Baptistery of San Giovanni, Florence, Italy

The Baptistery of San Giovanni (Battistero di San Giovanni) stands in Piazza San Giovanni, opposite the cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. The octagonal building, clad in white and green marble, was consecrated in 1059 and largely finished in the early 12th century, although Florentines long believed it to be an ancient Roman temple of Mars. For centuries the children of the city were baptised here, Dante among them. Its three bronze doors are famous: the south door by Andrea Pisano (1330–1336) and the north and east doors by Lorenzo Ghiberti; Michelangelo is said to have called the east door (1425–1452) the “Gates of Paradise”. The doors on the building are copies, and the originals are kept in the Opera del Duomo Museum.

Inside, the vault is covered with mosaics from the 13th and early 14th centuries around a huge figure of Christ in Judgement, and beside the altar stands the tomb of the antipope John XXIII by Donatello and Michelozzo. Since 2022 the mosaics have been under restoration from a mushroom-shaped scaffold that is due to come down in 2028; on special guided tours visitors can climb it and see the mosaics at close range.

Key points:

• Built: consecrated in 1059; marble facing and mosaics from the 11th to the 14th century.
• Tickets (2026): Ghiberti Pass €15 (Baptistery, Opera del Duomo Museum and Santa Reparata); the Baptistery is also included in the Giotto Pass (€20) and the Brunelleschi Pass (€30).
• Hours: daily 8:30–19:30; on the first Sunday of the month until 13:30.
• Nearby: Florence Cathedral, Giotto’s Bell Tower, Opera del Duomo Museum.