Easter is this Sunday and the city of Florence expects to welcome thousands of visitors, particularly as many are drawn to come witness the Scoppio del Carro, the Explosion of the Cart, in Piazza del Duomo.
If you’re in town this weekend, know ahead of time it will be a busy weekend and expects crowds, particularly on Easter Sunday when all State and city museums offer free entrance (not because it is Easter but because it is the first Sunday of the month, a new initiative this year by the Italian Ministry of Culture and Tourism to draw more people to explore Italy’s cultural treasures). This means that no advance pre-booking is available for State museums and everyone will have to be patient in any lines that form.
There is lots to do over the long weekend: here are some of ideas for Easter in Florence (if you’re elsewhere in the region, here are some for Easter in Tuscany). If you’re interested in visiting museums on Easter Sunday, ALL museums that are generally open on Sundays WILL BE OPEN. So just check here the museums you want to visit and check their opening times.
Exceptionally for the holiday weekend, there are a few that are usually closed on Mondays which will be open this Monday, and a few others which will be closed on Easter. Check the full list below!
Special Openings on Easter Monday, April, 6th:
Uffizi Gallery and Accademia Gallery – from 8.15am to 6:50pm
Boboli Gardens, Silver Museum, Costume Gallery at the Pitti Palace – from 8.15am to 6:30pm
San Marco Museum – from 8.15am to 4.50pm
Bargello – from 8.15 to 4.50pm
If you wish to pre-book tickets for these museums, you can do so online at http://www.uffizi.org/
These will also be open on Easter Monday:
Brancacci Chapel (1-4.15pm)
Bigallo Museum (9.30am-12.30pm)
These museums are usually open on Mondays and will thus be also open on April 6th (with free entrance, as they normally are):
Orsanmichele Museum (10am to 5pm)
The Medici Villas – La Petraia (8.15am-6.30pm), Poggio a Caiano (8.15am-6.30pm) and Cerreto Guidi (9am-6pm).
The Last Suppers – Ognissanti (9am-12pm) and Sant’Apollonia (8.15am-1.50pm)
Chiostro dello Scalzo (8.15am-1.50pm).
These churches/attractions will be closed on Easter, April 5th:
Baptistery and Giotto’s bell tower
Basilica of Santa Croce
Basilica of San Lorenzo
Bardini Museum
San Marco museum
Last Supper at Sant’ Apollonia
Chiostro dello Scalzo
Casa Buonarroti
Galileo Science Museum
Finally, these main museums will be closed on April 6th:
Medici Chapels
Palazzo Davanzati
Pitti – Porcelain museum
Opificio delle Pietre Dure
Stibbert Museum
Horne Museum
About Lourdes Flores
An American living in Florence for over 10 years, Lourdes continues to explore and discover new places in Tuscany with the eyes of a tourist but with the experience of living in Italy. She shares her experiences on this blog and website, particularly offering lots of travel planning help on the Forum!
