Santa Croce is the largest Franciscan church in the world, and its floor and walls read like a who's-who of Italian history: Michelangelo, Galileo Galilei, Niccolò Machiavelli and Gioachino Rossini are all buried inside, and there's a monument to Dante (though his actual remains are in Ravenna, a long-running point of civic dispute).
What to look for
- Michelangelo's tomb — designed by Vasari, near the entrance on the right.
- Galileo's tomb — notably, it took over a century after his death for the Church to allow him a monument befitting his standing, given the controversy around his astronomical work.
- Giotto's frescoes in the Bardi and Peruzzi Chapels — significant, less crowded than the Sistine-level fame of his other work, and a good spot to slow down.
- The attached leather school (Scuola del Cuoio) — Florentine leatherworking has deep roots here; the school, founded after WWII partly to give orphaned boys a trade, still operates and is open to visitors.
How much time to allow
45 minutes to an hour for the church itself, more if you linger in the cloisters or visit the attached museum, which includes Cimabue's famously flood-damaged crucifix — a genuinely moving reminder of the 1966 Arno flood that devastated much of Florence's art.
Good to know: Santa Croce is a short walk from the centre and pairs naturally with a wander through the surrounding neighbourhood, which has a good mix of local trattorias — see our neighbourhood guide.