Florence: Santa Croce Church Guided Tour
The tour starts in the main square, where the famous soccer game in medieval costumes, the Calcio Storico Florentino, takes place every year in June. In this tour, you will learn a lot of history and also the life of Michelangelo. Your guide will describe in detail all the immense artistic wealth in Santa Croce; frescoes (1380) by Gaddi in the Cappella Maggiore tell the story of "Santa Croce", and beautiful frescoes by Giotto in the Bardi and Peruzzi Chapels show scenes from the life of St. Francis and St. John the Evangelist.
On your way to the left of the entrance, you'll see the memorial of the 19th-century playwright Giovanni Battista Niccolini built as an inspiration for the Statue of Liberty. As you walk through the hallowed walls learn the art of Donatello and his crucifix, one of the jewels of the Renaissance, as well as the art of Brunelleschi and the perfect architectural harmony of his Chapel of Fools.
The Church also bears the marks of history, including those left by the tragic flood of 1966 that damaged several paintings and destroyed the monumental cemetery, which was subsequently restored and is part of this tour. After visiting the interior, the exterior which is covered with a polychrome marble façade will be explained to you by the guide. Finally, the guide will tour you around the Bell Tower, Crypt, and the 16 Chapels. The tour takes about an hour, you can also return to anything you might want to see again after the tour ends.
