the rare scaffolding climb to see the dome mosaics up close
- The bronze doors on the exterior, free to view from the square
- Anyone already buying a Duomo complex pass, since it is included
You can skip if
- You came specifically to gaze up at the gold ceiling, which is hidden for 2026
- You want to skip the whole Duomo complex pass and only see this one building, which is not sold separately
Tickets & tours for Battistero di San Giovanni (Baptistery)
Which ticket should you buy?
What it is
The Baptistery sits right in front of the cathedral and is far older, with a marble skin in green and white that the locals once believed was ancient Roman. For centuries every Florentine was baptized here, Dante among them, which is why it carries such weight in the city's history.
It is famous for two things: the bronze doors on the outside, above all Ghiberti's east doors that Michelangelo reportedly nicknamed the Gates of Paradise, and the interior dome lined with millions of tiny gold mosaic tiles showing the Last Judgment and scenes from the life of Saint John the Baptist.
The 2026 restoration reality
Be clear on this before you go: the dome mosaics are in the middle of a six-year restoration, and for 2026 most of that gold ceiling is hidden behind a huge purpose-built scaffold inside. If your whole reason for entering was to stand and gawp up at the gold, you will be disappointed, so adjust expectations.
There is a genuine upside, though. The mushroom-shaped scaffolding was built so visitors can sometimes climb it and view the mosaics from inches away, which is something no normal visit ever allowed. Access to the climb is limited and usually needs separate booking, so check the official Duomo site close to your trip. The lower walls and the apse mosaics, restored a few years back, stay visible.
The doors
The Gates of Paradise you see on the building today are a high-quality copy. The restored original gilded panels live indoors at the Opera del Duomo Museum, protected from weather and pollution, and that museum is where you should go to study them properly up close.
Even as copies, the three sets of bronze doors are worth a slow circle of the exterior, which is free since you are just standing on the square. The competition panels that won Ghiberti the original commission are over at the Bargello, if you want the full backstory.
Visiting and tickets
You cannot buy a Baptistery-only ticket. Entry comes bundled into the Duomo complex passes, which also cover the cathedral's dome climb, the bell tower, the crypt, and the Opera del Duomo Museum, and are valid for about three days. So you are really deciding whether to do the whole Duomo complex, not just this one building.
Hours run roughly morning to early evening daily, with shorter hours on some Sundays and possible closures for religious services. Given the restoration, the Baptistery interior is the weakest stop on the pass right now unless you snag the scaffolding climb. The doors outside and the museum with the originals are the stronger picks.
Battistero di San Giovanni (Baptistery): FAQs
Mostly no. The dome is under a multi-year restoration and the famous gold ceiling is largely hidden behind scaffolding for 2026. The lower wall and apse mosaics, already restored, are still visible.
Sometimes, yes. The restoration scaffold was built to let visitors view the mosaics up close, which is a rare chance. Access is limited and usually needs a separate booking, so check the official Duomo website near your travel dates.
No. The doors on the Baptistery are copies. The restored original gilded panels are inside the Opera del Duomo Museum, which is where to see them properly.
No, and you can't buy one. Entry is included in the Duomo complex passes that also cover the dome climb, bell tower, crypt, and museum. You pay for the whole complex, not this building alone.
Only if you get the scaffolding climb, which gets you closer to the mosaics than ever possible otherwise. Without it, the interior is underwhelming right now, and the doors outside plus the museum are the better use of your time.
The original Gates of Paradise panels are in the Opera del Duomo Museum on the same square. The early competition panels by Ghiberti and Brunelleschi are at the Bargello.
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