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Upload your photos. We may feature them.We've been asking top guidebook writers for their tips on alternatives to well known tourist attractions. Today's expert is Robert Landon, author of Lonely Planet Florence Encounter, 1st edition.
In Florence, Italy, the dome of the Duomo (or Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore) is a wonder to behold, but the interior may not be worth the wait, since the art inside has been largely stripped away and stored in the adjacent museum. Instead, head to the recently refurbished Santa Maria Novella, which sums up three centuries of Florentine art, such as Gothic frescoes, Giotto's rather gruesome imagining of the crucifix, the revolutionary, early Renaissance facade by Alberti, and the spectacular High Renaissance cycle of frescoes by Ghirlandaio documenting the life of the Virgin Mary as if she were a Renaissance patrician. (For hours, visit the official Santa Maria Novella website.)The benefit? Real art in its real setting with a much lower entrance fee (about $8 for Santa Maria Novella, versus about $11 to climb the Duomo plus about $5.60 (€4) to tour its Baptistery and about $8.50 to enter its museum where most of the artwork now resides). Both churches are free to visit for worship, of course.
Tip: Visit Santa Maria Novella's cloisters museum early in the morning, and you may just have the precious, early Renaissance frescoes of Paolo Uccello in the Green Cloister all to yourself. The cloister gets its name from Uccello's earthy green tones. His seething version of Noah and the Flood remains both beautiful and disturbing after nearly six centuries. You'll find the entrance tucked away on a small courtyard to the left as you are facing the church's main facade. Pay €5 for this perk. Have your hotel call in advance to check if reservations are necessary, given the church's shifting schedule of activities.
Now don't get us wrong. Neither Robert Landon nor Lonely Planet are dismissing any attraction that's rightfully famous. Everyone agrees you can have fantastic experiences at well known attractions. All we're trying to do here is recognize that—under some circumstances and for certain types of travelers—lesser known attractions may have their own appeal, offering comparable experiences.
For example, Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore is an architectural wonder, given that is has the largest masonry (brick) dome ever built. (The story of its construction is fascinatingly recounted in Brunelleschi's Dome.) Florence's cathedral for centuries, this was also the burial ground for many famous local citizens. A garish new facade was added to the building in the 1800s. Its Baptistery is an artistic treasure, worth a look, too. If you decide not to pay the high fees to see these sites, you may want to tour the museum dedicated to them both (and containing many of the works that used to hang in them): Museo dell' Opera del Duomo for tickets of about $8.40 (€6). Among its key exhibits: Ghiberti's original panels for the door of the Baptistery and a Pietà by Michelangelo.
What do you think? Sound off below.
(Thanks to Jason and Kate for catching an editing error regarding the photo used in the original version.)
EARLIER
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loved Santa Maria Novella; a kind Italian man directed me when I strolled through Florence one afternoon in 1997!
Posted By Debora on June 24, 2009, 1:36 PM
I don't think anyone should pass up the opportunity to climb the Duomo. Not only do you get close-ups of the art on the inside of the dome, and a fascinating look at the hidden architecture of the cathedral while you are trudging up the stairs, but the view at top just takes your breath away. There are lots of places to see great frescoes, but climbing the duomo is a unique experience.
Posted By Jason on June 24, 2009, 3:39 PM
"Unique experience" IF you're not claustrophobic or afraid of heights! Its a narrow, 2-way staircase w/ people going both up & down to reach cupola and if you have a panic attack part-way up, there's no emergency exit. For other wimps like me, I'd recommend climbing the Campanile right next to Duomo: stairs are wider and there's not so many of them.
Posted By Florence Kate on June 25, 2009, 5:45 AM
Santa Maria Novella, particularly the Ghirlandaio fresco, is one of my favorites. While you are on that side of town, drop by the L'officina Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella around the corner at 16 Via della Scala. It has the most wonderful lotions, perfumes, herbal remedies and potpourri, the recipes for which date back centuries. The rooms are gorgeous and it was featured in one of the Hannibal Lecter films. All for free!
Posted By Sally Swift on June 25, 2009, 10:12 AM
Yes, Santa Maria Novella is a must see. Once you enter the church, though, make sure to also check out Massacio's "Holy Trinity". In addition to Santa Maria Novella, I recommend that visitors cross the Arno river and head to Santa Maria del Carmine to see the frescoes in the Brancacci Chapel.
Posted By Craig on June 25, 2009, 12:07 PM
Just a half-mile from the Duomo is the great Franciscan Basilica, Santa Croce, (and its cloister and refectory) parked on the banks of the Arno. Even after the destruction of the 1966 flood, the frescoes and cenotaphs are remarkable testaments to the genius of Italian artists. The list is long and luminous: Giotto, Cimabue, Donatello, the della Robbias, the Gaddis, even the non-italian, non Renaissance Henry Moore, and others. And of course, the tombs hold the remains of Galileo, Ghiberti, Machiavelli, Michelangelo, Rossini, Marconi, (Dante's tomb is of course empty, the poet rests in Ravenna). This "Tempio dell'Itale Glorie" is a wonderful "diversion" while visiting Florence.
Posted By William Brondell on June 25, 2009, 12:10 PM
I don't know how "better" or "alternative" to the Duomo the following are, but if you can get in (opening times are a little odd), try San Lorenzo near Santa Maria Novella, for its magnificent ceiling and spatial/architectural geometries by Brunelleschi (who designed the double-domed top of S. Maria del Fiore), and also, near that, the Laurentian Library and the Medici Chapels (Michelangelo, Michelangelo...)
Santa Croce--other side of town--also is fantastic for its eerily beautiful statuary/tombs and the Pazzi Chapel nearby, and there's always the Santo Spirito across the Arno. The della Robbia ceramics on the orphanage make that lesser-known visit worth your time as well.
It seems like most people are skipping Orsanmichele, too (or they walk by it). But it has beautiful nooked statues on its exterior (the Donatello original is in the Bargello, though, I believe), and concerts inside sometimes, to boot. Also, a stone's throw away is the Badia, which costs nothing to enter, and is an active monastery (or nunnery).
Posted By dpod on June 25, 2009, 12:30 PM
Yes to all the above, but the real secret is the Brancacci Chapel in the church of the Carmine. After 5 years of restoration these frescos by Masolini, Masaccio and others will keep you dreaming for the rest of your life. To this add the tiny Cappella dei Magi in the Palzzo Medici-Riccardi. And if you want to walk through the rooms of heaven visit the Convent of San marco where each of 39 cells has a Fra Angelico fresco
Posted By Rev John B. Giuliani on June 25, 2009, 12:55 PM
Santa Maria Novella is a definite do not miss. But I can go to the Duomo a hundred times and never get tired of this magnificient place. I always discover something new even if it's just a different feeling or emotion, the reaction to a new bit of information abouot the Duome I may have read. Seeing these kinds of tourist "attractions" for the first time is certainly a bit overwhelming and can have sort of a surreal feeling. Usually you tend to be rushed because there is so much more to see and do; especially in Florence. You move through the experince somewhat detached and hurried. Going back for additional visits can bring these places back to reality. Learning more about them before you return is invaluable. You can make a more personal connection rather than just scratching another must see place off your list. The Duomo never dissapoints; no matter how many times I visit.
Posted By BigTex on June 25, 2009, 1:42 PM
The Baptistery across from the Duomo is amazing, too. Dante was baptized there, and looking at the ceiling, you can see where he got the idea for the circles of Hell.
The best time to see the Duomo is on Easter morning for the "scoppio del carro" (explosion of the cart). Not going inside for the service, just for the procession and fireworks and joyful crowd.
Posted By Glenda on June 25, 2009, 2:06 PM
Although the Duomo is Florence's most famous landmark, that does not diminish the fact that Florence is absolutely overflowing with other sites that are just as worthy of the time to visit and explore. And Santa Maria Novella would have to be on the top of any list. PLUS, it's right across from the train station making it incredibly easy to make it part of any visit to Florence. The Piazza next to it is also wonderful, with street musicians, cafes, gelaterias etc. One should not miss that part of the city. In my mind, it is the essence of Florence.
Posted By Brad on June 25, 2009, 11:11 PM
By all means, go to the Chapel in the Medici-Riccardi palazzo, right by the Tourist Office on V. Cavour, right around the corner from not-to- be- missed San Lorenzo. It may be tiny, but the feeling, because of the incredible Benozzo Gozzoli fresco of the Journey of the Magi (covers 3 walls), is so powerful, you feel that you are inside a vast space.
Posted By Kossia Orloff on June 26, 2009, 2:10 AM
Each time I visit Florence I climb the Duomo. My favorite sites are those that are free...Go to the tourist office across from the train station, Santa Maria Novella, and get a free map. Map out your own walking tour, highlighting the smaller churches in Florence. Most are free or very little money and they offer an amazing glimpse into Renaissance life in Florence. And you never know what shops or cafes you will find!
Posted By Liz on June 27, 2009, 11:34 PM
When in Florence be sure to go to the museum of pietra dura which is around the corner from the Accademia Museum. It made more of an impression on us than the Duomo or the Accademia. Pietra Dura is the ancient art of inlaid semi-precious stone making up beautiful pictures, tabletops, chairs and more. Although a basically Italian art it has it's roots in Florence and will truly move you. There's a modern pietra dura studio behind the Duoma where you can spend your mortgage check easily.
Posted By pete names on July 2, 2009, 1:01 PM
Saw this Duomo vs SMV the day before we were to go to Florence. It proved invaluable. The Accademia and Duomo all had long lines and were impossible to reserve any longer. We found NO line at Santa Maria Novella as well as Santa Croce and were thrilled with what we saw at both. In fact at Santa Croce seeing the tombs of Michelangelo and Galileo filled me with awe...as did the original version of what was later to become the source for the Statue of Liberty...Wish I'd known about Pietra Dura..it sounds incredible too.
Posted By Sue U on July 4, 2009, 2:18 PM