Florence and Pistoia join forces in the name of art! A true journey from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance that you can do easily thanks to a partnership between some of the main attractions in the two cities. A unique opportunity for sacred art enthusiasts looking for things to do in Florence with the opportunity to get to know the masterpieces of art in Pistoia in a single trip.

A combined ticket to visit the treasures of Florence and Pistoia Cathedrals

For the first time, thanks to an agreement signed between the Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore and the Chiesa Cattedrale di San Zeno, with the “Il tesoro di San Jacopo” visit itinerary, you can visit the “treasures” of the two monumental complexes of Florence and Pistoia with a combined ticket from 1 August to 31 December 2023. The itinerary links the two Tuscan cities, which are close in terms of geography, history and culture.

The symbol of this affinity and the cornerstone of the project are two crucial works of sacred medieval silversmithing: the silver San Giovanni altar in the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo in Florence and the silver San Jacopo altar in the San Zeno Cathedral in Pistoia. These are two masterpieces of sacred medieval art, and the older San Jacopo altar likely inspired its Florence successor.

The two altars share similarities in terms of materials and techniques (silver embossed with gilding, parts with full relief and enamels), invention (bas-relief stories in frames arranged around niches with full-relief figures of the titular saints), and both being the result of work conducted over the centuries (1287-1456 the details of the Pistoia altar; 1366-1483 for the Florence one) by the hands of leading Tuscan artists and silversmiths of the time.

Additionally, there are works by the leading artists and architects who worked in the two cities from the Middle Ages to the height of the Renaissance, including Filippo Brunelleschi, Lorenzo Ghiberti, Giorgio Vasari, Il Verrocchio, Della Robbia and Buglioni, Michelozzo, Coppo di Marcovaldo and others.

The “I due tesori” combined ticket, which costs 18 euro full price, 10 euro discounted, grants entrance to Florence’s Museo dell’Opera del Duomo, home to the silver San Giovanni altar, Ghiberti’s North Doors of the Baptistery and many other masterpieces dating to the early Renaissance, the Baptistery and the Santa Reparata Crypt in the Cathedral. In Pistoia, the ticket provides access to San Zeno Cathedral with the “Il tesoro di San Jacopo” visit itinerary, which includes an audio guide tour of the main artworks and the silver San Jacopo altar, as well as the Baptistery of San Giovanni in Corte and the bell tower.