Basilica of Santa Croce
Santa Croce is Florence's largest Franciscan church and the burial place of an extraordinary roster of Italians, including Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli, and Rossini, earning it the nickname the Temple of the Italian Glories. Dante has a cenotaph here too, though his actual tomb is in Ravenna.
The church itself, begun in 1294, holds important fresco cycles by Giotto and his school in several chapels, along with a Pazzi Chapel by Brunelleschi in the adjoining cloister, considered one of the purest examples of early Renaissance architecture.
A 1966 flood of the Arno badly damaged parts of the complex, including Cimabue's famous Crucifix, and the recovery effort here helped pioneer modern art restoration techniques still used today.
Basilica of Santa Croce FAQs
Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli, and Rossini, among many other notable Italians, along with a cenotaph for Dante.
No, it charges an entrance fee, unlike many parish churches in Florence.
About 1-1.5 hours to see the tombs, Giotto frescoes, and Pazzi Chapel.
The Arno flooded catastrophically, damaging artworks including Cimabue's Crucifix; the restoration effort became internationally influential.
Yes, the adjoining cloister and Pazzi Chapel are included in standard admission.
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