In the Baptistery of St. John, where every corner tells a story, an extraordinary journey through art, science and spirituality awaits you.
The famous bronze doors – including Ghiberti’s Gates of Paradise, shining in gold – are just the beginning of what you will discover.
Inside, you will admire precious marbles, golden mosaics, and an ancient pavement zodiac that once served as a sophisticated sundial.
In this place, where Roman art meets Florentine genius, every detail tells a thousand-year story.
Join me on this guided tour through time and discover one of the most fascinating and mysterious monuments in Florence!
Giotto’s Baptistery Tour: what to see with your guide
The Baptistery of Saint John, so called because it is dedicated to the patron saint of the city of Florence, is a historic building in Florentine Romanesque style of the eleventh century.
Its octagonal plan is embellished with three bronze doors, the most famous of which is the so-called Gates of Paradise, by Lorenzo Ghiberti.
Made in 1400, its golden color rendered by gold leaf makes it a unique work, both for its artistic value and for its religious and symbolic meaning.
The interior is reminiscent of Roman buildings such as the Pantheon: its walls are covered with granite and white and green marble slabs. Everything is embellished with multifaceted geometric decorations. Admirable is the floor zodiac which, between the tenth and eleventh centuries, served as a sundial thanks to the ray of sunlight that at noon passed through a hole at the top of the dome illuminating the surface below.
In the center of the interior is the ancient baptismal font surmounted by a vault decorated with mosaics from the 1200s on a golden background. Also inside are two Roman sarcophagi.
Book the guided tour: discover these and other curiosities on a personalized guided tour.
Visit to the Baptistery of Florence: all the stops
The guided tour of the Baptistery of Saint John includes:
- the external architectural and stylistic description of the building, its history, its symbolic value and the analysis of the famous Gates of Paradise;
- the description of the interiors, in particular of the prestigious works that are found here, including the mosaic ceiling and the baptismal font.
