Basilica of Santa Croce

Santa Croce is one of those rare churches that works on every level — as architecture, as an art gallery, and as a place of pilgrimage to some of the biggest names in Western civilisation. It's the largest Franciscan church in the world, begun in 1294 (possibly designed by Arnolfo di Cambio), and it became the preferred burial place for Florence's most illustrious citizens. Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli, Rossini, and Ghiberti all have monumental tombs here, and there's a cenotaph for Dante (who is actually buried in Ravenna). Stendhal reportedly fainted from the sheer concentration of greatness here, giving his name to the syndrome. The art is exceptional too. Giotto's frescoes in the Bardi and Peruzzi Chapels are foundational works in the history of Western painting. There's a Cimabue crucifix (badly damaged in the 1966 flood but still powerful), Donatello's Annunciation relief, and frescoes by Taddeo Gaddi and Agnolo Gaddi. The Pazzi Chapel in the cloister, designed by Brunelleschi, is a jewel of early Renaissance architecture. The piazza outside is one of Florence's great public spaces — it hosts the annual Calcio Storico (historic football matches) in June and has an excellent leather school (Scuola del Cuoio) accessible from inside the church complex. This is also the neighbourhood that was hardest hit by the 1966 Arno flood, and 2026 marks the 60th anniversary with commemorative events planned.