Guided visit to the Restoration Workshop of Florence Duomo

Are you ready to go on a journey back in time and live an unforgettable experience? With our ‘La Bottega del Restauro in Florence’ tour you will discover the places where the greatest Florentine masters worked to create their masterpieces and where Michelangelo himself carved ‘David’, his most famous work of art. But that is not all: the tour also includes a visit to the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore and to the Florence Baptistry... a truly unmissable opportunity!

• The tour will start with the inspiring FLORENCE BOTTEGA DEL RESTAURO, still imbued with the atmosphere of the traditional Florentine craftsmanship workshops. In fact, in addition to the customary 'workshop machinery', you can still find century-old tools like chisels and marble drills... in short, just like those used by the Renaissance artists! In the past, the present-day Bottega del Restauro was known as Bottega dell’Opera del Duomo and was housed in a room immediately behind the apse of the Cathedral.Subsequently, it was moved into the adjacent building - now housing the Museum of the Opera of Santa Maria del Fiore - where the artists worked under a large canopy that was later removed. Around the nineteenth century, the final relocation to Via dello Studio took place, in the vicinity of the Duomo, where you can still admire it today. As can be expected, the type of work carried out in the Florence Bottega del Restauro has changed over time: architectural and sculptural decorations of the Cathedral and the Bell Tower were once carried out, while nowadays artisans work, with great dedication and professionalism, to restore and protect the inestimable heritage of the Duomo Complex, using traditional techniques and equipment.
  In addition to the Florence Duomo and Restoration Complex, the tour also offers an interesting introductory lesson to the making and restoration of mosaics in classic style. But the tour does not end here: to better appreciate the art works in their original environment, our guide will accompany you to the discovery of the Florence Duomo and Baptistry. 

• BAPTISTERY OF SAN GIOVANNI IN FLORENCE. Located in Piazza Duomo, in front of the Cathedral, it is characterized by an octagonal plan and octagonal dome with a pyramid roof. The exterior walls are decorated with green Prato marbles, typical of Florentine Romanesque architecture. Large bronze doors, known all over the world for their beautiful decorations, are located on three of the eight sides. During the Florence Baptistery guided tour, in addition to the marble floor with zodiac and geometric motifs, you will admire the splendid Florence Baptistry mosaics that cover the inner dome and the Baptistery of San Giovanni ceiling, made by expert mosaicists – probably hailing from Venice – based on sketches of great Florentine masters such as Cimabue, Meliore and Coppo di Marcovaldo. 

• The CATHEDRAL OF SANTA MARIA DEL FIORE needs no introduction, being one of the city’s symbols. Sited on the ruins of the Church of Santa Reparata - still visible in the charming Crypt – its construction was started at the end of the thirteenth century by the Tuscan sculptor Arnolfo di Cambio, while the extraordinary Dome was added in the fifteenth century. The facade is clad with green, white and red marble, the same colours used for the interior floor. An interesting fact: during the restoration work carried out following the devastating floods in 1966, it was discovered that, for the construction of the floor, marbles were laid with their face down after being salvaged from the unfinished facade, demolished at that time. The frescoes inside the Cupola are truly magnificent depicting themes from the 'Last Judgment' and the clock showing the so-called 'hora italica' (Italian time) - with a counter-clockwise movement and a 24-hour face - whose facade was painted by Paolo Uccello. 

Do not miss our tour in Florence: Bottega del Restauro, Duomo and the Baptistery of San Giovanni are waiting for you! But that's not all! By participating in this guided tour, you will be able to use your ticket - valid for 48 hours - to visit the entire Florence Duomo and Restoration Complex, including Brunelleschi’s Dome, to date the most important architectural work in Europe since Roman times, Giotto's Bell Tower, considered one of the most beautiful in Italy, and the New Museo dell’Opera del Duomo housing splendid works of art from the Cathedral, Bell Tower and the Baptistery of San Giovanni in Florence as well as a remarkable collection of Renaissance and Gothic statues.