Museums - Latest news! - 2026

If you are planning a visit to Florence, it is essential to know the timetables of the main places of interest. In the section Map, Guide and Multimedia you can download useful guides and updated opening hours of museums, churches and monuments of the city. Nevertheless, before departure, it is important to get informed about some places, which are temporarily closed due to restoration, special events or any other circumstances. 

Every first Sunday of the month, also for 2026, state museums are free for everyone; city museums are also free, but only for residents. Here is a selection of the last news:

• Giotto's Bell tower

Restoration work on Giotto's Bell Tower (of the Cathedral) will begin on 9 March 2026. It will be a delicate and lengthy project (lasting approximately four years), but it will not interfere with the usability of this monument, one of the symbols of Florence. It will remain open to the public throughout the period, with reduced visual impact, thanks in part to a series of specially designed dynamic scaffolding structures.

• Palazzo Vecchio, the excavations

The archaeological area of Palazzo Vecchio, featuring the remains of the Roman Theatre of ancient Florentia, has finally been reopened to the public.

• Firenze Card restart

The Firenze Card Restart (i.e., the option to extend the card's validity for an additional 48 hours) has been reactivated at a cost of € 28 from March 1, 2026.  

• Combined ticket Accademia & Bargello

Following the reorganization of the Galleria dell’Accademia and the Bargello Museums under a single management, new combined tickets have been introduced, effective from March 15th, 2026, including the ‘Accademia + Bargello’ ticket. For more information, including details on other museum passes, please see our article on combined tickets.

• San Miniato restorarion

The Basilica di San Miniato al Monte is under restoration (end: autumn 2025), but still visible. For guided tour on the scaffoldings.

• Baptistery restoration 

The Baptistery of San Giovanni (Duomo) is visible (the restorations of the ceiling mosaics continues - Online bookings for the guided tours).

• Bardi Chapel in Santa Croce

In April 2022 began the restoration of Bardi Chapel, painted by Giotto (scenes of Saint Francis’ life) inside Santa Croce church. The restoration is expected to be completed by the end of 2025; after that, the scaffolding will be maintained for a limited period to allow "close-up visits" by appointment.

• Michelangelo's Secret Room

To visit "Michelangelo's Secret Room", located inside the Medici Chapels, the reservation is mandatory . For information and reservations please contact Opera Laboratori at www.operalaboratori.com; +39 055 294883.

• Palazzo Pitti restoration

Restoration work continues at the museum complex of Palazzo Pitti. Following the reopening of the Royal Apartments (featuring furnishings ranging from the Medici period to that of the House of Savoy, including the Lorraine and Napoleonic eras) and the Museum of Costume and Fashion (the most important of its kind in Italy), further restoration work began in August 2025. This new phase will involve, in stages, several rooms of the Palatine Gallery and the Gallery of Modern Art, with completion expected by spring 2026. The Porcelain Museum (accessible from the Boboli Gardens) remains closed for restoration.

• Specola Museum

TheSpecola museum,which is part of the University of Florence's Natural History museum system, has reopened on February 2024 after a complete refurbishment.

•  Medici Villas

Since last autumn, admission to the Medici Villas of Petraia, Castello, Cerreto Guidi and Poggio a Caiano have been subject to a fee. TheVilla Medicea di Careggi is still closed for restoration; it will probably open to the public in the course of 2026.

• Vasari Corridor

After a long restoration, the Vasari Corridor is once again open to the public. The collection of self-portraits is now within the Uffizi Gallery