Torre di San Niccolò and others reopen for the summer season

With the bella stagione in full force, the Comune di Firenze and Associazione Mus.e are once again offering the public the opportunity to tour some of the city’s least-visited gems. Usually closed to visitors, the Torre di San Niccolò, Torre della Zecca and Porta Romana will open their doors on select days, with guided tours and great views. This summer also brings something new: a chance to visit, for the first time, the Baluardo a San Giorgio, the 16th-century fortification built on the commission of Cosimo I.  

The first three monuments are part of the medieval city wall, begun in 1284 by Arnolfo di Cambio. In its entirety, the wall ran for 8 kilometers and was enhanced with 15 gates and numerous defence towers, many of which are no longer standing, making the three open for visits all the more special.

The first to reopen this year will be the Torre di San Niccolò, built around 1345 and the only one to maintain its original height. The tower offers spectacular views over the city, the Arno and the surrounding hills. The Torre della Zecca takes its name from its role as the city’s mint, made possible thanks to the Arno being able to power its hammers. Visitors will hear the history of the tower and the mint and learn about a society run on fiorini, denari and quattrini. Porta Romana is one of the few remaining stretches of the city wall. Entering from via Gusciana, visitors can walk along the external walkway to the roof of the Porta Romana gate, built in the 1320s by Jacopo Orcagna and lowered in the 1500s to avoid enemy fire from outside the walls.

The Baluardo a San Giorgio will be open to the public for the first time this summer, with visits beginning on July 8. The trapezoidal structure was added to the 14th-century wall to enhance the city’s defence system. Interestingly, the Baluardo is today home to the Compagnia Balestrieri Fiorentini, Florence’s crossbow society.

The Torre di San Niccolò will be open every day this summer until August 31, while the other monuments will be available for visits four times, once per month:

Torre di San Niccolò June 24 to August 31: 5pm to 8pm; September 1 to 30: 4pm to 7pm; guided visits every half hour

Baluardo a San Giorgio July 8: 5pm to 8pm; August 12: 5pm to 8pm; September 9: 4pm to 7pm; October 7: 3pm to 6pm; guided visits every hour

Torre della Zecca July 15: 5pm to 8pm; August 19: 5pm to 8pm; September 16: 4pm to 7pm; October 14: 3pm to 6pm; guided visits every half hour

Porta Romana July 22: 5pm to 8pm; August 26: 5pm to 8pm; September 23: 4pm to 7pm; October 21: 3pm to 6pm; guided visits every half hour

For: anyone ages 8 and up

How much: 4 euro (free under 18 years old, tour guides and interpreters and members of ICOM, ICOMOS and ICCROM).

Reservations are necessary by emailing info@muse.comune.fi.it or calling 055 2768224. In case of rain, the tours will be cancelled.

The monuments are not handicap accessible.