Architecture of Florence: here's the iconic Florence buildings

Are you an architecture enthusiast and you’re planning a visit to Florence? If so, you’re in for a remarkable experience. Florence is nothing short of a paradise for anyone passionate about the history of architecture.

The city is a living museum, where every corner tells a story of artistic and architectonic evolution. From Romanesque masterpieces to Renaissance innovations, Florence offers a rich and immersive journey through the ages of architectural transformation.

Architecture of Florence: The Florence Baptistery

One of the oldest surviving structures in Florence is the Baptistery of San Giovanni, dating back to the 11th century. This sacred space has long held symbolic importance for the Florentine people, being dedicated to their patron saint, John the Baptist. The exterior is adorned with a striking marble decoration, including both the façade and the roof—an architectural rarity.

The geometric motifs, crafted using white marble from Carrara and green marble from Prato, became an influential design language in Florence. This bichrome stone motif is echoed in the exteriors of other iconic buildings, such as the Florence Cathedral and the façade of Santa Maria Novella, designed by Leon Battista Alberti in the 15th century.

Florence buildings: The Medieval Period

Florence underwent a significant architectural transformation at the close of the 13th century. The construction of the new cathedral began in 1296, and master architect Arnolfo di Cambio was commissioned to design key civic structures, including what we know today as the Palazzo Vecchio—then called the Palazzo dei Priori.

In the past, this fortress-like palace housed the government of the Florentine Republic and exemplified the architecture of power in the Middle Ages. Priors would live there, isolated from the public, during their two-month terms. To bridge this gap between rulers and citizens, the Loggia dei Lanzi was constructed in the 1370s by Andrea Orcagna, becoming a space for civic celebrations.

The adjacent Piazza della Signoria became the symbolic heart of civic life in medieval Florence. Under the rule of the Medici family, this space evolved further. They transformed the loggia into an open-air sculpture gallery, showcasing Roman antiquities and contemporary works by masters like Giambologna and Benvenuto Cellini.

Arnolfo di Cambio may also have designed the Basilica of Santa Croce, a monumental Franciscan church displaying the hallmarks of Italian Gothic architecture—soaring vertical lines, pointed arches, and radiant stained-glass windows. The chapels around the main altar were later adorned with frescoes by 14th-century painters including Giotto and Taddeo Gaddi, enriching the church’s spiritual and visual significance.

Florence buildings: The Renaissance Period

The Renaissance truly began in Florence with the revolutionary work of Filippo Brunelleschi. Beginning in 1419, he designed the Ospedale degli Innocenti, Europe’s first orphanage, setting a new standard in architectural design. The building’s portico, with its harmonious arches supported by classical columns, exemplified the Renaissance ideals of proportion, measure, and symmetry.

Inside, the hospital was divided into two courtyards—one for boys and a smaller one for girls—serving as a refuge for abandoned children and a significant charitable institution.

Brunelleschi’s genius extended to the Pazzi Chapel within the Santa Croce convent. Commissioned in 1443 by the Pazzi family, construction ceased in 1478 when the family was exiled after plotting against Lorenzo de’ Medici. The chapel is a geometric marvel, featuring a Greek cross floor plan and a domed ceiling crowned by a lantern that resembles a miniature classical temple. Classical columns and circular motifs introduced an entirely new spatial experience for the Florentine public.

Brunelleschi Dome: the revolutionary Florentine architecture

Undoubtedly, Brunelleschi’s most groundbreaking achievement is the dome of Florence Cathedral, designed in 1418. Brunelleschi managed to solve the long-standing challenge of how to close the massive cathedral without using medieval wooden centering. His solution: a double-shell dome composed of two interlocking structures—an inner dome and a larger outer dome—supported by ribs and an innovative system of internal ties.

This self-supporting design was not only a technical marvel but also gave birth to mobile scaffolding and cranes, prefiguring the mechanical ingenuity of Leonardo da Vinci. Brunelleschi’s dome stands today as a symbol of Renaissance innovation and continues to awe architects and engineers alike.

Florence buildings: Leon Battista Alberti

Leon Battista Alberti, another seminal figure of the Renaissance, contributed significantly to Florence’s architectural renewal. Collaborating with Florentine merchant Giovanni Rucellai, he designed the façade of Santa Maria Novella. Completed in the late 15th century, Alberti’s façade reflects the Renaissance principles of symmetry, proportion, and seeks inspiration in the classical models.

The upper part of the façade, where four pilasters support a triangular pediment, clearly evokes Roman temple architecture, and structures such as the portico of the Pantheon. The entire structure fits within a perfect square, underlining the perfection of Renaissance symmetry. At the same time, the use of green and white marble patterns links the project with the typical local architectonic tradition dating back to the Baptistery and the Romanesque style.

Alberti also designed the Palazzo Rucellai, one of Florence’s first Renaissance palaces, situated just steps from Santa Maria Novella. Its façade features classical columns across three levels: Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian, reminiscent of the Roman Colosseum. Even the decorative stonework, called opus reticulatum, nods to Roman masonry techniques.

Adjacent stands the Rucellai Loggia, used by the family for public ceremonies. Both buildings bear Giovanni Rucellai’s personal emblem: a billowing sail that conveys the idea of fortune, success, and ambition.

Architecture of Florence and the Mannerism

Every year 5 million visitors arrive at the Uffizi Gallery. Very few of them, however, stop to appreciate the architectonic structure of this important Florentine palace. Designed by Giorgio Vasari beginning in 1560, the Uffizi is not only a world-class museum. From the architectonical point of view, the structure summarizes the two centuries of architectural evolution in Florence.

In his project for the Uffizi, Vasari combined the Renaissance rationality of Brunelleschi with the dramatic flair of Michelangelo. He used a palette of white and grey typical of Brunelleschi’s churches like San Lorenzo, while incorporating the visual “games” of late Renaissance Mannerism. He altered triangular and arched window pediments, creating dynamic visual rhythm.

When the Medici acquired properties across the Arno River in 1550, they developed the Palazzo Pitti into their official residence. Over time, the palace expanded into a grand model for aristocratic residences across Europe. The rustic stone façade, possibly an early design by Brunelleschi, gave the palace a commanding presence. Later additions by Bartolomeo Ammannati and Giulio Parigi turned it into the monumental complex we see today.

Florence architecture: The Baroque Period

During the 17^th century, the Medici family dominated the local artistic patronage. In 1602 Duke Ferdinand I de’ Medici commissioned the construction of a new funerary chapel for the dynasty, located at the back of San Lorenzo Basilica.

The Chapel of the Princes was designed by Matteo Nigetti. Very simple on the outside, inside displays the splendour and the wealth of the Medici Dynasty.

Ferdinand wanted this space to symbolize the eternal lasting of the Medici’s dynastic line. For this reason the interior is decorated with the stone inlay, the commesso fiorentino technique.

The chapel has never been finished. Only two statues representing the dukes Ferdinand I and Cosimo II were placed in the niches above the gigantic marble sarcophagi. These are the masterpieces by a Florentine Baroque sculptor Pietro Tacca. The dome was decorated only during the 19^th century with the Old and the New Testament scenes by Pietro Benvenuti.

Matteo Nigetti designed also the baroque church of Santi Michele e Gaetano in Piazza Antinori. The structure of the church represents a typical for the Baroque period spatial unity, with the wide nave that opens towards the central altar. Here, as in the best Baroque temples the architecture engages in the dialogue with the sculptures, as the interior is decorated with the statues of the 12 apostles, who seem to discuss some theological matters from above the heads of the believers.

Nigetti’s façade of the church is a rare example of Baroque style in Florence, as it features a powerful and dynamic design based on the movement of volumes.

Buildings in Florence: The 19th Century

Did you know that the façade of the Florentine Cathedral Santa Maria del Fiore was completely plain until 1887?

The rich neogothic decoration that you can admire on the church today is a result of a project by Emilio De Fabris. It features a richly decorative design that harmonizes with the cathedral’s medieval origins.

The design includes elaborate sculptural decorations, a monumental rose window, and bronze doors adorned with biblical scenes. At the centre, below the rose window you can see the figure of the Virgin Mary, to whom the cathedral is dedicated. On her side there are the statues representing Jesus’s 12 apostles. At both sides of the central door stand the two patron saints of Florence, medieval martyr Santa Reparata and the first bishop of the city San Zanobi.

Another iconic monument of the 19^th century architecture in Florence is the Great Synagogue, one of the most important examples of Moorish Revival architecture in Europe. Constructed between 1874 and 1882, it was designed by architects Mariano Falcini, Vincenzo Micheli, and Marco Treves, a member of the local Jewish community. The building reflects a blend of Italian, Moorish, and Byzantine influences, symbolizing the integration of the Jewish community within Italian society while honouring its ancient heritage.

The synagogue is easily recognizable by its large central green copper dome, which dominates the Florence skyline.

Architecture of Florence: The 20th Century

The most important example of contemporary architecture in Florence is the Santa Maria Novella train station, inaugurated in 1935 and designed by the Gruppo Toscano, led by architect Giovanni Michelucci.

Michelucci’s design successfully blends modernity with Florence’s Renaissance heritage. The use of the Florentine stone pietra forte reminds the Strozzi and the Pitti Palaces. Also the idea of architecture that connects the city and allows a free passage from one square seems borrowed from the design of the Piazzale degli Uffizi, that connects Piazza della Signoria with the Arno River.

Michelucci’s station is a successful realisation of Italian Rationalism: straight lines, clear volumes, graphic design that includes the lettering contribute to the clarity of the form.

Florence buildings: here’s the 10 most famous

Which are the most famous buildings in Florence?

Don’t miss this 10 important architectures of Florence.

The Baptistery of Saint John the Baptist – dating back to the 11^th century is the most important religious site in the city, a temple dedicated to the patron of the city, Saint John the Baptist
San Miniato al Monte Basilica – together with the Baptistery, San Miniato represents the Florentine Romanesque style with its façade decorated with geometric shapes in marble.
Ospedale degli Innocenti – built thanks to a generous donation of a merchant Francesco Datini and designed by Filippo Brunelleschi became the first orphanage in Europe
Brunelleschi’s Dome – structural innovation of the double-shell-dome allow Brunelleschi to close the opening of unprecedented size
Palazzo Medici – the first Renaissance residence designed by Michelozzo for Cosimo the Elder de’ Medici in 1444
Façade of Santa Maria Novella – harmonious design by Leon Battista Alberti that united the Medieval style with the innovations of the Renaissance
Palazzo Rucellai – urban residence for Giovanni di Paolo Rucellai features numerous references to the classical architecture
Pitti Palace – private residence of the Medici dynasty with monumental Boboli Gardens on the back
The Chapel of the Princes – stunning Baroque funerary chapel designed in 1602 by Matteo Nigetti
Santa Maria Novella train station – inaugurated in 1935 and designed by Giovanni Michelucci represents an excellent example of the Italian Rationalism in architecture.

Make it a day of exploring the florentine architecture

Florence is a city where architecture does not merely serve its function, it narrates history. From medieval fortresses to Renaissance chapels, from Gothic basilicas to Mannerist palaces, each structure reveals the ambitions, innovations, and identities of its creators.

These are just some of my favourite architectural masterpieces in Florence, but the city holds countless more.

If you’re interested in exploring Florence through the lens of architecture, consider joining one of our guided tours. We would be delighted to craft a custom itinerary to match your passions and curiosities.

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