Museo dell'Opera del Duomo

Welcome to the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, a sanctuary of artistic and architectural history located just behind the towering apse of the Santa Maria del Fiore. This institution, which underwent a magnificent renovation in 2015,…

We stand now in the most breathtaking space of the museum: the Hall of the Paradise. Before you is a life-sized reconstruction of the cathedral's original medieval facade. …

Moving into the more intimate galleries, we encounter one of the most striking and perhaps disturbing works in the collection: Donatello’s 'Penitent Magdalene.' Carved from white poplar wood around 1453 to 1455, this statue…

We now approach a work of immense gravitas: Michelangelo’s 'Bandini Pietà,' also known as the 'Pietà of the Four Figures.' Created between 1547 and 1555, this sculpture was carved when Michelangelo was in his seventies, intended…

In stark contrast to the monumental sculptures we have just seen, the Reliquary Hall offers a journey into the spiritual and material culture of the medieval and Renaissance church. This room houses a vast collection of…

We now enter a section dedicated to the technical mind behind the Florence skyline: Filippo Brunelleschi. This area of the museum provides an analytical look at how the Great Dome was actually constructed. …

In one of the most acoustically and visually stunning galleries, we find the two 'Cantorias,' or singing galleries, designed for the cathedral by Luca della Robbia and Donatello. These two works were commissioned in the 1430s to…

As we conclude our tour of the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, we find ourselves back in the shadow of the great cathedral. We have moved through seven centuries of history, from the first stones of Arnolfo di Cambio to the final,…