
Piazza del Duomo
Grand medieval square framed by a striped marble cathedral, a soaring campanile, and an ancient octagonal baptistery.
Location
About this audio guide
This guide to Piazza del Duomo in Florence reconstructs Easter morning, 1478, when a conspiracy against the ruling Medici brothers, Lorenzo and Giuliano, erupted into violence during mass inside the cathedral behind you. It follows Giuliano's attackers and Lorenzo's scramble for the sacristy, wounded and uncertain whether his brother was alive, while outside the plot's fate hung on how Florence would react. The bronze sacristy doors that played their part that morning still stand just past the cathedral's facade.
This audio guide was created using AI.
Similar places
Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore
Gothic cathedral topped by the world's largest masonry dome, a feat of Renaissance engineering.
Baptistery of St. John
Octagonal baptistery famed for gilded bronze doors and a glittering Byzantine mosaic ceiling.
Piazza della Signoria
Medieval square of Renaissance sculpture, stage for a preacher-turned-ruler's public execution.
Brunelleschi's dome
Double-shell brick dome engineered without wooden scaffolding, crowning a Renaissance cathedral above the city.
Palazzo Vecchio
Fortified medieval palace and Medici seat, with soaring tower, grand halls and secret passages.
Giotto's Bell Tower
Gothic marble bell tower with geometric patterns, sculpted reliefs and city views from the top.